“Hello, Jenny,” she said, trying to sound calm. Jenny had been one of the major bullies in high school, always attacking her, Gwen, and Chelsey. It never got physical with her, thank the Goddess, but sometimes it felt as though it was getting too damn close.
Jenny put her basket onto the corner of Kira’s cart and propped her fists on her hips. Behind her, the other two women who had been talking about the demon attack looked on with uncertain expressions. They seemed as though they wanted to get out of here, but were too curious to see how this was going to go to actually do anything.
“Are you happy with yourself?” Jenny asked harshly.
“About what exactly?” Kira kept her voice calm.
Jenny scoffed and wagged a finger in her face, as though she was (gleefully) scolding her. “All this demon activity! It’s the fault of your kind. Did you summon them yourself, or are they just drawn to you?”
Kira clenched her jaw but fought to stay calm. “You heard the Elders tell the pack that it’s not our fault.”
“Huh. We’d be better off without the likes of you around. Thank the Goddess your annoying little sister took off. You should go with her,” Jenny said with a nasty smile.
Kira’s hand curled around the handle of her cart. “You do realize—” she started, but suddenly Jenny gasped and stepped back.
Kira felt the heat on her back before Joshua’s scent hit her. He was so close that the hairs on her body stood on end. She could feel his presence swirling behind her, a physical presence. Her heart started racing, and her stomach dropped. Quickly, she tried to hide her reaction, but every nerve in her was alive and focused on the sound of his breathing.
“Mrs. Carps,” he rumbled, and Kira’s knees went weak. “That is enough. We do not tolerate that sort of behavior in this pack anymore.”
“I was only—”
“Do not lie to me.” Joshua’s voice was flat, like he was seconds from losing his temper. Kira hated how damn sexy that sound was.
Jenny ducked her head and grabbed her basket again. “Of course. I’m sorry, Mr. Woods.”
Joshua moved forward. “Am I the one you were insulting?”
Kira could almost hear Jenny’s teeth clench. “I’m sorry, Kira.”
“Thank you,” Kira said quickly, before Joshua could point out how very unapologetic Jenny actually sounded.
She turned her cart and headed away as Jenny retreated. Joshua walked with Kira, staying far too close. It made her worn nerves ignite even hotter. This wasn’t how she was supposed to react to him! She was supposed to hear his grumpy, dangerous voice and tell herself that was exactly the sort of red flag sheshould be running from. Just because he was trying to defend her didn’t mean that it was any better.
Agitated, she took her cart through the self-checkout without talking to him. And Joshua, damn him, kept close beside her. What was he doing? Couldn’t he see that she was trying to get away from him? But this was just like him. She avoided interactions with him, but she could see the sort of person he was. Pushy. He always thought his way was best, no matter what anyone else might think.
“Kira, I need to tell you something,” he said. His voice was low, smooth. And reluctant.
Alarm bells started to ring in her head. She had a feeling that whatever he had to say, she didn’t want to hear. So she whirled on him, determined that she wasn’t going to let this turn into something more intimate than she could handle. If she fell for him, she’d fall hard.
And he would only break her heart again. A man like Joshua Woods couldn’t help himself.
“I can take care of myself, you know,” she snapped.
Joshua’s eyes widened slightly. “What?”
“I can take care of myself. I don’t need you butting into my business. I was handling the situation with Jenny just fine.”
“Just fine?” Joshua’s eyes narrowed as he followed her. She pushed the cart faster, but he didn’t seem to notice their pace. “You were practically running away from her.”
Maybe so, but couldn’t he see that she was actively trying to run away from him? Kira entered the grocery line and paid for her two bags of rice, already knowing she would regret this. She tried not to look at him as she put the cart away and marched toward her car. And yet he kept dogging her steps. It was asthough they were tethered together, and she didn’t know how to deal with his continued presence.
“Can you leave me alone?” she snapped, whirling on him in the middle of the parking lot.
Joshua’s jaw clenched. “So you just give way to the likes of Jenny Carps, but you’ll fight me?”
“Fighting Jenny is unnecessary. She’s annoying but doesn’t follow me around,” Kira answered sharply. “Besides, what were you expecting me to do? Punch her in the face and get arrested?”
“Studies have found that ignoring bullies only makes it worse,” Joshua replied, stiffly as though he was quoting something. Which he probably was.
