“I’m making croissants. Want some?” I took out my croissant machine, a present from Uncle Andrew, and plugged it in. As Ipulled out a bowl with bees and honey on it, I answered, “And we’re just off Comet’s campus.”
Coughing, he sprayed water everywhere, turning the kitchen into an irrigation zone. “Comet, you say?” His eyes flashed a golden yellow, and he let out a big exhalation, sending my hair flying backwards. “Oh, shitty shit! I really wanted those croissants.”
I grabbed some napkins and dabbed at his shoulder and chin. “What do you?—”
He jumped up, water dripping down his chest, before he bent down to smack an eggy-wet kiss into my cheek. “Tell that lioness of your friend that I said hey. Pleasure meeting you, uh…?”
“Yvaine.”
“Beautiful name for a beautiful she-wolf.”
“Wait, what about your clothes?” I eyed his near-naked state. Not that it mattered; we werewolves didn’t really feel the cold. But decency! I didn’t want fainting and concussion cases to increase at the hospital because of this big guy running around naked.
“You can keep ‘em, sweet pea. For something amazing to smell when you get lonely.” He shot me another toothy grin.
“Sure, I’m always in need of more rags to clean the kitchen.”
He barked out a laugh. “You’re cool,Ivana!”
I sighed at how he butchered my name. Typical American boy, tripping over anything non-native.
“Hey, wait, take this for the road.” I strolled back from the fridge and handed him the lunchbox I’d prepped for myself. I could always eat at the vegetarian buffet near the hospital instead.
As he looked at it, his brows lifted. “Isn’t it yours?”
By now, he had one leg out the kitchen window. I didn’t have the heart to tell him the Highlander and his crew lived right under us—he’d probably faint, and I didn’t have the medicalequipment on hand to cure the head bleeding that would result from a fall that high.
I shrugged. “Dark Diamond’s pretty far, and it looks like you need the energy.”
“And damn, you’re smart, too! What else have you got under that cute head towel, sweet pea?”
“It wasn’t hard to guess. Explains why you’re so scared.”
He thumped his chest. “Ouch, you sure know how to hurt an ego.” His expression shifted, growing oddly serious. “You remind me of a friend of mine. If I hadn’t already decidedwe’regetting married someday, I might’ve introduced you.”
I wasn’t sure I wanted to meet his friend if they were anything alike. Besides, my brother and his crew wouldn’t let me hang out with a Dark Diamond anyway, even if he didn’t play wereball. Pack loyalty and all that medieval nonsense.
“And just so you know, I’m only leavingin a hurry…” He mimicked my tone. “…cause there’re probably twenty of them here. I definitely beat up at least half during the last game.”
“You play wereball? Shocking.”
“Listen, sweet pea, if you can’t find your mate, come find me, kay?” He crumpled up a Post-It note into a ball and tossed it to me. I didn’t catch it, and he smiled as I picked it up.
Beside his scrawled number was his name:Killian.
“Sorry, Gentle Eyes, but you’ve already been to Makena territory.” I ripped the paper in half.
“Makena…” he parroted. “Oooh, right! Give her my number. See ya around, Ivana!”
With that, he jumped. Disappeared like he’d never been there.
CHAPTER 4
LOGAN
“Hey dumbass, where’ve you been?”
Killian waltzed into our living room. He was a hot mess, rocking nothing but stained boxers. Sweat dripping off him, covered in grass, and with something that looked like a mushroom sticking out of his hair, he was holding a pink bag all nicely folded in his hand.
