“How dare you,” I say, more harshly than I meant to. “Do you really think I’ll let you just take advantage of me?”
“I had no intention of doing that,” he answers, a hard edge to his voice. “It just makes sense that we share the bed. The pack will be expecting it, and it will help us get comfortable together so we can build intimacy between us as well. I’m just as tired as you are, and I’d like a good night’s sleep, too.”
“As if I could get a restful night’s sleep next to a man I barely know!” I snap, losing it, even though I’m trying hard not to.
“Don’t you trust me?’ he asks.
No.
“Yes,” I answer, somewhat grudgingly. “That’s not the issue.”
He watches me for a moment, as if he knows I don’t really trust him.
“Look,” he says, sighing. “I know this isn’t easy, but we are going to have to come to terms with it at some point.”
I stare at him, feeling the freeze in my muscles beginning to dissipate.
Oh, God. Don’t let me start trembling. I’ve had too much stress the last twenty-four hours, and I don’t want to fall apart!
“There’s a nice couch in the living room,” he says, suddenly standing up. “I’ll sleep there. We can talk about this later. Goodnight.”
He turns around, immediately leaving the room. I’m so shocked by his abrupt departure, I don’t even have time to say goodnight. All I can do is watch him go, an ache throbbing in my chest that leaves me feeling lost and confused.
It’s so hard to watch him walk away from me. It’s almost as if part of me wants to stay by his side.
Chapter 7 - Dan
I practically bolt from the room, unable to take another second of the strung-out tension in the room.
Dealing with adrenaline is easy—I just act without thought and give in to it. I’m not designed to deal with slow-burning stress—I’m going to go out of my mind!
I sit down on the couch, putting my head in my hands. I tried really hard to do something nice for her, and now I feel like I made the situation worse.
How, exactly, are you supposed to make hot cocoa? Chocolate dust, hot water, that’s all you need, right?
I hear Grace’s footsteps in the hall, and my anxiety rises a little before I realize she’s gone upstairs to bed.
I haven’t even seen the rest of my new home yet. It can wait, though. I’m not risking another scene like that.
Sitting up, I look around the living room. The guys have done a fantastic job of setting it up. Along with the big, soft couch, there are a couple of comfy armchairs, a small table, and a big TV hung on the wall.
Thank God this place has power and plumbing. Starting from scratch would have been too much torture.
Plenty of times when we were out on missions, we had to live rough, but I always knew there was a comfortable bunk waiting for me when it was all over.
I lean back on the couch, stretching out my legs and letting my thoughts chase each other around my head. I’m caught between duty and circumstance, dropped right into the center of hostile territory without a map.
If she weren’t so weird, I’d feel more comfortable, and I probably wouldn’t screw up so much. Why did I have to get matched with a witch?
A twist deep in my guts tries to force my mind away from the topic, and I rub my temples a little as I try to calm myself down.
Just because you know some evil magic workers doesn’t mean they’re all bad. I’ve got to get a grip. Alisha’s good, isn’t she?
The thought brings an unpleasant memory back to me, and I have to swallow down a bundle of nerves. The night we were attacked by Clover, I was near the front line, and I saw Alisha tear three wolves apart with her magic.
I shake my head and pull out my phone, desperate for a distraction. There are a couple of messages from the others, and I gratefully immerse my thoughts in the conversation, letting the stress fall away from me for now.
You settled in, old buddy?Rex’s message is a couple of hours old, but I text a reply, hoping he’s still up.
