“Oh, I just worry about her. She’s in a new town with people she doesn’t know. I want to make sure she’s okay.”
“How are you two getting along?” Owen asks.
“It’s fine,” I say. “We’re civil to each other. Just waiting to see some result from the ritual.”
As if that isn’t the biggest lie that ever came out of my mouth! We ignore each other or bicker with each other. There’s no in between.
“It looks like you might be catching feels, though,” Shane says. “And obviously, you went there before, so you must be attracted to her.”
I nod, taking a big gulp of beer to cover my reaction. “Yeah, she’s good-looking. No argument from me there. But the marriage is just on paper. I’m not expecting to be with a human for the rest of my life,”
Even if she is the mother of my child…
I manage to keep my back to Sadie for a while, but before long, I’m sneaking glances over my shoulder again. I don’t know if the other guys notice or not, but at least no one says anything.
I shouldn’t be making it so obvious. If the elders think I really care about her, it might come down to a fight, depending on their final decision.
Turning around for another look, I see a couple of guys approaching the table, and my heart jumps in my chest. Trina and Lacey jump straight up to talk to them, and Sadie goes to the other side of the table, so I breathe a sigh of relief and turn back around again.
I manage to finish my beer and actually participate in the conversation a little before I turn back around again, and when I do, I can’t believe my eyes.
One of the guys has moved over to Sadie, and they’re sitting together, having an animated conversation. He bends forward, saying something to her very quietly, and she laughs, tossing her head back and touching his hand.
What the fuck.
My hand tightens on the glass so much that I know it’s about to shatter, so I put it down and turn completely around soI can watch. The other guys either ignore me or don’t notice, and that’s a good thing.
Nobody better get in my way right now. I was edgy before, but now I’m fucking furious.
Sadie and the strange man put their heads together, whispering. He covers her hand with his, and she gives him a tender smile, leaning towards him again.
Fuck. This.
I’m up on my feet before I know what I’m doing. I keep my eyes locked on Sadie. I can’t believe the way she’s looking up at this jerk with big, soft eyes.
It’s one thing for a guy to approach her, but she’s not flipping him off—she’s fucking flirting back!
By the time I cross the room, they’ve both stood up, and it looks like they’re going to dance. She gets close to him and puts her hands on his shoulders. When his fingers brush against her waist, I completely lose my mind, seeing red, and suddenly, I’m beside them.
I may have just used my shifter speed in front of everyone, but hopefully they’re too drunk to notice.
“Sadie,” I say, my voice heavy with malice. “Would you like to tell me what’s going on here?”
I drop my hand heavily on her shoulder, and she looks up at me with shock. The other guy glares at me defensively, but he does back up a little.
“We were just talking,” he says.
“Looked more like touching than talking,” I snap.
“Rhys, calm down,” Sadie says. “It’s nothing.”
“It didn’t look like nothing!” I growl, barely controlling my anger.
Are we just going to stand here and pretend that all of that shit just didn’t happen?
“Look, man,” the other guy says. “It’s really up to her. So, if she wants to hang out with me, why don’t you just get your hands off her.”
“Excuse me,” I hiss at him, each word coming out with extreme emphasis. “What did you just say to me?”
