I was jealous. And angry. And—
A presence snuck up behind me, interrupting my thoughts… And then Silas cleared his throat. “Are you having fun?”
I forced my pulse not to rise. Why now? Why, when I was focusing my energy on suppressing an emotional reckoning?
I took a quick breath, furtively scanning the room as I turned.
Marcus was no longer seated; He’d moved closer, talking to the humans nearby. The women leaned in to be near him, chests pushed forward, and eyes locked onto him with predatory gazes of their own. Marcus shook his head, laughing at something one of them said, and his eyes cut to mine for a brief second, loosening the knot in my stomach. He’d be listening to every word.
I took a bite of the strawberry in my hand, forcing a smile. “Are you back for round two?” I teased.
Silas chuckled, preparing a plate of meat and crackers. “If you’re anything like your sister, maybe I should throw in the towel now.”
I shivered at how easily he spoke about Latoya.
“Still cold?” he asked, glancing down at Marcus’s sweater.
I shook my head. “Nervous tic.”
He loomed closer. “Oh? Do I make you nervous?” He stole a grape from my plate and popped it into his mouth.
I stiffened and caught Marcus moving in the corner of my eye.
“Are my two favorite people actually getting along?” Latoya appeared by Silas’s side, her heavy eyes red and glassy.
I released the breath trapped in my lungs and backed away. “I was asking Silas what he did for a living.”
Silas’s eyes grew wide. “Were you?”
I shrugged. “Your home is beautiful. I was just curious.”
He nodded, looking around the room. “It’s most beautiful when it’s filled like this, I think.” He looked down at Latoya and smiled. “When I’m surrounded by the people I love.”
My grip on the plate tightened.
He looked back at me. “I’m an architect.”
“An architect,” I repeated. “Of what?”
His smile widened, sending another shiver down my spine. “New beginnings.”
I tried to suppress my eyeroll and failed miserably.
Silas laughed, shoving Latoya with his elbow. “Your sister’s a little cynic, isn’t she?”
Latoya chuckled nervously, reaching for my arm. “Later, Silas. Give her the speech later.” She pulled me closer. “There’s some people I want her to meet, and she’ll want to leave if you bore her to death.”
Silas’s eyes flicked to Latoya, and my sister went still. She noticed the frown on his face, and her grip on my arm stiffened. “I didn’t mean—”
He threw his plate down on the table and smiled as pieces of cheese fell to the floor. “When you’re right, you’re right, babe.” He peered down at me, his green eyes like poison. “Go have fun.”
Latoya’s watery smile remained on her face until we were back with Heather.
The two werewolves introduced me to their friends and, like Marcus warned, I felt like I needed a bath after meeting a few of them.
I couldn’t tell if Latoya was fucking blind or if she was simply okay with it all. Marcus wouldn’t have been, that’s for damn sure—not with his‘I licked it, so it’s mine’wolf mentality. So, I was relieved when I spotted him immersed in conversation with Silas.
Bloodbath averted.
