Panic replaced my anger. Fear that I was about to lose control of the situation spread through my body. I needed to get away from this piece of shit.
But before I could act, I heard the growl from behind me.
The man’s eyes widened, and he stumbled back, the blood draining from his face. “Alpha.”
I turned to see Marcus, his amber eyes burning with fury. “She said she’s not fucking interested.” His voice rumbled, cutting through the air.
The man nodded, scurrying into the crowd.
Marcus turned to me, his eyes still hard. “Are you okay?”
I nodded, taking a deep breath. “I’m fine.” But I wasn’t fine. I was angry that Marcus had to swoop in and save me.
He slid onto the stool next to me, signaling the bartender. “What are you doing here, Joanna?” He dropped his voice until it was barely audible against the music. “And what happened to your power?”
“I’m dampening it,” I said under my breath. “It was the only way I’d get in here to look for answers.” I showed him the photo of Toya. “Ethan said she came here before she disappeared. I need to know if anyone saw her and if anyone knows anything.”
Marcus didn’t look at the photo. His eyes had widened at Ethan’s name, but now his gaze drifted from my neck to my chest. He took a deep breath, running a hand through his hair. “Put this on,” he said, beginning to remove his leather jacket.
“No, thank—”
“It wasn’t a fucking request.”
I froze, my breath catching inmy throat.
Marcus grunted before knocking back the drink the bartender had placed in front of him. He signaled for another. “You’re going to get yourself killed,” he whispered to me. “After everything I’ve done in the last week to protect your kind, the least you can do is not entice them.” He gestured over at the bartender with a nod.
My eyes widened. “Does ‘no’ mean something different in Lycan?”
He turned to me with a speed I failed to register. “Look around, Joanna. Humans here don’t sayno.” Marcus’s voice was deeper than I’d ever heard it, his eyes never leaving mine.
I held his gaze, goosebumps rising on my skin. “I can handle myself.”
He bent forward, his hot breath tickling my ear. “Can you? Because from where I’m standing, it looked like you were about to become dinner.”
I swallowed hard, pride making it easy for me to lie. “I had it under control,Alpha.” Asshole.
Marcus dropped back onto the stool. “Sure you did.” He held out the jacket again, his eyes daring me to refuse.
I snatched it from him, draping it over my shoulders. The leather was warm and soft, the scent of Marcus enveloping me. I had to resist the urge to sink into him. “Happy?” I snapped.
He turned back to the bar. “Ecstatic.”
We sat in silence for the next twenty minutes. Each time a human approached the bar for a drink, I showed them a picture of Toya, only to be disappointed. To make matters worse, I felt Marcus’s gaze glued to my every move. But whenever I tried to talk to him, he turned away with a grunt. The asshole was making the night awkward as hell.
A figure approached us, the normalcy of the aura meaning he was human. I looked up at the man smiling at me with a set of sexy white teeth. He wasn’t much taller than me, dressed in a sleek, fitted white jacket that tapered to a narrow waist. Beneath the jacket, his white shirt, unbuttoned at the collar, revealed a hint of tanned skin. His dark jeans tucked into black cowboy boots, adding a rugged yet stylish edge.
“Hola, bonita… Uh… My friend… She says you might want to dance?” Very sexy accent.
I turned to see which friend he was referring to. At a VIP booth near one of the speakers, my thick Latina line-buddy raised a bottle of Patrón in salute, taking a swig straight from the bottle.
I smiled. “Okay. Sure.”I started to rise when I felt a hand slam down on my arm.
Staring at Marcus with a bewildered look on my face, I pulled my arm from his grasp. I removed his jacket from around my shoulders and tossed it to him without looking back.
As I let the handsome stranger lead me onto the dance floor, the pulsing rhythm of the music seeped into my veins. The crowd was a throbbing mass of bodies, moving in sync with a beat that vibrated through the walls and floor of the club. I could feel the heat of the other dancers, the brush of their skin against mine.
My dance partner spun me around, pulling me close to him. His hands found their way to my hips, guiding me with a confidence that was both thrilling and slightly unnerving in such a short dress. But I let the music take over, my body moving in time with his.
