He shrugs. “Not everyone has one, you know.”
We drop the topic and get to work nailing the plywood in place. I’m not a seer or anything… but I’m certain my lonesome cousin has a mate. I just hope for his sake she turns up soon.
Chapter 33
Honorable Intentions
TEDDY
Later, July 16
“They taste better than they look.” I assure Sophie, spooning the scrambled eggs onto her plate, alongside three strips of extra crispy bacon and a slice of scorched toast. I hobble over to the kitchen table with my own plate and sit down across from her. I’m still incredibly sore, but I have more energy today, which I attribute to my beautiful girlfriend, who heats my insides every time she gazes in my direction.
Right now Sophie is staring down at the eggs; she picks up her fork and pokes at them. “But they’rebrown.”
“I know… just try them.” I scoop up a forkful and pop them in my mouth. “M-mm. So good.”
She takes a tentative bite and wrinkles her nose. “Did you scramble these eggs in bacon grease?”
I grin. “It’s my one-pot cooking method, whichmakes cleaning up so much easier.” I nod at her plate. “What do you think?”
“Well… um… I think this was very thoughtful.”
I start to laugh. “I guess brown eggs and black toast just aren’t your thing, eh?”
Sophie’s delectable lips curve upward. “Not really. Maybe we ought to stick to what we’re good at. I can do all the baking and cooking, and you can do all the tidying and organizing—once you’re feeling better, of course.” She takes a few more bites of egg to placate me, crunches on a piece of bacon, and skips the toast entirely; I wind up finishing her breakfast on top of mine.
It’s obvious to me Sophie is deeply disturbed by the vandalism at the bakery, because she keeps looking up at me and then away again, but she’s refused to talk about it since returning to the cottage. I have a sneaking suspicion Sophie thinks she’s protecting me, but I refuse to be coddled—and if anyone is going to be doing the protecting, it’s going to bemewatching overher.
“If you don’t tell me about the bakery, I’m going to shuffle down to the end of the driveway and see it for myself.”
Sophie pushes her plate away and hesitates, as if she’s gathering her strength. Then she takes a steadying breath and describes the damage in detail. When she tells me the red paint spatter inside the bakery looked like dried blood, the backs of my hands grow furry, my fingernails lengthen into points, and my canines sharpen inside my mouth.
Sophie pauses; when she speaks again, her voice is an octave higher. “Your wolf is showing again.”
“Sorry!” Inhaling sharply, I rein myself in, reversing the wolfishness. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“I’m not frightened of you… it’s just I’ve begun to realize your werewolf shows up when you’re more emotional… and I don’t want this situation with Rafe to upset you or take away our happiness.”
I reach across the table and wrap my hands around hers. “I won’t let Rafe destroy our happiness… or come anywhere near you.”
She glances down at our entwined hands, and when she looks back up, her eyes are glistening. “Just promise me you won’t let him hurt you again,” she whispers.
I bring her hands up to my lips and kiss her knuckles. The weight of her words sits on my chest; how can I promise what is out of my control? “I promise to keep him from hurting you any more than he already has.”
Sophie scowls, snatching her hands from mine. “That’s not what I want you to promise… and you know it!”
I want to lighten the mood and see her smiling again, so I say, “Tell me again about your grandmother’sCat in the Hatmagic.”
Sophie purses her lips. “I know what you’re trying to do, but I can’t be distracted that easily.”
“Oh, I can think of much better ways of distracting you.” I wink, but my puffy eye doesn’t cooperate.
Sophie reaches across the table to run her fingers gently over my bruised face. “I can’t bear to see you injured like this again.”
I rise from my chair, tugging Sophie toward me. She resists, still unhappy I refuse to make promises I can’tkeep, but when I whisper, “Please come closer,” she melts into my arms. We stand there a long time, Sophie nestled against my chest, holding each other. I love this woman with a fierceness that’s painful… one more ache to add to all the rest.
I don’t want to be parted from Sophie again, even to return to my studio flat, but I’m an old-fashioned werewolf; I will not live permanently with my mate until we’re married. I want to propose to Sophie, but I’d prefer to have a job lined up first so I can contribute to our finances; it’s going to take some time for a startup business, even for a bakery owned by someone as talented as Sophie, to begin turning a profit. On the other hand, I need her to know this “mate bond thingy” as she calls it means I’m not going any farther away than Rob’s garage.
