Erica instructed him to turn, tilt, freeze, and smile so she could get the right shots that would make him seem less threatening to potential clients. It was harder than she thought, but she had to admit that his face photographed well. That ever-present dangerous quality in his stare would probably never go away, though. It was like the caricature of a supervillain had jumped straight out of a comic book and personified this man, but he seemed to have all the intentions of a well-meaning lawyer.
In the midst of the lens flashes and shutter clicks, he asked, “How are you liking Tolstone?”
“It’s a great little town.”
“It’s got a great history too.”
That made her think of Dominic and how his family had founded Tolstone centuries ago. That brought back that tight, nauseous feeling in her gut.
“Does it?”
“Dominic hasn’t told you about it yet?”
At this, she lowered her camera and stared. Never once in their conversation had she mentioned Dominic, and she was fairly certain she had never seen this man before, so how did he know that she was acquainted with the antique shop owner at all? Was this related to Cole’s question about whether they were dating? How could a rumor spread so fast in a town this size?
Instead of trying to interrogate the lawyer about what he thought was going on between her and Dominic, Erica replied, “Not much. He told me that his family founded the place, but that’s about it.”
Wyatt’s smile softened, and he gave a huff. “Figures he wouldn’t tell you much. Probably doesn’t want to scare you away.”
If this man wasn’t paying her for her professionalism, she might have rolled her eyes. Instead, she lifted her camera again to snap a few shots. “I don’t scare away easily, Mr. Ratner.”
It sounded like something out of a horror movie, a line spoken by a girl who was about to be proven wrong.
“There are a lot of rumors around Dominic’s family.”
“That hasn’t seemed to bother people too much. Let’s get some of you from the other side.” The conversation paused so she could direct him on how to mirror his pose.
They could have talked about anything else, like the weather, the festival, how he became a lawyer, or how she became a photographer. Hell, they could have talked about football teams for all she cared, but for whatever deranged reason, Wyatt wanted to continue their talk about Dominic.
“They say his family’s not normal.”
Her finger froze over the capture button for just a second. Those golden eyes, the way he could move so quickly, all of those little instances came back to her, and suddenly, she was ready to indulge this guy’s weird resolve to slander Dominic’s good name.
“Not normal?”
“Back when they were settling in this area, a lot of people said the woods around here were infested with wolves.”
Erica had completely lowered the camera now and watched the way Wyatt’s eyes danced with satisfaction. He had her right where he wanted her, and she knew it. “Wolves?”
“Yeah. For a long time, no one would even come near this place because people who went into the forest never came out again. It wasn’t until Dominic’s ancestors came that people were finally able to set up homes and build Tolstone.”
Erica propped her free hand on her hip. “So, they killed the wolves?”
Wyatt shook his head and kept his gaze riveted on her. “There were never any bodies found. No furs, nothing. No proof that they even forced the wolves out. The rumor is that Dominic’s ancestors were somehow able to tame the wolves and make them leave the humans alone.” He shrugged. “Another variation is that Dominic and his family were the wolves, because when they showed up, the wolves disappearedtoo. That would mean Dominic’s ancestors were werewolves or something.”
Werewolves. Shapeshifters. That ridiculous theory lined up with the golden, wolfish eyes, inhuman speed, and agility. She had seen enough movies to know that wasn’t quite enough to condemn Dominic. Where was his great strength? Or ferocious carnivore appetite? She recalled they’d had a full moon recently, but Dominic didn’t act any differently. It was too absurd a theory to entertain. Too many holes, and besides, werewolves were the stuff of fairy tales and horror movies. They weren’t hot antique shop owners who went around fixing leaky sinks. Still, something in the way Wyatt talked had Erica curious to the point she couldn’t shake the idea. And the image of those gold eyes continued to haunt her.
Underneath it all, pulsed that thread that connected her and Dominic. Strong, indestructible, undeterred, even at the introduction of this new and startling concept.
Erica preferred the first theory, that Dominic and his family weren’t descended from wolves, but simply drove them out somehow. But why did it matter? It was just some urban legend, and it was unlikely anyone took it seriously.
“Of course, the history books will always say they were fur traders from France who came to settle here because of the good game supply.”
The photo shoot didn’t seem so important anymore, but she had a job to do. Slightly embarrassed by the way his story entranced her, Erica shook her head and waved him over. “Do you want to see if you’re happy with any of these?”
Wyatt crossed the parlor, so slow and ambling that it almost unnerved her. She likened it to a predator stalking its prey. He leaned over as she thumbed through the dozens of pictures, but it took only a minute to realize that he wasn’t paying attention tothe camera preview screen. His dark sapphire eyes were focused solely on her.
Erica felt her heartbeat quicken, and the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. It wasn’t for the fact that Wyatt, a good-looking man, stood so close and stared at her. It was out of fear of what he would see if he kept gazing at her in that hungry way that made her stomach churn. Would he see that his talk about werewolves really bothered her?
