by Karen Lynch
Remy nodded. “Sara’s ward last while this her home.”
“Oh.” Emma relaxed a little but didn’t move away from me. “What does it do?”
“It keep out bad people. Only good people come in.”
“How does it know if they are good or bad?” she asked less fearfully.
He tapped his chest. “It know what in here.”
“What happens if a bad person tries to come in?”
The troll smiled, showing his teeth. “Big hurt.”
Emma sucked in a sharp breath and pressed closer to me. I didn’t blame her. Remy might be friendly, but that grin would make a vampire wet himself.
“You safe now,” Remy told her. “Mate protect you, too.”
“Your mate?” Emma looked around. “Is she here?”
Remy’s confused gaze met mine, and I saw a disaster about to happen. I had no idea how he knew I’d imprinted on Emma, but she was not ready to learn that. Especially not like this.
“Thanks, Remy,” I said. “It was great of you to help out like this.”
“Yes, thank you,” Emma told him.
“I happy to help Sara’s friends,” he replied. And just like that, he was gone.
Emma
My knees nearly gave out, and I sagged against the wall. A troll. I’d just met a real live troll. I’d heard about them; there weren’t many things that scared vampires more than sunlight and the Mohiri. Trolls were one of them. But I never in my life expected to stand in the same room with one of them.
“I know how you feel,” said Roland as he led me to the couch. “I met Remy the same way, right here in this apartment, and I nearly stroked out. I think Nikolas almost did, too.”
I stared at the hall through the archway. “I can’t believe I screamed like that. Sara talked about him all the time, and I should have known who he was.”
Roland chuckled. “I think he has that effect on everyone.”
“How do you contact a troll?” I asked, still slightly dazed from the encounter.
“I have no idea. Must be a Fae thing.”
I opened my mouth to say something when it registered that he was sitting beside me with his arm around me, and I was leaning into his warmth like it was the most natural thing in the world. I smiled sadly. How could something so wrong feel so right?
I pulled away from him and moved over on the couch until my back pressed against the armrest and my feet were tucked under me. An awkward silence descended upon the room, and I had no idea how to fix it. But staying near him wasn’t an option. I didn’t know what he was thinking, but if he tried to kiss me again, I didn’t trust myself to refuse him. And I had to because there was nothing down that road for me but heartbreak.
“So, you had coffee with Shannon and April today.”
I looked at him and found him watching me with a neutral expression that told me nothing of what he was feeling. Maybe I’d imagined the closeness between us because I’d wanted to feel something. Maybe the kiss had just been a heat of the moment thing for him after all.
“Yes. We had a great time. I really like them.”
He smiled and settled back against the couch. “I hope now you see for yourself that we’re not so bad.”
“I already knew that about you.”
His eyes warmed. “I’m glad to hear that.”
My stomach did a little flip, and I rushed to find safer ground. “How is the Chevelle coming along?”
I knew I’d asked the right question when his mouth curved into a wide smile.
“Great. We’re ahead of schedule, and Paul’s already talking to another guy about restoring a seventy-one Dodge Challenger. If we get that job, he thinks he can line up two more.”
“That’s fantastic.”
He nodded happily. “Yeah. If we can get five or six big jobs, I might be able to bank enough to buy into the garage with Paul.”
I thought about all the money sitting in my account, money I hadn’t done a thing to earn, and guilt pressed down on me. I had more than I needed, and Roland was working two jobs to make enough money to realize his dream. It didn’t seem fair, and I wished I could give him some of mine.
“I never expected all of this when I was working on the Mustang,” he said with a note of wonder in his voice.
“The Mustang is beautiful. Did you always want to do that?”
“Thanks.” His chest swelled at my compliment. “I never thought about restoring a car until Paul suggested it when I found the Mustang. But I’ve always been into classic cars.”
I made a face. “I have to confess I don’t know much about muscle cars. I know a Mustang when I see one, but I don’t know the difference between a Chevelle and a Challenger.”
“Are you serious?” His look of disbelief was almost comical. He pulled out his phone and played with it for a minute before he handed it to me. “This is a Chevelle. The one I’m working on will look like that when I’m done.”
I studied the sleek red car on the screen. “It’s pretty.”
He shook his head at my choice of words. I grinned and gave the phone back to him. He searched again and showed me a blue car this time. “And this is like the Dodge Challenger we might be doing. I can’t wait to get my hands on this one.”
I loved how excited he was about his work. It was the same way I felt when I started a new painting.
“I can’t wait to see them when you’re done,” I said.
He laid the phone on his lap. “You don’t have to wait. You’re welcome to come by the garage anytime.”
“Paul won’t mind?” I felt both relieved and sad that we were back in the friend zone again.
“Not at all. He’s pretty easygoing.”
“Steve, the cook at the diner, said he’d teach me how to make cookies. If they’re edible, I’ll bring you guys some.”
He let out a laugh. “They’d have to be pretty awful for us not to eat them.”
It was my turn to snort. “You obviously don’t realize how bad I am in the kitchen.”
“I don’t know,” he said with a sly smile. “You make a mean espresso.”
I grabbed the pillow beside me and hit him in the chest with it. He caught it, laughing, and tossed it back at me. I retaliated automatically by nudging his ribs with my foot, like I used to do with Chelsea when we horsed around.
Roland’s hand captured my bare foot, and my breath caught as a tingle shot up my leg. His playful grin faded, and heat blazed in his eyes, turning my insides to warm goo. His heady scent seemed to fill the room, reminding me of our scorching kiss and making me want to climb into his lap and pick up where we’d left off.
He swallowed, his gaze lowering to my mouth. “Emma, I –”
His voice broke the spell over us, and I released the breath I was holding as reality came crashing in. I fought the insane urge to cry as I eased my foot away from him and tucked it safely under me. Where had I thought this was going anyway? I didn’t want a casual hookup, and there could be nothing beyond that for Roland and me.
I managed a smile. “Thanks for being here. It’s nice to know I have so many friends watching out for me.”
“Friends…yeah.” His brow furrowed slightly, and he tapped his thigh. “I guess I should get going. I was supposed to meet Paul at the garage half an hour ago.”
“Oh.”
I stood, and after a short hesitation, he did the same. It wasn’t that I wanted him to leave. I was afraid of what would happen if he stayed.
“Are you okay here alone?” he asked when we reached the front door.
“Yes.”
It wasn’t a total lie. Remy’s magic might keep out the bad guys, but it couldn’t keep the loneliness at bay.
He opened the door. “If you don’t mind, I’ll come by to check on the place until we know that man isn’t a problem.”
“You don’t have to –”
“I want to.” He stepped outside and turned to smile at me. “And I’ll be waiting for those cookies.”
; The tension inside me lifted. “Don’t expect much. I wasn’t joking about my awful cooking skills.”
He chuckled and headed down the steps. “I have a lot of faith in Steve’s teaching abilities. And in you.”
* * *
The next evening after the dinner rush was over, Steve took me into the kitchen for my first baking lesson. We were making chocolate chip cookies, and he had all the ingredients laid out on the metal worktable. He explained the basics before he had me help him measure and mix the ingredients, and drop the cookie dough on the baking sheets. Then he opened the door to the big convection oven so I could slide the two sheets onto the rack.
“Delicious,” he said fifteen minutes later, nibbling on one of the cookies, fresh from the oven. “You’re a natural.”
I laughed and broke my own cookie in two. “You did most of the work.” I took my first bite. “Oh my God, this is amazing!”
“It’s the sea salt. Makes all the difference.”
“Mmmm,” I said through a mouthful of cookie. “Beft cookie efer.”
Steve set the racks of cookies on another table to cool, and then he started getting stuff to make apple pies for tomorrow. I wasn’t ready to tackle pastry, so I only watched as he went about his work. After he’d put four pies in the oven, I helped him clean up, and then he sent me home with two cookies and a promise of another lesson on Thursday.
It was dusk when I left the diner, but I was nervous being out alone after my little scare yesterday. I was glad for the scooter because it meant I didn’t have to walk alone, but it bothered me that I was afraid here now. I’d seen no sign of the bald man, and I hoped it had been my paranoia and overactive imagination at work.
At home, I drove around to the back door to put the scooter up for the night. I kept the outside light on back here when I knew I’d be late getting home. The light didn’t do much to help my jitters, though. I dropped my keys and let out a cry when I heard a noise farther down the long alley behind the buildings. My breath came out in a whoosh when a small shape darted out from between two buildings.
Just a cat. I picked up my keys with a shaking hand and reached for the door.
It took me several seconds to realize I wasn’t alone. My heart slammed into my ribs, and I whirled to face the corner I’d just come around. I made a choked sound at the sight of the large dark shape standing just outside the circle of light.
Chapter 13
Emma
The thing took several steps until it entered the light, and my knees almost gave out when I recognized the black werewolf.
“Oh, my God, you scared me half to death,” I scolded him as I tried to calm my racing heart. “You really need to stop sneaking up on me like that.”
His only answer was to sit on his haunches.
I pulled off my helmet and brushed hair from my face. “What are you doing here anyway? Aren’t you worried you’ll be seen?”
He shook his head once.
“You should be. People will freak if they see a monstrous wolf walking around the waterfront.”
He snorted and cocked his head at me.
“What?” I rolled my eyes. “Have you seen yourself? You’re not exactly inconspicuous.”
Nothing.
I sighed. “Roland sent you, didn’t he? You’re here because of what happened yesterday.”
This time I got a nod.
“I’m okay, thanks. I really appreciate you guys watching out for me, but you don’t have to hang around here.”
I hung the helmet on the handle bar and inserted my key into the door lock. The werewolf didn’t move as I opened the double doors and rolled the Vespa inside. I started to close the doors when I saw the werewolf was where I’d left him.
“Are you planning to stay out here all night?”
He gave another shake of his head.
“Good. I’d feel terrible if someone saw you and you got in trouble because of me.” I pulled the door toward me. “Night.”
Upstairs, I showered and changed into a T-shirt and a pair of cotton capris, the whole time thinking about the werewolf. What was he thinking, coming downtown in his fur? I hadn’t been kidding when I said people would freak. Even a normal wolf in town would cause a commotion. And there was nothing normal about him.
I went to the kitchen to heat up leftover pizza from last night. Gino’s had a two-for-one sale going on this week, so I’d ended up with two large meat pizzas. I was going to be eating this stuff until I was sick of it.
Pouring a glass of soda, I sat at the table with my dinner. As I took my first bite, my thoughts went back to the wolf. It had been half an hour since I came upstairs. Was he still out there? My eyes fell on the pizza box on the counter. Maybe he was hungry. If he was going to hang around here for me, the least I could do was feed him.
I went to the counter and lifted the lid of the box, debating whether or not to heat the pizza. Deciding against it, I pulled on a pair of sandals and carried the pizza downstairs. I opened the back door and looked out, but there was no sign of the wolf. He must have left already. I felt a tiny prick of disappointment as I pulled back inside. As much as I didn’t want him to get caught, I’d felt better knowing he was nearby.
Movement drew my eye, and I smiled when I saw him walk around the corner of the building.
“Hey,” I called softly, beckoning him over. I held up the box. “I thought you might like some pizza in case you get hungry.”
His amber eyes looked at the box and back at me, but he made no move to take it from me.
“Do you like pizza?” I asked, and he nodded.
“Don’t worry. I have plenty. I’ll never be able to eat it all.” I lifted the box again. “Please, take it. I want you to have it.”
He closed the distance between us and took the box in his powerful jaws. Even on four legs, his eyes were level with mine, and his chest was almost twice as wide as me. I should have been terrified, standing before such a fearsome creature. Instead, I wondered if his fur was as coarse as it looked, and I had the sudden urge to reach out and touch it.
“Enjoy your pizza,” I said and retreated inside before I could act on my crazy impulse. What the hell had gotten into me, wanting to touch a werewolf? I doubted he’d appreciate me petting him like a big dog.
I went back upstairs and ate my own pizza, my thoughts once again occupied by the wolf. As I rinsed my plate, it occurred to me this was the third time I’d seen him, and I still didn’t know his name. It wasn’t like he could tell me while he was in wolf form, but it would be nice to have something to call him if I saw him again.
Roland
“This is stupid. We’ve been here for hours and we haven’t seen a single demon,” Trevor complained loudly from the back seat of Shawn’s Cherokee. “What a fucking waste of a night.”
I gritted my teeth and bit back an angry reply. The guy hadn’t stopped bitching since we left home four hours ago, and I was starting to think Maxwell was punishing me for something. Not just me. The way Shawn’s hands gripped the wheel told me I wasn’t the only one fed up with Trevor’s attitude.
I could think of a lot of things I’d rather be doing than driving around all night, listening to Trevor griping. Emma’s face filled my mind, and I thought about her standing before me, last night, offering me some of her pizza. For a few seconds, I’d thought she was going to touch me, and I’d been disappointed when she hadn’t. But the way she’d spoken to me made it clear she was comfortable with my wolf, which made him and me happy. I’d hated leaving her tonight, but pack business called. Paul had promised to drive by and keep an eye on her place since Pete and I were working.
Trevor huffed. “If the Mohiri know the ranc demons are in Portland, you’d think they’d be able to tell us where the bloody demons are holed up.”
“They gave us a list of places to check.” I glanced down at the paper Maxwell had given me.
“I bet they gave Maxwell those just to watch us make fools of ourselves.”
“T
he Mohiri have better things to do than toy with us,” I said evenly. “They take their job very seriously.”
“And I suppose you’re the expert on them,” he shot back. He’d been trying to provoke me all night, but I wasn’t falling for it.
“I know enough.”
Shawn pulled into a small motel that looked like it had been closed down for at least a year. He parked in front of the glass front door, the headlights shining into the dark, deserted lobby.
“This is the last place on the list.” He turned off the engine and looked over at me. “What do you think, oh mighty leader?”
I scowled at him, and he smirked.
Shaking my head, I studied the two-story building and eyed the thick chain and padlock on the front door. “If anyone is using this place, they didn’t go in through that door. Let’s check the back.”
Shawn drove us around the motel and stopped near the rear exit that didn’t have a padlock.
I unbuckled my seat belt. “I’ll check the door.”
Trevor muttered something, but I ignored him and got out of the SUV. I gave the door handle a small tug, expecting it to be locked, so I was surprised when the door opened. Easing it shut, I waved at the others to join me.
“Looks like someone’s been here,” I told them. “It’s not that big, so it shouldn’t take long to search the place.”
“We going in pairs again?” Shawn asked.
“Yeah. You and Pete take the second floor. Trevor and I will search down here.”
Shawn’s eyebrows shot up. I’d paired him with Trevor at the last three places, and he’d clearly expected that again. But Trevor was becoming more belligerent by the hour, and it wasn’t fair to keep pawning him off on Shawn.
I opened the door, and we entered the building. Pete and Shawn went to the door to the stairs, and Trevor and I continued silently down the dark hall. Our eyesight was best in wolf form, but even in this form it was better than a human’s and enough to help us easily find our way.
At the first door, I motioned for Trevor to stand guard while I checked the room. He huffed but didn’t argue, which was a first.
