by Dannika Dark
He chuckled and pursed his lips. “We have a gourmet medley of nuts and cookies.”
“Did you say cookies? Fresh or from the bag?”
He leaned forward on his forearms. “From the bag. They’re little round ones, the kind the ladies like to nibble while sipping on their fruity drinks.”
“A friend of mine is opening a bakery soon. Would you be interested in some samples? Your customers might prefer cookies that are homemade by Breed.”
He reached into a small bowl and tossed a nut in his mouth. “That’s a tempting offer. Tell you what, bring a few samples in and I’ll let you know. Can’t promise you; it’s up to the owner as to who we do business with. If they cost more than the ones in the bags, then he’ll probably decline.”
“Are you charging for them?”
“Yep.”
I stood up straight and squeezed the silver grip on my cane. “Then you can raise the prices to compensate. Remember, these aren’t made in a factory by humans. I think your customers will appreciate that fact. Think about the little things that will set you apart from every other club.”
He slid a napkin and a pen in front of me. “Give me your number.”
So I wrote Weston and put down the main line to the house.
“My name’s Gilly,” he said with a wink. “Be right back with your nuts.”
“Wait, also a container of gelatin. Please, don’t ask.”
He chuckled and briskly walked behind the bar. I could sense Gilly was a Mage because when I got up close, I could feel his energy. It raised the hair on the back of my neck.
When he returned, I leaned in so my voice wouldn’t carry. “Gilly, are you a Mage?”
He gave me a crooked smile and touched his mustache. “Where are you from?”
“Oklahoma.”
He laughed and it rumbled deep in his chest. “That sounds about right. The flannel gave it away. Don’t worry, we don’t bite.”
“What can you do? I mean, I’ve heard stories. Can you show me something?”
His eyes slid around and he gave a gentle shrug. Gilly lifted his hands and threads of blue light weaved between his fingertips like electric cobwebs. “I’m afraid I can’t show you anything else without giving you a shock. So, what do you think of my light show?”
I gasped. “It’s beautiful.”
Gilly laughed and the light dissipated. “You made my night. Do me a favor and stay away from some of the jokers in the bar. Curiosity killed the cat and all that. Take your snacks and let me know if you need anything else.”
“Thanks, Gilly.”
I tucked the box of peanuts under my left arm and held on to a small cup of Jell-O. The music pumped at a steady beat and I felt so out of place among these people. The women were dressed in provocative clothing, and the men leered at them with hungry eyes. The pungent smell of cigarettes soaked through my clothing and hair. Breed bars had no rules about smoking; we didn’t live under the umbrella of human law, and it’s not as if we’d get cancer. I wondered how people could do this on a regular basis. Was this the only way to find a mate? If so, I was doomed.
“Let me help you,” William offered, appearing from the crowd on my right. “What do you think?” he asked in a loud voice over the music.
“It’s very… modern.”
William took the box of nuts from me and gave them a twirl in his hands. “Indeed. Maybe you should mingle. There are a few wolves in here looking for a mate.”
“I’m not interested in finding a mate.”
He leaned in close over my right shoulder. “Could have fooled me. Say, what’s going on between you and Lorenzo?”
“Nothing.”
“That’s his favorite shirt, you know.” William tugged at my sleeve. “Just wondering if he’ll be adding another bitch to his collection.”
I fell back and let him walk a few paces ahead before I thumped him on the behind with my cane. He jumped and, with his feet glued to the floor, peered at me over his shoulder. His cheeks mottled in red patches and a few spectators cackled.
“She can spank me with that stick any day,” a man razzed from the bar.
A lanky man sitting beside him widened his legs on the barstool, gazing down at my body. “I’d rather have her slap me around with that mane of hers. Sexiest damn thing I’ve ever seen. Just look at that hair all braided up for me to grab on to.”
“Is this how they normally speak to women in places like this?” I asked William, catching up with him.
“The Shifter population is pretty even with men and women, but some of the other Breeds are predominantly male. It’s like throwing a juicy bone into a pit of hungry panthers.”
“And the women enjoy being spoken to that way?”
He glimpsed over his shoulder at me, his unkempt hair falling over his eyes. “Beauty always loves a beast.”
“I’m not sure I’d care to come here again.”
“Shame,” William said, picking up his stride. “It’s one of Lorenzo’s favorite places to unwind.”
“Slow down, William. I can’t keep up.”
His brown eyes peered over his shoulder again. “Indeed.”
“And what do you mean by that?”
He pivoted around. “Maybe it’s best you don’t set your sights so high. I’m not trying to be disrespectful, but I notice the way your eyes soften when someone speaks of Lorenzo. Women are taken with him because he’s a warrior—a born leader. It’s why so many men are in line for consideration to join his pack. I don’t know what he said to lead you on, but he’s incapable of love. Nothing personal. It’s just that Lorenzo always does what’s best for him and no one else. A man like that is tempted by many women. Many beautiful women. You seem like a sweetheart, and it would be a shame to see you get hurt. Don’t give your love to a man who would rather hold a sword in his hand than the heart of a woman.”
“Good to see you, William. My ears have been burning all night.” Lorenzo appeared and placed himself between us. His dark T-shirt looked painted on, and his long hair hung loose in the back, as it always did.
“Enzo. I didn’t know you were here,” William said. “It’s not your usual night.”
I placed my hand over my stomach, feeling a strange fluttering sensation from standing so near to Lorenzo.
“Keep your words of wisdom to yourself and focus on the task at hand,” Lorenzo said in a caged voice, one that sent a chill up my spine.
I stepped around him so I could hand William the Jell-O. “Take this to Denver.”
He grabbed the cup and stared at Lorenzo again, awaiting orders.
Lorenzo gave none, so William looked between us and then walked away. Few men were as loyal and obedient as William, but when it came to the relationships he formed with Packmasters, he seemed less intimidated by Austin. Then again, Lorenzo didn’t just throw off menace—he was menace. If what Jericho said was true, then I should have been afraid of this man.
I turned to face Lorenzo. I couldn’t help but notice his body language—how closed off he was with his hands in his jean pockets. Dark jeans, slightly loose and slung low on his waist. No matter what he wore, Lorenzo always managed to look impressive. And yet here I was, still in the same shirt, reeking of cigarettes, and hadn’t even washed my hair.
His eyes swung down to my cane, and in that moment, I felt the stinging truth of how others saw me: incompetent and inferior. Had he slept with me out of pity or just convenience?
Stop it, I thought to myself. I refused to taint our memories with self-doubt, so I pushed those poisonous thoughts away and lifted my chin. “You look well.”
“Austin informed me of your situation. This is hardly what I would have dreamed up,” he said, looking around the room.
“Sometimes you have to make bold moves.”
Lorenzo folded his arms and looked down at me with a penetrating gaze. He must have been at least five inches taller than me. “Something tells me this was not entirely Cole’s idea.”
“What brin
gs you here?”
Laughs erupted from behind me at the bar and Lorenzo gave them a baleful look, waiting for the commotion to die down before he spoke again. “You’re not thinking of doing something impulsive, are you?”
I looked around and didn’t recognize anyone else in Lorenzo’s pack. He was here alone. “Tell me why you’re really here.”
“Careful, buddy. She might smack you over the head with that cane,” a man jeered.
Many eyes pressed upon us—judgmental eyes. Ones that would appraise a Packmaster’s worth by the men at his back and the woman at his side. Uncertainty became a stony mask on his face, and I stepped away.
“You’re not safe in a place like this,” he said.
“My pack is looking after me. I’m surrounded by those who love me, so why would I not be safe?”
Something flickered in his eyes, but he remained impassive. “Does Cole care nothing about his land that he would leave it unguarded for any man to seize?”
“Better his land than his pack. Only trees are rooted in land, and there they stay. You should know this, great oak. But a man whose heart is rooted in family finds a home wherever his pack is, and he is truly the free man.”
Lorenzo reached out and stroked my cheek. “When we first met, you were but a flowering vine swinging from the tree I found you in, trying to cling to anyone who would hold you.”
I brushed his hand away and drew back. “You are no better than my father, comparing me to a poisonous vine. I am not the desperate woman you make me out to be, and I have no need to cling to anyone but those who love me. I will not hold on to a great oak, because as magnificent as it may be, it will never hold me back. My family holds me with their kind words and love, and that is all a Shifter can ask for. What is it you want, Lorenzo? To question the integrity of my Packmaster? Fox is an intelligent man, and he might have easily flushed us out of that house. We’re better off within the city. There are places to take refuge, those who might help us, and…”
Through my powerful speech, Lorenzo cracked a smile. It was slight at first, but it became wide and he flashed his teeth at me.
I had begun to turn away when Lorenzo captured my wrist and tugged me against him. The cane dropped to the ground and his arm slid around my lower back in a claiming gesture. He cupped the nape of my neck with his other hand, and before I could protest, Lorenzo rubbed noses with me.
In the middle of a crowded club.
“Such a spirited wolf you have,” he growled.
“What do you want of me?”
He drew in a breath, as if taking in my scent. “Don’t you want to be my friend?”
“A man like you doesn’t make friends—he makes enemies.”
Lorenzo kissed me hard, his tongue slipping so deep that my legs quivered.
Then he drew back and rubbed noses again. “I can do friendship. Sunday night. Checkers. My place.” He pressed his lips to my ear and seduced me with whispers. “I can’t get you out of my head. These men leer at you in a way that makes me want to lose control. You need protection.”
“My pack protects me,” I said, forgetting the crowd around us as we held each other close.
“Will they protect you with their bodies as I will with mine?”
I tried to create distance between us. “Actions speak louder than words, and nothing but honey drips from your mouth.”
He chuckled darkly. “Your sharp tongue and wise words make my wolf sing. Is my embrace not enough to prove I don’t care about the opinions of others?”
“I’m sure you embrace a lot of women in this club. Look around. What strangers think matters less than your family, and consider how you hid me away in your room like a dirty secret.”
The song changed to something sexy and slow.
Without taking his eyes from mine, Lorenzo knelt down and a flicker of sexual desire sparked in his irises. It made me want to grip his hair and feel him nuzzle between my legs. He rose back up and placed my cane in my right hand. Lorenzo wasn’t about to dismiss me like someone who had displeased him. A tremor of anticipation rolled through me.
He lowered his chin, a few strands of hair slipping in front of his face. “Let’s get one thing straight: it’s no mystery that I have a voracious sexual appetite, but I have committed no sin by taking bitches to my bed.”
“I’m beginning to like that word even less when spoken from your lips.”
Lorenzo stroked his fingers down my knotty braid. “Have you ever noticed that in the modern packs, the only men who use the term bitches are unmated? It used to be a compliment that she was a dominant female. But humans have muddied the word, and because we have to defend our women whenever the word is used as an insult, its meaning has changed for some. You’re the first woman I’ve met where I wanted to tear a man apart if he called you that name.”
Lorenzo tugged me to a dark corner and placed his hands on the wall, pinning me with his body. “You’re not just the woman in my grandmother’s dreams. You are the woman in my dreams. The one my spirit wolf has been calling for. If you give me the word that I can pursue you, then neither my body nor mind will desire another woman. So keep growling, because it only makes me want to rip the buttons off your shirt and take you where we stand.”
When he moved his body against mine, it drew a light gasp from my lips. His hand slipped beneath my shirt and cupped my waist, burning like a brand against my flesh.
“Give me your answer, sweet Ivy,” he said against my cheek.
“Two conditions,” I said, pushing him back with my hand. “Treat me supremely and be willing to bend, mighty oak. Bend to my words, bend to advice, and bend to the idea of leading with respect and not tyranny.”
His mouth twisted into a crooked grin. “Is that all?”
“It’s much more than you think it is.” I tugged at the ends of his long hair. “Your pack will judge and criticize you when they see me at your side. How you react to their judgment directly links to my conditions. Hold me like you would grains of sand, and remember how it takes so little for me to slip through your fingers. I’ve been through so much pain in my life, and I’m careful with my heart.”
“I will hold it like precious glass.”
Was I accepting his offer to court me? I felt such an enormous tug at my heart whenever I thought of Lorenzo—such a fierce desire to know him, even though he was imperfect. Could any of us claim perfection? Goodness, right there in the stench of that club, surrounded by flickering lights and loud voices, I fell in love with him just a little bit more. Not all the way, but the light drizzle had turned into a steady rain.
“Have you slept?” he asked, stroking my brows with his thumbs. “You look tired.”
“I can’t sleep with all this around me.”
Lorenzo’s powerful arms embraced me and his heart thundered against his chest. “Can you sleep with all this around you?”
Chapter 17
Lorenzo was able to order a warm cup of cocoa from the bartender even though it wasn’t on the menu. The staff knew him well since his pack brought a lot of money into the Blue Door, so they made exceptions and honored his requests. The cocoa relaxed Ivy, just as he’d hoped. He ordered William to stand guard outside the door to the room the Weston pack had rented.
Austin greeted him coldly, as expected, and most of the other men in the pack merely lifted their eyes to meet his before looking away. A television on the left wall played silently. Two of the chairs had been pushed together, and Denver was sitting on the floor, leaning against one. Lorenzo couldn’t see who he was protecting, but Denver carried a look that was all too familiar to Lorenzo.
So did the rock singer, Jericho, whose pregnant female was lying on the couch beside him with one leg on the coffee table. Women were so peculiar during pregnancy. Strange cravings, mood swings—as if their sleeping wolf were growing temperamental.
Alexia was stretched out on the opposite sofa, wrapped up in a blue blanket with her straight hair hanging off the edge.
&
nbsp; Lorenzo leaned against the door and watched Ivy as she coaxed Lynn off the barstool and onto a pile of blankets. That’s when he looked around and realized his woman had no place to lie down.
His woman.
The word rattled in his head like more than a suggestion, and he wondered why he felt hell-bent on protecting a gentle female so opposite from the women he normally pursued. He’d wrestled with it all day since leaving Austin’s house. Never in such a short period of time had he been so taken by a woman—so completely transfixed that he couldn’t focus his mind on anything or anyone else.
After Ivy gave Lynn an extra pillow, she returned to Lorenzo and he called to her wolf until she shifted. Whether her wolf wanted to sleep or not didn’t matter, because Ivy’s mind would tumble into darkness—far from bad spirits and dreams. She nuzzled against Austin’s leg and he rubbed her ears, casting his affection on his packmate.
Lorenzo looked around at this motley crew and felt like an interloper. Austin’s pack behaved more like a family, and those were two things he’d always considered impossible to converge. He sat down beside the door and stretched out his legs.
Austin handed him a cold bottle of beer and sat to his right. “Just so you know, I never loved Winnie. She was just the first Shifter I’d ever dated. It’s not like we’d slept together,” Austin said quietly. “That was ages ago.”
Lorenzo chuckled. “Just so you know, she wasn’t that good in bed.”
Austin sipped his beer. “Better you than me, my friend. So… what’s your angle with Ivy? Is this just about that old-fashioned competitive streak? Still trying to take something that’s mine?”
“Yours?” Lorenzo growled more than said. “She’s in your pack, but Ivy is not yours.”
“Well, she sure as hell ain’t yours.” Austin set his bottle on the rug beside him.
Ivy’s wolf trotted over so gracefully that one would hardly notice her hind leg had never touched the ground. She stood before the two men, her nostrils twitching as she took in their heavy scents. They remained silent, realizing her wolf was about to prove which man she belonged to.
