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“I’m sorry, Lily. I’m not trying to scare you. Keep going.”
She nodded and sniffed once more. “He told me that he’s the reason we found the key. He set us up. He sent those models to the bar and had them drop the key so we would find it. He knew I’d want to come here because I’m always so curious about everything.”
Oliver tensed at her words. “I thought you said you came with your friends who were invited?”
She shook her head. “I lied. I’m sorry.”
“So you’re a human?”
She nodded.
Oliver stepped back, running a hand over his beard as he studied her. The silence stretched between them, creating an uncomfortable bubble that Lily desperately wanted to pop. She liked him, and she didn’t want anything awkward between them.
“Are you angry that I crashed the party? Or that you had sex with a human?” she asked nervously.
He scoffed. “Neither, Lily. I’m angry at Uziel.” He let out a pent-up breath. “You should go home. A party like this isn’t meant for humans. It’s not safe for your kind.”
His words weren’t cruel. They were matter-of-fact. She knew he wasn't trying to hurt her feelings. He did, after all, just save her from being attacked by another man. Unsure of what else to say, she nodded and pulled her phone out of her muddy purse.
There wasn’t one message or call. None of the other girls wanted to leave, and she’d be damned if she was the one to ruin the fun. If truth be told, her money was on Chloe wanting to leave, but if even Chloe was having a good time and enjoying herself, Lily would be the last person to take that away.
She held her phone up so that Oliver could see the screen. “I have no calls or texts. Alexis, Fiona, Chloe, and I decided that if anyone wanted to leave, we’d send out a group message and meet back at the car. No one messaged me, Oliver, and I’ll be damned if I’m the one to ruin their fun.”
Oliver’s eyes narrowed in annoyance. “This party, scratch that, this place isn’t safe for humans. I mean …” He turned and gestured to the woods where Uziel ran off. “Uziel is out there somewhere, lurking around. Not all shifters have a human’s best interest at heart.”
That thought caused her heart to start pounding again. Uziel had clearly taken a vested interest in her. One that she was certain she didn’t want. She didn’t know how to relinquish his attention on her.
“Do you think Uziel will come back?” Her voice quivered, and she was instantly annoyed with herself.
Pull yourself together, Lily! For Christ’s sake!
She cleared her throat and looked up at him to find him shaking his head confidently.
“How can you be certain?”
Oliver looked reluctant to answer. “I need to get my clothes. I left them under a tree at the base of the woods.”
He headed in the direction of the tree line, and Lily fought to keep up.
“How can you be sure he won’t be back, Oliver? How well do you know him?”
Oliver sighed. “I’ve known him for years. He won’t be back as long as I’m with you.”
“Oh.” Lily couldn’t think of anything else to say, so she continued following Oliver until he knelt by the base of a tree and picked up a small pile of laundry. He stepped into his pants and slipped his shirt over his head.
Not that she minded him walking around with no clothes on. She didn’t. In fact, she very much enjoyed the sight of him naked. He was, after all, quite a specimen.
However, besides the fact that he was bigger than Uziel, what was it about him that would keep the other shifter away? Did he have friends he could call?
“Why won’t Uziel come back if you’re here?”
Oliver leaned against the tree as he slipped his socks and shoes on. “Because I’m the alpha of the bear sleuth. There aren’t many shifters that would go up against an alpha.”
“But you two fought,” she argued, trying to understand.
“Yes, because I attacked him. I saw he was on top of you, and I reacted. He was merely defending himself against me. That fight never would have happened if I didn’t make the first move. It takes a great deal of balls for any shifter to fight an alpha. We’re stronger and faster than any one of them. It’s innate. We’re born that way.”
Lillian tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. In the chaos that had ensued since she had been in the art room with Oliver earlier that evening, her hair had come loose from its braid.
