“Hey!” I protest, reaching for the bottle, but he holds it up above my head, his superior height giving him an advantage I can’t match. “What about verifying my story?”
“No need. I believe you. But I’m still taking this.”
“Give it back,” I growl.
He tosses the bottle up in the air, catching it with ease. “Come and get it, little wolf.”
I lunge for it again, but he sidesteps me easily, laughing the whole time. An infuriating laugh that makes my face heat up with embarrassment.
“Stop messing around,” I snap. “This is important.”
“If it’s so important, you should probably try harder.” Bane grins smugly, enjoying this way too much.
I lunge forward, hoping to catch him off guard. Bane avoids me with a laugh. “Come on, at least give me a challenge here.”
“Shut up!” I swing my fist at him, but he catches it with one hand, holding me in place.
I lash out, kicking and swinging and desperate to land a blow, but he blocks every one of my clumsy attempts. This is foolish.Stop engaging with the Neanderthal.But the smug smile on his face makes my blood boil. I refuse to give up and go home with my tail between my legs.
Bane shoves me backwards, and I stumble, hitting the side of his car. He crowds in close, one hand braced on the door beside my head. He smirks and raises an eyebrow, his face inches from mine. “Is that all you got?”
“You’re an asshole,” I spit. “Just because your date went badly doesn’t mean you should take it out on me.”
The smug expression vanishes, and he flinches like I struck a nerve. The date going badly was only a guess since it ended quickly. Guess I got it right.
It’s the only opening I’m going to get.
My hand darts out, making contact with the neck of the potion bottle. I yank, but Bane hangs on, and we end up in a ridiculous tug-of-war. The potion sloshes back and forth inside as we jostle the bottle.
“Just give it to me,” I growl, pulling harder.
“Make me,” he taunts.
We’re practically wrestling now. My back thuds against the car again while we struggle, and then a sound… a cracking noise. Time slows as the bottle shatters and the potion erupts from the container, spraying outwards in a viscous wave.
Golden eyes widen as the potion drenches his jacket and shirt, the liquid soaking into the fabric. He releases the broken bottle, staggering back as a pungent aroma fills the air.
My mouth opens but no words come out. Shit.
Both a high priestess and an Alpha expected me to make this delivery. If not for their impending fury, I’d enjoy this moment. Because the confident Bane Blackwood suddenly seemsnervous.
He stares down at his shirt, looking like a deer caught in the headlights. “Will I grow a second head? Turn into a toad? Oh no,” he gasps. “Am I going to lose my muscles?”
Mom never shared the potion’s purpose. The temptation is too delicious to resist. I decide to have a little fun at his expense and make something up.
”This potion? It transforms the drinker.”
He lets out a strangled yelp and waves his hands frantically, shooing me out of the way to his car. He examines his reflectionin the passenger window from every angle, pulling at his skin and poking his cheek, trying to find any difference in his appearance.
“I don’t feel different,” he says, still patting himself down and searching for changes. “Transform me how?”
“You’re going to change into something… extraordinary.”
“Like a dragon?” he asks hopefully.
I fight to keep a straight face. “You might become a giant chicken or a were-gerbil or—”
“Oh my god,” he interrupts, the color draining from his face. “Why would my dad want a potion that—no, never mind. How do I stop the effect? Dude, I can’t become poultry.”
