Even as I keep my focus on my plate, full of food I find I’m no longer hungry for, I listen intently to this conversation. The way it plays out is vitally important to me.
“Marleen Swanson.” Boris sits straighter in his chair, as if trying to appear as large as possible. If I had to guess, I’d say he’s in his fifties, and I might even call him attractive if it wasn’t for the scowl on his face. “She’s a good cook. Would suit me just fine.”
“Marleen and you’ve discussed this?”
“I’ve told her my intentions.”
At the nonanswer, I suddenly feel anxious for this woman. The name sounds vaguely familiar, and I think she might be one of my patrons at the library who likes to check out a couple of memoirs each week.
Roderick chews his toast slowly, eyeing the man as he does. Only after swallowing does he answer. “Have Marleen come tell me she feels the same.”
If anything, the wolf’s scowl grows deeper. “Time was when the women of the pack knew their place. When a pack leader didn’t let no one question him.”
Roderick stares the man down. It only takes a moment for Boris to drop his eyes.
Werewolf power games.
“That’s my answer. Won’t change.” Roderick seems completely unaffected by this exchange.
I, on the other hand, feel like I’ve sat down on a mound of fire ants and the bugs are crawling all over me.
Why won’t Roderick put this guy in his place? Is he actually going to let the wolf bully a woman into being his mate? What if she speaks to Roderick under duress?
I, more than most, know exactly how that can go.
The conversation should be done, but Boris obviously doesn’t like how things turned out and feels the need for another jab.
“Time was when a pack leader didn’t settle for less than a quality woman.”
My mind is still processing the insult when I realize Roderick is out of his seat, fisting the collar of Boris’s shirt. He picks up the older man as easy as I would a discarded book.
“I ever hear you speaking about my woman with anything other than respect, you’ll be facing a Challenge.” Roderick’s voice is low, but the menace in it rings through the diner.
Everyone else has stopped eating, not even pretending they aren’t watching the spectacle.
Meanwhile, I feel hot, and cold, and anxious, and I wish there weren’t any eyes on me.
I wanted Roderick to set the man straight, but this display is so … possessive. It doesn’t give me the happy flutters his affection did earlier.
This makes me feel trapped.
Roderick releases Boris’s shirt, but then grips his shoulder hard and steers him straight out of the diner, the tinkling bell ringing in an odd soundtrack to the aggressive dismissal. He shows no indication of the fury I just heard in his voice when he settles back beside me.
“You okay?” he asks, tucking a stray hair behind my ear.
“Yes,” I say too fast, clearly lying. But I don’t want to talk about why I’m suddenly not okay in this crowded restaurant full of werewolves. So, I reach for my waffle, using my hands to tear the four sections apart.
Roderick lets my lie pass, but sits closer, and I feel his eyes on me more often as he returns to eating. The urge to flirt and touch has left me.
All that remains are my raw nerves.
46
RODERICK
Juliet has beenquiet all day. Her gaze turned inward, as if in constant conversation with herself.
Something is going on behind those eyes, and I want to know what.
