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Well, if he’d put it that way to begin with, maybe I wouldn’t have spent so much of the last two days pissed off at him. “Okay,” I said. “That makes sense. I can respectthat.”
He shot me a look I could only describe as startled. “What?” I said, setting my hands on my hips. “You didn’t think I was capable of basic humanempathy?”
The corners of his mouth twitched. “To be fair, you aren’t actuallyhuman.”
“Basic shifter empathy, then. I’ve gotten the impression we have thattoo.”
“Some of the time, anyway.” He kept his gaze on me. The energy between us had shifted somehow, with an electric prickling over my skin. His hand rose. I half expected him to reach for me, to pull mecloser—
He made a dismissive gesture and stepped farther away. “I have a few more people to talk with while we’re here in town,” he said. “Try not to get into anymoretrouble, all right,Sparks?”
“I’ll do my best,” I muttered. Was I imagining things, or had that nickname sounded just slightly affectionate for the first time? It was hard to tell when he put on that gruff, no-nonsensevoice.
West stalked off down the street. He must have said something to the people lingering in the common, because the group that had been watching me scattered. I rubbed my arms, feeling restless in the rising summer heat. And the heat that had started to rise inside me, standing next tohim.
“It’s good,” a weathered voice said from behind me. As I turned, an elderly woman with a puff of frizzy white hair came up beside me. She patted my hand. “Matilda. Pleased to meet you, dragonshifter.”
Her demeanor was so matter-of-fact after the awe I’d gotten from the other villagers that I immediately relaxed. “Pleased to meet you too,Matilda.”
She turned her pale hazel eyes the way West had gone. “I’m glad Westley has finally found you,” she said. “I can tell you’ll be good forhim.”
Westley, huh? I let out a short laugh. “I’m not so sure he’d agree with youthere.”
“Aw, don’t let his temper put you off. He’s a good boy, even if he’s slow to trustsometimes.”
How long had she known him? Since he was a kid—or, what, a pup? And now he was running the whole kin-group. “You all seem to have a lot of respect for him,” Isaid.
“He’s earned it,” Matilda said, and hummed softly as if to agree with herself. “That boy has always put his kin above everything else, even the folks he cared about themost.”
That sounded like a story I needed to hear. But before I could push for details, Nate walked over. He gave the elder shifter a respectful bob of his head and turned tome.
“After last night, we’re thinking giving you some self defense training might be a good idea, Ren. If you’re up forit.”
Anything if it meant I wasn’t standing around like a hopeless damsel next time we got into a fight, as much as I hoped there wasn’t a nexttime.
“Sure,” I said. “Hitme.”
Chapter 15
Marco
My Princessof Flames wasn’t going to be demolishing vampires by the end of the day, but it wasn’t going to be long before she could hold her own either. She mimicked the motion of the punches Aaron demonstrated while Nate held up his broad hands astargets.
The bear shifter swept his leg toward her, and she nimbly leapt out of the way. Aaron caught her around the shoulders. She snapped his hold the way he’d taught her, grinning. The physical exertion had brought an incredibly appealing flush into her cheeks. I’d bet that whole lithe body of hers would be hot to thetouch.
Kylie, West, and myself formed an audience at the edge of the clearing on the outskirts of the village. Ren’s human friend whistled and cheered. Wolf boy looked as if he’d eaten something sour, but that was pretty much his standard expression, so it was hard to read anything intoit.
Ren had a ways to go yet, though. The guys were still being careful with her. I wasn’t sure that was the best tack. Didn’t they see what a firecracker that girl was? All that power in her just waiting toexplode.
And when she got there, I’d be right at herside.
Aaron exchanged a couple of testing blows with Ren. She blocked and jabbed out with her fist, catching him in the ribs. “Good,” he said. “Can you feel that fighting energy calling to your dragon? See if you can catch hold of the feeling and shift that form to thesurface.”
Ren nodded, her expression tightening with determination. Oh, princess, as if a shift was something you should have to force. She needed to make friends with her inner dragon, not battleit.
Nate stepped in, weaving back and forth with surprising speed for a guy that big. The bear wasn’t all bulk. He pushed Ren backward until she ducked under one of his swings and darted around him. A fierce gleam lit in her eyes. Then she faltered. Her shoulders sagged, and she swiped her hand across hermouth.
“I’m trying,” she said to Aaron. “I can feel it in there. I don’t know why I’m so stuckstill.”
