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I smiled bashfully. “Sorry, I’m just goofy sometimes.”
He opened the passenger door and held my hand. “What do you mean?”
I stepped up into the truck with his help, plopping onto the seat with a defeated sigh. “I don’t always look before I leap.”
“That’s alright,ma petite fleur.” He shut the door and rounded the front of the vehicle, hopping into the driver's seat where he started the truck. “I can be your eyes when you’re not looking.”
What he said put me into a tailspin. My thighs clenched while my heart quivered in my chest, inviting my hand to rest over my sternum. If it beat any harder, then it would surely fly through the windshield and shatter it to pieces.
But it didn’t.
It was fine.
Matéo reversed the truck and headed for the exit, casually gliding along the main road. Many of the residents watched us pass by. Some of them waved. A few of the kids bounced excitedly on a porch, shouting about the Black Wolf.
“Word travels fast,” I commented. “I mean, they already think you’re a superhero.”
“Far from it. I just grew better than my sister.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Sister? You’ve never mentioned having one.”
Lisette, I thought.Is that your sister?
But I didn’t ask. I didn’t want to poke the bear—erm, thewolfall over again.
He had enough to deal with right now. He spoke plenty in his sleep to alarm me, but not so much that I was going to ruin the peace we’d just attained.
His shoulders bowed inward. “I need to stop at the cabin.”
“Sasha said we should head straight back to—”
“I need clothes, Rose. And weapons. Other things. Can’t I have my things?”
The bite in his tone made me back down. Again, how could I say no to him? How could I deny him some comfort? He had a sister. Maybe her name was Lisette or maybe that was someone else. And maybe it was all tied together. Whatever the case, he needed comfort.
And he needed peace.
And I wanted to be that for him.
I squeezed my eyes shut. “Yes, you can have your things. I’m sorry.”
Silence. Then, his hand took mine. Warmth radiated from his fingers gently kneading into my wrist.
I looked at him and found a dark, worried expression. “No, I’m sorry,fleur. I lost my temper.”
“You’re upset.”
“I’m always upset.” He laughed, the sound comical for two seconds until it darkened. He shook his head. “I’m haunted, Rose. I’mwounded.”
I swallowed hard. “Will you tell me about it?”
“When we get back to the inn, yes. I should. Iwantto tell you. It’s just…”
The mountain came into view and then the road that spiraled upward, the trees crowding the dirt path and the fallen logs. Everything shifted. It cooled. Shadows warped the truck’s hood with jagged shapes and debris rattled the undercarriage. The world seemed more muted than usual.
He cleared his throat. “I will tell you, yes.”
“Don’t force it, okay?”
