AllFreeNovel
Share Us
My head bumped back against the headrest as laughter bubbled from my lips. I started the engine and glanced his way. “Iwishmagic worked like that.” I pushed the clutch and guided the stick shift into reverse. “My incantations aren’t very useful on automotive repair.”
“I bet your folks are surprised you kept this car instead of trading it in for something…newer.”
“They passed away ten years ago.” I took it slow on the bumpy cobblestones, grateful for something else to concentrate on. Most of Essex Street was blocked from traffic, but we had a few parking spots behind the shop.
“Sorry.” He rubbed his hands on his jeans. “I didn’t know.”
“They’re still around. I feel them sometimes, and occasionally they come to me in dreams. I still wish I could hug them and call them on the phone, but…I can talk about them without crying now so…”
“My twin brother died almost ten years ago, too.”
“I’m sorry. Grief is a bitch.” I glanced over at him, but he was looking out the passenger window. I found a parking spot about a block from the pub and turned off the car. “Still hungry?”
“I’m a werewolf.” He looked over at me with a hint of a smile. “We’re always hungry.”
A grin crept up on me at the innuendo in his voice. “Good to know.”
Was I…flirting with a werewolf? I wanted to smack myself.
I got out of the car and sucked in a deep breath of fresh air. His scent was probably intoxicating me. It wasn’t as if he was wearing an expensive cologne. He smelled like the forest after a rainstorm, wild and strong. Maybe werewolves gave off a pheromone I wasn’t aware of.
Either way, I felt more levelheaded outside.
He got out and came around to my side of the car. “You warm enough?”
It had been a cold April, but I had been born and raised in Salem. My blood was thick. “I’m all right. Thanks.”
As we walked to the pub, I wondered if he’d been about to offer me his jacket. I shivered just imagining the warmth of his body and his earthy scent surrounding me. I took another deep breath. He was a werewolf. If he decided to shove me into one of the tight alleyways, I wouldn’t be able to stop him. And if he covered my mouth, even my magic wouldn’t protect me. We had to utter an incantation for our magic to activate.
Dark memories swirled in my mind, making my breath come in shorter gasps.
“Ruby?” His deep voice intruded on the terror, dispersing it like smoke. “What’s wrong?”
I sighed as the lights of the pub came into view. “My past experiences with werewolves have involved more chasing than walking.” I glanced over at him. “I guess I’m still surprised I agreed to go anywhere with you.”
“I hate that…” He cursed under his breath and shook his head. A muscle jumped in his cheek. “Was it someone from my pack?”
“No.” I quickened my pace. “It was in Boston. I was at college.”
Zeke reached out and pulled the pub door open, allowing me to step inside first. The sudden warmth of the pub sent another shiver down my back. His hand steadied me at the small of my back, guiding me through the people until we found an empty table at the back of the bar. I wasn’t sure if the goose bumps on my arms were from the temperature change or his touch.
I sat down while he took off his coat and draped it over the back of the chair. He took a seat across from me, and his eyes met mine. “You’re not going to tell me his name? We’re a small community. I might know him.”
“I’d rather just forget he ever existed.” I plucked a menu from the back of the napkin holder. “Want to split some cheese fritters?”
He didn’t look happy at my quick change of subject, but he finally nodded. “Sure.”
When the server came over, he also ordered a double bacon cheeseburger with a basket of fries and a Smithwick’s Irish Ale.
I chuckled as I put my menu back in the holder. “You weren’t kidding about being hungry.”
He grinned. “Our metabolism burns faster than humans.”
“Lucky.”
He arched a brow. “No calorie-canceling spells?”
“Not that I’ve discovered.”
