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I fire a keep-your-trap-shut look at Legend. The last thing I want anyone to know is how I danced on the counter at a bar last night.
“She’s got some guts, giving a vampire like you a look like that,” Shade muses. “I like her.”
A trace of a smile touches my lips. Maybe Legend was right; they don’t seem anything like the werewolves who attacked me in the alley. But when Legend signals for me to sit down in the booth next to the guy whose eyes carry heartbreaking sorrow, a shiver rolls through me. Still, I plop my ass down into the booth, anyway, keeping some distance between us.
My fear alleviates a drop when Legend scoots in next to me. That all goes right out the window, though, as the stranger fastens his gaze on me.
I squirm, trying to avoid eye contact with him, even though every part of me begs to steal a peek at the beautiful guy sitting next to me.
Legend looks at the intense wolf sitting beside me. “Jules, this is Lake,” he says. “Lake, this is Jules, prince of the Violet Mountain pack.”
Lovely. He’s werewolf royalty. No wonder he looks so confident. He’s probably above every other wolf in the club.
I turn and offer Jules’ my hand, though I’m scared shitless. “It’s nice to meet you, Jules.”
His gaze bores into me as he places his ring-less hand in mine. He doesn’t utter a word. Just stares at me with fire in his eyes. Again, he sniffs the air.
What the hell is up with all the sniffing?
Unsure what to do or say, I sputter the first words that pop into my mind. “How come you have silver on your fingers? I thought silver was poisonous to werewolves.”
Jules’ lip twitches with either amusement or irritation. My bet is the latter. “I have royal blood in my veins; therefore, I’m almost immune to silver.”
My brows dip as I withdraw my hand from his. “Almost?”
He removes one of the rings from his finger. The skin beneath the metal is scalded, but the burn immediately heals.
“So, you just, what?” I ask. “Wear the rings and let them burn you for kicks and giggles?”
“They barely burn me. And if I wasn’t royalty, wearing them would eventually kill me,” he clarifies. “And I don’t do it for kicks and giggles. I do it to warn other werewolves of what I am so they’ll know to respect me.”
“Sounds pretty stupid if you ask me.” I bite down on my tongue.What the heck just came over me? Usually, I’m not that rude.
Uncomfortable silence stretches between us, and then Shade snorts a laugh.
“Man, I think I might like her even more now.” He scoops up his drink and downs a long gulp before lowering the glass and wiping the back of his hand across his mouth. “Seriously, Legend, where did you find her?”
Legend stiffens from beside me, and I hold my breath, waiting for him to respond, to see if he’ll tell my story, but Jules speaks first.
“You’re right; it is pretty stupid,” he mumbles, putting the ring back on.
“Then why do you do it?” I ask as Rune slides into the booth next to Shade and sets a drink down in front of Legend then a glass of water in front of me.
Jules shrugs, lifting his drink toward his lips, his damn gaze never leaving me. “Because it’s a rule in our pack.”
“Well, it’s a stupid rule.”
You know what’s stupid, Lake? Saying stupid to a werewolf twice in less than a minute.
Jules studies me with his head angled to the side. “Yes, it kind of is, isn’t it? But I don’t make the rules. The king does. I can pass along your message to him if you want and let him know how much you don’t like his rules.” He leans forward, his eyes glittering with something that makes my heartrate quicken. “I’d advise, though, not to use the word stupid so much when you speak to him. I’d also advise that with other paranormals. They’re not fans of being insulted, especially by humans.”
I sink my teeth into my bottom lip, feeling kind of stupid but also irked. “I was only telling the truth. It’s stupid that you’re burning yourself just to show power and gain respect. I’m sure there are other less painful ways to do that.”
“You think so, huh? Then please, enlighten us with these other less painful ways?” He reclines back in the seat and raises his glass to take a drink.
“Um …” Great, I just had to open my mouth “You could, like, bite them or whatever it is you werewolves do.”
He chokes, nearly spitting his drink out all over the table. Shade and Rune erupt in laughter. Even Legend chuckles.
