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“Curiosity killed the wolf,” he warns. “If you want a good idea, just picture an ogre’s face on a snake demon’s body.”
“I don’t know what either of those look like.”
“Lake, Lake, Lake.” He clucks his tongue. “We really need to start teaching you more about our realms and the paranormals who live in them.”
I raise my brows. “Maybe you could start with why Jules has never been with anyone else. And why his eyes glow violet sometimes.”
“Um … yeah … I’m not sure if I should tell you—”
“Tell her what?” Jules appears by my side like a stealthy ninja wolf.
I press my hand to my racing heart as I whirl around. “Holy shit, I didn’t even hear you walking up.”
“Sorry I scared you. Although, I’m kind of glad I did.” His eyes, which I notice are now blue and dull of light, shift to Shade. “It lets me know that my so-called guard isn’t doing his job.”
“She distracted me,” Shade gripes, his fingers wrapped around the knife tucked in his shoulder holster. “And I was about ready to draw, but I smelled your scent.”
“Your draw would’ve been too slow,” Jules growls out. “If it hadn’t have been me approaching, she would’ve been dead.”
“No, she wouldn’t have.” Shade releases his hold on the handle of the knife. “You know as well as I do that, slow draw or not, no one can move as quickly as I can, except for you.”
“Fine, maybe not dead, but she could’ve gotten severely hurt.” His chillingly cold gaze bores into Shade. “Don’t ever be too slow to draw again. At least when you’re protecting her.”
Shade bows his head. “I’m sorry it happened. It won’t ever happen again, I promise.”
Jules nods once, the stiffness in his muscles gradually unwinding. “And I’m sorry I had to go there. It’s just really important to me.”
Shade raises his head and fleetingly steals a glance in my direction. “I know.”
What Shade and I were talking about earlier, about Jules not being with anyone else and how he won’t be with anyone else but me, crosses my mind.
Why am I so important to him?
“We good?” Shade asks, sticking out his fist.
“Of course.” Jules bumps his knuckles against Shade’s then turns to me apologetically. “I’m sorry I freaked out on you back there. It’s just …” He massages the back of his neck sheepishly. “I needed to take a breather.”
“It’s okay. Shade explained …” I drift off as Shade shakes his head and puts his fingers to his lips.
“Don’t tell him I told you,”he mouths. “Not right now. Not when he’s still …”He clasps his hands together and makes dreamy eyes at me. Whatever the hell that means.“Or else he’ll …”Then he pretends to punch himself in his manly parts.
“Shade explained what to you?” Jules starts to turn his head toward Shade.
Shade pulls anoh shitface “Nothing. I told her nothing at all.”
Jules stares him down hard. I can almost feel the amped up adrenaline pouring off him. Apparently, Jules worked off some of his tension, but not all of it.
Deciding to help Shade since he did tell me more than anyone else has, I step between him and Jules, then ask Jules, “What happened to your cheek?” as I cup his cheek and tenderly brush my fingers along a diagonal cut below his eye.
He instinctively leans into my palm. “A tree branch cut me.”
“So, you got your ass kicked by a tree, huh?” I attempt to joke, but his consuming gaze is giving me a breathing complex.
Jules’ lips quirk. “That’s not quite how it happened.”
This time, my smile is genuine. “Yeah, yeah, I’d be saying that, too, if I got my ass kicked by a tree branch.”
He chuckles, shaking his head, and I feel like I’ve won a secret prize.
