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“You’re not lying to me, right? You weren’t captured and tortured.” His voice held pain and threat of retribution. I’d never seen someone so angry on my behalf before. I didn’t know how to receive it.
I leaned over, cupped his face in both hands, and looked at him square in the eyes.
“No, Ridge, I wasn’t. I have only been on the run and seen some of this, but they’ve never once caught me. I wouldn’t lie about never being tortured like that.”
He closed his eyes, held my wrists, and rubbed his cheeks against my palms. He took several deep breaths, and I realized he was sniffing me. To others, this would look like an intimate moment, but he was using my scent to calm his wolf down.
Slowly, those magical storm-gray eyes opened, and he was once again calm and collected. “I’m happy to hear that.”
My heart clenched at his concern. It was so foreign to me.
The server walked over with our dishes, so I sat back as he placed them before us. I needed to lighten the mood.
“Right on cue. I’m sure all my talk of torture has stoked our appetites.”
Ridge didn’t find that funny.
Chapter18
Ridge
Ignoring my food, I stared at Tori as she took her first bite. I reveled in the pleasantly surprised look on her face. But even so, what she’d just told me rolled around in my head. The specifics she’d given me were too thorough. There was no way she’d gleaned that from passing glances, gossip, or chit-chat with lone shifters. Which had to mean she’d been taken at some point.
She ate a few bites while I still hadn’t picked up a fork. “Tori, how do you know all this?”
Both my wolf and I were fighting hard to keep our tempers in check. The idea of her in danger had us losing all reasoning, and I was overcome with a potent need to drag her back to the manor and lock her away. I’d never had a reaction or driving need overtake my common sense like this before. I’d witnessed it with other mates, but surely I’d know for certain if she was my fated mate.
I had to ask her again, because I hoped she’d give me the truth if I was persistent. Tori had way more information she wasn’t telling me, and I wanted to know what it was. My fists clenched at the thought of anybody laying a hand on her. This beautiful, fiery wolf didn’t deserve the hand she’d been dealt.
Tori took a bite of her food and shook her head. “Ridge, seriously, I just picked things up on the road.”
She didn’t look at me as she stayed focused on the food. I hated that I’d thought to take her to dinner for this discussion. It would have been easier if we had stayed at the manor without people around. Then I could have really grilled her.
Glancing around the restaurant, I saw people darting not-so-furtive looks at us, and I could hear them discussing us. Some of the comments were kind, such as they were happy that I’d found somebody, especially one so beautiful. Others made me want to put the speakers in their place. So concerned over status and wealth, two things I didn’t give a fuck about.
I reached for my fork and knife and dug into my food, giving Tori some peace while she enjoyed her meal. I loved watching her eat and making sure she got enough. I wanted to feed her the highest quality and most nutritious foods to balance out the years she’d been on the run.
She was almost finished when I couldn’t keep my mouth shut again. “How old were you when you went on the run? Did they hurt you? Is that why you ran?”
Tori dropped her cutlery onto the plate, wiped her tongue over her teeth, and glared at me. Her fire had my pants tightening, and I couldn’t take my eyes off her. The passion she exuded made me hunger for more.
“I agreed to tell you about the hunters, not give you a blow-by-blow of my sob story. It means nothing.”
I put my fork down, then leaned over until I was inches from her face. A deep snarl rose from my gut. “If they touched you, they’ll answer to me, and I won’t show them a merciful death. I will lay them down before your feet.”
My wolf praised me for my promise, but Tori froze in shock. Her eyes searched mine. I gazed back, startled and examining my statement, but I found it to be true. It may have been issued from my wolf, but I realized I’d do precisely as I’d vowed.
“Man, you really do have a hero complex.” She picked up her fork, shoved another bite of food in her mouth, and moaned. “This is so delicious. Yum.”
She chewed and stuffed in another forkful. Clearly, she didn’t want to say anything more on the subject. I decided to let it all slide for now. I didn’t want to derail her calm demeanor and take away from her experience with the food. I would get to the bottom of everything—determination was something I had in spades. Learning more about Tori, the hunters, and what they had done to her was at the top of my list, though.
We did the perfunctory small talk, asking about each other’s day. I had to hide my amusement when she told me about her interaction with Diana Bogford, then had to hold back my growl to hear how forcefully nosy people had been at the diner. I’d expected it, and usually, something like that wouldn’t bother me. But with it happening to Tori, I struggled to not only keep my wolf in check but also my own mind from obsessing over it and demanding names so I could get retribution.
I didn’t like how much food she’d left uneaten on the plate, but since she appeared to be satisfied, I let it go. After getting to know her better, I recognized that if she’d wanted to eat it all, she would have.
“May I interest you in the dessert trolley?” our server asked while collecting our plates.
I lifted my brow at Tori. She patted her stomach and smiled. “Oh, no, thank you, I’m stuffed. Please tell the chef the meal was fantastic.”
