Page 35 of The Crimson Wolf
“Good morning,” he says coldly. Dark circles underline his eyes—usually dark but now glowing amber.
It takes me a moment to catch my beating heart and stand straight with composure. “No good morning,” Ibark, charging toward him. He doesn’t move; he just lets me remove the space between us, staring me down with an unmovable expression. “I hope you’ve come to your senses and are ready to let me go.”
He sighs, running his hand along his stubble, now fuller than the day before, and looks down at me. I fidget under his gaze as if just now realizing he’s a werewolf that could do much more to me than lock me in his room. My mind flips to the image of us making out in his living room just a few days before. I shake my head microscopically, erasing the mirage.
“I’ve come to see if you’d like coffee.”
“Coffee?” I nearly spit out the words.
“Yes.”
I cross my arms over my chest. “Yeah, why don’t you take me somewhere to get it.”
His lips curve into a slight grin, and he turns. “How about the kitchen?”
I don’t move for a moment, honestly shocked that he’s letting me leave his room. He sits at his kitchen table across from me, bringing one of the two coffee cups in front of him to his lips.
Maybe this is a trick. I wait for another moment as he shrugs and looks at his cell phone before taking another sip. I charge toward the front door, grabbing the handle and twisting it. Of course, it’s locked.
“Honestly, do you think I’m stupid?” he asks, not looking up from his phone.
I don’t answer, standing at the front door with my arms crossed over my chest. I don’t know what to do next. He’s clearly locked this place, so I can’t leave. Maybe sitting down with him is the best way to get some answers.
“Fine!” I yell after several seconds, startling him and bringing his attention away from his phone before he pushes it into the pocket of his jeans.
“Fine?”
I march toward him and pull out a chair. “Fine, I’ll have coffee with you.” I sit down and bring the cup to my lips but then hesitate. “Did you poison this?”
He gives me a dry glare. “If I wanted to kill you, it would be far easier than the last meal I killed.”
I nearly choke on my saliva. I hope his last meal wasn’t human, but I don’t feel like discovering that now. He’s right, though. I’d be dead by now if he wanted me to be—unless he likes to play with his food. I sigh and pick up the mug, taking a small sip. The coffee is bold and gives me an ounce of comfort. I revel in it for a moment—if only to remind myself that I’m human and not a caged animal. I change my composure. Maybe we can have a civilized conversation. “So, would you tell me why you kidnapped me?”
He folds his hands on the table and stares at me. I almost look away—his gaze locking with mine and making me feel the whispers of that itchy feeling again mixed with a heaviness in my veins, but I stay strong, holding on to the invisible line that tethers us together.
“I’ve already told you.”
I scrunch my face. “No, you didn’t.”
“It’s for your safety.”
“Okay… what does that mean?”
He leans in closer, his scent filling my nostrils. God, does this man bathe in his own personal cologne? “You’ve been accused of murder, and then, instead of waiting for your trial or allowing me to collect evidence, you broke out of jail.”
“Ha, it’s not jail.” I slap my hands on the table. “If that were the case, I’d have the right to an attorney. Don’t act like there was anythingnormalabout my imprisonment. For all I know, your kind could have been fattening me up and getting me ready for your next meal.”
A vein in his temple twitches and his nostrils flare. “You might not understand the operations of our society, but that’s what happens when you decide to tangle yourself up in this mess. If it wasn’t me who found you, then it would have been someone who wouldn’t be nice enough to allow you to sleep on their Tempurpedic bed or make you a fresh cup of coffee.”
“Okay, great!” I stand up. “Thank you so much for your hospitality andsaving meor whatever, but now let me go. I’ll just go get Jack, and he can protect me.”
Cameron releases a disgusted laugh from the back of his throat. “Yeah, I’d like to see him try from even just a few of our pack.”
I’m starting to realize why Jack hates this guy more and more. “I watched Jack defeat a werewolf with my own two eyes. He can protect me.”
“So you were there during the murder. Do you know that the Were he killed was only a teenager?” Cameron stands, walking closer to me. “And to think I was going to help you.”
A teenager? The thought does pull at my heartstrings. I hope he’s just lying to make me feel sorry for him. “I didn’t even know about werewolves at that point! Also, the thing was trying to murder me.”
