Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
DANTE
The pancake batter sizzles as I flip it in the pan, the aroma of bacon wafting through the apartment. Cooking usually centers me, but not today. Not with her here.
Ava, with her sparkling gray eyes and her kissable lips. With her full curves that felt so soft in my arms. With her passion and her hunger for justice.
Ava, my best friend’s sister.
Shit.
I grip the spatula tighter, jaw clenched. How the hell am I supposed to stay sane being around her 24/7?
When Archer told me his sister had to crash in our place, I was cool about it. A week or two, and since I spend so long at the club, I’d barely see her.
Now I’m officially responsible for her. I have to stick around to make sure she won’t tell anyone about my true nature.
My wolf paces under my skin, restless. Wanting. He isn’t helping. I don’t know why, but he’s been fixated on Ava since she got here. I push him down for the moment.
Archer’s door creaks open. My shoulders stiffen. The soft steps don’t belong to him. The smell of vanilla isn’t his.
I tell myself not to turn when she walks into the kitchen. It’s impossible. And I used to pride myself on my self-control.
Ava leans on the door jamb, her hair sleep-tousled, her pajama shorts showing off those mouth-watering thighs. She yawns. “Something smells amazing!” She shuffles into the kitchen, stretching her arms overhead. Her sleep shirt rides up, revealing an inch of pale, soft skin.
Fuck. I hastily turn back to the stove, trying to ignore the rush of heat to my groin. Get it together, man. This is Archer’s little sister.
Why the fuck am I reacting like a teenager with a crush?
“Morning.” I flip a pancake onto a plate, keeping my eyes on the task.
She walks closer. I follow the sound of her footfalls like a fiend. “Wow, are you cooking for an army?”
I glance at the pile of pancakes. “Don’t want you to starve,” I tell her. The truth is, I couldn’t sleep, got up with the sun, and I’ve been doing house chores for the past two hours.
She scoffs. “I’m in no danger of that.” I glance her way, wondering what that’s supposed to mean, but she’s glancing into the kitchen at the rest of the food I’ve already prepared—the bacon, the bread, eggs (both scrambled and sunny-side up). “Wow, Dante. Did you make all this?”
I can’t help but smirk. “What, you thought I survived on beer and motor oil?”
She laughs, the sound doing dangerous things to my composure. “Not motor oil, but... Never imagined a biker who turns into a badass wolf could also cook.”
I shoot her an amused glance. “Cooking is a basic skill. Everyone should know it.” I slide a stack of pancakes and bacon onto a plate and hold it out to her.
Ava stares back at me, her smile faltering. I stare back, waiting for her to say something. She doesn’t, reaching out for the plate. Her fingers brush against mine. Electricity zaps between us.
I nearly drop the plate. Christ, this is pathetic. I’ve had dozens of half-naked girls grinding on me at the clubs and felt nothing. But one touch from her in an oversized t-shirt? I’m hard enough to pound nails.
Ava puts her plate down on the counter and takes a stool. “Where’s Arch? I figured the smell of bacon would have him out here already.”
“You’re the one who shares the bed with him.”
“True.” Ava chuckles. “A positive side to Steve leaving, I guess. Archer graduated from the couch to his own bed.”
I could think of a thousand positive things about that rat leaving, but I don’t say them out loud. “Then he’s out for a run.” I pour two mugs of coffee, keeping my back to her. “He probably left when I was in the shower.”
“Ah.” She takes a bite of pancake and makes a sinful noise. “Oh my god, Dante. These are amazing!”
I bite back a groan. She has no idea what she’s doing to me. I take a long gulp of scolding coffee. “Glad you like them.” I hope she doesn’t notice the gruffness in my voice.
We eat in silence for a few minutes. She chews, her eyes unfocused, worried.
“How are you hanging?” I ask her.
She snaps her gaze to me. “I’m okay.”
“Are you sure?” I insist. “There’s a lot going on. The threats, the kidnapping, the breakup.”
Ava sips the coffee, then smiles. “You’ll think I’m crazy, but I’m truly okay. After the shock of the break-in, everything that happens kind of proves my point, you know? Even the kidnap attempt. It just fuels me on.” She shrugs. “The breakup was… in the back of my mind for a while. I don’t know how I’m going to feel about it in a few months, but right now? I’m too pumped about the investigation to care.”
Why the fuck does my heart beat faster when she looks at me like this? When her eyes glint this bright?
I clear my throat. “You’re right about one thing.”
“What?”
“You’re a little crazy.”
She smirks. “Thank you.”
I can’t help but smile back. “At least you and Archer can see each other. He’s missed you.”
Ava nods. “Yeah, I missed him, too. We talk all the time, but there are some things you only see in person, you know?”
“Like what?”
“Like, I didn’t know he liked to run this much,” she says. “He must run almost every day.”
I shrug. “Running helps him clear his head.” I hesitate, weighing my words. “He started in high school. He really missed you and your mom when he moved here. When things get tough, that’s how he copes.”
Ava’s eyes soften with understanding. “I’m so glad he found you. It’s good to know he wasn’t alone.”
“He wasn’t. He never was.”
I finish my plate, but I don’t get up. I can’t. There’s no strength in my body to move away from her.
“I’m sorry the world is so shitty with shifters,” she says, her voice small, hesitant. Ava reaches out, slowly. Her fingertips brush mine. She touches my knuckles. “And I’m sorry you had to change to save me. I know you could have gotten in trouble.”
Her touch burns into my skin and I have to fight the urge to turn my hand over, to lace our fingers together. I meet her gaze, all too aware of the tension crackling between us. “I’m here as long as you need me, Ava. I’ll keep you safe. That’s a promise.”
Her eyes search mine, and for a moment, I’m lost in their stormy depths. My wolf stirs within me, desperate, pleading. We’re locked in a bubble, just the two of us.
Ava bites her lip and looks away, breaking the spell. She pulls her hand back.
“You know, I—” She clears her throat. Shit, is she as moved by this as I am? There’s no way… “I just wish Dad had kept Archer close, you know? When he left Mom. It’s like... like he took a part of me with him.”
“Parents do what they think is best. Mine taught me from an early age to keep my shifter nature hidden. It’s how I’ve survived.”
She frowns. “But why should you have to hide, Dante? It’s not fair. Everyone should have every right to be themselves, in public, without fear.”
“The world is not fair, Ava. People die for less. People starve. People are enslaved. It is how it is.”
“So you just roll over and let them win?” She stands from the stool, her brow furrowed. “I can’t believe you’re okay with this. With being treated like a second-class citizen.”
I stand too, my stool scraping against the floor. “I’m not okay with it, Ava. But I’m a realist. I do what I have to do to protect my own and sticking my neck out is not it.” I take a beat, staring down at her. “I admire your courage, Ava, but you are putting yourself in danger. You’re risking yourself for a story that might change nothing.”
“Or,” she shoots back, not missing a beat, “it might change everything. It might save people. It might save you .”
The air between us grows charged. My wolf claws at my insides, desperate to be closer to her. I clench my fists, fighting for control. Her breath touches my neck. When did we get this close?
The apartment door swings open. Ava and I jump away from each other.
Archer strolls in, a grin on his face. “Whoa, what did I miss?” he asks, his eyes darting between us. “You’re not fighting, are you? If you are, then Ava is right.”
She forces a laugh. “Nothing. Just chatting over breakfast.” She picks up her empty plate and takes it into the kitchen. “Are you sure you were running, though? You’re not sweaty.”
Archer raises an eyebrow, following her into the kitchen for a glass of water. “That’s because my cardio is amazing, thank you.” He pops a piece of bacon into his mouth. “Dante’s spoiling us. You can live with us forever, Avs.” He grins as he chews. “I’m gonna grab a shower. Try not to kill each other while I’m gone, yeah?”
Ava swats at him, her laughter genuine, hypnotizing. I watch them, my mind reeling.
Why is Ava’s passion so contagious? She makes me want to face the world, to fight it for her. The thought terrifies and exhilarates me in equal measure.
Even more terrifying is the realization that’s slowly dawning on me, the truth I’ve been trying so hard to deny.
My wolf wants her. From the moment I saw her, my wolf knew she was right for us. In a world where shifters live secretly, fated mates are rare.
There is no other reason for my wolf to react like this to her. Ava might just be my mate.
And if that’s the case... everything is about to get a lot more complicated.