Chapter 24
TWENTY FOUR
Honey
He still hasn’t let go of me by the time we enter the store. In fact, his hand lingers at my waist or on my shoulder the entire time we move through the quiet aisles, selecting the things he wants for dinner.
Gryff decides on a cookout with steaks and slaw and pale-yellow cobs of corn the cashier tells us came from a local farm just outside town.
She stares at us a little too long with big round eyes, which is unnerving until Gryff whispers in my ear that she’s an owl shifter.
It’s chilly in the store, and she has on a tasseled shawl that wraps around her blue store uniform and looks so much like wings that I almost laugh.
She rings up the sale and bags the items for us, blinking at us through her round glasses.
“Oh shoot. I forgot Mom’s toothpaste. I’ll only be a second. Sorry.”
Gryff flashes me a grouchy look and I freeze, undecided whether to run and grab it or do what he obviously wants me to and stay with him.
“Aisle three, love. Just there.” The cashier points, and really it’s only a few yards away. There are no other customers in the store that I’ve seen.
I hurry away with an anxious glance over my shoulder at Gryff.
As I do, he turns as if to follow, but the cashier stops him.
Her voice is pitched low, but the words carry to me in the quiet store.
“Where are you going in such a rush, Gryff Evans? That girl is far too young for you. No wonder you don’t want to let her out of your sight.
Afraid she’ll come to her senses and pick someone her own age? ”
My mouth drops open, and I bristle at the insult to Gryff. He’s not old, and even if he was, that’s none of this lady’s business. It’s a small town, though, and people have opinions on everything, especially other people’s affairs.
I pause in front of the toothpaste, listening for Gryff’s reaction even though I can’t really explain why. After all, we’re only faking. But I hadn’t considered that Gryff might cop attitude for dating me.
His response surprises me. I’m so surprised, in fact, I’m tempted to peek back around the aisle just to make sure I haven’t imagined it.
“You think I don’t know that, Mavis?”
The cashier snorts. “It’s Mabel, which you might know if you ever bothered to exchange a kind word with anyone in this town.
Honey’s a sweet girl and her parents are some of the best humans I ever met.
Don’t you dare go locking her away like a dragon’s treasure.
What does her father have to say about this? ”
All the muscles in Gryff’s back tense. I can’t see his face, but I can just imagine the thunderous expression. I watch, captivated, half expecting his clothes to tear down the center at any moment and his wolf shape to emerge.
Yet again, he surprises me. He leans forward and drops his voice so I have to strain to hear.
“You think I don’t know she’s too damn good for me, Mabel?
I know it. So does she. Don’t underestimate her.
She’s smart and stubborn, and you don’t have to worry because she won’t think twice about me once she’s gotten the hell outta this shithole again. ”
Mabel sits up straighter, pulling her shawl around herself in a movement that so closely resembles the way a bird refolds its wings, I could laugh.
I don’t laugh, though, at the look she shoots at Gryff.
“Well that’s more sense than I expected to hear from you on the matter, Evans.
All of it except speaking about Mosswood that way.
Don’t you let Mayor Barton hear you talking about our town that way. ”
Gryff laughs. “You think I care what Mayor Barton or you or anyone in this town thinks of me? Don’t worry. She’ll leave town soon, and I’ll go back to not bothering any one of you.”
Mabel’s face turns bright red, and I hurry back to the register before Gryff can offend her any further.
I’m still processing all the things he said to her and am fairly certain I was not meant to hear any of them.
I give them both a too bright smile as I hand Mabel the toothpaste.
“Found it! Haha, right under my nose and it took me ages to spot. Let me get this, Gryff.”
He pushes his card into Mabel’s hand before I can reach for my phone, though. “We talked about this, didn’t we? Your money’s no good when I’m around, got it?”
I nod, trying to keep my smile to a reasonable level instead of megawatt bright.
Gryff’s nostrils flare.
Thankfully, at that moment Mabel bags the toothpaste with our other goods and hands it over to Gryff. “Thank you for shopping at Mosswood Market. Y’all have a nice day. Tell your mom I said hi, Honey, and I’ll be round soon looking for volunteers for this year’s fete.”
“Ah, yeah. I’m sure she’d love to help out if we’re not too busy with the house. Getting ready to sell.” God, don’t let her come around and tell Mom what she told Gryff.
Mabel nods. “Of course. Your parents will be missed, but I’m glad they’re going to go enjoy their retirement. You’ll be off, back to the big city, then?”
“Yeah.” I look down at my toes to avoid her eyes. I’d rather not think too hard about leaving when it feels like there’s so much here still to be explored, especially in light of what Gryff just confessed. “I guess I will.”
Gryff is quiet as we leave the store. He has his hands shoved deep in his pockets, and if I didn’t know better I’d say he was angry with me. That’s just Gryff, though, isn’t it?
I don’t understand how he can look at me like he’s looking into my soul while he’s inside me and today it’s like we’re not even on the same planet. He might be walking beside me, but he might as well be light years away.
We round the corner of a property with a tall fence and a heavily laden flowering vine trailing over it, and he sucks in a breath. His arm shoots out and stops me in my tracks. I look around in surprise to see him glaring down the street on full alert. “What is it?”
A low growl rumbles from his chest. “Alphas.”
A frown crinkles my brows. I’m still not used to the idea of folks being divided into these categories and am not sure I really understand what it means. It’s clear Gryff thinks there’s a threat, though.
Two muscular figures jog down the street toward us.
As they come closer, I make out a tall, broad-shouldered man with short-cropped hair and a sleeveless shirt with a dark sweat patch in a deep V down the middle.
His companion is slightly smaller, with a long plait tied in a knot on top of his head and one side of his head shaved.
He’s wearing a pair of short athletic shorts and has his shirt slung across his shoulders, revealing a muscled, smooth chest. They don’t look particularly threatening to me.
They look like two guys about my age out for a run.
I guess they’re probably shifters of some kind, since they live in Mosswood.
Just about everyone here except my parents is a monster.
I keep a little behind Gryff as they approach, though, wondering if he has picked up on something I haven’t with his werewolf senses.
The two runners approach, and the tall one lifts his hand in a friendly wave.
I glance down in surprise when Gryff’s hand tightens around my wrist and visible claws grow from the tips of his fingers to dig into my skin.
Then I notice the smell. It’s a lot like Gryff’s scent, that woodsy masculine aroma that makes me want to nuzzle my nose in between his pecs, but the scent of this guy is a little sharper, a little more metallic. Where Gryff’s draws me in, this guy’s makes me want to take a step back.
The stranger slows. His heavy brows crease, and he seems to look at me more closely. Then the frown clears and a bright smile replaces it. “Honey? Honey Ashford? Is that you?”
My mouth falls open. It’s not a stranger at all. I just didn’t recognize him because he’s about doubled in size since junior high and now towers over me. “Colton?”
He nods, and I’m about to say more when Gryff steps in front of me, completely blocking Colton and his friend from my sight. “Gryff, what—?”
“Back away,” he snarls at the two men. In front of me, his ears extend into pointed furry wolf ears and his body swells and grows until he towers over me, taller even than Colton. There’s a ripping sound as his shirt splits down the middle.
“Hey, no need to get aggressive. I was just stopping to say hello.”
“Well you can keep your hello to yourself. Along with your hands and eyes and every other part of your goddam body.”
“Woah, I think you’ve misunderstood. I can see this is your mate.”
Mate? Of course shifters have mates, not girlfriends. Not usually. Back when I had friends in elementary school, I remember them talking about which monster in our class would turn out to be their fated mate. I remember feeling so jealous that I would never have one. It sounded so lovely.
Under Gryff’s furry arm, I catch a glimpse of Colton’s friend pulling him away. “Come on, Colton. I’ve got shit to do this afternoon. My mate is never going to let me hear the end of it if I get caught up in trouble today.”
“Yeah. Hang on.” He steps to the side and ducks to catch my eye. “Hey, Honey, I just wanted to say I’m really sorry about what happened when we were in high school. I still think about that, hey? I wish I could have said that to you sooner.”
He doesn’t have a chance to finish his sentence. With a roar, Gryff lunges at him.
I scream.
Colton looks as shocked as I feel, but he stands his ground, which is pretty impressive in the face of one huge, angry werewolf.
Gryff snaps his jaws right in Colton’s face. “What the fuck did you do, asshole?”
On instinct I dart between them, pushing with all my might against Gryff’s huge furry chest. “Gryff, leave it! You don’t need to fight him. He didn’t do anything.”
He lets out another snarl, but he doesn’t push me out of the way, and I know he could if he wanted to.
I twist to look back at Colton over my shoulder. “Sorry. Listen no hard feelings. I’m really glad to see you. That you’re alright. I thought—”
Gryff growls again.
Colton casts me an anxious look. “My ma set me straight about your um… your situation.”
“Enough talking!” Gryff makes another lunge at Colton, and I grab tight to his arm and hang on with all my might.
“Gryff!” I’m starting to get annoyed. It’s one thing to be cautious, and I get it. Gryff’s only known me for a short time, and he’s had to fend off enough unwanted attention from guys, but I really don’t think that’s what this is. And there’s no need to be rude.
“Gryff, stop.”
He looks at me a little sheepishly, and I don’t look away. Then his body seems to shrink a little, as if he might be about to change back.
Unfortunately, Colton chooses that moment to step forward. “Honey, even if he’s your mate, you don’t have to stay with him if he’s violent, you can—”
Gryff stiffens. He launches himself toward Colton again with a snarl. Colton’s friend shouts, and Colton jumps out of the way just in time. As Gryff lunges he knocks me aside, and I catch my heel on the curb, tripping with a squeal and landing heavily on my butt.
Gryff freezes mid-swipe. He turns and his ears press back against his skull. “Honey!” Bending, he scoops me into his arms and presses his forehead against mine. “Fuck, I’ve hurt you.”
Colton and his friend are still hovering, but I can tell that’s what’s winding Gryff up, what made him lose control. “Please go,” I tell them softly.
They give each other an anxious look.
“I’m fine. We just need some space.” I flush. “My first heat.”
Reluctantly, they back away and walk toward the other side of the street, watching us the whole way.
Gryff drops to one knee, still holding me to his chest. He’s shaking, and as I watch, his body returns to its human shape, shrinking back into itself. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”