52. Eva
Cole had told me many times that shifters ran ‘hot’. He’d explained that they didn’t feel the cold in the same way as humans, although they weren’t completely immune to sub-zero temperatures.
Looking around at the 200+ people gathered in the valley for the Full Moon party, it was obvious Cole hadn’t been exaggerating. Here I was, wrapped up in as many layers as I could squeeze into, while most of the party attendees stood around in little more than shorts, tees, and, in the case of the women, skimpy dresses.
There was a lot of skin on show. Some people were casually naked, and a few were in their wolf forms. It was disconcerting to say the least, and I had to try really hard to avoid looking at some random person’s genitalia.
After dropping our bag in the bedroom assigned to us, which thank the Lord turned out to be in the Alpha’s house, we were soaking up the heat from the enormous bonfire. Or I was.
Tanner had disappeared to catch up with someone, Cole had gone to get me some BBQ and a drink, and Silas was several feet away chatting with an older guy.
I stood staring into the flames and enjoying the way random patterns and shapes appeared and then vanished. It was relaxing letting my mind wander, and thanks to the heat, my hands were no longer numb, which was a bonus.
“So you’re the human who’s hooked Tanner, Cole, and Silas,” a low, feminine voice said to my right. I turned around to see a tall brunette scrutinizing me with suspicion. She was beautiful, like most shifters seemed to be. The females, at any rate.
At a guess, this was another one of Tanner’s conquests. The way she looked me up and down and then sniffed told me she wasn’t a fan. Like Merry, who’d been giving me the stink-eye every time we crossed paths.
I didn’t bother replying. What was the point? She clearly knew who I was and had formed an opinion.
“You do know Tanner had a human before, right?”
I didn’t. My ears perked up. None of them had been too forthcoming about their pasts; they knew more about my past than I did about theirs.
“Jessie-Lynn. He was in love with her.” I tensed up. Where was this going? “She died. In a car accident. Tanner wasn’t the same after that.” The woman took a step closer. “She’s the reason Rufus kicked him out of the pack. Jessie’s parents blamed him for the accident. Said he lost his temper and killed her when she told him she was leaving. Tanner didn’t drink and drive, yet his truck ended up hitting a wagon on the pass. Some say he deliberately drove into its path because he knew he’d survive and she wouldn’t.” She went silent for a beat, letting the words sink in. “Some say he was mad because Jessie had told him she’d met someone else, and that she didn’t want to be with him anymore.”
“Whatever you’re implying, I don’t believe you. Tanner wouldn’t kill someone he loved.” He was damaged, sure, and he had a dark streak in him a mile wide, but he wasn’t like Brent. He didn’t hurt women, even in temper.
“Nobody knows what happened that night, except Tanner. But for someone who wasn’t guilty, he sure acted like he was.”
“Maybe he was grieving, like anyone would when they lost someone they cared about in a stupid accident!”
The woman chuckled lightly, ignoring my comment. “I’d be careful, if I were you. Humans are fragile. They get hurt so easily.” With a flick of her long black hair, she was gone.
I stood for a while, still gazing into the flames, but not seeing a thing. My gut told me the woman was stirring trouble. No doubt she was one of his exes and had a chip on her shoulder because they were no longer together. It had likely been a tragic accident, that’s all. If Tanner was in love with the girl, it was natural to assume he would have been devastated by her death, and he almost certainly blamed himself. Like any normal person would.
That was hardly the same as straight-up killing her.
Still, now the thought was in my head it refused to leave, taking up space rent-free. Brent had seemed nice and kind at first. It was only once I trusted him that his true colors emerged.
Was I na?ve to trust Tanner? He had a vicious temper. I’d seen it the night he lost his shit and grabbed me by the throat.
While I recognized his reaction was in part a response to trauma, the fact he’d done it once meant he could easily lose control and hurt me again.
We hadn’t talked about it, but maybe we needed to have a conversation.
“Are you warm enough, sweetheart?” Cole slid an arm around my shoulder and tugged me into the heat of his chest. He passed me a plate of ribs, still steaming from the grill.
“I’m OK,” I replied in what I thought was a peppy voice, but Cole read my body language and tensed.
“Did something happen while I was gone?” He spun me around so he could see my face.
“Um, nothing really. Just some woman came over to talk to me about Tanner.”
“What did she say?”
“She told me about Jessie-Lynn.” I chewed my lip. “She said I needed to be careful because I was fragile and I could get hurt.”
Cole swore under his breath.
Silas came over, having heard the tail end of our conversation. He frowned.
“What did she look like, Eva?”
“Um, tall, long black hair. Pretty. She didn’t tell me her name.”
He growled. “It was Nala.” Then he sighed. “Ignore her, Eva. She’s jealous and trying to get into your head. Jessie-Lynn died a long time ago.”
“Nala implied Tanner killed her.”
“And you believe her?” Tanner’s voice was ice cold. I hadn’t heard him approach. Like always.
“No, of course not!” I gazed up at him, but I could tell from the look on his face he thought I was lying. He tossed the two cups he was holding into the fire and stalked away.
My heart cracked in two.
Why did I open my big mouth? I should have just ignored the bitch. It was obvious she was trying to make drama for the sake of it. God, I was such an idiot. Now Tanner was angry and upset because I’d practically accused him of murdering his ex.
Silas pulled me close and cupped my face in his large hands. “Hey, it’s OK, sugar. Tanner will be fine. He knows you don’t believe Nala. Just give him some space to get his head sorted.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “The topic of Jessie-Lynn is a difficult one for him. Let him tell you in his own time, OK?”
Cole hummed in agreement. “Give him some space, sweetheart.”
Tears welled in my eyes, but I nodded. The plate of ribs in my hand had congealed in the cold. My appetite was long gone, and I was beginning to wish I’d stood my ground and refused to leave the cabin. Me being here was ruining the party for them all.
I wasn’t one of them.
Nala was right. I was just a fragile human.