Chapter 7
CHAPTER SEVEN
Killian climbed into the truck and shut the door. He turned and watched me buckle my seatbelt.
I could feel his scrutiny, and I didn't like it. Dad always did this when he was about to ask a question and wanted to read my body language before, during, and after.
"So..." He tapped his fingers on the center console. "You and Griffin don't seem to like each other. What happened?"
At least, he didn’t sugarcoat it. "He told me he likes his cream in only one place. Be glad I had self-control, or his ass would've been on the floor."
"He did hit on you." Killian laughed so loud it hurt my ears, his dimples on full display. "That’s his favorite coffee shop pickup line, by the way."
Ew. "You'd think after it didn't work the first time, he would've stopped and not continued to embarrass himself."
"You're the first girl it hasn't worked on." Killian turned the ignition and shook his head. "For the first time ever, not only did Griffin get shot down, but I got a girl that he didn't pass over."
"Pass over?" I'd regret asking.
"Everyone wants him over me. Partly due to his role in Shadow City." Killian shrugged like it was no big deal, but his shoulders sagged a little. "So, I usually wind up with the girls he doesn't look at."
"Why in God's name would someone pass you over for him?" Killian was loyal and kind. So much better than the sexy asshole that I refused to think about.
He laughed. "You don't have to sweet-talk me when it's the two of us."
"That's not it at all." He obviously didn't see himself in the right light. "He's arrogant and annoying." I managed to leave dead sexy out of the description, but unfortunately, he was that. And I hated that I found him that way.
"You do realize that's how people view me too?" He glanced over his shoulder and reversed out of the parking spot.
The way that girl had stared at me earlier kind of confirmed his point. I’d half expected her to come up and grab my hair for a cat fight. "Maybe, but you haven't acted that way toward me." And I couldn't judge him on anything other than that.
He put the car in drive and headed toward the campus exit. “Don’t be too hard on him. Griffin is a good guy. He was there for me and got me through that first year after losing my family. He forced my ass to get out of bed and go for runs. Not only that, but he takes care of his mother, Ulva—she lives alone in this huge condominium since his dad passed—despite him hating being there. He doesn’t show that side to anyone, especially not Luna. Thank God.”
My feet were killing me, so I slipped off the shoes and rubbed my heels where blisters had formed. They’d heal within a few hours, especially since we'd be sitting down at the restaurant.
"What's wrong?" He glanced at where I was rubbing. "Her shoes don't fit you. Why didn't you tell me?"
"I can make do until I get my first check." I smoothed out the skirt of the dress. "Your sister and I have extremely different tastes." I cringed.
Killian's jaw clenched, but his expression smoothed a moment later. "Let me guess, you're a ‘jeans and T-shirt’ type of girl."
"Yes." I nodded. "Dresses and skirts are so restricting. What happens when you need to fight? Trying to make sure I didn't flash my panties at my opponent would hinder my abilities.”
"First off, do you get into fights often?" He leaned against his door. "And second, even if you did, would you be focused on flashing as opposed to kicking ass?"
"Part of our training regimen was fighting every day, usually several times. And, yes, I would care if anyone saw my panties." Dad had taught me to be conservative and dress appropriately for battle. It could happen at any time.
He'd been right about that.
"Are you a—" He paused and faced me. He scanned my face and his mouth gaped. "You're a virgin, aren't you?"
Most supernaturals were pretty open about enjoying sex as much as they pleased, so the fact that I hadn't slept with someone probably was shocking. It was that, with my position intimidating everyone, I’d never found someone I clicked with, and I didn't want to have sex for the sake of having sex. "You make it sound like a bad thing."
"Hell, no." He perused my body. "It makes you hotter. How is that possible?"
"Well, you see, I keep my legs closed nice and tight." What kind of question was that? Plus, his attention was making me uncomfortable.
"You are a breath of fresh air." He focused back on the road. "Within the first few seconds of me meeting you, you elbowed my stomach and broke my nose. And you say whatever you think with no hidden agenda. It's nice."
I'd forgotten about his nose. He hadn't said much of anything about it when we’d gotten back to his place, but now that he’d pointed it out, I could see that it was a little crooked. His bones had healed that way. "I'm so sorry. We should've tried to straighten it."
"Are you kidding me?" He flexed the arm nearest me, making his bicep muscle bulge. "You've officially made me sexier. No girl will be able to let me walk by."
"Remember, we’re exclusive." I teased him. "I will cut your pecker off if you cheat and make me look like a fool."
"I don't think I'm scared." He chuckled. "You probably wouldn't know what to do with it once it was unleashed."
"Oh, ha. Ha." He was right, but I'd never admit that to him.
We drove into the bustling downtown again, and he pulled into a small parking lot next to a brick building that stood separate from the others. A huge sign on the front read Dick's Bar.
"Really?" I gestured to the name. "That's the name of the bar? Let me guess. Griffin named it."
"Believe it or not, that's Luna's dad's name, and he owns the bar." He pulled into a spot next to a black Navigator on my side. "And want to hear their last name? It makes it even more epic."
I was officially afraid. Not of my life being in danger but that I would regret playing into Killian's hand. "What?"
"Harding." He cracked up. "His name is Dick Harding."
I snorted. "No. Tell me he goes by Richard."
"He does not." He opened the door and winked. "That's what makes it even more epic. Just a heads up, he’s Griffin’s Beta.”
That was good to know.
I watched Killian move toward me, but my door opened, startling me. I'd been so caught up in Killian's and my conversation that I hadn't noticed Griffin come up to my car door and open it. I inhaled as that weird tug clenched inside my chest.
Griffin leaned over me and unbuckled my seatbelt. "Are you two having a good time?"
His fingers brushed my arm, and my skin buzzed. I inhaled deeply, smelling his musky myrrh and leather scent. My body warmed. What in the hell was going on between us? Maybe it was lust. That was all it could be.
Nope. Not happening. Shutting that down .
I grabbed his arm and pulled it away from me as the seat belt slid off. "Thanks, but I’ve got it."
His hazel eyes appeared to glow, making my palms sweaty. "Hey, you're my best friend's girl. I gotta make sure you're taken care of."
"Dude, back off," Killian said as he pushed Griffin away. "She's mine. Go find yourself another one-night stand."
Griffin leaned against the Navigator as I slipped from the car and took Killian's hand. I not only was emphasizing to him that I was with Killian but begrudgingly doing it to remind myself.
A frown formed on Griffin’s face, and his shoulders drooped, making me feel guilty for holding Killian’s hand. I hadn’t done anything wrong, but I couldn’t shake the feeling.
High heels clacked on the cement as Luna's overly ripe scent announced her arrival. She stuck out her bottom lip and glared at Griffin. "What the hell, Griff? You left me. I thought we were riding together."
"Sorry." His attention stayed on me. "I've got some things to do after this, so you needed to drive separately."
"You could've told me that, and besides, I'm not busy." She brushed a hand on his shoulder. "I can go with you."
My body tensed at her proximity to him, but I pushed the sensation away. He could let whoever he wanted to touch him.
Griffin removed her hand. "Nope, you can't."
The way he dismissed her made me way too happy.
"So, while you two figure out your plans, Dove and I are heading inside." Killian wrapped an arm around my waist and nudged me toward the entrance.
A low growl emanated from behind me, and I forced myself to keep my eyes forward and not look back to see what Griffin was upset about. If I confirmed he felt whatever this tug was between us, it would only make it harder for me to keep my distance.
"Don't you dare walk away from me," Luna yelled as her heels click-clacked after him. "You're going to talk to me. What the hell is your problem?"
"Hurry, let's get out of here," Killian whispered close to my ear.
Griffin sighed. "Can you stop being a drama queen?"
Oh, that wasn't smart. Calling a woman a drama queen was equivalent to calling a crazy person... well... crazy.
"I'll show you drama queen," Luna whispered threateningly.
Killian and I entered the building. The bar was one large open square with a cherry wood bar in the middle of the wall to the right. Three people were working behind the counter, and it looked like they had several beers on tap along with a cabinet full of wines and liquors. Cups of varying sizes were shelved below the cabinets. Stools lined the bar, and about twenty round tables were scattered around the main floor. The walls were made of varying neutral colors of brick with booths set against them. Televisions hung in every corner of the room, but they weren't blaring.
"I can actually hear myself think." This wasn't as bad as I'd expected. Between the tolerable noise level and lack of smoke, eating here wouldn't be that bad. Well, if Griffin and Luna weren't going to be joining us.
"This is a bar owned by wolf shifters in a mostly supernatural town." Killian bumped his shoulder into mine. "None of us like loud noises."
Fair point.
A beautiful sandy-blonde-haired girl headed in our direction. She wore a white button-down shirt and gray slacks that matched her eyes. She was a few inches shorter than me, but she walked with such poise that she appeared taller. Her hair was pulled back into a low ponytail with tendrils framing her face. "Hey, Killian." She smirked when her attention landed on me. "Who's this?"
"Sierra, this is Dove." He kissed my cheek and pulled back, gesturing to the girl. "Dove, this is Sierra. One of the few girls in town who knows how to handle both Griffin’s and my asses."
"Handle?" She laughed. "I don't know if I would go that far, but I gotta say, you've never been one to take a girl out the day after a night of passion."
"She's different." He wrapped an arm around my waist. "She's tamed my wild ways."
"A girl after my own heart." Sierra leaned toward me. "You'll have to tell me your secret skills later, but for now, is it just the two of you?"
"No, unfortunately, Griffin and the devil incarnate will be joining us momentarily." Killian shivered. "Did you bring the holy water?"
"Between her and her dad, I always have extra on hand."
"Is her dad as bad as she is?" I couldn't imagine that.
Sierra grabbed four laminated menus and rolled her eyes. "He's worse in a different way. He wants everything to be perfect, but he's super nice. Luna demands all the attention. She’s had her sights set on Griffin since she was a kid."
"That long?" I could kind of see it.
"Yes, that long." She waved for us to follow her. "Where are you from? I haven't seen you around."
"Oh, that's because I'm new." I had no clue what else to say. I didn't want to tell her how I got here, and I couldn’t lie, mainly because she'd know. "Killian found me, and the rest is history."
"He tries to be a player like Griffin, but he could never quite pull it off." She stopped at a booth and turned to Killian, squishing his cheeks. "And now he has a girlfriend. My little buddy is growing up."
"You two act like brother and sister." I slid into the booth and scooted over to the wall.
Killian got in beside me and took my hand, placing it on the table. "We pretty much are. She was my sister's best friend. Sierra is my age, but she clicked with my younger sister because they had the same maturity level."
“Yup, Olive was way more mature than Killian.” Sierra jutted her hip. “If she was here, she’d be kicking his ass into gear. Maybe you could do that job since he won’t listen to anyone else.”
“Olive had a way,” Killian said with longing.
The tug pulled at me once again, and my attention went to the front door as it opened and Luna and Griffin marched inside. They radiated tension and avoided looking in each other's direction.
A man entered and walked around them, taking a seat at the end of the bar near a small hallway that had an exit sign.
Sierra frowned and blew out a breath. "I still miss her so much."
"Oh, God." Luna sighed as she slid into the booth on the opposite side. "Every time Sierra serves us, we have to talk about Olive. She's dead; it sucks. We've got to move on."
"So, when you die, you want your friends or family to never think of you?" I stared the entitled brat down. "We should roll our eyes and tell everyone to move on?"
One side of Griffin's lips tugged upward until Killian wrapped an arm around my shoulders. The smile slipped from Griffin’s face, and he glared at us.
"I will take every opportunity to talk about my sister and celebrate her life and her friends." Killian wrinkled his nose. "If that bothers you, you can go sit at a different table."
"You are kind of being a bitch," Griffin said as he slid in next to her. "Don't take out your anger at me on them."
"Fine." Luna crossed her arms, her body language making it clear she wouldn’t be apologizing. The tension grew thick between us.
The image of my pack members, bloody and dying, popped into my mind. My eyes burned with unshed tears, and I choked back a sob. I cleared my throat, desperate for my words to sound normal. "I need to run to the bathroom." I nudged Killian's arm, making sure he heard me.
"Oh, yeah." Killian stood.
I slid out and glanced around the room, looking for a restroom sign.
"It's over there before the back exit." Sierra pointed toward the small hallway I’d noticed earlier. "There’s a men's and women's bathroom on either side of the hall."
"Thanks." I hurried in that direction, desperate for some time alone to compose myself. I didn't want to break down in front of Griffin and definitely not Luna. I didn't want either one of them to think I was weak.
"Is she okay?" Sierra asked the table.
Killian cleared his throat. "I'm sure she's fine."
The hallway was dark, not that it mattered with my wolf eyes, and longer than it looked. The women's bathroom was the door on the right. A few tears spilled over and trailed down my cheeks.
Dammit . My numbness was wearing off fast. Focused on getting into the bathroom to hide my imminent breakdown, I pushed the door open.
A calloused hand grabbed my arm and yanked. Another arm snaked around my neck and placed a knife against my throat.
"One sound, and I'll slit your throat," a deep voice hissed.