Chapter 5
Chapter
Five
‘Alexander MacTire is refusing to sign the blood contract,’ Boris informed her, once she was back home with a soft cushion at her back and her feet propped up on her favourite stool.
Excellent: this day was just getting better and better.
Mallory took a self-congratulatory sip from her perfectly chilled, perfectly balanced Chablis.
She’d hoped that the werewolf alpha would see sense and change his mind about their silly matchmaking deal, and she was delighted that her hope had been fulfilled.
‘Fabulous,’ she murmured. She raised her glass in the spriggan’s direction. ‘Cheers.’
‘He says he’ll only sign when you’re with him. He’s asked you to visit him at the MacTire residence tomorrow.’
Mallory’s shoulders immediately drooped. ‘Oh.’
‘If he has the option to back out of the deal, so do you,’ Boris reminded her gently.
She pulled a face. ‘I won’t do that. You know I won’t do that.’ Once she’d agreed verbally to a deal, Mallory made a point of sticking to it unless there were extenuating circumstances that made her involvement untenable. She couldn’t afford to be seen as flaky.
‘You’ve worked hard enough up to this point that your reputation can take a little tarnish here and there,’ Boris countered.
‘Maybe that’s how things work in the Summer Court, but it’s not the case here. It takes years to build a good reputation and only seconds to break one. I’ve made the offer to MacTire. I can’t back out now.’
‘Of course you can. Nobody cares what a werewolf thinks.’
‘He’s an alpha,’ she reminded him. ‘He’s the MacTire alpha.’
Boris curled his lip.
‘He’s wealthy, powerful and he has friends in many corners of Coldstream.’
‘Whatever.’ The spriggan sniffed and gave her a sideways look. ‘You like him.’
‘I barely know him. But he’s not a bad man,’ she conceded.
‘You know that if you’re successful, you’ll be inundated with similar requests. You’ll end up as Coldstream’s pre-eminent matchmaker.’
‘This is a one-off. I won’t accept any other deals like this – I’m not a one-woman dating agency.’
Boris bobbed his head. ‘If you say so, Mallory.’ She sent him a mock glare. ‘MacTire is very handsome.’ He made no effort to mask the wicked gleam in his yellow eyes.
‘All the more reason that this will be an easy contract to fulfil.’ As soon as the words had left her mouth, Mallory knew she was kidding herself. If it was easy, Alexander MacTire would already be happily bound to a beautiful mate with several tow-headed children running around his feet.
‘MacTire is going to make the Longchamps’ deal seem like child’s play,’ Boris smirked.
Unfortunately, on that count she suspected he was right.
When Mallory arrived at the gate to the main MacTire residence the following morning, she felt decidedly out of sorts.
She’d forgotten yet again to pick up some coffee beans so she’d been forced to go without her morning brew for the second day in a row.
Tea simply didn’t cut the mustard. In a bid to remember on her way home, she’d scribbled the word ‘coffee’ on the back of her hand.
It was only the lack of bitter arabica goodness that was making her feel antsy. Or at least that was what she kept telling herself.
Mallory had expected to be greeted by a MacTire minion but it was Alexander himself who opened the gate and beckoned her in.
He was dressed more casually than last time, in loose sweats rather than a formal suit.
Strangely, his choice of attire didn’t put her at ease.
In fact, it made her feel even more twitchy.
‘Good morning, Ms Nash.’ He grinned in a manner that suggested lazy predator rather than good friend. She smiled back and avoided looking into those unsettling amber eyes.
‘Good morning, Mr MacTire.’ She glanced around the empty courtyard. ‘I was expecting more people.’
‘I thought it wise to give everyone the morning off.’
Mallory raised her eyebrows. ‘You don’t want your pack to know that I’m working for you? Don’t you trust them?’
MacTire didn’t look offended; if anything, he was amused. ‘Of course I trust them. I gave them the morning off because I thought it would be better for you. I don’t want you to feel any more intimidated than you already do.’
She immediately veered off-plan and met his eyes. ‘I am not intimidated by you or by any werewolves!’
‘Uh-huh.’ His grin stretched an inch wider. Reflexively, Mallory tightened her toes. MacTire lowered his head towards her. ‘I’m glad to hear that. We’ll be working closely together and I’d hate to think that my presence makes you feel anything other than comfortable.’
She resisted the urge to move away and put space between them. ‘I only agreed to help you out for the Wolf Ball,’ she reminded him. ‘Nothing more.’
‘Of course. But we’ll need to do some preparatory work, won’t we?’
Mallory frowned; she hadn’t agreed to anything like that.
‘I took the liberty of procuring the guest list. I thought you’d want to run through it with me so we could lay some groundwork.
I only have you for five hours during the ball and I want to make the most of the event.
’ His grin subsided briefly. ‘I am serious about finding a life mate. This isn’t a game for me. ’
Mallory rocked back on her heels and examined his face.
He waited, allowing her to gaze at him without interruption.
He was right about the need for some preparatory work; she’d been letting the unsettling sensation that assailed her every time he looked at her to get the better of her.
As her professional pride kicked in, she realised abruptly that this had the potential to be an incredibly interesting challenge.
She’d learn a lot about the werewolf community while helping MacTire find the woman of his dreams: it was a priceless opportunity.
Besides, she’d already agreed to help him so it was important to do so. His obvious intention to approach the matter with dedicated and serious energy helped her to focus. She ran through a vague plan in her head and nodded. ‘Okay,’ she said. ‘You’re right.’
His eyes gleamed. ‘I usually am.’
Mallory lifted her chin. ‘To begin with, you need to do less of that.’
‘Less of what?’
She didn’t miss a beat. ‘Arrogant alpha-ness.’
‘Pardon?’
Mallory deepened her voice. ‘“I’m always right. I’m alpha of the MacTire clan. I always get what I want. I am amazing.”’
MacTire watched her carefully. ‘I always get what I want because I’m prepared to work for it.
And I am alpha of the MacTire clan – I can’t pretend otherwise.
’ He tilted his head and a single dark curl fell across his tanned forehead.
‘But I didn’t say I was always right. I said I was usually right. ’
Mallory grinned. ‘Same same.’
He gave her a flat look. ‘It is not the same.’
‘See?’ she said. ‘You’re doing it again.’
‘What?’
‘Acting like an alpha.’
‘But I am an alpha. How else am I supposed to act?’
‘Some self-deprecation wouldn’t go amiss. Neither would some vulnerability.’
MacTire looked at her as if she’d asked him to don a feather boa, angel wings and do the can-can through the streets of Coldstream. ‘Vulnerability?’
‘You’re not posturing in front of a rival werewolf pack and you’re not recruiting baby werewolves to your cause. You’re not preparing for a fight.’ She raised her eyebrows meaningfully. ‘You’re looking for the love of your life.’
He folded his arms and frowned. ‘At no point have I mentioned love. I want a partner I can respect, whom I like, who understands werewolves and my position as alpha. I don’t need love.’
Mallory patted his shoulder. ‘Everyone needs love.’
‘A relationship with the right person will develop into love,’ he stated firmly. ‘You’re talking about lusty thunderbolts. That type of love doesn’t last.’
‘Do you want to be attracted to your mate?’ she asked patiently.
‘Of course I do!’
She ticked off her fingers. ‘Attraction, respect, understanding. Sounds a hell of a lot like love to me.’
MacTire was already shaking his head. ‘You can’t define love. It’s not a checklist, it’s a feeling.’
Mallory hesitated. ‘You sound as if you’ve experienced it, as if you know love.’
He dismissed her words. ‘I’ve seen others experience love. I know what they feel like. As an alpha, I need to be more circumspect. My mate has to be someone for my entire pack.’ She raised her eyebrows and he grimaced. ‘Not like that!’
‘Are you sure that you want a mate?’ she asked carefully.
‘My pack wants me to find a mate. The MacTires will be more settled and stable once I do.’
‘So are you pleasing them or yourself?’
‘Can’t I do both?’
‘I suppose so – but a little vulnerability still won’t go amiss. The right woman doesn’t want a hard, unfeeling man as her partner. She wants someone who can be soft with her, who can share his true feelings even if it’s only with her.’
MacTire’s mouth tightened. ‘I’m not an unfeeling bastard.’
‘I didn’t say you were, but you need to show that side of yourself.’
Out of nowhere, he flashed her a grin. ‘See? I knew you were the right person to help me.’
Not for the first time, Mallory hoped she wouldn’t regret this. ‘Just sign the contract, give me the guest list for the Wolf Ball and I can get started.’ She paused. ‘Any particular turn-offs that I should know about? It’s important that you’re honest with me.’
‘Nothing comes to mind. I’m easy-going in that regard.’
‘In that case, this will be a piece of cake.’ No sooner had the words left her mouth than she knew it was a lie – and from the look in MacTire’s eyes, so did he.
He coughed slightly, indicating not only his faint embarrassment but also that he did possess the ability to be more than simply the arrogant alpha of the MacTire pack.
Good. It wasn’t much, but it was a start.
She nodded approvingly and he offered her a crooked smile. ‘I’m already looking forward to working with you,’ he said. He pointed towards a door at the side of the courtyard. ‘Let’s head inside.’