Chapter 9 - Rachel #2
“That’s what I thought.” Sam leaned down toward Jenson’s ear, but still spoke loudly enough that I could hear.
“I expect you to start being nicer to my mate and start treating her like you do everyone else. If you don’t, I’ll come back here, and you and I will have a little chat. Do you understand?”
Jenson blanched. I might not want Sam to fight my battles, but the expression on Jenson’s face almost made it worth it.
Sam straightened and turned around to look at me. “Come on.”
“I’ll be back in an hour,” I said over my shoulder as Sam led me out, his hand pressing almost possessively between my shoulder blades. Neither of us spoke until we stepped out into bright sunlight streaming down, nearly blinding me.
“You know it isn’t going to change anything,” I said. “Once you’re not there, he’s going to start it back up again.”
“We’ll see,” Sam growled. “If he keeps giving you a hard time, tell me. I can’t stand bullies. Especially ones who go after you. Never have, never will.”
I thought about asking him what he meant by that, but before I could, he had steered us away from the store, and the moment was gone.
It wasn’t until later that night that I remembered the band of bullies who used to pester me at school whenever they got the chance.
At one point, I had seen Sam talking to them.
The next day, all the bullies had been sporting bruises and black eyes, and none of them had ever pestered me again.
For the first time, I wondered if maybe Sam had paid more attention to me than I thought.
***
“So why did you want to speak with me, really?” I asked around a mouthful of pizza. “Because I’m guessing that you didn’t just come to ask me out on a lunch date.”
“Would it be so bad if I had?” he asked.
Honestly? No. I would have loved that. This entire lunch, it had felt like we were an actual couple, instead of two people forced to mate one another. It had been like I had pictured it when I was a kid, when I had still thought Sam and I might have a chance at being together.
“I could get used to the idea,” I said with a coy smirk. “But I also don’t think that’s what’s going on here.”
He smirked, giving a short snort. “You know me too well,” he murmured. “All right. Normally, I’d drag it out to annoy you because you’re cute when you’re irritated. But I’ll humor you this time. Do you still want to learn how to defend yourself?”
“Absolutely.” The word was out before I even registered it. “Though there aren’t any self-defense classes in Silver Falls. The closest one is in Adobe Creek.”
He finished his crust, wiping his fingers on his napkin as he swallowed. “You know Amelia, right?”
“Of course.” I didn’t think anyone in town didn’t know Amelia Endris.
She was an incredible shifter, and she was the one who trained all the new shifters, helping them learn how to fight, control their abilities, hunt, and all the basics of being a shifter while allowing them to work as a pack.
She was one of the few women in the pack who held some level of authority, and she made sure everyone knew she had earned that every day.
“She’s an old friend of mine,” he said.
A flash of jealousy rushed through me, taking me by surprise. Why would I be jealous? I tried to swallow it down as I bit into another slice of pizza, keeping my expression as neutral as possible.
“Oh?’ I said. When I glanced up, I saw his eyes dancing with amusement, as if he knew exactly what was going through my mind. I glanced away, heat creeping up my face.
“I asked her if she would give you some self-defense classes,” he finally explained. “Teach you the basics of fighting, enough so that you don’t feel defenseless. She said she could squeeze you into her schedule if you wanted.”
I blinked, staring like an idiot even as warmth and affection washed over me. Sam had done that for me? I didn’t know how to respond, so I just stared like an idiot for a moment, even as affection continued to run through me.
He tilted his head, a playful smirk spilling over that perfect face as his eyes sparkled with amusement. “Are you going to say something, or just keep staring at me like I’ve grown a second head?” he teased. “I think some words are in order. At least a thank you.”
I glowered at him. “You’re relentless,” I growled, though I couldn’t hold back my grin.
He raised his eyebrows. “Am I?” he asked, leaning forward over the table, shortening the gap between us.
From here, it would have been simple enough to close the distance, and that overwhelming urge came, one that seemed to grow stronger every time I was near him, as if the mating bond was continually pressing us closer together.
It seemed to get harder every time to hold myself back.
Every time I caught a whiff of his scent or felt his casual touch resting on my shoulder or my back, it seemed to charge whatever the bond had started.
“Yes,” I said, close enough that our noses were nearly touching.
A flash of wolf burned in his eyes, along with a hunger that heated my entire body.
He leaned forward, and for a moment, I thought he was going to kiss me.
Instead, he moved his lips to my ear. His face was so close to mine that I could count individual eyelashes and could see all the tiny details of his eyes, his mouth.
“You haven’t seen me be relentless yet,” he murmured.
His breath caressed my skin, shivers radiating through me that made my entire body tense, those few words setting me ablaze in a way I didn’t anticipate.
My toes curled as I sucked in a breath, and it was all I could do not to jump over the table right then and there and let him have his way with me.
My mind seemed to go blank, the words reverberating in my head and seeming to render me mute.
He leaned away, though the heat of him lingered as my wolf went wild with need.
“Well?” he asked. “What about it?”
Something about his expression told me he knew exactly what he’d done to me, and that he was enjoying it. I forced myself to swallow, willing my voice to come back.
“Thank you,” I finally managed to say. “It…means a lot. More than you realize.”
“I’m always going to protect you, Rachel,” he said. “But I don’t want you to feel helpless, either.” His hand reached out and took mine, holding tight. “But be aware that the next time you get attacked by demons, I’m going to come running, no matter how strong you are.”