cabin. It had already partially healed, so breaking it a second time added a whole other smattering of blood to my not-so-new-anymore tank top.
“He better be unharmed. Or no treaty will save you.”
“You know, you keep jabbering about this treaty. Care to clue me in?”
“No.”
Glad I stopped walking for that friendly exchange. She’d already informed me that I was to produce Jake for her inspection or die by way of a tiny blonde vampire tearing the flesh from my bones in half-inch-wide strips. I didn’t think the building department had it in the budget to get werewolf blood and hair cleaned from their carpet, so being the humanitarian I am, I decided to escort my new sister-in-law to a meeting with my mate.
I was extra convinced when I tried to run, and she knocked me unconscious for a few with her fist.
The cabin came into view, and Doc and Jake were out front chopping firewood. Actually they were busy hacking up the pieces of the old couch to use as firewood. We had really thrashed that thing. We might as well make use of the pieces.
They both had their shirts off, but my eyes were glued to the hard planes of Jake’s chest. Muscles flexed as he swung the ax and accidentally sliced through both the piece he meant to cut and the steadying base below. Our eyes met as he looked up and brushed back the hair that had fallen out of place. I was still a good hundred feet away, but the “oh shit” that formed on those lips was easy to pick up.
Nose twitching, his expression went dark, and a nanosecond later he was at my side. I should say front, because he had my face in his hands and was looking for any injuries.
“Are you okay? Who did this? I will dismember them.” Jake took my elbow. He didn’t squeeze. It was like he didn’t want to hurt me more, but I had already healed.
“Awww. Honey, you say the sweetest things. But I doubt you want to dismember your little sister here. We just had a discussion, and after I came to, I decided she needed to see you. So here we are. Who wants beer? I do. Doc stocked the fridge like he promised, right?”
“Shelly did this? She would never harm you. She is not that unintelligent. The treaty would have her life for that.” Again he was spouting about things that were outside my knowledge base.
I pulled back and waved an arm behind me toward the little Vampire-Barbie statue. “Are we going with the theory that she fell on me with her fist?”
Shelly stepped forward. She wanted to be acknowledged. I wanted her to head back to her coffin.
“I thought she had you. I thought you were harmed. The treaty would have been void. I broke no code. Now that I have found you, we can go home.”
Jake looked at me. What, as the uninformed mate, I all of a sudden had something crucial to add? Fuck that . “I said I wanted beer. You two can discuss all the stuff I’m not meant to know. I’ll be inside trying to find clean clothes and something alcoholic.”
Now if my mate were a chivalrous wolf, he would have either told me to stay or followed me in. But my hybrid mate agreed and stayed outside to chat at the grownup table. So I did what any mature, even-tempered woman would do. I broke shit.
Chapter Eight
It was a good thing the grownup table walked through the door when they did. I was about to work back up into another round of throw-things-against-the-wall. Doc was working on sweeping up some of the damage, and I was headed to help him, but when a certain perky blonde was the first one into the cabin, I paused to consider if I could throw her first.
“I can see you’re living in a lovely environment, Jacob. No wonder you’re reluctant to leave.”
Vampire Barbie’s little snide comments would have gotten her ass kicked were it not for the slight intonation in her voice. She wasn’t looking down at me. There was something in her voice—in her stance—that clued me in on something I hadn’t seen before. Acceptance.
Weird . I still wanted to rub permanent
“He better be unharmed. Or no treaty will save you.”
“You know, you keep jabbering about this treaty. Care to clue me in?”
“No.”
Glad I stopped walking for that friendly exchange. She’d already informed me that I was to produce Jake for her inspection or die by way of a tiny blonde vampire tearing the flesh from my bones in half-inch-wide strips. I didn’t think the building department had it in the budget to get werewolf blood and hair cleaned from their carpet, so being the humanitarian I am, I decided to escort my new sister-in-law to a meeting with my mate.
I was extra convinced when I tried to run, and she knocked me unconscious for a few with her fist.
The cabin came into view, and Doc and Jake were out front chopping firewood. Actually they were busy hacking up the pieces of the old couch to use as firewood. We had really thrashed that thing. We might as well make use of the pieces.
They both had their shirts off, but my eyes were glued to the hard planes of Jake’s chest. Muscles flexed as he swung the ax and accidentally sliced through both the piece he meant to cut and the steadying base below. Our eyes met as he looked up and brushed back the hair that had fallen out of place. I was still a good hundred feet away, but the “oh shit” that formed on those lips was easy to pick up.
Nose twitching, his expression went dark, and a nanosecond later he was at my side. I should say front, because he had my face in his hands and was looking for any injuries.
“Are you okay? Who did this? I will dismember them.” Jake took my elbow. He didn’t squeeze. It was like he didn’t want to hurt me more, but I had already healed.
“Awww. Honey, you say the sweetest things. But I doubt you want to dismember your little sister here. We just had a discussion, and after I came to, I decided she needed to see you. So here we are. Who wants beer? I do. Doc stocked the fridge like he promised, right?”
“Shelly did this? She would never harm you. She is not that unintelligent. The treaty would have her life for that.” Again he was spouting about things that were outside my knowledge base.
I pulled back and waved an arm behind me toward the little Vampire-Barbie statue. “Are we going with the theory that she fell on me with her fist?”
Shelly stepped forward. She wanted to be acknowledged. I wanted her to head back to her coffin.
“I thought she had you. I thought you were harmed. The treaty would have been void. I broke no code. Now that I have found you, we can go home.”
Jake looked at me. What, as the uninformed mate, I all of a sudden had something crucial to add? Fuck that . “I said I wanted beer. You two can discuss all the stuff I’m not meant to know. I’ll be inside trying to find clean clothes and something alcoholic.”
Now if my mate were a chivalrous wolf, he would have either told me to stay or followed me in. But my hybrid mate agreed and stayed outside to chat at the grownup table. So I did what any mature, even-tempered woman would do. I broke shit.
Chapter Eight
It was a good thing the grownup table walked through the door when they did. I was about to work back up into another round of throw-things-against-the-wall. Doc was working on sweeping up some of the damage, and I was headed to help him, but when a certain perky blonde was the first one into the cabin, I paused to consider if I could throw her first.
“I can see you’re living in a lovely environment, Jacob. No wonder you’re reluctant to leave.”
Vampire Barbie’s little snide comments would have gotten her ass kicked were it not for the slight intonation in her voice. She wasn’t looking down at me. There was something in her voice—in her stance—that clued me in on something I hadn’t seen before. Acceptance.
Weird . I still wanted to rub permanent
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