C18 Where are we going?

Fuck! She was gorgeous. And she wasn't my usual type. I preferred blondes or redheads with light eyes. Not that I ruled anyone out, it was just my preferences. But Lara was revealing parts of herself, slow and seductive, a new element of her that baffled me every second. Her curves, again, were another change for me. And those breasts reminded me of the carvings I had done of the goddess Leto.

The woman oozed femininity in a way that I didn't even have to try. She also cared in a natural way. She paid attention to people and listened to what they had to say. Either she was a sociopath and a talented actress, or something else was going on.

Before I left to meet Lara as we had arranged at the coffee shop, I called Mánala .

"Have you talked to Halley and Shaw about the cookout arrangements?". I asked as soon as Mánala answered the phone.

"Someone got off on the wrong foot this morning," she replied, but I heard laughter.

"It's noon. And I'm fine. Answer the damn question."

"Oh, yeah. You need to fuck the hunter. And soon."

"I'm working on it," I bit out. "Trust me."

Can't you close the deal, can I try her?"

I growled. "I'm doing fine. But it's hard to approach someone who's about to stab you in the back."

"And you'll feel better when you've had your way with her a few times. Just do it. Stop trying to woo her."

"I'm not courting her."

"Mary keeps me informed. You're trying to impress her. Don't. She wants you to eat out of her palm, so make her work for it. The faster you do it, the faster she'll make her move. So do it, act like you're in love and then confront her. Make her tell you what she knows."

My wolf growled so loudly inside me that it almost deafened me. "My wolf wants to rip your throat out."

He laughed. "I figured as much. But look, you're not doing yourself any favors by dragging this out. And you like her. I'm not stupid. So don't make it more complicated than it needs to be. Do what you have to do."

I sighed. As much as my wolf wanted to sleep with Lara , I didn't want to do anything that would push her away. But the man, the one in charge, knew that Mánala was talking sense for once.

"Fix the shit with Halley and Shaw."

"It's already done," she replied. "Halley will be at your house Saturday morning, so consider yourself warned."

"You're in my bad books, Mánala the fucker."

"No, I'm not. And calling me has helped, hasn't it? Fuck off with the hunter."

"I hate you."

"Yeah. I hate you too."

I hung up as Manala's laughter echoed through the phone.

The walk to the coffee shop felt good, the fresh air giving me the time I needed to calm down before I saw Lara again .

Controlled, I pushed open the door of Calendar Coffee and saw her immediately, chatting with the owner, Anastasia Flecher .

"Hello," Lara greeted me . I clenched my fist to keep from drawing her to me as soon as her gaze met mine. She wasn't good enough of an actress to hide her desire. And if it weren't for the fact that I'd had a lot of practice in moderating my needs-or raising my guard-my member hard as

a rock would have pressed up against my jeans for all the world to see.

"Hi," I replied, realizing that Lara was wearing her jeans again, but this time with a shirt that clung tight enough to whet my appetite. And boy, did I have an appetite.

"Shall we order the coffees to go?". I suggested after greeting Ana .

"Sure. I'll have a coffee with almond milk, thanks. Decaffeinated."

"I'll have my usual, Ana , thank you." I pulled out my wallet.

Lara motioned to me. "I'll get it."

"I don't think so."

She shrugged, pulled a bill out of her wallet and handed it to Ana . "I'm not complaining. You're better than a guy who pulls out the calculator, but you had dinner last night. I'll get the coffee."

Ana laughed. A bright smile hovered on a handsome face close to middle age. Her actual age was older than mine. But she was a human mated to a wolf, and the magic of mating kept her young. "It's all about equality today, Paul," said Ana , giving Lara her change. "We have to adapt to the times."

"You can say that again," I muttered, reluctantly putting the wallet away. I didn't like it, wanting to take care of her? Of my she-wolf even more so. "She's not ours!", I roared back at the insistent furry, fangy part of me.

Lara passed me coffee in a reusable mug Ana refused to use the disposable ones-and the scent of the slayer hit my nostrils. My wolf ignored my grumpiness and jumped to his feet. Lara smiled and waved goodbye to Ana.

Following Lara out of the tent, I let my eyes linger on the sway of her hips, imagining them above me, my fingers digging into her flesh as I pulled her back and forth on my lower member .

"Where are we going? Lara broke into my thoughts and I pulled away from the fantasy.

"There's a place I'd like to show you. Warren's Brook. It's where I go to think sometimes. I think an artist like you would appreciate it."

"Oh." She frowned at the name of the place, and that annoyed the hell out of me. She had reacted to the mention of my original name, something Scott would have given her. He didn't know about the change to Paul Reed , and she had made the connection. And that got to her.

Why?

I put it aside, I didn't want it to spoil the day. But it also gave me a chance to up my game, as Mánala said. I started by probing more about her family life. "How come you don't travel to Albuquerque with the rest of your family, don't you live near them?".

Refusing to look at me, she replied, "I only have my uncle. And my aunt, of course."

"Your parents?"

"They died."

The pain in her voice confirmed the information I had learned about her. The facts said her parents had died in an accident when she was younger. But I knew little more than that they had died in a hit-and-run and her uncle had taken her in.

"I'm sorry," I replied, seriously. Unable to help myself, I took her hand and laced my fingers with hers.

"It's okay. She looked up at me and gave me a small smile. "It was a long time ago. A car accident." He sighed. "It wasn't an accident, though. Some idiot who took the curve too fast made my dad swerve. He hit a rock in the road. The car plunged into the lake and trapped them so they couldn't get out."

"It doesn't matter when it happened. It still hurts."

"Yes." He laughed, trying to convey his nonchalance. But he didn't fool me. "It hurts. But sometimes you miss the 'what ifs' more than the memories, you know? The memories fade, but not the questions: what if they had survived and watched me graduate? What if they had survived and embarrassed me by taking pictures of me in my graduation gown? What if they had survived and...?"

"So what?"

He took a sip of his coffee and gripped my hand tighter. My wolf snuggled into me, sated, happy for his touch.

"Nothing. He changed the subject. "What about you, does your family live here?"

No. My mother died a long time ago and I never knew my father."

"Then I'm sorry too. Don't you have any brothers or sisters?"

"Not by blood. But my family is here in this town. And there are other men I call brothers. They are not from the village, but I consider them relatives."

"That's fine. Many say blood is thicker than water, but I know that's not always the case."

"Not in my case for sure," I replied. "But you have your uncle.Are you close?"

"Somewhat, yes. He's never really seen me as a child, more of an asset, in a way. But I know he loves me. And he did me a favor when he took me in to keep me out of the system. I'll always be grateful to him."