He stalked toward us, sparing me a brief glance before his eyes drifted back to Mary. I quickly stepped into his path. He didn’t seem to notice and almost barreled over me. I slapped both hands on his very bare chest and gave him a slight push.
“Stop for a moment, please,” I said. His skin heated my hands, and I hoped Mary wouldn’t think me too forward with him.
He stopped moving, tore his gaze from Mary, and gave me a puzzled glance. I nervously removed my hands.
“Here’s the thing; she saw my neck and is worried.”
He tilted is head and studied me, not just my neck but all of me.
“So you’re the human,” he said with a slight smile. “Winifred was right.” He leaned in and sniffed me. “You are different.”
Before I could become nervous or uncomfortable, Mary cleared her throat behind us. The man straightened away from me and smiled at her.
“She’s nowhere near as interesting as you are,” he said to her.
“So, what’s your name?” I said, trying to reclaim his attention. He didn’t look away from Mary as he answered.
“Gregory.” He had a pleasant, easygoing voice.
“Gregory, this is Mary,” I said, turning slightly to indicate her. “She’s hoping you two could talk first.”
“I’m not ready to be Claimed,” she said softly.
His brows rose. He considered her for a moment and scratched his jaw. He didn’t seem upset when he finally spoke.
“Why not?”
She looked around the room for a moment as if trying to decide what to say to him. Her gaze briefly met mine before they settled back on him.
“I am nervous about the bite, but I really just want to stay here with Charlene for a while.”
He nodded slowly and looked around the room. His stare lingered on the table and the cookware on the fireplace mantel. Then he looked at me. “You’re making changes.”
I nodded warily. Their kind didn’t seem too keen on change based on Winifred’s speech.
“He’s going to want to meet you,” he said.
For some reason his words made my stomach clench, and not in a good way.
“Could I speak with Mary alone for a minute?” he asked.
I glanced at Mary. She gave me a small smile and nodded.
Outside, the yard was much too quiet.
“I’ll just go upstairs, then,” I said, and with a last look at both of them, I headed for the double-doors.
Six
In the yard below, the men, who’d only minutes ago fought each other, now gathered in small groups. Most cast subtle glances at the newcomers Winifred had rejoined near the front of the truck. She was speaking to the man who made my stomach flip, but I couldn’t hear anything she said.
The man stood with crossed arms as he listened to Winifred. I hoped they weren’t still discussing me. My presence didn’t warrant that much debate. If they wanted me to leave, I’d move on as simple as that. Well, not that simple. I still didn’t know where to go. But, this place was only ideal if they wanted me here, and except for Mary, I really wouldn’t mind leaving.
A tap on the bedroom door distracted me.
“Charlene?” Mary said, peeking in.
“How did it go?” I asked, turning away from the window. She opened the door further, and I saw Gregory standing behind her. I glanced at her neck. It was unblemished.
“Gregory wants me to go outside with him to speak to Winifred. I didn’t want to leave you in here alone. Will you come?”
“Of course,” I said. I didn’t really want to be inside alone, either.
I stepped into the hallway, and Gregory nodded in greeting. He stood aside so Mary and I could precede him down the stairs. Mary remained quiet as we made our way through the main room to the outer door. There she hesitated and glanced back at Gregory.
His gaze met hers, and he gave her a reassuring smile.
“I’ll go first,” he said.
He pulled open the door and stepped outside. Most of the men stood with their backs to the door so Gregory had to nudge his way through. When those he nudged turned and saw me standing behind him, they made room.
“If she’s so important,” a raised male voice said, “take her back with you and keep our sanctuary safe.”
The men around me growled in response. Whoever was speaking wasn’t making friends. I wondered if the rest would challenge the speaker as they had Anton.
“As you can hear, they don’t want her to leave,” Winifred said.
Gregory took a few more steps forward, with Mary and me closely behind him, then stopped. The men quieted as I passed. Gregory reached back to offer a hand to Mary. She shyly wrapped her hand in his and stepped forward, leaving me alone in Gregory’s shadow.
“I acknowledge Gregory as my Mate,” Mary said.
She stood facing Winifred. At least, I thought she did. I wasn’t ready to peer around Gregory to find out. Instead, I glanced at the men around me. A few gave me small smiles. Given the current conversation about Mates, a topic I wanted nothing to do with, I nervously returned my gaze to Gregory’s bare back.
“But I’ve asked him to wait to Claim me,” Mary continued.