“I don’t give a shit,” he said to his buddy. “That motherfucker is going down, so don’t you even try to stop me.”
“If you go after the host’s pack, then you’ll get buried in a shallow grave. I’ll be sure to stop by and piss on it to water the daisies,” his friend said. “Packmasters don’t like trouble at peace parties. Get a grip.”
“Fuck off. A swing for a swing is all I want.”
They tromped down the stairs in a hurry and I wondered what drama I had missed.
As the front door slammed, I rubbed my finger on a piece of icing staining the fabric on my dress, disappointed by the growing smudge. I had a hunch this would be an uneventful night.
Chapter 11
Reno watched as April handled her pool stick like a novice. He felt an inexplicable attraction to this human, as if he knew her better than he did. Maybe it was how straightforward she was about her life, especially given how Reno was a closed book when it came to his own past. An unexpected protectiveness flooded his veins, and he needed to get a grip on it. The second he entered the game room, he’d wanted to go to her. But he played it cool and took a moment to soak her in. That’s when a ball of nerves hit him right in the gut. Shit. Men like him didn’t get nervous over a woman, especially a human. All he could do was notice how radiant she looked in that delicate dress. Reno realized he didn’t know a damn thing about humans. Maybe they didn’t like the same abrasive approach he would give to a Shifter. He had to play this cool. Then she turned away and showed an interest in Denver.
Reno sighed deeply. Maybe she wasn’t that into him.
None of these assholes knew April was a human. You could only pick up on a human’s distinct lack of energy when you stood close to one. When April leaned over the table—her dress hitching up in the back and showing more leg—it became an open invitation to every man in that room. Reno had no claim over this human, but damn, it burned him nevertheless to see all those eyes leering at her. She was an innocent amidst a pack of ravenous wolves.
When a female Shifter turns her back on a man and bends over, she’s signaling her interest. April didn’t know better and was giving mixed signals to every male in that room.
The man in the pale blue shirt who kept shouting lewd remarks at them was three ticks away from getting his ass kicked if he didn’t keep it in check.
And then there was Crystal. Reno was pretty damn sure she wasn’t on the invite list, but Wheeler or Jericho must have added her. She’d been stalking Reno at every public function. He thought he could lose her by heading inside the house, but she had a talent of hunting him down.
Persistent little bitch, and he didn’t mean that in a derogatory way. Among Shifter wolves, females were affectionately referred to as bitches. It didn’t have the same negative connotation as it did among humans.
Reno had spent a lot of time getting ready that afternoon. He’d shined up his black boots, put on new laces, and picked out a white shirt that looked good on him, carefully rolling the sleeves to the elbow and unbuttoning the first two buttons. The leather belt he wore was one of his favorites and had a silver buckle. Reno even splashed cologne on his face and neck. He was a little surprised at the care he’d taken, but he wanted to impress April.
“You smell delicious.” Crystal let out a little growl, twirling her fingers around one of his buttons. “What color is your wolf?”
Personal, he thought. Unlike Jericho, who thrived on winning over the ladies with his wolf, Reno kept that shit locked up. He’d been told his wolf had a mask, and a lot of people thought that meant he had something to hide.
“I bet you’re famished,” she said. “I’ll go fix you a plate, so stay right here.”
Shifters loved a good woman who kept them fed; it was a nurturing characteristic. Other Breeds, like Chitahs, believed a man should cook for a woman. Not Shifters. They revered a strong-willed woman who looked after her family, took care of her man, earned a living, and kept the pack in line. In return, a good pack protected that woman and made sure her needs were met. Some packs lived outside the new laws and followed the old ways of some of the rogue packs. Those Shifters saw women as subordinates and treated them like whores. It disgusted him because it wasn’t the true way of the Shifter. Those were traditions spawned from corrupted Packmasters.
Crystal was submissive, and that was an attractive quality to Reno. She was the kind of woman he’d normally take to bed without hesitation. But tonight he didn’t give her a second glance.