My breathing effectively stopped then as his words squeezed my heart like a vice. I stared into those inky orbs, the blank expression on his stony face stealing any response I would have had. His threat was clearly spoken, leaving no room for confusion. I began to pray silently that he would just leave before this situation could get any more f**ked up.
“I just had to see you for myself,” he continued, edging closer still to the door. “And, I see what a rare and powerful beauty you are. So much so, that I do not trust myself to stay another minute without tasting your blood. I’m afraid our visit is much shorter than I would have liked. I promise you that next time, we will get to know one another a little better.”
He winked then, his self-satisfied smile unfading. The moment he disappeared through the door, I was moving. I slammed the door closed and secured the locks before backing into the kitchen, a hand over my mouth as I asked myself what the hell had just happened.
Oh, I knew what happened, but I couldn’t believe that it was real. Harley Kayson had set his sights on me. His intentions were clear. Just as Arys had feared, Harley had taken an unhealthy interest in me. And, his obvious jealousy was something to be concerned with.
I sat in the kitchen, shaking in both fear and revulsion. When nobody came back to the office, I paced anxiously until sunrise was so close that I knew I was safe.
No vampire had instilled this kind of fear in me in almost a decade. It was humiliating, and a part of me wanted to cry. It swept me back in time to when I had been a frightened teenage werewolf coming to grips with the urge to shred living things with my bare hands. This was worse, much worse.
Chapter Nine
Shaz was practically having kittens by the time I made it home. Making the mistake of leaving my cell phone in the car had resulted in half a dozen missed calls. I was feeling both stupid and ashamed when I pulled up at home to find his car sitting out front. He probably thought I was dead after being MIA for so long. I wasn’t looking forward to sharing this news with him. My overprotective mate was likely to become even more so.
“Where in the hell have you been?” The look on Shaz’ face was so stricken with concern that I couldn’t even laugh it off like I’d hoped. “I’ve been calling you since I got off work.”
“I know. I’m sorry; I forgot my phone in the car.” I went to him immediately and slipped into the safe confines of his warm embrace. “I had an unexpected visitor at the office last night. Harley couldn’t wait any longer to get a look at me.”
My white wolf lost it then. He pulled back so he could take a good look at me, checking for anything amiss. “What? Why didn’t you call someone? Where was everybody? Did he hurt you?”
I shook my head and smiled in spite of his worry. It was just so sweet. “No, I’m fine.
I promise. He just wanted a little taste of my power, which he took against my will. Then he threatened me and left.”
I gave Shaz the instant replay of what happened, walking down the hall to my room to change as I spoke. He followed closely, asking questions here and there. His tone was frantic, and I knew that no matter what I said, he was going to go all territorial male on me.
“I knew that Arys was going to put you in danger. It was just a matter of time.” He ran a hand through his white hair, causing a tuft to stand up haphazardly. “I’m going to f**king kill him, I swear it.”
“Oh please, not that again. I need you to stay calm. Freaking out isn’t going to put me in any less danger from Harley.” I shed my clothing and shrugged into my silky, leopard print robe. “I need you, Shaz. If you go crazy, you could get yourself killed.”
He scoffed but didn’t reply. He knew I was right. Crossing his arms over his firm chest, his green eyes followed me around the room as I brushed my hair and piled my laundry in the corner.
After a long moment, he sighed and said in exasperation, “Arys was adamant that he hear from you. He came by Lucy’s Lounge last night. He was worried when I mentioned not being able to reach you during my last break.”
“I’m surprised you mentioned it at all.” I smiled teasingly, but he wasn’t in the mood. His jade eyes remained serious.
He crossed the room, his footsteps falling softly on the beige carpet. With the gentlest touch, he lightly traced the scabby claw marks that ran down the side of my arm.
“I know there are some things that I can’t save you from and others that I don’t have to. Still, I can’t help but feel the need to try.” He smiled softly and bent to press his lips to mine in a tender kiss. “And that godforsaken vampire is just one of them. I’m sorry.”