Page 77 of A Wolf for Winter

“I don’t normally hurt women,” he snarled down at her. “But for you, I think I’ll make an exception.”

“Allen!” Lilac exclaimed, yanking on his arm. “Stop—”

He shrugged her off, snatching Talia’s wrist as she fought to free something from her dress pocket. The heretic’s fork clattered to the floor.

“Oh my Green Mother,” Lilac whispered. Then she proved how wonderful and brilliant she was when her tone turned icy with realization and she glowered at the practitioner Allen restrained. “It was you?”

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

“We’re causing a scene,” Allen muttered, glancing over his shoulder. “Lilac, pick that fork up, but not with your bare hands.”

“I’m not an amateur,” she clipped, snatching a wad of napkins from the table and retrieving the charm.

“Hey.” His tone forced her to look up at him. “I know that. I’m just trying for us all to be careful. Assumptions aren’t our friends here.”

Lilac tucked away a lock of hair behind her vixen mask with a short sigh. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap. I-I’m just . . . beyond frazzled.” She shook herself then squared her shoulders, composed once more.

Allen wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms and plant a reassuring kiss on her forehead, but Talia squirmed in his custody. He twisted her around so she was flush against his chest, her right hand wrenched up high between her shoulder blades. When his fingernails dug into the flesh of her throat, threatening her blood flow, she stilled. Barely.

Boar’s hand found his shoulder, but it didn’t clamp down like Allen expected it to. “Allen, what’s going on here?”

“Come with me.”

To his surprise, Boar didn’t protest. To his even greater surprise, Boar said, “Lead the way.”

Wrangling Talia to the side so he could partially shield her from view, Allen frog-marched her to the cellar door. Lilac hurried after him. Boar brought up the rear, shutting the door after they’d all entered the stairwell.

“Allen,” Boar began.

“Where have you been?” Lilac interrupted. The question came out harsher than she probably meant, but that could’ve just been her maintaining their ruse. Or, she’d been that worried about him. Maybe both.

Her brother immediately rounded on her, pinning his sister against the wall. “Don’t you speak to him that way!”

“Boar!” Allen admonished. He was already at the bottom of the stairwell, and he wasn’t about to manhandle Talia back up the stairs. Unless it was entirely necessary, of course. No one put their hands on his woman, not even her brother. “What the hell do you think you’re doing? Let her go!”

The witch complied immediately, ducking his head. “Sorry, handsome,” he mumbled.

“What?” Allen sputtered.

“Did you just call Allen ‘handsome?’” Lilac blustered.

“So?” Boar demanded hotly, color rushing to his cheeks.

Lilac squinted at him, then lunged forward to smell his breath and check the dilation of his pupils. He wiggled out of her grasp, casting Allen an embarrassed look and adjusting his hair.

“Enlarged pupils and sweet apple . . ..” Lilac paled. “Oh no.”

“What is it?” Allen demanded, checking the wall clock and cursing. They were running out of time.

“It appears Boar ingested a powerful love potion a-and you’re the one he’s in love with.”

“Are you kidding me?”

“I’m not ashamed,” Boar said, exiting the stairwell and squaring his shoulders. “And neither should you be, honey.”

Allen glared at him.

“I-I don’t have to call you honey if you’d prefer something else.” He swallowed nervously. “It could be sweetheart. Babe? Dumpling?”