Page 36 of Pistols & Peonies

“Something like that,” I mutter.

Violet eyes me as she shovels another spoonful of cereal in, chewing thoughtfully, then swallowing. “Hard pass,” she says, pointing the spoon in my direction. “Make sure you pick out a nice gravestone for me, eh?”

“Don’t fucking talk like that,” I growl, jaw clenching.

She waves her spoon dismissively. “Don’t act like you actually give a shit.”

I turn away before I can say something stupid, snatching a mug off the rack and drumming my fingers against the counter as I watch the coffee drip. I swear it’s never dripped this slowly in my life, the silence between us stretching.

“I added you to my accounts,” I mumble offhandedly. “Since you were released from your position at the TTC due to our bond, it only seemed fair.”

She chokes on a wry laugh. “Thanks, but no thanks. I don’t need your money.”

“Are you planning on getting another job?” I ask, genuinely curious.

“For your information, that wasn’t my only gig,” she replies curtly. “I pick up work at a club sometimes.”

I arch a brow as I twist around to face her. “What kind of work?”

She straightens, swiping up her phone and bowl from the counter. “None of your damn business.”

I clench my jaw, hackles raising. ‘Working at a ‘club’ could mean any number of things, my mind churning as it combs through the possibilities. “What club?”

“Again, none of your business.”

“Everything about you is my business now,” I growl. “At least until we sort out whatever’s going on between our wolves. I’m gonna talk to Alpha about taking some time off next week so we can get a handle on this, and I’d suggest you do the same with your employer.”

She steps over to the sink and drops her cereal bowl inside, milk splashing the basin. “No thanks.”

My jaw clenches. “It’s not a request.”

She looks me up and down, then laughs under her breath. “So what, you’re gonna try to boss me around now?”

“If that’s what it takes,” I grit out. “Clearly, my wolf can’t function without you, and I can’t function without my wolf.”

Violet pushes off from the counter, rapidly closing the distance between us. I immediately tense, holding my breath as she steps into my space, brain short-circuiting. She reaches past me to grab a mug from the counter and proceeds to fill it with fresh coffee from the pot I just made.

“Good luck with that,” she chirps, then brushes past me, her hip bumping mine in a way that’s definitely not an accident.

Goddammit.

I glare after her as she exits the kitchen and disappears down the hall, leaving me red-faced half-hard. Begrudgingly, I reach down to adjust myself in my shorts, hating the effect she has on me.

So this is how it’s going to be.

War.

Fine by me. I’ve never lost a war in my life.

CHAPTER 13

Violet

I climb into the passenger seat of Charlotte’s car just after midnight, slamming the door behind me a little harder than necessary. Not for dramatic effect– though I’m not above that– but because the ever-present tension I just left behind in that apartment has me wound so tight my teeth ache. I need the jolt, the vibration in my bones. Physical force feels like the only way to knock some of it loose.

The leather seat creaks beneath me as I drop into it, the car warm and faintly scented with vanilla air freshener. My pulse is racing like I’ve sprinted down twenty flights of stairs rather than riding the elevator and walking calmly out the front door like a normal person.

“Well, look who’s not dead,” Char remarks, flashing me a wide grin as she leans back against the headrest.