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The tendons in his neck flexed as he ground his teeth and tried to follow my breathing. Something about this conversation had sparked an uncontrollable fury within him. Maybe it was the mention of his deceased father or this Dorian guy. Or was it that Fane should have been next in line for alpha?
He grabbed my hand and pressed it into his thigh as the tension in his muscles slowly receded. His fingers slipped between mine and then curled into my palm.
Um… how did we end up holding hands?
“I’d rather not talk about that.” Fane’s words spilled into the air as a barely contained growl.
The squabbling around the table ceased, and Nora angled in our direction.
“I’m sorry, Fane. I shouldn’t have brought it up. It’s just…” She sighed and glanced at her husband who quickly shook his head.
Ephraim cleared his throat. “Oh, Fane, a package was delivered for you the other day. I put it in your room. I assume you ordered something from that shop you like.”
He nodded. “Last time I was here, I ran low on a few things.” His grip remained tight on my hand as if it was a lifeline keeping him from drowning.
The skin-to-skin contact had crackles of electricity popping between us, and the tattoo on my neck hummed. It wasn’t an unpleasant feeling. In fact, I didn’t mind it.
* * *
I chewedon my nail and paced in front of the back porch, my boots sinking into the plush grass. The sun had already begun its descent across the sky, and soon it would dip behind the tall trees lining the back of the yard.
And then the moon would rise.
“Here you go.” Preston dumped several small black bean bags into my hands, and I had to scramble to catch them.
“What’s this for?”
He pointed to two angled wooden boards he brought to the middle of the yard. “Cornhole. Just try to toss the bags into the hole at the top of the board.”
My lips pursed. “But why?”
“You seem nervous, and since my cousin disappeared, I figured I’d find something to distract you.” He tilted his head and flashed that crooked smile. “We could always go to my room if you’d like another form of distraction.”
“Uh, this is fine.” This guy was worse than Hawk.
A sting rippled through my heart at the thought of my best friend. Did he have any idea of what happened to me? Did he miss me?
“Aim for this one.” Preston motioned me to a spot several feet from one of the stands.
I tossed the first bag, making it into the little hole. “I’m not nervous, by the way.”Liar!If I let the panic beyond the walls I’d been creating since Fane bit me, I’d collapse under the pressure.
Preston tossed a red bag up and down in his hand. “Everyone’s anxious before their first shift.”
“Really?” My nails dug into one of the bags. “Does it hurt?”
My question seemed to catch Preston off guard, and he missed the hole. “Has Fane not explained anything to you?”
I tossed a bag, making it onto the board, and then touched the tattoo on my neck. “We haven’t had much time to talk.” The bastard bit me two days ago and hadn’t told me a damn thing about shifting.
“Fane isn’t known for being nice, but not talking to you is kind of a dick move.” Preston chucked another bag. “It only hurts a little the first few times. You’re tough, though. You made that hot sauce your bitch, so this should be cake. My mouth is still on fire.”
My smile didn’t reach my eyes, and Preston dropped the rest of his bags to the ground before closing the distance between us. “There’s nothing to worry about, Tate. You’re safe here away from any humans. It’s a little disorienting and takes some time to get used to, but you’re still you. It’s not like you turn into some vicious creature without any control. You’re just in a different form.”
I shivered despite the summer heat and humidity. “I won’t have the desire to hunt and kill?”
He winced. “Well, you probably will, but only animals. Not people. They taste terrible.”
A laugh slipped out. “You know from experience?”
