“The worst part is that he’ll never be mad at me for what I just did to him. He won’t remember why wanting me to love him was wrong. I stole a piece of who he was, Fenris. How am I supposed to live with that?”
I glanced at Fenris as he navigated the roads out of town. He didn’t wear his typical humor-filled expression. Serious and slightly troubled, he met my gaze.
“You spend so much time hating yourself that you never step back and take an objective look at things. Tegan wasn’t some innocent guy you found on the street. You said it yourself; he wanted something. He walked into that situation, ready to play hardball with you to get what he wanted, but he wasn’t the better player. He lost. It’s not your job to protect everyone from you, Eliana. It’s their job to protect themselves, too.”
Instead of arguing with Fenris, I stared out the window. Was I really supposed to absolve myself of any wrongdoing? Tegan might have had an agenda, but that didn’t give me the right to do anything more than say no to him. And, he had tried protecting himself. He’d cast a stupid spell that hadn’t even worked.
Fenris was right about one thing, though. All the time I spent hating myself only served as a distraction.
Taking a deep breath, I clasped my hands in my lap and focused on finding the druids.
“Did you get their location?”
“Yep. He entered it in my phone.”
“Thank you. You can text it to me after I drop you off.”
“Not a chance, goldilocks. The druids you’re looking for are in Drys Woods. We’re almost there.”
“Fenris, there’s no reason for you to—”
“Tegan didn’t give exact coordinates. If you want to find them, you’ll need my nose.”
I gave a long-suffering sigh. “Fine.”
“Is it so hard to accept my help?”
“It usually doesn’t end well for me.”
“Ouch. I helped with Piepen, and that’s going well.”
I snorted. “Never mind that he keeps coming back or that his girlfriend’s little sister woke me up this morning to check out the competition.”
“Okay. Well, I helped get your mom out of the house.”
“The whole point of getting my mom to leave was so that she and Adira would quit teaming up on me. Instead, Mom’s stolen someone’s house, is building a nightclub so I can feed the way she thinks I need to feed, and Adira has decided her network of spies isn’t enough and slapped a tracking spell on me.”
I immediately regretted my annoyed outburst.
“I’m sorry, Fenris. None of that is your fault. I think that I’m just frustrated that any attempt I make to help myself only makes things worse.”
“That happens when you’re still trying to follow everyone else’s rules. Maybe it’s time for you to focus on what makes you happy.”
He pulled to the shoulder beside a long stretch of trees and surprised me by turning off the car and getting out.
“What are you doing?”
“We’re here.” He closed the door and went to my trunk. I scrambled out in time to watch him remove one of Oanen’s spare shirts. The whole drive I hadn’t noticed the naked expanse of Fenris’s chest. But now as he lifted an arm to put the shirt on, I couldn’t stop staring. I almost drooled when he didn’t bother buttoning the front but reached into the trunk instead.
“Here. This jacket’s warmer.” He handed me one of Oanen’s thick, winter coats. The thing almost went to my knees.
“I never understood why Oanen insisted on leaving this in the car. He never wore it.”
Fenris gave me an odd look.
“It was for you. In case Adira ever forced you into wearing anything too uncomfortable.”
I slipped into the jacket, missing Oanen. He’d been a true griffin guardian, hovering over me constantly to the point I’d wanted to scream sometimes. But he’d always watched out for me. Even against Adira.
“I miss him. Megan too.”
Fenris sighed wistfully.
“She was the best hugger. His were only passable at best.”
“You are far too free with your hugs.”
“Are you saying you want all my hugs for yourself?” He grinned at me and slowly opened his arms, which widened the gap in his still unbuttoned shirt.
Any playful response I might have made died at the sight of Fenris’s sun-kissed skin. It bound my attention more tightly than any druid’s spell. Wisps of steam lifted from his chest, but he didn’t close his arms and wrap himself in the shirt. He waited to see what I would do, his muscles twitching the longer he held out his arms.
I swallowed hard and forced my gaze from the lustful display. I meant to turn my back on him but, instead, took a step closer. While he might be immune to my natural charms, it was oddly discomforting to realize I was far from immune to his.
The air beside us shimmered, rescuing me from the moment, and I focused on Adira as she appeared through a portal. Her sweeping gaze took in everything, from our location to the open trunk, Fenris’s barely clothed body, and my bundled one.
“Am I interrupting something?” she asked with a pleasant smile.
Chapter Six
“No,” I said over Fenris’s affirmation.
“Anything interesting?” Adira asked with a brow arched at me.
I crossed my arms.
“Why are you here?”
“I wanted your opinion on the new club your mother’s building.”
The woman was being stubbornly persistent. Did she honestly think I would admit that I thought the club was pointless and that I would never feed there?
“You could have used your phone instead of a portal. Why didn’t you?”
She glanced at Fenris, her gaze skimming what I’d just been staring at. My blood boiled.
“It seems you’re still meeting Eliana’s needs, then?” she asked him, oblivious to anything but her own agenda.
Fenris’s comment about playing their games echoed in my head as I grabbed my phone and dialed my mom. She picked up on the first ring.
“Adira’s here harassing me,” I said bluntly. Adira watched me, likely waiting to see how far I’d go and how much further still she could push me.
“Put me on speaker, baby,” Mom said.
A hairline fracture marred Adira’s confidence as I did what Mom asked.
“Adira, Eliana has been far more patient with you than I would have been at her age. You know what happens when a ravenous succubus’s meal is interrupted. That’s nothing compared to what Eliana will do to you when she finally snaps. You’ve been warned.”
I felt no joy at the sight of Adira’s withdrawal through the portal. My gaze locked onto the phone still in my slack hand. I didn’t remember letting it drift to my side.
“Mom?”
“Baby, Adira knows she’s playing with fire and will deserve every burn you give her. Think nothing of it. Go have fun and don’t worry about that woman.”
I managed a weak okay before hanging up and looking at Fenris.
“So that’s a ‘no’ to the hugs?” he asked.
Disbelief colored my expression, and he shrugged.
“Suit yourself, but you should know, with Megan’s hugging skills and all the practice Oanen’s getting, you might have some serious competition when they come back.”