“I’ll be right back.” Beth opened the door and stepped through. “Going to change.”
“Okay,” I said right before the door shut.
“We shouldn’t go.” Aidan took my hand in his. “I don’t know what he’ll do.”
“If we don’t go, we might make things worse.” He appeared suspicious since he’d caught us talking amicably to the witches and learning that the person Aidan was supposed to be tracking was his mate, so there wasn’t much of a choice here. “Did he ever tell you where to meet?”
“Yeah,” Aidan said with a strained voice. “The Mexican restaurant we went to yesterday.”
“Great, but hopefully Jacob and his teammates won’t be there this time.” I hoped the staff there wouldn’t recognize us.
“Considering the amount of sleep Jacob will need to nurse that hangover, I think we’re safe.” A soft expression crossed his face. He pressed his lips briefly to mine and then brushed his fingertips against my cheek. “I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“If what you say is true, then this is only the beginning. Or maybe this is just a fairy tale.” It seemed unlikely because of the star birthmark behind my left ear. That detail was oddly specific, but maybe the story was meant to control women.
“That’s what I’ve been hoping for every day since the night I saw your mark.” He touched his forehead to mine. “And that the only thing we’ll have to fight for is convincing one of our packs to accept us.”
“I don’t think it would be that easy even if it was only the latter.” Jacob had made it clear that he didn’t want Aidan in our pack, and Aidan’s brother was only humoring us to get close to me.
“You’re right there.” He stood in a fighter’s stance like we were going to war. “It’s a damn good thing you’re worth fighting for.”
It felt like we hadn’t been apart for years. “You’re not too bad yourself.”
He beamed at my words and kissed my lips once more, deepening it and leaving me breathless.
A loud, impatient knock sounded on the door, and Beth called out, “I’m coming in. Break apart.”
I pulled back and licked my lips, enjoying the lingering taste.
Beth came in, shaking her head. “I could smell you all the way out there.” She slammed the door and rolled her eyes. “I’m glad you gave me a warning, at least.”
“Are you about ready?” I picked up my phone from the bed and glanced at the time. “It’s five-thirty, so we should head out.”
“Some of us need to work at looking presentable.” She motioned to me. “Not everyone can pull off the shirt-and-jeans like you can, but I’m not jealous.”
“Oh, whatever.” She was gorgeous, and her blue hair emphasized her blue eyes. “You only like to add a dramatic flair to your look.”
She moved her head from side to side. “You might be right. Nonetheless …” She squinted at me and grabbed a darker red lipstick. “Let me put this on, and we’re ready to go. My eye makeup from this morning still works.”
I stood, lifted my arms over my head, and stretched. Everything I’d learned only hours ago rushed through my brain, but now wasn’t the time to freak out.
“All right, let’s go.” Beth set her lipstick on the table and faced me. “You’d better be glad I love you. Going to dinner with a narrow-minded asswipe is not my idea of fun.”
“A little buffer would be great, and having my best friend by my side will make me feel a little better.” Having the two people I trusted most in the world with me was the only thing making this manageable.
“You better be glad you added that last part, or my happy ass would be staying here.” She placed a hand on her hip and then went for the door. “Let’s go. I’m hungry.”
I wished I shared her enthusiasm. I couldn’t shake the sensation of impending doom. My gut told me that this dinner was going to change the course of my life. Given how I felt, I’d be astonished if I could even eat chips.
“Hey,” Aidan said as he took my hand and gently squeezed it. “Everything will be okay. Your hair is down, so he won’t be able to see your mark, and Beth won’t say a word. And the most important thing is”—he wrapped an arm around my waist—“I won’t let anything bad happen to you.”
The words were nice, but that was a promise he couldn’t keep.
“Stop being Romeo,” Beth called from the hallway.
I kissed him and tugged on his arm. “Let’s get this over with.”
“Gladly.”
The three of us walked out of the dorm and climbed into Aidan’s Jeep. We rode in silence as if we all dreaded our destination.
“Thank you for coming with us.” It really meant a lot. She was putting her neck on the line, but it was nice to have another person there to take the focus off Aidan and me.
“No problem. That’s what friends are for.” She patted my shoulder comfortingly from the backseat.
We pulled into the parking lot and found another Jeep similar to Aidan’s but with Tennessee tags.
I pointed at the red vehicle. “I take it that’s him.”
“Yeah, of course he would beat us here.” Aidan sighed and opened his door.
We climbed out of the car and headed toward the entrance.
“Why is that such a big deal?” Beth glanced around as if she expected him to pop up magically.
“He wants to be in full control. Where the table is located. Where he sits in relation to the three of us. He probably already has our drinks ordered.” Aidan opened the front door and motioned for us to enter. “Let’s keep Emma as far away from him as we can.”
“On it.” Beth nodded as we entered.
The hostess was the same as yesterday, and when she saw us, she pressed her hand against her stomach and remained silent.
“Uh … we’re here to meet someone?” If we kept gawking at each other, things would turn awkward. Better to divert her attention elsewhere.
“Is it the man from yesterday?” Her nose wrinkled in disgust. “Because he’s not here.”
“No, it’s my brother.” Aidan placed a hand in his pocket. “He looks similar to me. His car is out there so he should be seated somewhere.”
“He’s this way.” She motioned to her right, and we headed down that hallway.
We entered the bar area, which had open seats around the bar and several high-top tables for four. Bradley was sitting in the far corner, sipping a beer.
“Thank you.” I smiled at her and headed to the table.
I took the seat diagonal from Bradley, Beth sat next to me, while Aidan sat across from me, next to his brother.
Bradley’s gaze locked on me. “Hello there, Emma.”
“Hi, Bradley.” I lifted my chin, hoping to look confident, and pointed to my left. “This is Beth, my roommate.”
“Ah … hi.” He turned his head to look at his brother. “I’m surprised you’re sitting by me and not next to your girl.”
Great, this started out with a bang.
“Beth doesn’t know you, so I thought she’d feel more comfortable sitting next to Emma.”