Dark Instincts (The Phoenix Pack 4)

That made Roni pause with her mug halfway to her mouth. “Ride with you?” Be alone with the guy who had fucked her within an inch of her life during her dream last night? Nah.

Marcus barely refrained from laughing at the panic on her face. She could deny it all she wanted, but he made her nervous. “Yeah, ride with me.”

Again Nick went rigid. But then he jerked, wincing. “Ow! What was that for?” he growled at Shaya.

She sniffed. “I’m hormonal, I don’t need a reason.”

“There’s really no need,” Roni assured Marcus. “I can ride with Nick and Derren.”

Marcus cocked his head. “You could, but it makes sense for us to ride together.” He arched a brow. “Unless, of course, you don’t think you can work with a partner after all . . . ?”

Well, he had her there, didn’t he? She was determined to prove her brother’s “Roni can’t work with anyone” theory wrong. She didn’t like to lose or to lack at anything.

“Think of it as spending the day with an insanely hot wolf.” Kent was eyeing Marcus appreciatively. Caleb gave his boyfriend a mock scowl and then flicked scrambled egg at him. Kent wiped it away, sending him a look that promised retribution.

Over the rim of his coffee mug, Marcus’s gaze locked on Roni. “You know, if I didn’t know any better, I’d think you find it hard to be around me.” His smile turned teasing. “Maybe you’re not so indifferent to me after all.”

Derren—who had long ago guessed at Roni’s attraction to Marcus—began choking on his food, clearly amused at her expense. So she let him choke. Sadly, Caleb came to his rescue, patting his back hard.

Shaya gave Marcus a pitying look. “Sorry to break it to you, but Roni is totally immune to you.” Supportive words, but there was a strange glint in Shaya’s eyes that made Roni wary. “She’ll be absolutely fine in your company. Won’t you, Roni?”

And what else could she say but . . . “Of course.”

“I have to wonder if the girl’s a lesbian.” Janice’s words had everyone gaping at her. “If she doesn’t respond to a male as gorgeous as Marcus, she’s not going to respond to any male.”

“I hope you’re wrong, Janice,” said Marcus, “because it would be a bummer for the male population.” When Roni shot him another scowl, he held up his hands in a placatory gesture. The entire time Roni ate, she kept that scowl focused on him, and it took everything he had not to laugh. Ten minutes later, they were ready to leave, and she was still scowling.

“Are you sure you won’t come shopping with us later, Roni, and get yourself a makeover?” asked Janice.

Pissed, Marcus stated, “Roni’s fine as she is. Come on, gorgeous, let’s go.”

Taken aback that Marcus had defended her—again—Roni proceeded to leave the room, not pausing when she heard Eli yelling her name, coughing and balking.

Then there was her mother’s voice. “Oh, Roni, tell me you didn’t put salt in his coffee again!”

“He deserved it!” shouted Roni. The bastard had put whipped cream in her brand-new trainers. She knew he’d expected her to massively retaliate, which was why she’d gone for one of her many simple pranks. He wouldn’t have been on guard for something small.

Smiling in amusement, Marcus followed Roni as she left the kitchen, watching that pert little ass swaying, unintentionally provocative. Shaya stopped him at the front door, but she didn’t speak until Roni was out of hearing range.

“People look at Roni and see how self-reliant and reserved she is, and they automatically think she’s cold and detached. The truth is that girl has a real depth of emotion, and she’s a total softie for those she loves, even if she doesn’t seem it . . . Admittedly, she’s pretty ambivalent toward the rest of the population. She’s been through a lot. Be careful with her.”

He had been since the beginning, because he’d sensed the vulnerability behind that core of steel. Roni was unbelievably tough in some ways, yet soft and unsure in others. She reminded him of a solitary wild animal—she liked freedom and space, was distrustful and wary of strangers, and took time and patience to get close to. Good thing he was patient. “I won’t hurt her, Shaya.”

The redhead studied him for a minute. “Good, because I’d hate to have to mess up that pretty face.”

He chuckled. “Roni could do that herself.” Reaching his pack’s Toyota Highlander, Marcus noticed Derren and Nick heading to their SUV, intending to follow. Inside the Toyota, Marcus smiled at the sight of Roni buckled into the passenger seat, still scowling. “It has to be said, you’re a constant ray of sunshine, Roni.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Bite me, Fuller.”

He laughed, switching on the engine and reversing out of the parking space. “It’s tempting, sweetheart, it’s tempting.”

As they journeyed to Phoenix Pack territory, Roni couldn’t help but repeatedly glance at the wolf beside her. Marcus drove the way he did everything else—smoothly, confidently, in total control. He’d certainly been that way during her X-rated dream. She almost blushed as snippets of it sailed through her mind: his tongue curling around her nipple, his teeth nipping the curve of her breast, his hand sliding into her—

“Do you like being an enforcer?”

The question yanked her out of her fantasy—dammit. “Yes.” In truth, no. As Nick had pointed out, Roni had no interest in leading or following. She was a very individualistic person; she was happy to just be, and liked to do what she wanted without confining commitments.

“Lying’s a sin, sweetheart.”

Her head whipped around to face him. “Why do you think I’m lying?”

“You have a tell.”

She’d have to be careful with this one; he was incredibly perceptive. “What’s my tell?”

“If I told you that, it would help you lie better. So tell me, why be an enforcer if you don’t like it?”

Because she owed Nick. He was just thirteen when he’d been sent to a juvenile prison for not only killing a human who had attempted to rape her but also for badly maiming two others who had tried holding Nick back. Most of his teenage life had been spent in a place where torturing, raping, and killing shifters was considered the norm for the human guards.