“It’s fine,” he said softly, ruffling her long lashes with his breath. “This is going to save me money in the long run, I promise. I have the money to buy food; I’ve just never had the motivation. You’re my motivation. Relax.”
Her shoulders dropped, just a bit. The knot between her eyebrows smoothed. Her eyes held his, and the intense look in them unexpectedly stiffened his cock for the second time.
He froze. She took a step back, making him drop his hands. Confusion stole through her gaze, something he was sure mirrored his own.
“You’re a good alpha,” she whispered. “You lead with conviction and confidence. You inspire trust.”
“Well, if I can lead someone in the grocery store, I guess I have it made,” he said to lighten the mood.
Her grin didn’t reach her troubled eyes. She just nodded and moved behind him—without touching—to the bags being placed in the cart.
He turned to the credit card machine, needing to catch his breath. What in the hell was going on with him? Was this her magic somehow?
He tried to push it from his mind as he paid and followed her out of the store. Only a few cars loitered in the large parking lot, a couple up front, probably belonging to patrons, and a couple dotting the far spaces, waiting for employees, no doubt. It belatedly occurred to him that the store had been awfully quiet. It was strange for the early evening hours. Or maybe this supermarket wasn’t heavily trafficked; he didn’t know.
The early evening embraced them, cool but dry. Lights dotted the open space, showering fuzzy circles on the concrete, barely brighter than the sky
“Sorry about that, in there,” Devon said as he clicked his fob to unlock the SUV. He waited for the rear hatch to lift. “I was trying to get your mind off the total. I didn’t mean to invade your space.”
A bag crinkled as Charity took it from the cart. “It worked. For a moment, anyway. I wasn’t kidding; you’re a good alpha. You have this way about you…” She shrugged. “You inspire trust, like I said in there. You inspire loyalty. I think you’re going to go really far. As soon as you get rid of me, anyway.”
He laughed as he moved the bags into the car. “My goodness. All these compliments? I scarcely know who I’m talking to.”
She joined him in laughter, helping him unload. “Don’t get used to it. As soon as I get a good night’s sleep, I’ll be as surly as ever. I’ll get you fighting yet.”
He nearly joked about her never getting a good night’s sleep, but the memory of her curled up against his body cut the words from his mouth.
He organized the bags in the back of the SUV so nothing would fall over. As he was finishing up, he felt her hand on his arm.
“Devon…”
The smell hit him like a Mack truck. He’d been so distracted by Charity that he hadn’t paid attention to their surroundings. It was still early evening, so he’d thought it too early for the vampires to be out. Clearly he’d failed on two counts.
He whirled, keys in hand. Three vamps stood twenty feet away, and he recognized one of them immediately.
Vlad. The most ruthless and cunning elder that haunted the Brink.
He’d come to collect his prize, Charity, and Devon had no backup.Chapter Twenty-Nine“I am going to pass you my keys,” Devon whispered, his face inches from Charity’s. She must’ve been correct in her assumption that vampires had excellent hearing.
And then it was confirmed when her new BFF said, “Running is foolish, little puppy. She is the one I want, not you. Running might get her accidentally harmed, and neither of us wants that, do we?”
Cold metal spread across her skin as Devon lowered the keys into her shaking palm. His touch lingered, warm in contrast, before he nudged her behind him.
“Since when do you care about humans?” Raw power laced Devon’s words. If he was at all afraid, he didn’t show it.
The elder vampire spread his hands in front of him. “I care nothing for humans. But alas, she is not a mere human. I must admit, I have not met her equal in so long, I forgot what her kind smelled like. How they appeared. Like a bonfire among matchsticks; exquisite. Truly a work of art, or does not your kind see beauty in the most flawless of magical beings, little wolf pup? I would bet not. You are too busy licking each other’s fur and praising your outstanding duty.”
“I’m going to go out on a limb here and assume you’re talking about our mission to protect humans from your kind?” Devon backed up, making her step with him. When she braced a hand on the center of his back, using his movements as unspoken direction, he reached behind and gave her a light shove.