Bound to Shadows (Riley Jenson Guardian 8)

"I guess I should have also warned you to stay out of trouble," he said, voice heavy.

I held up my hands. "Hey, he grabbed me and wouldn't let go, even though I did ask nicely. "

He glanced down at the man unconscious on the floor, then motioned to the two men who'd let their friend fall.

"Get him out of here. "

They scrambled to obey, dragging their unconscious friend out the door. It was interesting to note that no one seemed too worried about the fact that he'd been felled by a stranger.

Harris's gaze came back to me. There was little emotion to be seen in the blue of his eyes, and once again it reminded me of someone else. I wished I could remember who.

"I think you'd better come with me. " His gravelly voice was firm, and it was obvious he wouldn't take no for an answer.

Of course, part of me wanted to say just that, but it wasn't exactly the wisest course of action when I had no idea what the hell was going on. So I blew out a frustrated breath and followed him out of the bar. At least I didn't have to fight my way through - the crowd parted for Harris as easily as the sea for Moses.

"I'll escort you home," he said, once we were out the door. "Just to ensure you don't get yourself into any more trouble. "

"I can handle myself. " I rubbed my arms lightly. The night air seemed a lot cooler now than it had when I'd entered the bar. Maybe my sunburn was finally starting to heal.

"You probably can, but Denny doesn't like being taken down by anyone, let alone by a woman. " His blue gaze met mine, assessing, calculating. A wolf undecided whether I was friend or foe. It was mutual. "Watch yourself, because he's likely to seek retribution. "

I raised my eyebrows. "So warn him off. "

"I will. But it won't make a blind bit of difference. And until he actually tries something, I can't do anything. "

"If he tries to get back at me, he'll regret it. "

He didn't smile. Didn't frown. Didn't really react in any way at all, in fact. It made me wonder at the reasons for the tight control.

"His dad is the pack second," he said evenly. "He's well connected, so watch how you react. "

Don't damage him too much, in other words. I smiled grimly and shoved my hands into the pockets of my jeans. "So what pack runs this town?"

"West. Remy West is the leader, although you won't often see him in town. He dislikes tourists. "

That raised my eyebrows. "Then why open the town for tourism? If these lands are pack owned, you have the legal right to restrict entry. "

He snorted softly. "Not if the land has some significant natural feature. In such cases, the government insists it be available for all. "

"And Dunedan has a significant natural feature other than red dust, heat, and ocean?"

Amusement briefly twitched his lips and lent his stern features a surprising amount of warmth. "We have what is known as a fringing reef, which means the coral starts right at the water's edge. It's rare, and therefore significant. "

"I'm guessing the pack makes a whole lot of money from that significant feature. "

"We all live rather comfortably," he agreed.

I studied him for a moment, then said, "You don't look like the rest of the pack. Why's that?"

He slanted me a sideways glance. "You don't mind getting personal, do you?"

I shrugged. "When you can't remember anything of importance, you quickly learn to ask questions, personal or not. "

He was silent for a moment, but his gaze roamed across the darkness and there was an alertness about him that suggested he was ready for trouble. If that trouble was Denny, then he could relax. Werewolf or not, I didn't think he'd be capable of walking for a day or so. I really had hit him hard.

"My mother came from a different pack, hence the blue eyes and lighter skin. "

"And I'm guessing the pack never let you forget that you weren't entirely one of them. "