The couple in front of me laughed again. It grated my nerves because I was jealous of them.
Of them! It was laughable. Or it should have been. A week ago I would have laughed. Now it was just bordering on pathetic.
As an elder among the immortals, it was my job to keep the peace and run interference between our kind and the humans.
Not sit at a Starbucks and watch a newly engaged couple with silent longing.
Cassius, our leader, the only King the immortals have ever known, had been missing for a few days, and it killed me to think it was because he was ashamed of me, ashamed of what I’d done to Genesis.
Not that it was my fault an Archangel had bitten me, seduced me and basically entranced me into doing something. Granted, the whole jealousy part was my fault, making the spell he put me under that much stronger.
I took a long sip of my latte and pouted.
I hadn’t done that in ages.
It didn’t help.
“You look like hell.” Mason plopped down at the table. His shaggy brown hair was pulled back underneath a Seahawks hat. Black aviators hung loosely across his strong nose, framing his very deadly, yet undeniably sexy five o’clock shadow.
Stupid Werewolf. An underlying earthy scent like that of burned wood and pinecones floated between us with each casual movement he made. And believe me, he needed to look as casual as possible considering he just naturally attracted any cat within a ten mile radius.
“Yeah, well.” I pointed at his hat. “You look like a tourist.”
“Please.” He snorted then grabbed my coffee and took a sip.
“Since when do you drink coffee?”
“I don’t know.” He pushed the coffee back and made a face. “Since when do you leave the house, pout for a whole damn day, and then stare longingly at a human couple like you’re about to eat them?”
“I wasn’t staring longingly,” I grumbled, suddenly finding my hands fascinating as I wrung them together.
“You were. Saw the whole thing. Disgusting really.”
“Do you have a reason for stalking me?”
“If I was stalking you, you’d already be dead.” He smirked, “And yeah… I was out grocery shopping.”
“So many things wrong with a Wolf grocery shopping.”
“Orders from Genesis… she wants me to start eating again.”
I squirmed in my seat.
“Everything’s fine,” he said in a gruff voice. “Water under the bridge, you’ve been redeemed, blah, blah, blah, come home.”
“Really?” I chuckled and toyed with my straw. “That’s the speech?”
“Ethan wouldn’t write one out for me so take what you can get.”
“A regular lady killer.”
Mason groaned into his hands. “No idea why they sent me.”
“You have the manners of a beast,” I agreed.
“But you know I’m right. You belong with us at home, not out here at Starbucks of all places.”
“He left,” I whispered. Admitting it out loud was harder than I thought it would be. The only man I’d ever loved and tried to die saving.
Had left.
Like we’d had some sort of one-night stand he was ashamed of.
Ugh, my head hurt.
“He’ll be back. He just needed…” Mason swore under his breath. “God save me from these types of conversations. Cassius needed time, and regardless of his feelings and your odd connection, he’s still king so I don’t give a flying rat’s ass if he killed himself so you could live then professed undying love on Dr. Phil.” He offered a dismissive shrug. “He’s our king. What he says goes. He left, so let him leave. It’s not your place to question him.”
“Someone has to!” I pushed back my chair and stood.
Mason followed suit and pulled me into his embrace. I tried to fight him but it was impossible. The man was so strong he could break me in half, and that was saying a lot since I could seriously hold my own.
“Steph,” Mason sighed into my hair. “Just… leave it. Ever thought of simply telling him thank you and moving on with your life?”
I sighed against him, inhaling his woodsy scent. “No.”
“Try it.”
“No.”
“Steph…”
“I’ll come back.” My shoulders slumped as I gave in. “But what do I do if he comes to the house? What if he does come back?” That thought was almost as depressing and confusing as him staying away forever, or me being the reason behind his absence.
“Well I may have this ass backward all things considered—I mean, I eat pinecones—but you could always say hi.”
The ride back to Ethan’s house was almost unbearable. For one thing, Mason drove like a maniac. I’m pretty sure he’s actually never passed a driver’s test. When I asked to see his license he laughed and pushed down on the accelerator, shooting Ethan’s brand new Lexus forward like a pinball out of the slot along busy city streets. You’d think he had a death wish, then again it would take more than a car accident to kill us.
By the time we pulled up to Ethan’s mansion on Lake Washington I was ready to kiss the ground and cuss Mason out.
The chance to get in the Wolf’s face was taken from me the minute the car shut off.
“Stephanie.” Ethan had already opened my door and was holding his hand out like a damn peace offering. My heart stopped beating so heavily in my chest. I glared up at him. Stupid Vampires and their ability to control things like hearts.