Wanted: Wild Thing

Chapter Seven

We drove to Konstantine’s, and Hugh scowled at me the entire time from the passenger seat.

“What is it?” I finally asked.

“How familiar are you with that shifter?”

I glanced over at him, juggling my coffee cup with the steering wheel. “Who, Everett? He’s a friend and a real sweetie.”

Hugh’s eyes narrowed. “Your words to him were provocative.”

“Of course they were. We have fun flirting. It’s harmless.”

“It is not harmless. He is interested in you.”

“No, he’s not,” I told him, shaking my head. “Everett’s a were-cougar and he thinks I’m human, so I’m off-limits.” I frowned, though. Bathsheba was human, and she was married to Beau. Marie was human—once—and she was with Josh. And recently the alphas had gotten together to create a more lenient set of rules for dating humans. So theoretically, I wasn’t off-limits to Everett anymore.

But Hugh had it all wrong. Everett was just a friend. Even as I told myself that, my scheming mind started to wonder . . . could I get Everett to have sex with me? If I told him my problem? He’d be more understanding than most.

I’d consider it. I wasn’t ready to pounce on Everett just yet. He was nice, but he didn’t drive me crazy. And I knew he definitely wasn’t my True Love, so he was more or less just a buddy.

“You say provocative things to me as well,” Hugh said, interrupting my thoughts. “Are these harmless, too?”

“Of course.” My voice was smooth. “I’m destined for breeding, remember? How could I possibly say anything in a serious manner to you? And you have a primordial mate waiting.”

“I remember.”

“You’ve flirted back with me,” I pointed out, thinking of our banter in my bedroom. “Were you serious?”

Hugh said nothing.

Now . . . that was interesting. I pondered this as we turned into the parking lot of Konstantine’s. I parked the car, chugged the last of my coffee, and turned to Hugh. “We should talk about tonight.”

“What about tonight?”

“Well, for starters, I’m running this group that we call Speed Dating. Or Speed Mating. It’s for supernaturals to meet other supernaturals, and there are going to be a lot of shifters here tonight, and some vampires.” I waited for his reaction. Some of the shifters didn’t like vampires, and Konstantine’s was a notorious vampire hangout. But Hugh didn’t react, so I continued. “We have a lot of male clients, and I flirt with all of them. That’s kind of who I am. So I don’t want you to be surprised or getting all up in anyone’s grill if they come and chat with me, understand?”

He gave me a narrow-eyed look but said nothing.

“Also. Since you’re supposed to be a client, I signed you up for the speed mating.” I gave him my most angelic smile. “It was kind of last-minute, but it’s perfect. This way you can be at my side without seeming like a creeper.”

“What is a creeper?”

I waved that off. “Never mind that. You should be asking about the speed mating.”

“I am not here to mate with other females, Ryder. I am here to ensure that you remain safe—”

“Yadda, yadda, I know. But this is part of your cover. You have to do this.”

“So I am to do this while you laugh and say things to other men to entice them?”

“You’re not familiar with the concept of flirting, are you? It’s just harmless words. Men and women do it all the time.”

“Just words.”

“Yep. Just words. Doesn’t mean anything.”

“What if they touch you while they say it?”

“Well, then that means something different.”

“I see.” Hugh considered this, then glanced over at me. “The were-cougar was going to touch you.”

I frowned. I didn’t remember that. Had Hugh misinterpreted the signals? “I won’t let anyone touch me, I promise.” I didn’t want them to, anyhow.

To my surprise, he extended his pinky. “Swear it.”

I grinned and linked my pinky with his. “Sworn.” Just that bare touch of our skin made a shiver go up and down my body, though, and I recoiled away, trying to recover before we went into the restaurant. “Just . . . give me a minute.”

“This swearing is not good for you,” Hugh observed.

I chuckled despite the pangs wracking my body. “You started it.”

“So I did,” he said thoughtfully.

Speed dating? Unmitigated disaster.

I sat Hugh down and explained the concept to him. He would sit at a numbered table, where he would be given a small card. Every five minutes, I’d ring a bell and the men would sit down at a new table with a new woman. The concept was to get to know each other for a few minutes. Simple enough. At the end of the evening, everyone would write down the assigned numbers of the people they thought they would be compatible with. If there was a match, I’d set them up later in the system.

In the meantime, I made Hugh promise he couldn’t talk about primordials, fae, the primordial realm, Finian, his vow, changelings, or anything along those lines. Just smile and be friendly, I assured him. And then I hurried away to explain the details of the speed mating game to the others in attendance. Hugh glared at me as I left his side; for a moment I thought he’d follow, but he didn’t.

As I met one shifter, I was surprised to see he was wearing sunglasses indoors. “Hi, my name is Ryder,” I told him. I gave a cheerful wave to avoid doing a handshake, but he stuck his hand out anyhow. Ah, shoot. Blind.

“I’m Brad,” he said, smiling, his hand still extended. “Michigo.”

Dang it. I hated handshakes. There was something inherently intimate about putting your hand in someone else’s, and the closer I got to my birthday, the more the small touches bothered me. I winced and put my hand in his, shaking it as quickly as possible. Just like that, my beast reared, and I bit my lip so hard that I tasted blood. When I was calm, I said, “Pleased to meet you, Brad. Do you have any questions about the speed dating tonight?”

“Just one. Are you one of the dates?” He grinned.

“You big flirt,” I teased, shaking my hands out and flexing them to will my monster away. “I’m just the organizer.”

“But you have such a lovely voice,” he told me, that smile still on his face. “I’m sure the rest of you matches.”

“I’m sure it does,” I said coyly. “But I’m human and not on the menu.”

“Some of us have educated palates and aren’t afraid to try a little something new,” Brad said. “But I have to say, I’m disappointed.”

I chuckled. “I’m sure you’ll enjoy meeting our lovely ladies here tonight.”

“You’ll keep me in mind if you ever decide you want to date a shifter?” He continued to smile in my direction, pulling out his white cane. “I would tell you that you have a lovely smell, but most humans don’t appreciate that.”

“I’ve been around enough shifters to know a compliment when I hear one,” I flirted. “But I’ll be glad to help you if you’d like assistance from table to table.”

“I’d say no, but then that would deprive me of your presence, and I can’t resist,” Brad said with a grin. “So I’ll accept.”

“Perfect,” I said, linking my arm through his but making sure to touch just his coat sleeve. I still had ripples of muscle jerking along my back, but I kept my fists clenched in the hopes that it’d die down. After a few moments, it did, and I exhaled a sigh of relief. One hurdle down.

I rang the bell, clicked on my stopwatch, and the speed dating started.

I knew it was going to be a problem the minute Hugh sat down at the first table. He scowled at everyone, for starters, and then proceeded to snarl at his poor date, who trembled with fear. I bit my lip, watching. Should I intervene? I hesitated.

Then Hugh turned and gave me a foul look, as if this was all my fault.

I decided to let him suffer through the entire speed date cycle after that.

I rang the bell soon enough, the five minutes passing like eternity—for myself and Hugh, I imagined—and then I headed over to escort Brad to his next table. “Find someone you like?” I asked him.

“Yes, but she says she doesn’t date shifters,” he flirted back.

What a doll. “I meant at your table.”

“Ah. There’s potential, but her voice wasn’t nearly as lovely as yours,” he told me.

“Maybe this next will do the trick,” I said, steering him with my hand on his sleeve, careful to avoid skin contact. I dropped Brad off before he could flirt more and resumed my position at the head of the room, where I rang the bell again. “Date number two, start!”

Five couples immediately began talking and shaking hands. One couple did not: couple number two—Hugh and a pretty were-something. I should have guessed. She’d extended her hand for him to shake. He’d taken it, examined it for a moment, and then handed it back as if not interested. Poor woman.

As I watched the couples interact, my gaze slid back to Brad. Michigo. I recognized the name—were-otter family. I’d never met Brad before, though. I’d have remembered someone who flirted as blatantly as I did. He’d definitely seemed interested, though, and even though I hated to admit it, his blindness had me intrigued.

If he was blind, he wouldn’t notice me shifting into something else if he touched me. He’d feel I was changing, all right, but there were ways around that. I could handcuff him to the headboard of my bed, for starters. Or get him drunk. Something.

He wasn’t my True Love, but this had potential. I might lose my virginity after all.

I just had to ditch my big shadow.

I hid my bubbling excitement as the speed dating continued. Hugh seemed downright miserable, as did each woman he sat with. That was a shame. Maybe if I could find him someone to date, I could get him off my back long enough to hop into bed with a stranger.

Ugh. I didn’t like the way that sounded, but I was running low on options.

I rang the final bell. “All right, everyone. Final round is over! Please swing by to turn in your cards.” I put on my cheeriest smile. “If there are any matches, I’ll notify you via email later tonight.”

I collected cards as people approached me, and I noticed that a few had started chatting on their own, laughing and talking. That was a good sign. That meant we’d have a few promising matchups. The worst was when everyone filed out without talking. Then I knew the evening had gone badly.

I received eleven cards—Hugh’s was blank and he gave me another obnoxious glare before moving to my side—and I glanced down the row to see that Brad was still in his seat. “Wait here,” I told Hugh and set off for Brad before Hugh could argue with me. I sauntered up and noticed that Brad had turned his head toward me before I even got there, his shifter sense of smell alerting him to my presence. “Decide you couldn’t get enough of this place?” I teased, putting my hand on his sleeve again. “Or just waiting for me?”

He grinned. “Waiting for the perfect opportunity to point out that the laws changed and shifters can now date humans with the approval of their alpha. Considering I’m the alpha of my group, I give myself permission. So what do you say to drinks?”

“Drinks?” I pretended to consider this, even while my heart was skipping madly in my chest. Excitement made my hands curl, and my fingers dug into his sleeve. “Don’t drinks usually lead to more?”

“Only if both parties want it,” he said, getting to his feet. He stood close to me—extremely close. “Why, are you interested in it being more?”

I need sex! I wanted to blurt, but I kept my voice coy. “I might be—”

One massive hand descended on Brad’s chest, and one on my shoulder, and we were forcibly separated. Hugh stepped between us. “This woman is not available for you,” Hugh said in an angry voice. “Do not touch her.”

“Hugh,” I said sweetly, my teeth gritted. “Step off. This is none of your business.”

“It is my business,” Hugh said.

Brad lifted his hands in the air, walking cane tucked under his arm. “I don’t want any trouble. I didn’t realize she was claimed.”

“I’m not,” I protested. “I’m not his mate. And I do want to go out for drinks.”

“No,” Hugh said again and turned back to me. His cat-eyes were fierce. “I have endured this speedy dating because you insisted. Now it is my turn to insist. Ryder, you are to leave with me.”

I shrugged Hugh’s big hand off my shoulder, furious. “And what if I say no?”

“It sounds like the lady doesn’t want to go with you, friend,” Brad began mildly. Far too mild for an alpha, I thought bitterly. It was clear Brad was a bit of a liar. He gave an apologetic smile in Hugh’s direction. “Perhaps you should leave her alone.”

“My job is to remain at her side and protect her virginity,” Hugh snarled in Brad’s face. His big hand clamped down on my shoulder again.

Despite the fact that we were in a side room at the restaurant, several people in the next room turned to look over at us, overhearing Hugh’s words.

“Oh, my God,” I moaned. “You did not just say that out loud in a crowded restaurant.”

“And if she doesn’t want it protected?” Brad asked.

“Yeah,” I said, pushing Hugh’s hand off my shoulder again.

“Then I will protect it for her,” Hugh said. “Against her will if I must.”

“You can’t make me leave,” I hissed at him. “This is a public place.” I was safe from him here.

Hugh leaned in to me, his face close to mine. “I am sorry for what I am about to do.”

“Do? What—”

His hand moving to the back of my neck, he leaned forward and pressed his mouth to mine in a startling, fierce kiss. His lips mashed against my own, and his scent was in my nostrils, his body pressed to mine.

Then, just as quickly, he pulled away. I stared up at him, dazed.

“Now, we leave,” Hugh said.

I blinked, trying to process all of this. Kiss? Leave? What? He grabbed my hand in his and dragged me toward the doors of the restaurant.

I immediately tried to jerk away, realizing what all this was about.

He was deliberately activating my changeling side. Hugh knew that if my curse kicked in, I’d have no choice but to leave with him. Anger burned inside me, but it was quickly swallowed up by the transformation spiraling through my body. My monster coiled and reared, and I felt my skin shiver with awareness. Anger at Hugh blossomed, then quickly turned to fear when others started to look at us.

Damn him! I stopped struggling and gave everyone a cheerful wave, practically running with Hugh as he stomped toward the parking lot. I had to make things seem like they were normal, or else someone was sure to follow us out due to concern for me. And that was the last thing I wanted—if someone followed us, they’d get a glimpse of my scaly side.

It was evident to me that the change was going to come whether I wanted it or not. Even now, I could feel the throb in my shoulder blades that was the onset of my wings, and my gums ached from where my fangs were about to pop. My grip tightened in Hugh’s, and I knew the pressure I was exerting would soon be intense.

But if that didn’t communicate my anxiety, nothing would.

As soon as we got to the parking lot, I bolted, dashing away from Hugh. He let me, and I continued on, racing for my car. My hand fumbled to find my keys, but claws were sprouting and my muscles were clenching, and it was impossible for me to concentrate. Pain erupted, throbbing through my body.

Too late. Before I could even open the door to my vehicle, my legs gave out. I crouched, huddling around myself as my changes tore through me.

Hugh crouched low next to me. His hand smoothed down my back, ignoring the fact that it was lumpy and the muscles were seething. “I am sorry, Ryder.”

“You . . . suck . . .” I whispered between gasps, my hands clenched tight as my tail ripped out of my back. I gave a small cry of pain, only to have it swallowed as he pulled me against his chest, muffling my cries as he held me close.

“It grieves me to do this to you,” he murmured, and his hand stroked my hair even as he cradled me tight.

I fought him for a moment, but feebly. The transformation was happening, and I couldn’t stop it any more than I could stop him from holding me close.

And what was worse? With every stroke of his hand on my hair, I didn’t want him to stop holding me.

I’d never been held by a man before, after all. And since this one knew what I was going to turn into, he wouldn’t flinch away. Well, not much. As the scales coated my skin and my face hardened into bumps and horns, I burrowed closer to his chest, letting him hide me away in the dark, shadowy parking lot.

And I breathed in his wildly intoxicating scent. He smelled so good. So masculine. And his arms around me felt delicious. My pulse was throbbing hard, but it seemed centered between my legs instead of its normal place. Liquid heat was pouring through my muscles and I groaned again, the presence of Hugh and his nearness sweeping away any memories of pain.

I’d take a transformation if it let a man hold me. I was starved for it. Aching. This was one of the most deliciously sinful moments of my life, and I could almost forget that I had scales, wings, and a tail.

His hand continued to stroke my hair as my body cramped and shivered through the change. “I have you, Ryder. I have you.”

It was weird. Two minutes ago I wanted to smack Hugh in the face for ruining my plans. Now? I felt cherished, comforted . . . and aroused. I laid my hand on the broad flat of his chest . . . and was repulsed by what I saw. Long talons on the tip of each finger. Brownish-green scales. Bumps that crept up my arms like bizarre jewelry.

Not a pretty sight.

The moment ruined, I pushed Hugh away and averted my face, turning my back to him. “Don’t touch me.”

“Very well.” He still crouched next to me, but he no longer held me. His hand fell away from my hair, and I could have wept from the loss.

Now that my arousal had died, though, so did the transformation. I bit down on one scaly knuckle as the reversal began to rip through me, reverting me back to my cute, blond human form. Minutes later, I stood there, panting heavily, my clothing stretched and ripped in several places.

And I straightened and glared at Hugh, adjusting my now loose cardigan. “Are you going to pull a stunt like that every time I talk to a man?”

“I don’t know. Are you going to offer your virginity to every man you meet?” His voice was flat, cold.

“Does it matter?” I cried out, scooping up my purse and shoving the contents back into it. I must have knocked it over when I’d changed, and makeup had spilled out onto the parking lot asphalt. “I start to turn into a monster as soon as any man touches me. I could offer my virginity to everyone I meet and no one would be able to see past the scaly thing I turn into. They think they’re getting a Barbie, and they’re getting Cloverfield instead.”

“I . . . do not understand these things.”

I wiped at my cheeks, hating that they were wet with tears. “Just shut up, Hugh. Just shut up.”