14
1643 Words
Robert Montgomery
When she looks up, she wipes her eyes with one hand. “Thank you for finding her and bringing her back.”
“Of course.” I smile at her warmly. My eyes are drawn to her clothes once again. They’re childishly endearing, and I grin. “I like the pajamas.”
She looks down, and her cheeks flush instantly. Seeing the color spread across her pale skin makes me want to tease her more. From our first meeting, I have found her beautiful. The fact that she’s one of those bloodsuckers hasn’t done anything to diminish that attraction. Even when I grew suspicious of her, I couldn’t deny how her presence made me want to admire her beauty. And now, as she looks at me, sniffling, the red coloring her cheeks in embarrassment and mortification, I find my gaze drawn to those pouty lips. There is nothing elegant or sophisticated about her at this moment, and yet all I can think about is how pretty she looks.
“I—I didn’t think I’d run into anybody.” She holds the cat closer to her chest. “Especially not you.”
“You don’t live here.” I look around, my hunch confirmed now.
She gives me a cautious look. “I could.”
“I already know your address, little vampire.”
When she stiffens, I raise a brow. “Don’t you remember I did a background search on you?”
Her shoulders fall in defeat. “Look, I’m going to find another job, okay? I’ll be out of your hair soon.”
It would be ideal if she did. Just because it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, doesn’t always mean it is a duck. Charlotte might not seem to be a threat but if she left, even the tiniest chance of it would disappear.
“You don’t have to leave your job.” I tuck my hands in my pockets, knowing I shouldn’t be saying this. “You can work in my territory and live here. It’s fine.”
She eyes me. “Can I get that in writing?”
A bark of laughter leaves my mouth. “Sure.”
Her nod is jerky, but I can see the relief in her eyes. “I—Thanks. For finding Mano. I don’t know how to repay you.”
“How about buying me dinner?”
Her lips part, and she struggles to say something before glancing to the side at the animal shelter. “I’m on duty tonight. I can’t leave.”
“Then we can order in.”
She can’t seem to think up a reasonable excuse to say no and finally says, “I guess. Sure.”
She really doesn’t want me around, and the more she resists, the more I want to invade her space. I follow her inside. Just standing in the small lobby, I can tell that this is an expensive place. Odd for a shelter.
“I have to bring the dog in. Just wait here. Can you hold Mano? Make sure she doesn’t follow me.”
She dumps the cat in my arms before hurrying to the back of the building. I hear a door open and then a whine. Moments later, the door closes, and there’s the rattle of a cage door. Charlotte’s sweet voice is murmuring apologies to the pup. I smell the distinct scent of what can only be dog treats.
When she returns, she immediately takes Mano from my arms. “C’mere, baby.”
Her voice is a soft croon. I blink, the gentle sound making my heart skip a beat. “You really love her.”
For a brief moment, I find myself envious of the cat who is at the receiving end of such fierce adoration.
“She’s my whole world,” Charlotte admits, not even looking at me. The cat clearly enjoys the attention, purring loudly.
I study the two of them, and then I ask, “Why didn’t you tell me you were the one who saved me, the other night?”
Charlotte freezes for a moment and then opens her mouth. “I don’t know what—”
“Don’t bother lying to me,” I cut her off bluntly. “It was you, alright. Why did you do it? You’d already met me. You must have known what I was. Why help me?”
She shrugs, looking uncomfortable, shifting her gaze away from me and toward the animal in her arms. “Why do you care? It’s already over and done with, and I really don’t like rehashing things.”
“Indulge me,” I insist, smiling at her.
She takes a few minutes to reply, her fingers moving through Mano’s fur. Interesting tactic.
Avoidance.
“Charlotte.”
“You were going to die if I didn’t intervene,” she bursts out, her expression uneasy. “I didn’t think you deserved to die.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. I could help, so I did.”
She has a soft heart. This is merely further evidence.
“Why not just tell me?”
She shrugs. “I didn’t want to be dragged into anything. Besides, it’s not as if you would have believed me. A vampire saving a wolf shifter. Even the idea sounds ridiculous.”
Her reasoning takes me aback, and she gives me a hard look. “I live among humans, like a human, Mr. Montgomery—”
“Robert, please,” I say quickly. “Call me Robert.”
“Fine, but the thing is, I don’t belong anywhere. I have no choice but to live among humans. I don’t want to get dragged into this war between vampires and shifters. I have no role in anything. I just wait on people, sell them coffee, and then I come and volunteer here. I’m going to become a vet one day. See, I have very human aspirations. I’m not a threat to the wolves or the vampires. I just want to be left alone.”
Her voice is matter-of-fact, but I can hear the underlying meaning behind her words.
I don’t belong anywhere.
Not even among the humans, I muse.
What a lonely existence.
I smile at her warmly. “Thank you. For helping me that night.”
She flushes and shrugs once again. “Sure. It was no big deal.”
The way her eye is still slightly bruised tells me she suffered greatly to do it. Especially when she clearly does not have the same fast healing of her kind.
The smart thing would be to close this chapter here and walk away.
Since she doesn’t want to get involved with the supernatural world, it would be best for me to retreat and leave her to the life she’s building for herself. But my wolf doesn’t want to leave. And neither do I.
I still want to ask her about her clan, but the topic seems to be a sensitive one for her.
“So, what about dinner?”
Charlotte looks a little hesitant. “It’s the end of the month, so I don’t have a lot of cash right now. The best I can do is order Chinese. There’s a small takeout place not far from here. They have good egg rolls.”
“Sure.” I pluck Mano from her arms. “You order, then.”
The cat sniffs my face before climbing on top of my shoulder and stretching herself out.
I watch Charlotte place the order, and my mind fills with a hundred questions, none of which I can ask right now. She’s so young, in her early twenties. A man in his mid-thirties is surely nothing short of boring for her, but I can’t talk myself into leaving. Even in her silly pajamas, she is adorable. I don’t think I could ever tire of looking at this woman.
As I stare at Charlotte while she talks to the restaurant on the phone, I realize I’ve never wanted someone the way I want this woman. Everything inside me, including my wolf, wants to possess this beautiful creature, and the sheer force of this desire frightens me. From the moment I laid eyes on her, I’ve been fascinated. I knew what she was then, and I know what she is now, but it doesn’t matter.
It must be a purely physical response. Because why would I be attracted to a vampire? It makes no sense. My kind can sleep with those outside our species, but our wolves are drawn to our mates, whether fated or chosen by our animals. I can’t understand my wolf’s desire to be around this little vampire.
I’ve seen plenty of beautiful women in my life. Since I’m the Alpha, especially these days, there is no shortage of women throwing themselves at me. And yet my eyes keep going toward this little barista with her one-eyed cat, childish pajamas, and untamed hair. I keep watching her face, the way her lips move, how her eyes glisten.
I’ve been attracted to women before, but never like this.
A small voice in my head tells me to leave. It warns me not to be selfish, not to be foolish. Charlotte doesn’t want to be dragged into the world of Others, and the scarring on my face acts as a repellent against women as it is.
My lips curve in a self-deprecating smile. Charlotte doesn’t look at me and see a desirable man. She must see an Alpha with a terrifying, ugly face.
But the fact that those eyes of hers don’t hold the slightest amount of disdain both puzzles and intrigues me. It makes me want to stay. The boy inside me who has been shunned for so long wonders when he will see that disgust.
- Writer
