direction.
“Thank you for your concern.” Seamus’s face heated up. He was angry. “As unwelcome and rude as it is. Now, it’s time for you to leave.”
“I will make sure it’s safe here,” offered Ri as a warning to Pete. Ri didn’t know what game Pete was playing, or when he’d bring back his pack, but Ri would defend Seamus.
Seamus, however, didn’t look reassured. He looked baffled as he glanced between the two of them. “Why are you both going on about safety?”
Pete gestured, an arm lashing out. “Shame, I really need to talk to you—”
“No, you do not,” Seamus cut him off.
“I don’t know who”—Pete tilted his head towards Ri—“you’re involved with, but there’s no need—”
“I’m not involved with anyone . And if I were, it would be none of your business. We’ve been through this before, Pete.”
“C’mon.”
Ri stepped closer and spoke to Pete. “He wants you to leave.”
Pete turned his way, eyes hot and angry. Anger was something Ri associated with wolves, but the concern beneath that was… Well, it made Pete seem like a complicated being, not a vicious murderer.
Still had a pack though. Wolves always did.
“What are you?” Pete demanded of Ri.
Seamus bolted to standing. “That’s it.” He pointed to the porch stairs. “Out of here. Now. Two years and you’re acting like a complete asshole to my friend.”
“How long have you known this ‘friend’?”
“Leave!” yelled Seamus. Pete and Seamus stared at each other, some kind of standoff, yet it was clear Pete had no intention of attacking. His shoulders slumped in defeat.
Ri remained torn between feeling warmed at being described as Seamus’s friend and nonplused by Pete’s strategy. Ri’s nose was not a werewolf’s, but he could swear the wolf was sincere in his concern. Maybe wolf-pack tactics had gotten a lot more sophisticated in the last few years?
Pete turned his angry gaze on Ri and lifted a warning finger. “You watch yourself.” The or else was implied, and with that unspecific threat, Ri decided that despite Pete’s confusing behavior, he and Seamus could not stay at the farm. Pete and his pack would be back, and he needed to get Seamus away from here. While Ri could have taken on Pete, a pack was beyond his abilities.
Once Pete stalked off, rounding the house and going to the front, Seamus sat down, and they both listened to the car start up and drive away. Ri wasn’t sure what to say but he was ravenous, so he went into the kitchen and made himself three sandwiches, got himself a long drink of water, then juice, and carried his food back out to the porch.
He didn’t know how he was going to explain to Seamus that he was a horse shifter and Pete was a wolf. He couldn’t explain. Yet how else to convince Seamus it was no longer safe at the farm? That a wolf pack might be targeting him for reasons unknown. Maybe because of Ri himself.
Seamus was standing in the backyard, staring out into the field. His shoulders were bowed, as if he was upset. Pete seemed to mean something to the man, which confused the hell out of Ri. In his experience, all werewolves were psychopaths or at best followers of psychopaths. Yet, Pete had been…annoying.
So far , Ri reminded himself. Stay alert to danger. Maybe this encounter was part of a much longer game.
Seamus turned around and walked towards Ri. His body filled out his clothes the way Ri’s body never did, and the desire that lanced through Ri alarmed him, but not as much as the desire to look after this man. He didn’t understand it. They had a fledgling relationship, if that. It was as if something in Ri had focused on Seamus because he’d inherited the farm. It wasn’t logical and yet Ri was powerless to stop it.
As Seamus walked up the steps, Ri said, “I’m sorry.”
Seamus slid him a look. “For what?”
“For what I’m going to say.”
To Ri’s surprise, Seamus smiled, and there was a dimple on his right cheek among all those freckles.
“Thank you for your concern.” Seamus’s face heated up. He was angry. “As unwelcome and rude as it is. Now, it’s time for you to leave.”
“I will make sure it’s safe here,” offered Ri as a warning to Pete. Ri didn’t know what game Pete was playing, or when he’d bring back his pack, but Ri would defend Seamus.
Seamus, however, didn’t look reassured. He looked baffled as he glanced between the two of them. “Why are you both going on about safety?”
Pete gestured, an arm lashing out. “Shame, I really need to talk to you—”
“No, you do not,” Seamus cut him off.
“I don’t know who”—Pete tilted his head towards Ri—“you’re involved with, but there’s no need—”
“I’m not involved with anyone . And if I were, it would be none of your business. We’ve been through this before, Pete.”
“C’mon.”
Ri stepped closer and spoke to Pete. “He wants you to leave.”
Pete turned his way, eyes hot and angry. Anger was something Ri associated with wolves, but the concern beneath that was… Well, it made Pete seem like a complicated being, not a vicious murderer.
Still had a pack though. Wolves always did.
“What are you?” Pete demanded of Ri.
Seamus bolted to standing. “That’s it.” He pointed to the porch stairs. “Out of here. Now. Two years and you’re acting like a complete asshole to my friend.”
“How long have you known this ‘friend’?”
“Leave!” yelled Seamus. Pete and Seamus stared at each other, some kind of standoff, yet it was clear Pete had no intention of attacking. His shoulders slumped in defeat.
Ri remained torn between feeling warmed at being described as Seamus’s friend and nonplused by Pete’s strategy. Ri’s nose was not a werewolf’s, but he could swear the wolf was sincere in his concern. Maybe wolf-pack tactics had gotten a lot more sophisticated in the last few years?
Pete turned his angry gaze on Ri and lifted a warning finger. “You watch yourself.” The or else was implied, and with that unspecific threat, Ri decided that despite Pete’s confusing behavior, he and Seamus could not stay at the farm. Pete and his pack would be back, and he needed to get Seamus away from here. While Ri could have taken on Pete, a pack was beyond his abilities.
Once Pete stalked off, rounding the house and going to the front, Seamus sat down, and they both listened to the car start up and drive away. Ri wasn’t sure what to say but he was ravenous, so he went into the kitchen and made himself three sandwiches, got himself a long drink of water, then juice, and carried his food back out to the porch.
He didn’t know how he was going to explain to Seamus that he was a horse shifter and Pete was a wolf. He couldn’t explain. Yet how else to convince Seamus it was no longer safe at the farm? That a wolf pack might be targeting him for reasons unknown. Maybe because of Ri himself.
Seamus was standing in the backyard, staring out into the field. His shoulders were bowed, as if he was upset. Pete seemed to mean something to the man, which confused the hell out of Ri. In his experience, all werewolves were psychopaths or at best followers of psychopaths. Yet, Pete had been…annoying.
So far , Ri reminded himself. Stay alert to danger. Maybe this encounter was part of a much longer game.
Seamus turned around and walked towards Ri. His body filled out his clothes the way Ri’s body never did, and the desire that lanced through Ri alarmed him, but not as much as the desire to look after this man. He didn’t understand it. They had a fledgling relationship, if that. It was as if something in Ri had focused on Seamus because he’d inherited the farm. It wasn’t logical and yet Ri was powerless to stop it.
As Seamus walked up the steps, Ri said, “I’m sorry.”
Seamus slid him a look. “For what?”
“For what I’m going to say.”
To Ri’s surprise, Seamus smiled, and there was a dimple on his right cheek among all those freckles.
Similar Books
