Sol chose to eat breakfast at the same diner where she and Ty had shared dinner the night before. You are so lame. She wasn’t even hungry. She needed to get back on the road, forget about Ty Wasape, and quit avoiding her problems. Mom’s frantic texts and voicemails had ended only when Sol called her and listened to a twenty-minute harangue. If you are not home today, I will call the police, the Army, the FBI and…and your father.
Since her father was dead, Sol figured she’d pushed Mom beyond her usual parental melting point. It was time to go home.
After dumping two containers of artificial creamer into her coffee, Sol sighed. She didn’t understand the chemistry with Ty, but didn’t have to—it was there. In a freaky-deaky way. She didn’t want to leave without seeing him again. She’d had crazy dreams last night, just like all the other crazy dreams she’d had since her twenty-first birthday. In fact, that’s when all weird crap started happening at her apartment.
“Hello.” A young man with short black hair, a strong jawline, and a chocolate-brown gaze stood next to her table. He had a boyish charm and a flirtatious manner, and Sol found herself smiling at him.
“Hi.” Sol saw the interest in his eyes and admitted that she enjoyed the attention. Especially after the way Ty had dumped her on the stairwell the night before. The young man didn’t have Ty Wasape’s raw magnetism, but there was something to be said for cute and pleasant.
“Are you alone?” he asked.
“Yes.” Unfortunately.
“May I sit?”
Sol was a little taken aback by his forwardness, especially since he took the chair across from her without waiting for her answer. The air glimmered around her, and she saw a swirl of dark colors dancing between them. She blinked, and the ugly browns and harsh blacks disappeared. Suddenly, the young man across from her no longer seemed appealing.
Ty Wasape sure had done a number on her.
“I can’t believe someone hasn’t laid claim to such a beautiful woman.”
What an odd thing to say. Sol stirred her coffee, and then sipped from the mug.
“I’m Johnny,” he said. “And you are?”
“Leaving after breakfast.”
Johnny raised his eyebrows. “Where are you headed?”
Sol frowned. “It was nice to meet you,” she lied. She pulled out her smartphone. “I need to call my mother.”
“I’ll wait.”
“The hell you—“
“Johnny. I see you’ve met my…friend.”
The familiar voice rumbled from behind Sol. She looked over her shoulder, startled to see Ty standing behind her. She hadn’t heard or seen his approach. If looks could vaporize, Johnny would’ve been a puff of smoke.
The young man frowned, but he vacated his seat. “Ty. I didn’t know you were here.”
“Obviously.”
She caught Johnny’s gaze and saw a flash of hostility. Apparently the boy wasn’t a fan of Ty’s. Or maybe he was just scared of him and trying to front a little.
“Good luck,” Johnny said. He smiled at Sol, and she felt a chill zip down her spine. “With him, you’ll need it.” He turned around and strode away.
Ty’s lip curled into a snarl as he took the seat opposite Sol. “Johnny’s a punk. Ignore him.”
“He works here?”
“He’s a pet project of Meredith’s—she manages the casino.” He studied her face, and then asked, “Bad dreams?”
His dark, obsidian eyes held sympathy. She didn’t want to forgive him, but she couldn’t look away. No one’s eyes were that naturally dark, she thought. It felt as if he could see down to the bottom of her soul. Gah! The man hadn’t even apologized for leaving her in the lurch. She narrowed her eyes at him and began loudly eating her toast.
“You’re up early,” he continued as though she’d responded.
“And you care why, exactly?”
“I’m keeping my promise.”
“How white-knight of you.”
Ty frowned, as though he didn’t understand her ire. “You didn’t sleep well, did you?”
“No, I didn’t, Nosey Pants.”
Her answer seemed to amuse him.
“Your breakfast is getting cold.” He reached out and plucked a piece of bacon from her plate and took a bite. “This is really good.” Ty looked around the empty dining room until he spotted the waitress and waved her over. He smiled at Sol. “I think I’ll join you.”
*
As Ty sat across from Sol, watching her eat, his cock pressed against the seam of his jeans. He remembered how good her lips had felt wrapped around him, and he wanted her to do it again. He wanted to return that pleasure, and show her how it felt to be fully claimed. He wanted Sol to be his, and only his. It had taken every bit of self-control to stop his bear from tearing Johnny White apart. It didn’t matter that the boy was Meredith Big Horse’s cousin. Seeing Solange smile at Johnny had triggered a primal instinct to protect. Mine, he thought.
How could she flirt with another man? No, not even a man—a boy! The problem was, he shouldn’t have cared. She was his murder suspect. So why did she already feel like she was his to keep? The magic had probably infiltrated him. Perhaps the bear stone hadn’t protected him at all. The excuses felt weak, and he knew that his need for Sol went far deeper than he wanted to admit. Magic did not compel him—the mating urge did.
“Ty!” Meredith approached their table, her usually calm expression full of panic. “Joseph is dead.” She swallowed hard as tears spilled down her cheeks. “He’s in the parking lot.” Her gaze said all he needed to know. Her husband had died violently. Like the others.
“Call the tribal police.” Ty looked at Sol. “Stay here.”
He hurried out of the casino and paused, sniffing the air. He followed the scent of blood that rivaled the smells of asphalt and burned motor oil. In a remote area of the hotel parking lot, between an SUV and a van, he found the lifeless and mauled body of one of his oldest friends. Like with the three previous murders, his stomach had been ripped open and his throat cut. This was a fresh kill—only minutes old. But Joseph hadn’t been a bear shifter, so why murder him? Why this manner of death? He sensed the remnants of magic and thought of Sol. She had been with him at the diner. How could she have murdered Joseph?
“Ty?”
He surged to his feet and whipped around. How had Solange managed to follow him without him sensing her at all? She was too powerful to be innocent. She could fool even his honed shifter abilities. Ty grabbed her arms, grief for his friend strangling his thoughts. “This is your fault, witch!”
Solange’s mouth dropped open and her eyes went wide. Ty felt a spike of power. Her magic was wild, untamed, and it made the hair on his arms stand up.
“Stop your spellcasting,” he demanded.
“Let go of me.”
Ty could scent her fear, but not her deception. He released her, and she backed away, rubbing her arms. “You’re crazy.”
He felt the magic shaking the cars, making alarms blare and windows crack, and it was definitely coming from Sol. Louder sirens warned the tribal police were nearly on scene. He would need to assess the body quickly before they arrived.
Ty realized that Sol was close to running away, that she truly feared him now.
“Please,” he said, “go to the hotel and wait for me. Give me a chance to explain.”
“No,” she said, her voice trembling. She turned and ran.
Damn it.