“Whoa, wait a minute.” He snatched the bag of carrots out of the air. “We’re not here to get the cheapest stuff. I want good food. I want organic or whatever. If it costs more, fine.”
She surveyed her list. “But…” She cocked her hip. “You don’t have much in the house, and we’re probably going to have to feed your pack mates.”
“So?”
“So, it’s going to cost a ton to get all this stuff if I don’t bargain-hunt.”
“No bargains. I want to taste the food.”
“You’ll taste it either—”
“No bargains,” he interrupted, holding up his hand to forestall future arguments. “I’m not telling you what to cook, so don’t you tell me what to buy.”
Tossing up her hands, she said, “Fine, but don’t blame me if you go bankrupt.”
“Just so we’re clear, I’m definitely going to blame you.”
She nudged him with her elbow and smiled. Shaking her head, she headed toward the organic produce.
“I guarantee this will be cheaper than constantly eating out,” he said, then stifled a groan when she reached for broccoli.
“True…”
“And easier on the waistline.”
“Oh yeah, because you desperately need help with that.”
“And lots of meat. I eat meat!” Devon flicked her ponytail, the gesture unlike him. But her playfulness was infectious. On that alone he could believe she was fae. When she let herself go, she sparkled with mirth and joy, something that spread like a virus, even to a guy who’d never had a lot of humor in his life.
She led the way to the next aisle, leaving the cart behind.
“Oh, I get to push the cart, then?” he asked, following.
“Obviously. Make yourself useful.”
“We get paid at the end of the week, by the way,” he said, his gaze snagging on her round, muscular butt. He ripped his eyes away. She’d kick his ass if she caught him looking. “Every other week after that.”
“I meant to talk to you about rent.” She threw a couple of items into the basket before scratching off more of her list. “We need to work out an amount for that and other bills. I don’t know how much I can afford—”
“You’re staying as my guest,” he said, scanning the boxes on the shelves without really seeing them. “You won’t be paying rent.”
“I’m staying as your burden. Rent is the least I can do.”
“Same difference, and no.”
She dropped in some olives, and he nearly made her take them back out again. He wasn’t a fan. Then again, he’d actually liked a giant mushroom made with old wine. He’d probably enjoy anything she put on a plate. She had a real gift for cooking. And fighting. And annoying the hell out of him. She was a woman of many talents.
“I’ve never understood that expression,” she said. “It’s a difference, which by definition means it can’t be the same. If it were the same, it wouldn’t have a difference.”
“Leave the philosophical babble for school, please. Speaking of, how did today go?”
She shrugged as she moved on, stopping in the next aisle to analyze canned soup. “The afternoon class was the one with Andy, so that was actually good. He insisted that I sit with him and his friends. It was nice to be included.”
“The guys seem to like you, not to mention Macy.”
She turned her face up to his, a smile of gratitude boosting her loveliness. “I’ve landed in hell, but I’m in the trenches with good people. I didn’t have many friends growing up. It’s a neat feeling.”
“You’ve lived a pretty lonely life, huh?”
Cans clinked as they fell into the cart. “Yeah. I could never have friends over because of my dad. And when I tested into a preparatory high school, I was the stinky, dirty, poor kid. None of the parents wanted me in their kids’ lives. I had one or two school friends, but it’s hard to have a lasting thing if you don’t see each other after school.”
“And when you were older you had that guy John?”
A dreamy, lovesick look crossed her face. She smiled in a serene sort of way.
A way, Devon realized, no woman had ever smiled for him.
Confusion stole over him, followed by a weird clenching in his gut. He waited for the anger to rush in, covering the softness that was growing in his middle. Strangely, nothing came.
“He was my light in the darkness, yes,” she said, the memory softening her face into something absolutely exquisite. Her ethereal quality was practically a beacon. He couldn’t understand why people didn’t stop and stare at her in rapture.
Then again, now that he was noticing, everyone they passed smiled at her. They might not be magical, but they were affected all the same. He wondered if that was an element of being a fae, or if it was just her.
“We spent every moment we could together from sixteen to nineteen,” she answered. “He was a year younger, even though we were in the same grade, so fifteen to eighteen for him. We were together most of high school.”
“When did you lose your virginity?”
“Not real nosey, are you?” Charity muttered. “We’d been together a year. I was seventeen.”
“And he’s been your only one?”
“Yes, and now we can change the subject.”
Devon smirked. “Aren’t you going to ask me when I lost my virginity?”
“Nope.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t care.”
He flicked her ponytail again. “I thought women were supposed to be curious?”
“This one minds her own business because she doesn’t want a certain beautiful blonde to set her bed on fire while she’s sleeping in it.”
Devon laughed, picking brownie mix off the shelf and tossing it into the cart. Charity halted with a frown. She took the box out of the cart and handed it back.
“I like brownies,” he said, clasping his hands behind his back so she couldn’t take the mix.
She slapped it to his chest. “Yes, I know, but I don’t make them from the box. I have the ingredients for brownies on the list.”
“You do? Homemade?”
“No, elf-made…”
“I doubt elves eat brownies. But from scratch, I mean?”
“Oh yeah.” She scratched her chin as a troubled expression crossed her face. “I forgot elves were real.” She applied pressure to the box against his chest. “Yes, from scratch.”
He took the box. “How’d you know I like brownies? Are you secretly pining after me? You are, aren’t you? You’re stalking me.”
Charity huffed, but a smile tweaked her lips. “You eat them constantly—how could I not know? It’s the only snack you have in the cupboards. I find crumbs all over the kitchen. Which is annoying, by the way. You’re lucky it’s your house, or I’d be all over you to clean up after yourself.”
He huffed out a laugh, and warmth glowed in his chest. It was such a small thing, someone noticing his snacks, but he hadn’t been looked after in a long time. His mother had lost interest in him as he approached puberty—most likely because she’d suspected what would happen—and his dad had worked all the time. His friends had been tough guys, and the girls in his life had been shallow conquests. No one had really valued him as anything other than a functioning pack mate or a good time. No one had been around to notice what made him tick. It was kind of nice.
A memory wiped the smile off his face.
When she’d curled up into his arms last night, afraid and looking for safety, a deep throb had pulsed through his body. He’d felt powerful in the role of protector, something the alpha in him craved. It was what had made his thoughts stray all day. It was why he might’ve been avoiding her, just a little.
This morning’s unspoken challenge hadn’t helped. In her fiery gaze, he’d seen the girl who had taken on an elder and lived to tell the tale. Her magic had pulsed within her, filling the room, singeing his skin. He’d longed to run at it. To take her hand and sprint into battle. This was
what Roger had been talking about, Devon knew. Their magic belonged together. He felt it.
He liked it.
He didn’t need the distraction of any of this.
“Uh-oh,” she said, as though talking to herself. She dropped pasta into the cart, crossed it off her list, and wandered on. “Back to grumpy and brooding, I see. Well…” She sighed and stopped in front of the canned tomatoes. “The fun and easygoing Devon was nice while it lasted.” She chewed on her plump lip. “I’m sorry about last night too, by the way.”
He froze, half wondering if he’d been muttering out loud.
“I didn’t mean to interfere with Yasmine,” she finished, and wandered to the next aisle.
He released a breath he hadn’t known he’d been holding.
“You didn’t ruin anything. Just prolonged the inevitable. Don’t worry. It won’t last. They never do.”
She shrugged, then reached up on tiptoes to the top shelf for her horrible oatmeal. Devon leaned over her to grab the package and toss it in the cart.
“I wasn’t worried. I just don’t want to step on your toes.”
“Well I don’t think you have to worry about girls hanging around.” He poked a box of cereal, needing a little violence to go with this conversation. “I’m not that kinda guy.”
“That’s because you go after the wrong type of women.”
“Is that right?”
“This must be one of those things that’s obvious to everyone else but the person involved. You go after women who are very pretty.” She held up her hand. “I’m not blaming you. If I were a guy and Yasmine came on to me, I’d definitely hit that. The girl is freaking hot. But I bet the girls you…date aren’t as smart or interesting as you, so you get bored after the sex. Find a girl that has more to offer, one that’s looking for more than a hot guy with a hot bod—or in Yasmine’s case, an alpha with potential—and you might have more luck.”
“I don’t want more luck. I’m good with just the sex.”
Charity shrugged. “There you go, then. You’re all set. But please keep the noise low, because I can’t sleep very well these days. Oh, I should get earplugs just in case.”
Devon stopped in the middle of the aisle and blinked dazedly. “Did you just compliment me on my appearance and body, give me a verbal high five for being a slut, ask me to have quiet sex, and then opt for earplugs assuming I probably wouldn’t? Did all that come out of your mouth within the space of thirty seconds?” He narrowed his eyes. “You are a girl, right? Because usually girls are not this cool.”
“They are when they have no interest in getting you naked.” Charity laughed. “I’m being logical. Like I said, pick different women, and you might enjoy a conversation once in a while.”
After venturing up and down another few aisles, they approached the checkout line with a cart full of food.
“Where did you learn martial arts, by the way?” he asked as she stalled in choosing a line.
She looked down her list, her forehead showing worry lines. “I got lessons at a dojo close to my house growing up.”
“How’d you pay for it?”
“I didn’t. At first I hung around outside the windows and tried to see what was going on. When I got caught, the sensei said I could act as a janitor in exchange for standing in the back. I was about twelve. That was obviously a great deal for me, so I worked hard for them. It turned out I had—have, I guess—a certain affinity for martial arts, so when I started learning faster than anyone else, he paid more attention to me. Eventually he passed me around to others in the community so I could learn different styles.” She lowered her list and looked over the heaping cart, her worry growing. “This is too much, Devon.”
“You’re supposed to be some sort of brutal magical warrior,” Devon said without thinking, eyeing the contents of the cart.
She scoffed. “Fat chance.” She chewed on that plump lip again, drawing his gaze. “This is going to cost a lot of money, Devon.”
He gently moved her out of the way and pushed the cart forward. “Then you had better cook some good stuff.”
As the items were slid across the scanner, Charity got increasingly agitated. “We shouldn’t have gotten so much.”
“It’s not like this is an extravagant purchase. It’s food, Chastity. It won’t go to waste.”
Her eyes got larger and larger to match the total. He pushed the cart through the lane and took up his position at the credit card machine, watching the bagger organize and bag the items. The total was at $156.78 and climbing rapidly.
Charity lightly grabbed his upper arm. Electricity sliced through his body, sucking his attention to her. She looked like she was on the verge of tears. The total was now at $231.23 and increasing with each slide of the checker’s hands.
“What did we do…” she said, nearly whimpering.
“Chastity, it’s food. I had nothing in the house. This is how much things cost. But don’t worry, I haven’t put in my club card yet. Savings are just around the corner—I saw you slipping in deals when you thought I wasn’t looking.”
“I’ll help. I’ll help pay for it. When I have money from payday, I’ll help!”
He pulled her shoulders so she was facing him instead of the mounting total. He placed his palm on her soft cheek, feeling the electricity surge between them. She sucked in a surprised breath, probably from his proximity, or from his touch. Maybe both.
“It’s fine,” he said softly, ruffling her long lashes with his breath. “This is going to save me money in the long run, I promise. I have the money to buy food; I’ve just never had the motivation. You’re my motivation. Relax.”
Her shoulders dropped, just a bit. The knot between her eyebrows smoothed. Her eyes held his, and the intense look in them unexpectedly stiffened his cock for the second time.
He froze. She took a step back, making him drop his hands. Confusion stole through her gaze, something he was sure mirrored his own.
“You’re a good alpha,” she whispered. “You lead with conviction and confidence. You inspire trust.”
“Well, if I can lead someone in the grocery store, I guess I have it made,” he said to lighten the mood.
Her grin didn’t reach her troubled eyes. She just nodded and moved behind him—without touching—to the bags being placed in the cart.
He turned to the credit card machine, needing to catch his breath. What in the hell was going on with him? Was this her magic somehow?
He tried to push it from his mind as he paid and followed her out of the store. Only a few cars loitered in the large parking lot, a couple up front, probably belonging to patrons, and a couple dotting the far spaces, waiting for employees, no doubt. It belatedly occurred to him that the store had been awfully quiet. It was strange for the early evening hours. Or maybe this supermarket wasn’t heavily trafficked; he didn’t know.
The early evening embraced them, cool but dry. Lights dotted the open space, showering fuzzy circles on the concrete, barely brighter than the sky
“Sorry about that, in there,” Devon said as he clicked his fob to unlock the SUV. He waited for the rear hatch to lift. “I was trying to get your mind off the total. I didn’t mean to invade your space.”
A bag crinkled as Charity took it from the cart. “It worked. For a moment, anyway. I wasn’t kidding; you’re a good alpha. You have this way about you…” She shrugged. “You inspire trust, like I said in there. You inspire loyalty. I think you’re going to go really far. As soon as you get rid of me, anyway.”
He laughed as he moved the bags into the car. “My goodness. All these compliments? I scarcely know who I’m talking to.”
She joined him in laughter, helping him unload. “Don’t get used to it. As soon as I get a good night’s sleep, I’ll be as surly as ever. I’ll get you fighting yet.”
He nearly joked about her never getting a good night’s sleep, but the memory of her curled up against his body cut the words from his mouth.
He organized the ba
gs in the back of the SUV so nothing would fall over. As he was finishing up, he felt her hand on his arm.
“Devon…”
The smell hit him like a Mack truck. He’d been so distracted by Charity that he hadn’t paid attention to their surroundings. It was still early evening, so he’d thought it too early for the vampires to be out. Clearly he’d failed on two counts.
He whirled, keys in hand. Three vamps stood twenty feet away, and he recognized one of them immediately.
Vlad. The most ruthless and cunning elder that haunted the Brink.
He’d come to collect his prize, Charity, and Devon had no backup.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
“I am going to pass you my keys,” Devon whispered, his face inches from Charity’s. She must’ve been correct in her assumption that vampires had excellent hearing.
And then it was confirmed when her new BFF said, “Running is foolish, little puppy. She is the one I want, not you. Running might get her accidentally harmed, and neither of us wants that, do we?”
Cold metal spread across her skin as Devon lowered the keys into her shaking palm. His touch lingered, warm in contrast, before he nudged her behind him.
“Since when do you care about humans?” Raw power laced Devon’s words. If he was at all afraid, he didn’t show it.
The elder vampire spread his hands in front of him. “I care nothing for humans. But alas, she is not a mere human. I must admit, I have not met her equal in so long, I forgot what her kind smelled like. How they appeared. Like a bonfire among matchsticks; exquisite. Truly a work of art, or does not your kind see beauty in the most flawless of magical beings, little wolf pup? I would bet not. You are too busy licking each other’s fur and praising your outstanding duty.”
“I’m going to go out on a limb here and assume you’re talking about our mission to protect humans from your kind?” Devon backed up, making her step with him. When she braced a hand on the center of his back, using his movements as unspoken direction, he reached behind and gave her a light shove.
Toward the driver’s side of the SUV.
He wanted her to get the motor running while he stalled.
Warrior Fae Trapped: A DDVN Book Page 20