Warrior Fae Trapped (Warrior Fae #1)(63)

Macy’s face went slack. Then pale. Charity barely noticed.

That sweet inferno surged inside her, feeling the call of Devon’s magic. The heat boiled higher, filling her. Excited tingles prickled her flesh. She felt wild. Reckless. Damn good.

His wolf might want out—but her unnamable power wanted out, too.

She grinned. “Sure. To the groceries.”

He bristled, and his power flirted with her senses, strong and heady. His stare burned into her, his wolf scrabbling for a foothold again. The sensation fanned her fire to impossible heights. Her palm itched for a sword.

He shook his head slowly. “Knock it off, Charity. I’m serious.”

Excitement swam in his gaze, negating his words. Something deep and hot pounded in her body, begging for fulfillment.

“See? This is why she should be removed,” Yasmine said, cutting through the moment. “She doesn’t follow orders.”

“She’s not pack. She has an excuse to defy his orders. You, on the other hand…” Macy muttered.

As if a ruler, bent too far, suddenly snapped, Devon whirled toward the hall, power rolling from him. He pinned Yasmine with the stare he’d just shown Charity. The scowl dripped off her face and she took a step back.

“You need to learn when to speak, and when to remain silent,” he said.

“Yes, alpha.”

He glanced at Macy. “I’ll speak to you in a while.”

“Yes, sir,” Macy said, back to looking at her hands.

Charity itched her chest as the indescribable euphoria dwindled away. “Well. That was exciting.” She turned back to the oatmeal, not able to keep the smile from her face.

“Have you lost your mind?” Macy asked quietly. “You don’t challenge him. You just don’t. One day he might lose control of his wolf. His wild side will be forced to subdue you.”

A thrill arrested Charity. Her body tightened up, most notably in the feminine areas. She blinked at Macy.

“Exactly,” Macy said, swiveling her head to watch Yasmine follow Devon out.

Macy had misinterpreted Charity’s look, thankfully. Charity wasn’t afraid of Devon trying to subdue her.

She was afraid of her excited reaction to the thought that he might try.





Chapter Twenty-Eight





Later that evening, Devon pulled into the supermarket parking lot with Charity fidgeting in the seat next to him. They hadn’t spoken since breakfast, and frankly, he’d been glad for it. She was a distraction he hadn’t needed today. Two more people had been reported missing, an elderly woman and a teen. Devon had no illusions about what had happened—they were food for a newbie that had lost control and drained its blood source dry. A higher-level vamp had probably disposed of the body. A newbie wouldn’t have had the presence of mind to do it.

The first newbie they’d taken out had been reported missing, too. It was only a matter of time before the others were reported missing. Devon needed to pin down the rest of those creatures before anyone else paid the price, and before the MLE office was contacted to work with the Brink police on the missing persons. Roger was counting on him.

Unfortunately, none of the surviving newbies had stayed in the same place for long. Sam hadn’t been attending her classes and had only stopped by her house to grab some clothes—Rod had checked it out after Devon and Charity’s visit but come up dry. The same was true of the others. They weren’t acting like normal freshly turned vamps. They seemed more organized. More elusive than even newbies under the guidance of middle-tier or lesser vamps.

Devon wondered if that elder didn’t have a hand in things. Usually, an elder would lose interest after the changing party, but none of the typical rules applied lately. Vlad’s obvious and extreme interest in Charity seemed to be leaking to all parts of this situation. Devon was no match for someone like Vlad. Roger barely was. Still, until Devon was sure of a connection, he had to keep working on this.

Not an ideal time for chores, but he had to keep his pack fed, and if they didn’t get some groceries, Charity would be in a tough spot. He was burning through her food supplies, and Devon knew she didn’t have two pennies to rub together to buy more.

“Are you coming in, or what?” Charity asked aggressively, her hand on the door handle. He knew for a fact that this deal skirted her line between pity and fair. It clearly galled her.

He couldn’t help a small grin. This was actually a fair trade in his book—the woman could somehow make oatmeal taste good—but her frustration tickled him. It was penance for all the silent challenges she’d made, accompanied by boosts in her mouth-watering scent. They drove him crazy.

“Can I wait out here?” he replied in distaste.

“You aren’t driving Miss Daisy. These choices concern you. I don’t want to get something you hate.”

“You won’t. I eat everything.”

“Let me rephrase. I don’t want to get something you’ll bitch about.”

Devon sighed and climbed out of the SUV. They had a couple of hours until full night, and he’d chosen an affluent area of town that vampires usually didn’t prowl for food. They’d be fine. He hated shopping almost as much as he hated cooking, but eating well was worth this hassle.

She stared down at her list as they entered the store. “Can you grab a cart?” she asked. She glanced back, probably to make sure he’d do it.