Wolf Girl (Wolf Girl, #1)(32)

But it felt so right. Sawyer had a way of making me feel like I belonged here, with him. I found myself wondering if he acted this way with all the girls, but somehow I didn’t think so.

The next thing I knew, Curt Hudson was standing before me. His size and stature gave Eugene a run for his money. Dressed in a sleek black suit, he was the spitting image of his son, just with a few gray hairs at his temple, and a thick dark beard.

I’d sort of met him in the hallway when the vampires first attacked but not really, not like this.

“Demi, it’s so lovely to officially meet the woman my son won’t shut up about,” the alpha said, and Sawyer coughed loudly, shaking his head at his father.

I grinned, but when the alpha extended his hand to me, I froze.

Did I shake it? Kiss it? Curtsy?

Fuck, those etiquette classes were boring. I nodded off in them half the time. Deciding to go for a shake, I took his hand in mine and gave him a good hard squeeze.

“It’s nice to formally meet you, sir. Happy Birthday.”

He smiled, appraising me as we shook hands. A low buzz worked its way between our palms until it became a deep vibration and I yanked my hand back, giving my palm a curious look. He did the same, eyebrows drawn together.

“The man. The myth. The legend. The alpha!” a deep voice yelled over the PA system. Everyone started to clap and cheer as a spotlight shone on Sawyer’s dad. The thunderous applause reached a crescendo and then a loud horn cut into the night as the boat left the dock. I swayed a little and Sawyer reached out to catch me by the waist. The clapping died down as his father took the stage to hug whoever the announcer guy was, and the piano started up again.

“Dance with me?” Sawyer asked, his hands still on my hips, blue eyes boring into my soul.

I just nodded. “Full disclosure, I’ve been napping in etiquette class, so if you want to waltz or anything, I’ll just step on your feet.”

A halfcocked grin pulled at the corner of his mouth and he chuckled. “There’s no one quite like you, is there, Demi?”

Slowly, he pressed my body into his, as one of his arms slid around my back, the other taking my hand.

My body ached with need as I found my breath coming out in shuddered gasps. Being this close to him, to an unmated male wolf that I was very attracted to … it made my wolf absolutely pine. A carnal need washed over me and my mouth went dry. His scent, the heat from his body, the tight muscles under his arms, it made me want him in a way I’d never wanted a man before.

“I’m sorry I had to pick you last again, but tonight is special for my family and I wanted you here with me.”

Aaaand he was fucking perfect.

I looked up at him and my gaze dropped to his lips. “I’m surprised your family is so nice to me. Poor banished girl comes from outside Magic City to assassinate son. It’s not a good look for me.”

Tipping his head back, he full-on laughed; the rumble of his chest against mine made my heart swell. His laugh was deep and hearty and contagious. When he brought his head back down to me, I was smiling.

He grinned. “You heard that rumor? I was hoping you wouldn’t.”

I snorted. “Why? I’m a big girl, I can handle it.”

His face grew somber and he leaned into my ear: “Because…” his breath washed over my neck, “everything I do now is to protect you.”

Whoa.

Somehow I felt there was more to that comment than just protecting me from the rumor.

This was literally the best date I’d ever been on and it had only just begun, but there was an elephant in the room, something we still needed to talk about. Reaching up on my tippy toes, I pressed my lips to his ear. “Do you know what I am?”

His arms flexed, palm pressing firmly into my back, a clear physical reaction to my question, but when I met his gaze he just shook his head and looked back out over the lake.

Lie. I could tell.

Great. He was almost perfect. I mean, if my potential future wife could catch bullets and heal her hands seconds later, I would probably be in denial too, but we couldn’t ignore this forever.

Whatever hopes I had that he was going to share with me what he knew were dashed. From now on I’d have to do some digging of my own to find out what knowledge there might be about split shifting or whatever it was I did when my wolf came out.

“Sawyer, dear!” his mother called across the boat, and we broke apart, my body yearning for the heat and closeness of his. “Come greet Prime Minister Locke.”

We turned, and I wasn’t expecting the seven-foot-tall light fey who stood next to Sawyer’s dad. Inhaling sharply through my nose, I recognized the woody scent that all fey carried, but this one had an undertone of some seriously powerful magic. Magic smelled like electricity to me, almost like burned wires, but only faintly. This dude smelled of woods on fire, a very powerful fey, which explained why he was the prime minister of Fey City. The fey had a war ages ago and broke into two factions, dark fey and light fey. He was one of the good ones, although all fey were terrifyingly powerful, and no one was one-hundred-percent good.

The man greeted Sawyer, touching his palm to his own forehead and closing his eyes, as was custom with their kind. The few fey I knew from Delphi were total asshats, but I’d learned enough from them not to get myself into hot water with this one.

Hopefully.

Sawyer returned the greeting and then extended his hand, which the Prime Minister shook.