Page 57 of Hallow Hill at Halloween: Part One

“GO HOME!” The werewolf finished my sentence as he towered over my ex.

Cole backed away, palms up. Maybe the werewolf was the silver lining around the cloud Cole rode in on.

That didn’t mean he wasn’t still a problem.

I turned toward Vuk and repeated the same sentiment, but softer. “Now your turn. Please. Go home.”

“I like it here.”

“No. You don’t.”

It’s hard to describe the sound of the werewolf’s laugh, but it was something like a car driving over a gravel road. This was the first time I’d seen him in the light. Gads. He was almost as devilishly flawless as Loki.Where was Keir when I needed him?

I stopped and demanded. “What do you want?”

“I’m courting you,” he said smoothly

“You are not,” I said offhandedly.

“I am,” he repeated.

I shook my head. “Vuk, even if I wasn’t married, I couldn’t be your mate. The vampire told me you can’t turn people into werewolves by biting them.”

“What vampire?”

“Is that important?”

“No. Especially since he doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”

“He doesn’t?”

“Werewolves can change humans into werewolves when they’re willing and romantically aroused.”

In a middle school moment, the only word that came to mind was “ew”.

“Well, I’m not willing and I’m not available.”

“The second thing is easy to take care of. The first thing, well, that’s why I’m courting you.”

“You do not have my permission to court me. What I want is for you to GO. HOME.”

He shrugged. “Can’t. No mate? No home.”

“Good grief.” Sometimes there was nothing more to say.

I opened the door of Molly’s and rushed in. “Why don’t we have a police force?” I asked Jeff. “I need police.”

“What’s the problem?” I could tell that Jeff was trying to work out whether I was joking or in need of help.

“I’m being stalked. Unabashedly.” I looked at Vuk for a second before leveling my eyes at Jeff. “As. You. See.”

“Is that so?” he said with nonchalance that was not his style. “Who’s your friend?”

For a minute I thought I was in a parody of every Western ever made.

“His name is Vuk Redfurd.” I glanced over at him. He really was gorgeous. Long hair with cascading natural highlights of reddish brown, blond, and gray, tan skin, and amber eyes that pulled me in magnetically. My right hand was in midair on the way to stroking Vuk’s beautiful hair when I came back to myself and jerked my hand down. “He’s not my friend.” I insisted, injecting a tad more intensity that would be my normal conversational tone. “Nor is he somebody that I used to know. He’s a clingy stray.”

I heard Vuk scoff slightly but good-naturedly. As if he thought my ridicule was funny.