Page 78 of A Broody Mate for the Human

“Yes,” Raffy says softly. He looks at me. “I didn’t mean to patronize you,” he finally states, surprising me once again.

The butterflies in my stomach get even stronger.

I swallow. “It’s okay… I’m normally not that prissy.”

“It’s okay to be upset sometimes,” he points out calmly.

Is it? I frown, trying to figure out the last time I was upset. I normally don’t allow myself to be angry at someone or show them they hurt me. “Let’s go?” I ask to distract myself from my own thoughts.

He nods.

We silently make our way through the alley, and I can’t help but admit he is right. It’s freaking dark and questionable walking through here. Right when I think it can’t get any worse, a tall bloke steps in our way. Raffy senses him before he can approach us and pulls me back and behind him before the guy can even say anything. “What do you want?” Raffy asks sharply.

The dude plays with a knife, staring at us. He sneers. “What do you think I want?”

Raffy rolls his eyes, turning towards me. “Mind if I take the trash out?”

“Please do.” I nod. “But don’t hurt him!”

The dude with the knife glares at us, probably thinking he is oh-so-dangerous, but I have a werewolf with me. Raffy nods at me, approaches the guy, lifts him up, tucks him firmly under his arm, and then carries him to the end of the alley, throwing him out there.

Raffy clasps his hands afterwards as if to get rid of the dust. “Done,” he says while returning to my side.

“Thank you.” I beam.

Raffy nods. “After you,” he says.

This time, we make it to the entrance door without any further disturbance. “My friend Jonas owns this place,” I tell Raffy. “He is a hacker.”

“Ah.” Raffy sighs. “I thought it was weird that an IT company would be in such a shady neighborhood.”

“We know each other from college,” I tell him. “It’s a longer story.”

The long story is that Jonas was a one-night stand turned on-off boyfriend for a year or so. We met at a cheesy ’70s music party. We were both dressed as characters from Grease and hit it off after a bunch of cocktails. I’m not sure why, but I don’t want Raffy to know this detail yet. Technically, Jonas is an ex…

But well, he is also the best in his field.

I open the door with the code Jonas gave me, letting myself and Raffy in. Inside there are a bunch of guys and girls sitting at their notebooks. Some of them wearing serious expressions, others munching on some food. It looks pretty normal inside.

“In case the police come, they cover it saying they are having a Lan party,” I whisper towards Raffy.

He nods with a frown, which by now I know is his expression of confusion.

“Oh, Jonas.” I wink at the scrawny guy who is sitting in a separate office. He looks a bit cliché with his messy hair and thin figure, but he is an incredibly funny and cool guy. I really enjoyed our dates back then, and it’s the reason we remained friends.

“Dave and his mysterious friend.” Jonas grins and waves at us.

“Thank you for having us,” I say.

There is a young woman standing next to Jonas, typing on her laptop. She has bronze skin and wonderful dark-brown hair. Ever since I met Raffy, I realized that I have a thing for beautiful hair. Credit where credit is due. “That’s Dalila,” Jonas introduces her. “She only joined us for a project and won’t stay long, unfortunately.”

Dalila looks at me and smiles. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Likewise,” I say, returning her smile. “So, you are not staying?”

“No.” She chuckles. “Although Jonas tries to constantly bribe me.”

“She is awesome,” Jonas explains. “Probably one of the best hackers I’ve met in a while!”