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PUCK

I couldn’t stop watching her. Or scenting her. Fuck. King had been right about her fragrance. It was human but off somehow. As if someone had dulled the incredible aroma emanating from her skin. Wildflowers. Rain. And something more.

It pulled at me. More than I wanted to admit.

Normally, that sort of tug would’ve had me running for the hills because of what it could mean. The potential of a mating bond. The kind of connection that could mean a lifetime in chains.

But Birdie was a puzzle. Something my mind needed to figure out.

As she studied the bottle of pain pills, I got to work pulling out ingredients for the best damn grilled cheese I’d ever made, along with a little something else. We kept the herb mixture in one of the cabinets here in case Locke ever needed it.

He brought his laptop to the bar to work on the regular, which meant we needed to keep it in stock. I put a teaspoonful of the green substance in a glass and then poured water over it, mixing everything together. It looked disgusting but seemed to work like a charm, at least for Locke.

I set the glass in front of Wren. “Try this, too.”

Her button nose wrinkled, making those stunning-as-hell turquoise eyes stand out more. “What is that?”

“An herbal tincture to help with headaches. I have a friend who gets them from staring at a screen for too long. This helps him.”

“Sounds like you’ve got a lot of friends,” Wren muttered.

I set to work grating some sharp cheddar. “I’m a charming bastard. Of course, I do.”

Wren lifted the glass and sniffed the contents before sending me a piercing look. “If you’re trying to drug me, I’ll cut off your nuts and feed them to you.”

My lips twitched. “Violent little thing. I like it.” I set aside the cheese and took the glass from her, sipping the contents. I gagged. “Tastes like the inside of a gym locker, but it’s drug-free.”

Wren fought against a smile but finally gave in and took the glass back, downing it. She waited, clearly on edge. She eased when a couple of minutes passed and she realized she didn’t feel hazy. “That was gross.”

I chuckled, turning on a burner and placing a large skillet on it. I could’ve turned on the grill, but it seemed like a waste for just the two of us. “Don’t worry, I’ll cure your taste buds with the best grilled cheese known to man.”

Wren arched a brow. “Don’t have much of an ego at all, do you?”

I shot her my most charming grin. “Trust me, it’s earned.”

“I don’t trust anybody.”

The words seemed to slip out of Wren’s mouth before she could think better of it, a little explosion of truth when her secrets were so carefully guarded.

“Easiest way not to get hurt,” I agreed. I understood the urge to lock people out after a betrayal. In many ways, I still did. But I had my brothers. Not ones born of blood but those forged in the fire of battle and given freely through choice.

Our ragtag team of five was one we slowly added to over the years. But we would do anything for one another. Fight, even die. Without them, my life would be empty.

Wren studied me for a long moment. “There’s only one person who will always have your back. Yourself.”

I flipped both grilled cheeses over. “Not if you find the right people.”

Wren shifted on her stool. I could sense something in her, something she was shoving down. A yearning, maybe.

“Sometimes, even the right people wear masks,” she muttered.

King was right. Someone had hurt her. Broken her wings. And that sent a blaze of fury ripping through me, one that had me fighting back a shift as my wolf snarled at the thought.

The reaction nearly had me stumbling back a step. My wolf wasn’t protective of women as more than a generality. He didn’t want to see anyone face injustice or hurt. But he was wary of women, especially those we were attracted to. After everything that had happened, it made sense, but his reaction now set me on edge.

I tried to soothe the unease with the knowledge that she wasn’t my true mate. There’d been no instant connection zinging through my veins when we touched. No visions of our future. This was just a healthy dose of attraction. One I’d need to deal with one way or another.

Sliding one of the grilled cheeses out of the skillet, I handed the plate to Wren. “Eat.”

“They must be putting some sort of bossy juice in the water around here,” she muttered.

I bit back my grin because I knew she had to be referencing her run-in with King. If anyone was over the top when it came to safety and care, it was him.

Turning the burner off on my grilled cheese, I watched Wren take a small, tentative bite. Then she moaned. “Oh, my gods. This is amazing.”

My dick stiffened to half-mast, all sorts of images filling my head of other reasons she might say those words. I was going to hell.

“Best there ever was or ever will be?” I asked hopefully.

Wren smiled. “It’s up there.”

“Feeling better?” I asked, noticing the lines of tension around her eyes and mouth had eased.

She set the sandwich back on the plate. “I am. Thank you.”

Before I could answer, a booming voice cut me off. “Goddamn it, Puck. If you took my twenty-two, I’m going to kill?—”

The door to the kitchen swung open, and everyone froze.

If there were two pack mates that Birdie wasn’t ready to meet, it was the psycho twins. They weren’t twins by birth but by their love of bloodshed. Not that we all didn’t delve into the dark and depraved at times. But the two of them lived there.

Ender’s assassin’s gaze leveled on Wren. “Who the hell is this, and why is she hiding a blade in her belt?”