Solstice Heat Read Free Page B

don’t know. Are we talking like teeth gouging the skin or a tiny little scratch?” She lifted her plate. “I think it’s done.”
     
    He placed the food on her plate and then turned to her. “You didn’t answer the question.”
     
    “I didn’t understand it.” She held her fork up and pointed it at him. “You need to be more specific.”
     
    He growled at her. Actually bared his teeth and growled. The fork stopped midway to her mouth, and she scooted her stool back a few inches. This couldn’t be happening. Not again.
     
    “Don’t run. I’m not about to pounce on you,” he told her, moving back about a foot.
     
    “Yeah, like I believe that. It’s not like it didn’t happen before.” She rolled her eyes but got off the stool. Maybe she should lean against it or stand behind it. Looking like a coward wasn’t her, but what had happened yesterday… Well, she was smart enough to know when to fight and when to run away.
     
    “Give Donovan the keys to your car,” Jason told her.
     
    Was he crazy? If she did happen to make it out of the house, she would need the car to get away. “Doesn’t he have his own car?”
     
    He let out a deep breath. She could see his exasperation but didn’t feel sorry for causing it. “Yes, but he hiked over here. If you want something to eat tonight besides eggs, you’ll give him your keys.” By the time the last word left his mouth, his eyes had changed. It took her a second to figure out what was different; it was very subtle. The blue-gray had changed to a deep blue. It made his face look more alive. Then she noticed the other changes. He was breathing faster. He clenched and unclenched his hands as if he was fighting the urge to grab her.
     
    She took a step away and bumped into Donovan.
     
    “Don’t run. Running only excites the beast. Stand still and stop antagonizing him,” Donovan whispered.
     
    Before she could turn around and tell him exactly what she thought of his suggestion, she heard a rip. She looked down. The bastard had ripped her jeans and was holding her keys. How the hell had he ripped through the denim? Surely she would have felt the poke of scissors… One finger was sporting a wickedly sharp-looking claw.
     
    “You’re going to pay for that. These fucking jeans weren’t cheap.” She hoped they cost him a full day’s salary. That was, if he even had a job. She turned back to Jason after Donovan made his escape. Maybe this was her chance to run too. Not that she would get far without her wheels. With her plans whizzing through her head, she looked down at Jason. His eyes were even bluer than before. This shit was not happening again. “Down, boy. Down.”
     
    “I am not a dog.”
     
    “Okay. How about you tell me just what the hell you are?” she asked as she moved to sit on the stool Donovan had vacated.
     
    “If I tell you, I’ll have to kill you.” He smiled at her, but she didn’t smile back.
     
    “You’re going to do that anyway. Just go ahead and tell me.” She watched as some of the blue in his eyes drained away. Somehow, after seeing the vibrant blue there, his blue-gray eyes looked washed-out.
     
    “It’s not that we—I mean, I want to kill you. It’s just that I have to protect others.” He stopped and turned his gaze toward the ceiling before looking back down at her. “The pack moved here in 1895. Back then, we were just one more group of settlers. We chose a wooded area so that when our wolves wanted out, we could let them free.”
     
    “Wait. I’m not asking about the town. I’m asking—”
     
    “I know what you’re asking. Just shut up and listen. This town was built on top of the scrap of a town my ancestors created. They didn’t complain but instead immersed themselves into the new community.”
     
    “That still doesn’t explain about the wolf thing. Are you a werewolf?” She fluttered her eyelashes and let fake excitement color her tone.
     
    “We’re shape-shifters. We have the