what they were talking about, but she was fairly sure they were now only seconds away from someone throwing a fist into someone else’s face. With that in mind, she decided she ought to speak up. Kenyon’s assertion that he knew Jeff had piqued her interest. And she wasn’t going to get to hear any more about it if he and Jenner decided to sprout fur and have it out right there in the great room.
“I’m assuming you brought a picture?” Mia asked Kenyon, and as she’d hoped, both pairs of hot, glowing eyes fixed on her. The sudden and intense focus on her made her feel slightly lightheaded. It was hard not to appreciate the bizarre position she found herself in. It had never occurred to her that she would ever be one of those women who was actively sought after by the opposite sex.
Apparently, all she’d needed to do was be bitten by a werewolf.
It was a hell of a way for her luck to change.
Kenyon’s voice sounded slightly strangled. “Ah, yeah. I brought it with me.” From an inside pocket of the wool peacoat he hadn’t yet taken off, Kenyon produced a photo and handed it to Mia. He let his fingers brush against hers when he handed it off. His eyes, very blue, caught hers and tried to hold her gaze, but it didn’t take much for her to look away.
The sensation of Kenyon’s skin against hers was pleasant, but still, nothing like what she’d felt when Jenner had touched her. She could have tried to let her magic call to him if she’d wanted, to let her blood sing and see how his responded, but Mia had no interest in the uncomfortable aftermath that might provoke. All she got was the faintest impression of a sweet Highland tune before she drew her hand away. She glanced at Jenner quickly, catching his gaze for only the barest of seconds before he turned his attention elsewhere. Instantly, heat raced over her skin, making her flush.
With Jenner, her problem went far beyond touch. And she was way too interested. He could be a fascinating distraction if she let him, Mia knew. Fascinating, and ultimately painful. She didn’t know enough, have enough experience, to even think about playing with a man like him.
With an inward sigh, Mia looked down at the picture to examine it. Instantly, she was floored. It was a candid shot at what looked like a summer barbecue, with a trio of laughing people in the foreground. There was a grinning, dark-haired man holding a spatula. A pretty woman with curly dark blond hair. And there, with his arms wrapped around the woman, looking as though he was having the time of his life, was Jeff.
Mia hadn’t anticipated the reaction she would have to seeing his face again. Her heart kicked into an uneven staccato, and a clammy chill slithered over her skin. Her fingers shook as she shoved the picture back at Kenyon, wanting it away from her. Jeff’s voice echoed in her head.
Come back here, you stupid bitch...you can’t run from me forever!
“Here. I don’t need to look at it anymore.” She knew her voice sounded clipped, strained. And to his credit, Kenyon took the photo back quickly, without any more playful brushes of his hand. He looked more concerned than anything.
“Are you all right, Mia?” he asked, his voice echoing strangely in her head. The room seemed to shift beneath her feet, and she felt herself wobble. She couldn’t seem to get enough air.
Then Jenner was right in front of her, filling up her vision. It was a relief...Mia felt like she was sliding down into a black hole. Her vision started to waver. All she could think of were yellow eyes staring wildly at her in the darkness, of the sensation of a mouthful of teeth sinking into her skin.
“Of course she’s not all right,” Jenner said, his voice sounding to her as though he were shouting at her from very far away. “Mia? Hell, Bane, she’s going to pass out...”
She felt his hands on her, but then the floor dropped out from beneath her, and she was floating, floating in darkness.
Chapter 6
She was still very much aware of herself, and of the sensation of movement, but she was body-less, weightless. Mia felt like she was flying in the dark, headed somewhere very quickly. The sound of masculine voices drew her, growing louder as she sped toward them. It wasn’t long before