Fated for Her Wolves - Tara West Page 0,24

front of him, as well as a few overturned chairs. The waiter gave her a dirty look while clearing the table, his eyes feral for a heartbeat, before disappearing into a back room. Everyone who lived in this town was a shifter, and she’d heard the bar had been in the same family for generations. She imagined the bartender wanted Dejan to leave, so he could go home to his family.

She was about to wake him and ask him where his brothers were when she heard their drunken voices coming from the nearby bathroom. When Dimitri growled her name, she froze.

They were talking about her. Did she really want to listen to this conversation? What if she heard something that changed her mind about them? Not to mention she was violating their privacy.

“After we complete the bond, she’ll come around,” Constantine said, easily heard past the closed door.

“What if she doesn’t?” Dimitri said, words slurred.

“We have to be patient.” That was Andrei, sounding oddly high-pitched. Were they all drunk? Who would drive them home? She looked over at the sleeping Dejan and realized he was probably the designated driver.

“How patient can we be?” Dimitri cried. “We’ve told her our mother’s death wasn’t her fault.”

“It goes deeper than that,” Constantine said hesitantly. He was losing faith, too.

“Rahat,” Dimitri spat, the Romanian equivalent of bullshit. “She’s self-absorbed, like our mother.”

She gasped, her legs nearly buckling. She felt as if she was in a waking dream—no, a nightmare—listening to the threads of her life unravel.

“Brother, how can you say that?” Constantine said weakly, as if he no longer believed in her. In them. Soon Dimitri would have him believing she was self-absorbed, too.

She blinked back tears, that they would think so poorly of her. She supposed she deserved their hatred and more for her involvement in their mother’s death, but she’d be damned if she’d let them label her self-absorbed. Ever since their mother’s death, she’d been absorbed in self-loathing and regrets, thinking of the harm she’d caused to others.

“If she cared about us at all, she wouldn’t have made us wait so long,” Dimitri said.

“She’s here now,” Andrei said, “so do we treat her with resentment and end up in constant conflict, like our fathers and late mother?”

She waited for Dimitri’s answer. While some part of her longed for a chance to prove her love to him, another part of her wanted to tell him to kiss her ass.

Dejan snorted and shifted, snuggling tighter with her scarf. Standing across from him, she fought the urge to reach over the table and stroke his ruddy cheek. How sweet he seemed, with his fair hair, baby face, and long eyelashes. He’d always been the nicest of the brothers. She wondered how long it would be before Dimitri turned him against her, too.

“Maybe the Ancients will bless us with another mate, like they did with our fathers.” Dimitri’s admission beat around in her head like a stick pounding a steel drum.

Her knees finally gave way, and she fell into a nearby chair. In that moment, she wanted nothing more than the earth to open up and swallow her. Dimitri wanted a different mate. He didn’t love her, and she didn’t think he ever would.

No longer able to bear hearing another word of their conversation, she heaved herself out of the chair and stumbled to the door. She had to get away from them, but where would she go? Everyone was expecting them to complete the bond this visit, and the thought of letting Dimitri touch her made her physically ill.

She cursed herself a fool for not listening to Eilea and the bunics and staying home. Then again, it was good she’d learned the truth before agreeing to bond with them. Ugh. What was she supposed to do now?

KLAUS RETURNED TO THE truck, blowing on his hands for warmth. The weathermen had said the approaching blizzard stalled out a few hundred miles away, but he didn’t need satellites to tell him what was happening. He could feel it in his bones. This storm was going to gain power as it approached, which would make it even harder for them to keep track of the demon. He wondered why the Ancients hadn’t sent them a sign to warn them about the hell-spawn. Perhaps they were busy battling monsters somewhere else. No matter. The Amaroki would do what needed to be done to protect their families. He was grateful to Tor Thunderfoot for sending for their trackers. Then