and Sabin. “He ran into these two, asked them what they were doing, I showed up and explained, and we’re now invited to dinner on Sunday.” Torrez moves past me, his warm arm brushing mine, and it starts a delicious fluttering in my stomach and leaves a trail of goosebumps on my arm.
“Wait, what do you mean we’re invited for dinner?” Kallan asks as Torrez moves further away from the group.
“Well, not you guys, I should say. Just Vinna and I,” Torrez answers casually, like this is no big deal and none of the other guys should take any issue with it.
I count down in my head: three, two, one…
“Yeah, that’s not fucking happening,” Enoch and Bastien say at the exact same time.
“Jinx,” I throw out on a chuckle, but once again, I seem to be the only one amused by what just happened. I sigh when both Enoch and Bastien just glare at each other.
“It’s a formality that has to happen if we don’t want issues with that pack. I’m a shifter who’s staying close to their land with my mate, and it’s polite to introduce yourself to the neighbors so they don’t try to rip your throat out,” Torrez tells them, as if that settles any argument they may have.
“Have you not seen the trouble that finds Vinna whenever she pairs off or tries to do anything alone?” Valen asks him.
My first reaction is to object to Valen’s words, but as irritating as it is, he’s fucking right. Torrez fixes his dark brown eyes on me, and the corner of his mouth twists up in a smirk. “She is a little trouble magnet, but I’m fast and strong and can more than hold my own, and she’s…Vinna. We won’t have any problems.”
“You don’t know anything about this pack. They could very well be working with Adriel, and you two are about to casually walk into a trap,” Knox argues.
“Muriel’s pack does not interact with lamia. I asked him, and he answered truthfully. Lamia know better than to try and breach an unfriendly pack’s territory,” Torrez states.
“Sorik,” is all Bastien says, and Torrez turns to him, confused.
“Bless you,” Torrez tells him after a beat.
Bastien rolls his eyes. “No, that’s the name of the lamia who breached your pack territory to talk to Vinna.”
A deep growl pours out of Torrez. “A certain trouble magnet was not very forthcoming with any information about that incident. She was too busy being stabby,” he accuses.
“I was only stabby because your furry ass was being handsy,” I defend.
“Lamia had just breached the pack boundary, for the first time in history, to get to you. I was making sure you were okay.”
“You were fucking handsy, bro.”
“You were my mate!” he exclaims, his tone exasperated.
“I…didn’t know that at the time!”
“You two can fuck this out later; the point is that lamia can and will breach a pack’s territory with the proper motivation,” Bastien announces, and I don’t miss the glint of amusement in his eyes.
Fucking weirdo.
“Vinna went with that lamia, Sorik,” Torrez growls out the name. “He didn’t attack a pack of shifters to get to her. So if she agrees not to go wandering off looking for trouble, all should be fine.”
I roll my eyes.
“You all can stand on the border of their territory if it makes you feel any better, but I guarantee the pack isn’t going to let you get any closer than that. And whether you like it or not, the Witch and I have to do this. I’m not sure how large the pack is, but even if they’re relatively small, it’s a bad idea to piss them off. The last thing we need is to add another enemy to our list. The invitation to join them for a meal has been extended, and we’re going.”
With that, Torrez walks away. “Stop looking at my furry ass, Witch,” he shouts over his shoulder.
My eyes snap up from his completely bitable—and hairless—ass, and I adopt a completely innocent mien. Torrez flashes into a wolf and trots back in the direction of the houses like he doesn’t have a care in the world. Ryker and Knox both crack up, and I mentally chant nothing to see here, folks. I look down and find Sabin’s forest-green eyes waiting for mine. I’m still standing over him, and I crouch to wipe sweat from his forehead.
“Fuck, are you okay?” I ask as I scan his face for any more hints of pain, then breathe a sigh of