"Look, I'm a realist and I just had my heart ripped out. I don't want to be involved with anyone right now. You've been so kind to me and I don't know why.
It's just that things like this don't happen in real life. Prince Charming doesn't come to the rescue all the time. Most of the time, he's too busy with perfect freakin' Cinderella and her teeny-tiny perfect feet to even notice the rest of us."
She could tell he was irritated at her.
Sighing, he reached for a glass.
Bride frowned as she caught a glimpse of his palm and the strange markings there. Markings that hadn't been there last night or she would have seen them.
Her heart stopped beating.
Reaching out, she pulled his hand into hers and stared at it.
Vane cursed inwardly as he realized he had forgotten to mask his marking when he flashed into her storeroom. Part of him wanted to jerk his hand free, the other part couldn't move as she compared their palms.
"You burned me?"
"No," he said, offended that she would think such a thing.
She was panicking. He could smell her fear.
"I didn't hurt you, Bride, I swear."
She didn't believe him. "Get out!"
Oh, this was bad. He didn't know how to convince her. She got up and grabbed her broom from the corner.
"Out!" she shouted, brandishing it at him.
"Bride!"
She wouldn't listen. "Get out or I'll I'll call the police!"
Vane bit back a curse. This wasn't going the way he needed it to. But maybe it was going the way it should.
At least he couldn't be tempted by a woman who hated him and thought him insane.
Dodging out the door, he stood there while he heard her lock it tight.
"Bride," he said, staring at her through the glass. "Please let me in."
She closed the blinds on him.
Vane leaned his head against the cool glass and let the war inside him shred his control. The animal part of him wanted her, regardless of reason.
The human part knew it would be better to let her go.
Unfortunately, when the two halves of him warred like this, more times than not, the animal won.
That was usually for the best.
This time it wouldn't be. Sighing, he looked around to make sure he was alone and flashed to wolf form. He just hoped Fury didn't come back as a wolf and blow his cover.
Bride might accept one wolf at her door, but two that was pushing it.
Bride stood in the center of her room, clutching her broom. She was shaking in terror. She thought about calling her parents, but didn't want to scare them. They lived far enough out that by the time they got here she might be dead.
She thought about calling the police, but what would she tell them? That a good-looking guy was eating with her, making her all hot and bothered, and then he flashed his hand at her and she freaked?