Rescuing Their Virgin Mate(12)
She sipped her water and watched the men. Clay gave Dirk directions, and his hands tightened as if he didn’t like it when Clay took control. Interesting. She’d pictured Dirk as the one who took what he wanted. These men intrigued her and kept surprising her in good ways.
They brought over spaghetti with meatballs, a vegetable medley, a green tossed salad, and garlic bread to the table. It looked divine. “Do you always eat like this?”
Clay shrugged. “More or less depending on whether we have time to cook.”
Dirk shot him a glance. “We? I cook. You pour.”
She always thought macho men only knew how to microwave frozen food. “I’m impressed, whoever made the food.”
Clay smiled and Dirk’s lips softened.
“Elena,” Clay said, almost whispering. “I know you’re in a difficult situation, but before you insist on leaving, we need to explain a few things to you.” He handed her the bowl of veggies and she scooped a spoonful on her plate.
Their solemn tone dashed her high. For those few minutes while she watched them work their magic in the kitchen, she’d remembered how important family was and how much she missed them. “Okay.”
“The men who took you are not ordinary men.”
She placed her hands on her lap and wove her fingers together. “I’ve been brought up to believe most people are good at heart.”
“That’s not quite what we meant.”
Dirk’s brows furrowed as he turned to Clay. She caught the small shake of his head. Clay faced Dirk. “We have to. She’ll find out sooner or later.”
They acted as if she wasn’t there. “You can tell me.”
“Once we do, will you hear us out?”
“Yes.” After what she’d been through these last few weeks, she could handle anything.
“Harvey Couch and the men who took you are werewolves.”
While their demeanor appeared about as serious as it could get, the idea was so preposterous she dropped her head back and laughed. The pent-up fear and frustration from this whole ordeal just bubbled out, and it was only when she couldn’t get enough air that she calmed.
Tears brimmed on her lids, and she wiped them away. Neither man smiled. Her heart hitched. “You were kidding, right?”
“I’m afraid not,” Clay said.
She failed to comprehend this concept. “God made man in his likeness, and God doesn’t shift into another beast.” Moisture pooled under her arms.
“Do you know that for sure?”
She hesitated. “No.” Was God testing her right now? God was all powerful. If he wanted to shift into a wolf, he could. Her breath caught. The devil turned into a snake. Oh, my dear Lord. Werewolves might exist.
Dirk pushed back his chair and came over to her side of the table. He swiveled the seat next to hers, placed it backward, and straddled the seat facing her. “That’s not the only part we need you to understand.”
There was more? He’d blown away her reality and now wanted her to accept something else. “What it is?”
“Clay and I are werewolves, too, but we’re the good kind.”
She pushed back her chair. This couldn’t be true. Stay calm. Growing up, her cousins always played practical jokes on her. She wasn’t good at realizing it until too late. “Show me.” She swallowed hard.
Dirk glanced at Clay. Their mouths twitched and their brows rose and lowered as if they could communicate silently. What she wouldn’t give to have that talent.
Clay walked to the middle of the living room. “Please don’t freak out by what I’m about to do.”
This had to be some parlor joke to lighten the mood. She inhaled slowly to steady her nerves. Werewolves indeed. To think they had her questioning her core beliefs. “Are you going to turn into a wolf right before my eyes?” She didn’t know whether to smile or be horribly afraid.
“Yes.”
She glanced behind at Dirk, but his lips were pressed together as if he didn’t approve. “Let me see you do it.”
Dirk placed his palms on her shoulders but didn’t squeeze. A quick tremor of fear raced down her body, but she dismissed it immediately. When she focused on Clay, her vision blurred, and he appeared to spin. She rubbed her eyes, and when she lowered her hands, things like arms, legs, and fur bundled together. She blinked a few times and out of nowhere, a wolf appeared.
She screamed, and as she tried to stand Dirk held her shoulders. She slapped her hands over her eyes and gulped in air. The world as she knew it had just gone dark.
Chapter Four
Damn, damn, damn. Dirk never should have let Clay shift in front of her. It was too soon. Their poor mate had not even recovered from all that had happened to her. He pulled Elena up and held her tight. Her sobs were like daggers piercing his heart. Thankfully, she didn’t pull away.