The Billionaire’s Burden(43)

Aubrey's hand clasped on my shoulder, one warning look telling me to stay seated.

"The werewolves in this town are no longer safe." Another man added, slamming his hands on the table, “We must protect our pack at all costs.”

Werewolves.

These people were werewolves.

I had a werewolf next door.





Chapter Nine





"Werewolves?" I choked out, trying to blink away the dark spots that suddenly floated in front of my eyes.

The hell? Werewolves didn't exist.

Then again, I had seen one right in front of my face. There was no denying that.

Eli suddenly leapt up to his feet, every golden eye in the cafe following him.

He walked over to me, standing in front of Aubrey. Though his jaw was firm, his hands clenched so tightly that they trembled faintly.

"Jade is trustworthy." He said, voice gruff but firm, "She's not the type of human to go running around telling everyone what she saw."

Aubrey's eyes shifted towards me, faint scowl on her face, "Eli, you know the rules. No humans are to see us in wolf form. You made a mistake young one, a mistake that your pack must now fix."

“You are young, Eli,” Another in the pack spoke, “You do not yet know what humans can be capable of.”

Eli's blond brow creased heavily, deep frown on his full lips, "I wasn't careful enough, that's true, but Jade is-"

The strawberry haired woman held up a hand, silencing him swiftly.

"She needs to be dealt with." She said quietly, though sadness tinted her tone. She didn’t enjoy this part of their life.

Aubrey knelt down in front of me, taking my hands in her own as she stared up at my face.

"You understand?" She sighed, "Don't you? Our safety is predicated upon your race never learning of our true faces. To have even one human aware of our difference is just too much."

"...what will you do to me?" I asked, the words having to claw themselves from my throat.

I didn't want to know.

Eli grimaced, his eyes squeezing shut.

My eyes flickered out among the people. I recognized some of them. There was Marty, from the car dealership. Owen, a police deputy. Even one of my old professors sat in the crowd, her bright eyes dreary this morning.

"Sweet girl, we have to get rid of you." Aubrey said delicately, "Don't worry. It will be fast and easy." She smiled at me, as though she were offering me ice cream.

I shook my head, trying to draw back away from her, but her burning hands remained tight on my own.

"You can't hurt her." Eli suddenly said, "We shared a spark."

If the situation was different, I would have laughed. Here he was trying to save me some with corny romantic comedy cliché, the illusive spark of love.

Aubrey's face however, whipped to face him, a slight gasp coming from the people.

Apparently the werewolves were romantics, deep down.

"What are you talking about, whelp?" She asked, voice almost hissing.

"Eli, that's impossible." Owen, the deputy said gently as he stood. He was still in his uniform, no doubt getting ready to head off to his afternoon shift. They would easily get away with my disappearance, "Humans have no spark."

"She does." Eli responded firmly, "Aubrey saw it, most of you were there."

The eyes shifted slowly to the woman in front of me as she stood, "That was no spark, she was ill from dehydration." She spoke quickly, glancing back at me, "There was no way she could have felt it."

"...Felt what...?" I asked quietly, confused.

The sexy blond man moved closer to me, taking my hand in his. Even in these dire circumstances, I found myself lost in his eyes. Though his fingers were as warm as Aubrey's his touch was much more comforting. Despite the fact that under the full moon he turned into a ravenous beast.

"Do you remember the day I brought you here?" He asked gently, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.

I leaned into his touch, nodding. Amongst all of these people who wished to 'get rid' of me, he was the only one whose eyes remained gentle.

Though I was still fearful, he calmed me. The feeling of completion in my soul that I felt when he was near settled me.

"What did you feel?" He asked, "I need you to tell us in great detail exactly how you felt."

My eyes once again swept over the people. Aubrey's arms stiffly folded over her chest, fingernails leaving pale marks on her own tan flesh.

"It felt like I was on fire." I said quietly, "Like every ounce of my blood had turned to lava."

The eyes of the werewolves flickered to each other pensively, frowns on some of their faces.

"And when did you start to feel that way?" Eli pressed.

Aubrey shook her head, rolling her eyes, "It was a caffeine rush, nothing more." She said tiredly, "This is absurd."