“I’m sorry, Isabelle. It’s just not safe.”
“Well, I’m asking to borrow a car, not for permission to leave. You’re just deciding if I drive or go on foot.”
Silence met my statement along with threads of anger. But I didn’t back down and unease drifted through the room.
“Let’s go check out the barn,” Emmitt said to Michelle.
“We’ll come too,” Thomas said, placing a hand at the small of Charlene’s back. Both men steered their women out of the house. The third man, Jim, followed.
Their departure left us alone with Grey, Carlos, Winifred, and Sam. They stared at me, and I stared back. Upstairs, Clay continued to flood the air with love potion number nine. I wasn’t sure how much more I could take.
Grey broke the silence with a sigh.
“How do we know you’ll come back?” he asked.
“Told you,” Ethan whispered. I ignored him.
“I guess you don’t. But, I’m telling you my plan is to get clothes and come back. It’s a clearer plan than you’ve given us.” I changed my voice to mimic Bethi’s. “We need your help to make the next Judgement. It should make your powers disappear.” It ended sounding more fairy godmother. “Look, I’m putting a lot of trust in complete strangers. Why is it weird for me to ask you to do the same?”
They glanced at each other again.
“You do know I could just knock you all on your butts and take the keys, right? I’m being nice and asking.”
Ethan snorted. I gave him a quick glare. He’d be the first one lying on the floor.
“We’re concerned for your safety as well as our own. Take Carlos with you and leave Ethan. If you run into trouble, Carlos can protect you. And, if you should need to use your ability, you won’t need to worry about hurting Ethan,” Winifred said.
Did they read minds?
I glanced at Ethan. He shrugged and handed over his wallet.
“Just remember what I said,” he added.
Don’t let your guard down. I nodded but was more worried about leaving Ethan alone than I was about any attempts at matchmaking.
“Be here when I get back,” I said to Ethan.
His lips tilted up in a half-smile.
“I’m not the one leaving.”
I looked at the old people. They had better keep Ethan safe.
“Let’s go, big guy,” I said to Carlos.
He took a set of keys out of his pocket as he opened the door for me. Feeling weird going somewhere alone with him, I stepped outside.
The temperature had dropped with the sun, and I shivered a little. Still, I was glad to be free of the emotions boiling inside the house and breathed deeply as I waited for Carlos to indicate which vehicle.
I kept pace with him as we walked toward the last car, then he stepped ahead to open the passenger door. Gallantry or security? Were they really afraid I’d bolt again? Without comment, I got in, and Carlos closed the door. I studied him as he walked around the hood, then I turned slightly to sit at an angle as he got in.
Carlos adjusted his seat, straightened the mirror, then turned to look at me. Every move he made was so constricted and concise.
“Are you a robot?” Ethan would have cracked up at the question. The big guy didn’t react at all.
“Buckle up.”
“Yep. Robot.” I buckled in and continued to study him as we pulled from the driveway. He wasn’t completely emotionless, though. I’d seen him shake and explode into a dog twice now. I’d felt his relief when he’d found me, and I watched him grab Ethan by the throat just because Ethan had patted my butt. I narrowed my eyes.
Was Ethan right? Were these people trying to set me up with one of their own? There were four single guys along and only one of them I could stand to be around for any length of time. Was that what Ethan meant by interesting? The human women were paired up with werewolves, and one of the remaining bachelors was a guy who didn’t overload me emotionally?
“So, the old folks were pretty quick to send you with me. Why’s that?”
“For your protection.”
I made a noncommittal sound.
“Are they hoping we hook up?”
He twitched. It wasn’t just his facial muscles; it was also his hands on the wheel. I tilted my head and considered his reaction.
“Why did that upset you?”
“It didn’t.”
I wished I could read something from him. If he wasn’t upset, then what was the hand-clenching for?
“Are they hoping I’m going to hook up with some other werewolf?”
This time the steering wheel crackled under his tight grip.
“That upset you.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
His driving continued to be precise. He even kept his speed exact. I couldn’t imagine anyone wound any tighter.
After a minute of silence, I knew he wouldn’t answer. It didn’t matter. Whatever they had planned for me, I wasn’t going along with it. But, as I continued to stare at him, I had to admit, he was good looking. He had nice skin, a warm light brown. Based on his name, I guessed Hispanic roots. Yeah, it was probably prejudiced of me to assume that, but his looks and name matched the part.
He kept his short hair neatly brushed, and it even looked like he’d used gel or something, which made me grin and wonder if his closet was as neat as Ethan’s. My gaze drifted down as I continued my examination. Carlos’ polo shirt hugged his shoulders perfectly. I leaned forward a little to eye the buttons. His collar was open, but I guessed he would have buttoned it if he could have. His neck was too thick. However, he did have the bottom of his shirt neatly tucked into the waist of his black dress pants.
This guy needed to loosen up big time.
“Do you own any gym shorts?” I asked. “T-shirts?”
The question seemed to surprise him because he glanced at me as he answered.
“No.”
“I think we need to fix that if you’re going to spar with me. I don’t want to mess with what you’ve got going on there.” I waved my hand at his clothes.
He studied my expression for a moment then focused on the road again.
Carlos definitely puzzled me. Ethan and I were flippant and often rude. We spoke what was on our minds and weren’t afraid to express ourselves in other ways. It was as if this guy was the exact opposite.
“What do you do for fun, Carlos?” I said.
“I read.”
That fit his meticulousness but not his bulk.
“What do you read?”
“Fiction mostly.”
I felt like I was pulling the conversation from him. If there was some matchmaking scheme going on, someone needed to clue Carlos in because he wasn’t putting in much effort.
“Why is it all the other girls are with one of you guys?”
“They’re lucky, I guess.”
Were they?
I turned away from him and looked out the dark passenger window for the rest of the trip. It didn’t take long to reach a town with a clothes-for-everyone chain store.
Carlos followed me as I wandered around a bit. I grabbed four pairs of stretch pants, three black and one a calf-length hot pink, and several tops. Trying not to blush, I bought myself some new underwear and a few sports bras. Then, I went to the sporting goods department and found some gloves. They were cheap but better than nothing. I found my way to the medical supplies and grabbed three first-aid kits, bandages, wraps, and ice packs. Then, I went to the school supplies and grabbed two rugged backpacks.
“Let’s hit the men’s department,” I said, trying not to smirk. Carlos was carrying half the stuff I’d grabbed. Ethan hated shopping with me. I never took a cart.
In the men’s department, I picked out some clothes for Ethan and shorts and a t-shirt for Carlos. Arms full, we went to the register.
The woman rang everything up and told me the total. I used Ethan’s card and signed his name. When suspicion drifted from her, I sucked it away. She smiled and wished us a good day.
Back in the car, I filled the backpacks as Carlos drove. I put two of the first-aid kits into Ethan’s pack. He was the worrier. Everything else fit well. When I was done, I tossed the bags into the backseat and held up the shorts and shirt I’d gotten for Carlos. Black shorts with a true green top.