He made an offended noise. “You want me to act like I don’t know what I’m doing?”
As if she’d go for a second round with someone like that. She echoed the offended sound he’d made. “We wouldn’t be sleeping together if that was the case.”
“Okay, then tell me what I did to piss you off.”
She had no idea how to put it into words without making it seem like she was more invested in this ... thing they had going than she was. “Look, it’s fine if you’re fucking someone else, but... announcing it as you leave my bed is bad form, you know?”
“Announcing? Fucking someone ... What the hell are you talking about?” Genuine confusion colored his words, and it took everything she had not to punch him. Hard. Which was not like her cool and collected self.
She tossed one hand up. “And I repeat, ‘I need to get back home and clean up some, make sure there’s food in my fridge. She’ll worry otherwise. We’re supposed to have lunch today. Gotta go, bye.’ Is this ringing any bells?” She widened her eyes at him. “So, yeah, I thought you’d given a pretty pointed indicator of what was going down today. Naughty nooner ... hot lunch date. Whatever.”
He huffed out a laugh. “Wow. I swear I’m not usually an ass about this kind of thing.”
Yeah, that was so reassuring. He usually juggled his women better than this.
“I’m having lunch with my mother. That’s the ‘she’ I was talking about, the one who would care if I’m working too hard and not taking care of myself.”
Oh.
Jack swung left down the next street, Grim close on his heels and dragging her along behind. Her mind spun, trying to process what he’d said, and being hit square between the eyes with just how hard the green-eyed monster had bitten her. She wasn’t supposed to care if he was shagging everything on two legs.
This was not a good sign.
It was only then that she realized she’d followed him to his house, which wasn’t what she’d planned. Story of this week, right? She sighed and slowed to a stop in front of his place, ready to say her good-byes, again, and take herself home for a shower and a few hours poring over the paperwork from the All-Magickal Council. She also needed to give some thought to what she wanted to ask this Connie Wright about the case she thought she’d closed. The wheels in Selina’s mind spun, a million details to consider bombarding her at once. With any luck, the first victim hadn’t been cremated and Tess could take another whack at an autopsy. With any luck, the wannabe vamp boyfriend could give them some useable information.
Luck had never been on her side with this killer, but she had to try.
“Hey.” Peyton appeared before them, and he didn’t seem the least bit winded. She and Jack had been jogging at a decent clip, and Peyton hadn’t passed them on the way. The wolf shouldn’t have been using his super speed to get back to the house first.
She narrowed her gaze at him. “How did you beat us here?”
“Took a shortcut through the neighbor’s yard.” He shrugged. “They’re friends.”
A shiver of awareness went down her spine, and she knew they were being watched. By Magickals. She could all but feel their gazes drilling into her. She tilted her head, opening her senses to try to discern where their observers were. And what they were. Werewolves. The thought hit her, that familiar boom of precognition that reverberated in her skull.
Magickals gave off certain signals that other Magickals could pick up, depending on the type of precognitive abilities they had. Some had the sight, like Merek. Others could read magic through physical touch, or hear it with clairaudience, a few could even taste it or smell it. Telepathy, telempathy, it ran the gamut, but every Magickal had some of it.
Werewolves and vampires had an animalist combination of extrasensory abilities, but she didn’t know if it was technically classified as clairvoyance. It made up for the fact that they sucked at casting spells.
Selina had a pretty low level of claircognizance. She just knew things, sometimes without any real explanation why. Gut instinct, she’d always considered it, but with a twist of magic.
And she knew they were being watched, the awareness growing, creeping down her skin and leaving gooseflesh behind.
“There are werewolves staring at us.” She met Peyton’s gaze. “Have you done anything to piss off your pack lately?”
“No.”
Chatty as always, that one.
“It’s my mom and stepfather.” Jack raised his hand and waved at someone down the street, who stepped out of a sedan with dark-tinted windows.
A woman who looked a lot like Jack jumped out of the passenger side of the car, while the driver was a man who could easily pass for a mountain boulder, he was that huge. The woman wasn’t short, but he easily dwarfed her. Both were definitely werewolves.
Selina expected to relax, knowing these weren’t enemies stalking them. Instead, nerves winged through her belly. She felt like she was meeting her boyfriend’s parents for the first time, and she wanted to bitch-slap herself for the feeling. No one knew she was sleeping with Jack, and she was not his girlfriend.
“We didn’t want to interrupt, so we gave you a minute to finish your conversation.” The big man rumbled, his voice matching his appearance. He didn’t acknowledge for a second that his wolf hearing could probably have reached far enough to overhear them.
Jack nodded, gesturing between the two groups. “Selina, Peyton, this is my mother, Angela Maria Bates Laramie Kerr.” The woman made a face at him and he winked. “And my stepfather, Darren Kerr.”
Selina had heard of Darren Kerr before. He was an up-and-comer in the local wolf pack. Some said he might make a bid for Alpha some day. And he was married to Jack’s mother.
They all shook hands, and Selina tried not to fidget as Angela gave her an assessing look. Gods, she was four times the age of this former Normal. She told herself to get a grip and just nodded at the other woman.
Angela smiled. “Great to meet you both. You’ll join us for lunch, of course.”
Oh, hell no. Selina had planned to cut and run half an hour ago. What was she even still doing here? She should be home now, reviewing files. She lifted Grim’s leash for everyone to see. “Oh, I have my dog with me, so I’ll have to—”
“Nonsense.” Angela flapped a hand, a steely light filling her gaze. The woman had made a decision, and that was that. Selina didn’t have to wonder where Jack got his tenacity from. “There’s this great little bistro a couple of blocks over. It has plenty of outdoor seating, and people bring their dogs there all the time.”
“Well ... uh ...”
Jack nudged her shoulder, flashing an enticing smile that did quivery things to her insides. “Come on, take your mind off of work for an hour. It’s good for you.”
He was right, damn it. Sometimes it did help to think about something else for a while. It was why she’d gone for a run in the first place. Her mind was still subconsciously working on the problem, and not focusing on it could let her sort it out. She hated when he did that. He seemed to know exactly what to say to cut any arguments out from under her. She fought back the need to growl. “Fine.”
Jack watched his mother hook her arm through Selina’s as the group walked down to the restaurant for lunch. “Jack has mentioned you.”
“Has he?” The death rays beaming out of Selina’s eyes made him damn glad she wasn’t allowed to do magic in public. He’d have been roasted by the hex she cast just then. “What has he mentioned about me?”