The hand was so damn close yet so far away. Just an hour ago, it had wandered over the most sensitive places on my body, and I missed the closeness. I would have done anything to stay in bed with him. 

I sighed happily as I remembered the sounds I had drawn from him; that was my goal—to get little affirmations that he liked what I was doing with him. For him. The red marks and the throbbing ache were also pretty clear evidence. 

It was annoyingly obvious what I was thinking about when I felt my boxers become uncomfortably tight, and I struggled to push away the memories and fantasies for a better occasion. But, of course, he saw right through me and gave me looks that turned our walk into a living hell. 

We were making our way to a garage where Conor's car was parked; something in his jacket seemed important, and he needed to drop it off somewhere. I had stopped listening when he explained it all; those lips were far too captivating as they moved. I couldn't tear my gaze away from them.

The sun warmed my skin, and my body felt so much stronger after my share of blood, my mood was at its peak. I bit my lower lip while I glanced at his hand for the hundredth time before I let my pinky hook onto his index finger. My heart raced a little harder as I waited for his next move.

 Sex was nice and all, but it was moments like this that I lived for. A wide grin spread across my lips as all five of his fingers intertwined with mine, and suddenly, my steps felt ridiculously light and fluffy. 

The garage was empty and dark, but I remained in my pink haze as we reached the car. I stopped a to the side and let Conor take care of his business while I lit a cigarette; life had taught me that some moments required discretion, and I suspected this was one of those times. I took a deep drag and unabashedly admired him as he leaned against the car and made a call. I was so absorbed in my little world that I didn't notice the hand grabbing my throat. 

"I'm going to fucking skewer you with a damn Eiffel Tower, you fucking—" I recognized the stench long before I heard the voice; it was the guy with the freezer, and I felt an overwhelming urge to cut off the loser before he could insult me too badly in front of the wolf. 

Once upon a time, he had been stronger than me, I was sure of it, but now I easily knocked his hand away, leaving four red scratches on my neck before I spun around and slapped my palm straight into his chest, causing him to stagger. I didn't think any further; human blood pulsed in my body, and I wanted to return to my pink fluff. My hands grabbed his stained sweatshirt, and with my newfound strength, I threw him against the nearest wall. 

"What the hell do you want from me, you disgusting freak?" I spat, stalking after him with determined steps. He staggered to his feet, but my hand was quicker; I grabbed his greasy hair and pulled his head back so his throat was exposed, forcing him to kneel. 

"I payed you more than enough," I hissed in his ear. 

"And yet you sent your big brother after me," he whined, glaring up at me from his bruised face. 

My gaze drifted over the bruises, and I immediately saw they were only a couple of hours old. "You know I'm new in town; you're confusing me with someone else," I muttered but didn't let go, even though his breath made me nauseous. 

"Liar," he groaned, "just minutes after you left, he showed up and wrecked the whole damn place." 

I felt the wolf's presence before he opened his mouth, and the alpha voice demanded an answer, "Describe him." 

The vampire's gaze wandered from me to Conor and then back to me. "So the little prince is playing with guard dogs," he laughed but soon fell silent when my other hand tightened around his throat. 

"Answer," I whispered harshly in his ear, "the alternative is weeks in a locked room with not a single drop of blood in sight." 

I felt his gangly body begin to shake at the thought of an involuntary rehab session. Pathetic, I thought, and waited patiently for his answer. 

"He-h-he had the same accent as you; that's why I thought you... that you..." With an irritated grunt, I dropped the idiot straight onto the concrete floor and turned away in an attempt to gather myself.

 What the hell was Clock doing? With my nerves on edge and my thoughts spinning, I walked over to Conor. He looked like he was contemplating what to do with the pathetic creature whimpering at his feet but dropped his gaze as soon as I approached. 

"Didn't you need to go somewhere?" 

He examined me for a moment before nodding briefly, "Are you done here?" 

Without answering, I squatted down and nudged the fucker to look into my face, "Why did you call me Little Prince?" 

"I know who you are," he mumbled, quickly averting his gaze. 

I laughed, "And yet you came after me; you're a bigger idiot than I thought." I grabbed his chin and hissed, "Stay away from me; you have no idea who you're dealing with," before I stood up again and glanced at Conor. "Can I come?" 

He licked his lips and seemed to think it through for a moment before nodding, "Sure, but I have to leave right away." 

I walked to the passenger side of the car and threw myself down in the seat as soon as he unlocked the door, hiding my face in my hands. Damn it, life always turned upside down when I felt my best. 

"And what the fuck do I do now..." I sighed heavily, rubbing my forehead with my thumb and forefinger. 

"It's pretty simple, isn't it? Either you tell him to go to hell, or you ask what he wants."

 "Or I kidnap you and escape to some deserted island so I can avoid all this bullshit." 

He laughed and started the car, "I'm not against that, but running from problems usually doesn't solve anything." 

"Do you have a lot of experience in that area?" I smirked, finally starting to relax again. 

"Some," he replied briefly and changed the subject. "Will he back off?" 

"Probably not." 

"Is he part of your pack?"

I pondered the question for a while, gazing out through the car window at the world outside. "Once I thought we were, but then I guess I wasn't that important to him anymore."

"Are you sure about that, Princess? His behavior suggests something else."

"Completely sure," I mumbled, sinking deeper into the seat and ignoring Conor's probing looks, fixing my eyes on the hand resting on the gear stick. 

This time I didn't wait for a reaction; I let my fingers slip between his and squeezed them, perhaps a little too tightly. But I couldn't care less about what he would think or feel. He might not be the romantic type, but he didn't seem to mind it anyway.

"If you see him again, feel free to say hi from me," I muttered. "Tell him to go home and never come back, please."

The car slowed down, and the change in speed jolted me from my daze. To my surprise, it was already dark outside, and I had no idea where we were. A hand squeezed around my thigh when the car stopped. "Lay low; I won't take long."

I yawned widely and stretched my arms before nodding tiredly and leaning back against the worn seat, "I'm not moving an inch." He reached into the back seat and pulled out his jacket, rummaging through the pockets before draping it over me like a blanket. "Let me know if you die, and I'll revive you," I smirked, pulling the jacket tighter around my shoulders."

Thanks," he muttered, slamming the car door shut.

Carefully, I peeked over the dashboard and saw a group of silhouettes in the darkness. It didn't take a genius to figure out that they knew each other, but I could also see how tense he was. After a few glances toward the car, I realized why—how the hell did they know I was sitting here? I groaned and huddled further under the jacket. Damn it, Belmont, they're predators just like you. I sighed at myself and my ignorance for not having asked him more.

Hell, why was he even letting me come along? I strained my ears to hear what they were saying, which was pretty rude, but I was quite worried for my own life. I had no idea how pack rules worked; if the leader was some Anthony type, they could easily demand that we end something we had barely even started. The question was whether Conor was the type to obey his Alpha's orders.

I was tempted to peek over the panel again but decided not to tempt fate. But when the voices grew louder and I heard the irritation and perhaps frustration in the voice I recognized so well, I couldn't help it. Conor and two others had moved closer to the car; they spoke in hushed tones, but their body language told me that my wolf was on the verge of fury, while the others took his outburst in stride—one older and one younger.

I recognized one of the voices from the time he lay half-dead on the street, and I called the first number I could find. The younger one placed a calming hand on Conor's shoulder, which he immediately shrugged off. The older one made a pointed gesture toward the car and received a loud "go to hell" in response.

Suddenly, I wished I could become invisible and instantly curled up in the darkness. Stay out of it, Belmont, I told myself, bundling myself deeper into the jacket, plugging in my earbuds, and playing my favorite song before closing my eyes again. This is his territory; you are just a visitor hardly welcome here.

After a few deep breaths, my nerves calmed down, and I even swayed to the rhythm of the music when the car door opened and slammed shut so hard I thought the car would break apart. In a panic, I opened my eyes and sat upright in the seat. I yanked the earbuds out of my ears and looked around wildly.

"Go back to sleep," he muttered, starting the engine, and to my surprise, he didn't back up but drove straight through the group before making a U-turn that took us back.

"You're not exactly discreet," I mumbled, avoiding their gazes as best I could.

"No point; I reek of vampire."

"How inconvenient," I muttered, rolling my eyes, "but I didn't exactly force you."

He shifted into a higher gear and sped off onto a bigger road. I studied his face, illuminated in orange light at each streetlamp hanging over the road. He stared intently at the road, gripping the steering wheel tightly. 

With a sigh, I leaned back against the seat again and pulled the jacket up to my chin. He probably needed a minute or two to calm down. My eyes moved to the road lit by the high beams, and it struck me that it had been a long time since I had ridden with anyone in the passenger seat of a car. My eyelids grew heavier, and I was almost about to fall asleep again when I felt a hand searching for mine under the jacket, fingers weaving into mine.

"Not interested in that deserted island, then?" I smirked, but only got an eye roll in response and a glimpse of a raised corner of his mouth.