The Fire Inside (5 page)

Tyra stared across the table, transfixed by her own
thoughts. Konrad’s question had been replaying in her mind. At least now she
could admit to herself that she most likely was lying to herself. There was
definitely something going on between them, but it scared the hell out of her
to even think about exploring it. She didn’t want to want the things he could
give her. Hell, she didn’t even know him, and he didn’t know her either, so why
was she even contemplating testing the waters? Because Fate had chosen this for
her? Screw Fate. Fate had taken her parents from her, breaking her heart in a
manner that made her feel that it would never fully heal. Why would she even
want to trust Fate? No, if she went forward even a step with Konrad, it would
be because she decided.

An image of him came to her mind and she felt the corners of
her mouth lifting. She liked the way his amber eyes seemed to glow when he
looked at her as he crowded the space she occupied. Normally dominant
tendencies got on her nerves, but with him it was different. A turn-on indeed.
It became harder each time she was around him to not succumb to the need he
created in her.

A light touch on her hand made her blink, bringing Steve’s
face into focus. Oh hell, how long had she been daydreaming? Her gaze went down
to the table, taking in his empty plate, the cash on the table, and her mostly
full plate. She looked up at him as she scooted out of the booth. “I’m sorry. I
must not have been as hungry as I thought I was.”

“No problem. Let’s get out of here.”

He smiled warmly at her and she returned the gesture as she
walked beside him. She’d been looking forward to this date—that was now a
non-date—with Steve all week, and now she couldn’t help but be a little
irritated. She didn’t like the lack of control over her choices. Other men now
paled in comparison to Konrad. A week ago, the smile Steve gave her as he
opened her car door would have had her thinking of the possibilities. Now she
just kind of felt repulsed. Another way for Fate to manipulate her? Well, she
had news for Fate—she didn’t have to be attracted to anyone else. She could be
alone. Alone was a choice. And she could protect herself. She had the strength.
She didn’t have to trust someone else to keep her safe. She trusted herself.

They’d left the restaurant ten minutes ago and she’d been so
lost in thought that she hadn’t realized they weren’t headed in the right
direction for him to be taking her home. “Where are we going?” She looked back
over at him.

Steve glanced in her direction, smiling bigger. “My friend
told me about this great place. I figured we could go take a look and maybe
talk for a little while.”

The city was behind them, and Tyra looked to the left and right
trying to figure out exactly where they were. Steve made a few turns down some
small country roads that gave way to dirt. She wanted to groan at her
stupidity. She should have known the dinner-as-friends routine wasn’t going to
work.

The tree line filled the side of the road, which cut short
the idea of jumping from the vehicle. Most women would probably be scared or
excited by this point, but Tyra felt more annoyed than anything. The sudden
urge to slap Steve upside his head became more and more tempting. Soon he would
stop and she would tell him what a jerk he’d been and then she would be using
the legs God gave her to make her way home. Going wolf for the trek back home
entered her mind. It would be faster, but she barely repressed the shiver of
repulse that just the thought created.

She didn’t want to be that animal again. She’d stayed that
way so long that she’d feared she would lose all touch with her humanity. But
she hadn’t dared to trust anyone. She’d been so young that she hadn’t known
where to turn. Surly there would have been a pack that would have taken her in,
but she didn’t know who she could trust. Would she be different now if she had
turned to another pack? Would this thing with her and Konrad be more welcome to
her if she hadn’t struck out on her own? And what if things would have been
worse for her in another pack? Bad things could happen to those who were
vulnerable. But it no longer mattered. She’d embraced her inner animal instead.

A few twists and turns later and the dense foliage that
surrounded them opened up into a clearing with a small lake. Steve put the car
in park and Tyra opened the door and stepped out. The sun dipped low on the
horizon, painting the sky with flames of orange and red. She had to admit the
spot definitely was romantic. The grass surrounding the bank looked soft, green
and free of burrs. She heard Steve’s steps coming up behind her.

“I brought some wine and a blanket,” he said.

She turned to face him. “Steve—”

He smiled. “I thought this would be the perfect spot.”

He moved quickly for a human, but she pulled back, her face
averting his searching lips. The move caused him to stumble into her. She
gripped his arms and pushed him back, glaring her displeasure.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I just thought after
the way you were looking at me through dinner, that you were feeling it too.”

The way she was looking at him? Ha! If he only knew she had
been thinking about how he paled in comparison to the other person she’d been
thinking about. “What part of dinner as friends did you miss?”

“I thought you were playing hard to get. You know, the whole
me saying ‘if you were seeing someone else’, and you said ‘No, not exactly’. To
me that meant you wanted me to work for it.”

She pinched the bridge of her nose.
God, deliver me from
idiots
. This night had turned into one big cluster screw and she just
wanted to go home. “Listen, Steve—”

“What the hell?” Steve whispered, eyes opening wide. “Tyra,
don’t move.”

Tyra had been so caught up in this mess with Steve and
Konrad, she hadn’t paid attention. But now she smelled them.
Wolves
.
They were surrounded. Then a familiar scent rose up among them that had her
wanting to cuss like a sailor. She turned to face him as he laughed.

“Ah, we meet again,” Xabier said.

Steve turned to look at the newcomer. “Dude, you’re naked.”

Tyra ground her teeth as she stared back at Xabier. A few of
the wolves circled him, brushing against his bare legs. One large wolf eyed her
eerily as he rubbed his dark gray fur against Xabier, turning his head in a way
that never let her out of his sight. They had to be members of his pack, which
meant this could very well be his pack’s land.
Shit!
“We were just
leaving.”

“Oh look, you have your own personal guard,” Xabier sneered.

She hadn’t a clue what he was talking about, but she’d be
damned if she took her eyes off him.

“Do you know this guy?” Steve asked her. “And what is up
with all the dogs?”

“Steve, just shut up and let me handle this,” Tyra grated
out between clenched teeth. Good thing she’d decided to forego her fling with
him.

“Did you just tell me to shut up?” Steve asked as he looked
behind her. “And who in the hell is he?”

Tyra inhaled a breath, trying to take in the scents around
her. Packs tended to carry the scents of their alphas mixed with their own. And
one thing was certain, she could smell Konrad, but knew it wasn’t strong enough
to be him. The scent was mingled heavily with a scent Tyra associated with warm
summer nights.
Luken
. She allowed herself to glance over her shoulder.
Sure enough, Luken stood behind her, wearing a dark shirt and dark jeans. His
shoulders were wide and he rolled them in a way that suggested he wasn’t very
happy.

“Are you on babysitting duty, Luken?” Xabier said in a
mocking voice.

“Tyra, come with me,” Luken said in a deep voice.

“Look, Tyra. I thought you were cool and all, but this shit
is too weird for me. I feel like any minute I’m gonna see a camera crew pop out
of the bushes telling me I’ve been Punk’d,” Steve said.

“Steve, get in the car and leave,” Tyra said. “Let him
leave, Xabier.”

“What in the hell is going on? I ain’t gonna leave you here
with these crazy ass people.”

“Damn it, Steve. Go!” she growled and bared her teeth at
him, hating that she had to. But there was no telling what would happen next
and if things got out of hand, he could very well end up dead. As much as she
was annoyed with his “we ran out of gas” routine, she didn’t want to be
responsible for his death.

“You’re a crazy bitch,” Steve said as he started walking
toward his car.

Why did guys always have to play the bitch card? Maybe she
should have let him get ate. Luken growled behind her and she closed her eyes
for a brief moment, wishing she could be anywhere but here. Steve tossed her
purse out on the ground before he pulled away, dirt drifting through the air as
small rocks bounced off his undercarriage. For some reason, she felt as if any
chance of a normal life rode away with him. A blanket of darkness covered them
as the sun disappeared. How the hell had it come to this?

“Xabier, Konrad’s on his way here,” Luken said.

Xabier laughed. “You act like that should concern me.”

In the distance, Tyra could hear a motor racing. It wasn’t
Steve’s car either. It came closer until Tyra could see shafts of light
filtered by the underbrush down the dirt lane. A large, lifted black truck came
to a stop at the opening of the clearing. The driver opened the door and got
out. When the truck door slammed, Tyra got her first look at a very
angry-looking Konrad. His hair had been pushed back from his forehead, as if he
had been running his hands through it repeatedly. He wore a white button-up
shirt tucked into dark slacks. The sleeves had been rolled up to his elbows,
exposing toned, tanned forearms, and the top two buttons were undone.

Power seemed to roll off him in waves, and even though he
strode forward with purpose and menace, she still felt desire coiling low in
her belly. This wolf was seriously hot. In temper and in body.

“She isn’t on your pack’s land, Xabier,” Konrad spoke in a
low rumble.

“I never said she was, Konrad,” Xabier replied with an eerie
tightlipped smile. “In fact, you should be thanking me.”

Tyra watched as the muscle in Konrad’s jaw began to twitch
as he ground his teeth.

“And just what should I be thanking you for, Xabier?” Konrad
asked.

“For protecting your little—”

Konrad growled.

“Well, whatever you want to call her. I see she still isn’t
marked, by the way,” Xabier said in a tone that implied he’d grown bored with
the conversation.

“And just what were you protecting her from?” Konrad asked.

“Konrad, there isn’t any reason to go into this. Let’s just
go,” Tyra said quickly. If Konrad didn’t know about Steve yet then it would be
better to wait until he calmed down some before he found out.

“Oh this is priceless,” Xabier cooed. “He doesn’t know yet.
Luken, you surprise me.”

Luken growled from her other side.

“Damn it, just spit it out!” Konrad barked.

Luken looked toward Konrad. “Tyra was here with a human
male.”

Xabier laughed. “See? I showed up just in time as the poor
bastard tried to kiss her. But really, no thanks required. I was just assisting
a friend in need.”

Tyra wanted to hit Xabier right in his big fat mouth, but
she settled for staring daggers in his direction. Too bad he had all his
buddies with him, because if he hadn’t, she would have been on him like white
on rice. He winked at her and she had to fight off the wave of nausea that
rolled through her. He squatted a second before his transformation began to
take effect. With a howl, he and his pack members ran off into the underbrush.
When they disappeared from sight, Tyra turned back to face Konrad; furious was
too kind of a word for what he appeared.

Luken took a step toward Konrad. “Konrad, I was trying—”

Konrad held up a hand to stop Luken’s words. “We’ll talk
about it later. Leave us.”

A nervousness like none she’d ever felt before crept over
her, causing her to shift her weight from one foot to the next as she watched
Luken turn to leave the clearing. Konrad continued to stare at her and she
nearly wanted to cringe under his gaze. She should say something—anything to
try to straighten out the mess that she’d created. And yes, she was big enough
to admit she’d created it. But damn if everything in her life wasn’t spinning
out of control. She never meant for any of this to happen. Hell, her date with
Steve had been set up over a week ago. “Konrad…”

“Get in the truck,” he said softly.

“I know you’re angry, but I can explain.”

“Get. In. The. Truck.”

“Konrad, just listen to me.”

“Tyra, I’m not having this conversation here. Now get in the
damn truck.” He turned and marched back over to the truck and yanked open the
door.

Tyra sighed, her shoulders sagging as she walked over to the
passenger side of the truck, scooping up her purse on the way. She tossed it
inside and a poof of dust rose from it as she climbed into the lifted truck.
Once her door was shut, he put the truck in reverse and turned around, heading
out of the clearing. She watched as his fingers tightened and loosened several
times on the steering wheel. And each time he did it, she felt more and more
like an ass. But why? It wasn’t as if she’d made any commitment to him. A pang
of remorse went through her chest. Maybe she hadn’t verbally, but Fate had
declared one for her. And somehow it just didn’t seem fair or right. Why didn’t
she get to choose?

She rode in silence with him as he took them off road, down
a dirt path. After a few minutes, he hit the brakes, threw the truck into park
and got out. She followed him with her gaze as he walked in front of the truck
then to her side, pulling open her door.

She couldn’t stop the yelp of surprise as he reached up and
hauled her out of the seat against him. He wrapped his arms tight around her
and inhaled deeply as he placed his face in the crook of her neck. Her hands
pushed lightly against his shoulders. “Konrad…”