Forged in Fire (Forgotten Series, #2)

Chapter Eleven

I looked at the kitchen door and bit back a curse. Why did he have to be so... so intense? His calculating grey eyes missed nothing and the intensity he put off as he had me caged into the wall made desire rush through me so strongly that I had been a little scared. He hadn't even touched me and that was what got me. The male could make me melt without touching me. That did not bode well for me. If he could simply be near me and make my insides turn to mush then I didn't even want to know what his hands on me would do.

"I'd probably do something fucking stupid." I muttered it and saying it aloud didn't comfort me. It almost made it worse. I ran a hand through my hair. I was out of practice for the whole 'not letting the bond control my actions' part of the plan.

Sure I had deliberately played along in front of the group of assholes as my mother had taught me and true I had acted a bit territorial where Dickhead was concerned but the bitch sucker punched me. I needed to draw a line. On one side was her inferior ass and all of the things she could touch and on the other side was things she wasn't allowed to touch, like Dickhead. He was currently mine. Not hers to ogle. Mine.

I slapped myself once more. The cracking sting helped pull me from such possessive thoughts. A possessive mate who doesn't even want to be a mate was extremely bipolar and made me look insane. Not that slapping myself didn't help with that but still. It was the only way I could think of to keep the bond from influencing my thoughts. I thought it was ridiculous with all of those who couldn't see the bond influencing their actions as soon as it was made. It was ridiculous and here I was falling for the same old tricks.

I let out a faint groan as I stared at the wood. He was fucking charming. I never thought I would be impressed by blood and murder. Never thought I was the type of girl who got off on that shit but he made it quite clear he had done it for me. To make a point, of course but he and his wolf were just looking for an excuse because the bastard and his buddy had touched me. I felt no pity for the guy Dickhead had killed. He should have kept his mouth shut.

A surge of anger hit me again. How dare that asshole say Dickhead was less of a male? The thought was infuriating and I wasn't exactly which of the feelings were mine or which were influenced by the bond. It was frustrating. I needed a bit of time to sort through the tangled web of emotions that the bond had caused. I couldn't trust any of my emotions until I had that figured out.

"Are you going to stare at the door all day or actually come in?" At the calm but snappish voice I yelped and jumped backwards in surprise. My face flared red as a rather tall, grey haired female looked me up and down from her position in the doorway. I hadn't even realized she had opened the door. The bond was seriously fucking with my mental faculties. "Well?" I opened and closed my mouth, embarrassment was filling me as she narrowed her blue eyes at me slightly.

"Well if you are going to linger and not talk to me, get into the fucking kitchen and help me make breakfast." She said it sharply and without thinking I quickly entered the kitchen as she stepped aside. I was still trying to find my voice as her hand gripped my shoulder tightly. It wasn't a painful grip but more of she wasn't aware of how strong her grip was. "Some might call you a muddie but I know a Colectoare de Respingeri when I see one." She said it evenly and at the foreign words I finally managed to find my voice.

"A what?" I kept my voice low, I was very much aware that this was her domain and she had an edge of savageness to her that warned me she wasn't exactly someone to mess with, regardless of how old she looked.

"Collector of Rejection." She responded before patting my shoulder and moving over to the counter and waving me over. I followed her quickly. "There was a tradition in my pack. It was hundreds of years old. Surviving rejection was considered the greatest strength because it slowly killed your wolf if you weren't careful." She moved over and grabbed some ingredients. I looked around and spotted an open recipe book. It looked like she was making pancakes. I kept my hearing focussed on her as I looked around for a large bowl. I spotted one underneath the island.