“I’m not that hard to talk to. Just spit it out.”
“Let’s finish our breakfast first, then I’ll tell you.”
“All right.”
“On second thought, I want to do some shopping, then we’ll have a talk.”
Treasure had the feeling Soren used the shopping idea as a stall tactic. “Shopping where?”
“The St. Lawrence Market. It’s Saturday, so there should be a ton of fresh produce there.”
She chuckled. “I thought you said you couldn’t cook.”
Soren nudged her arm with his elbow. “Well, someone did offer to teach me how. I need to stock the fridge, anyway.”
Treasure pushed aside thoughts of what Soren wanted to discuss with her and smiled. “Okay, you don’t have to twist my arm. I love going to the market.” She stood.
“We’d better hurry and get dressed. It opened at five this morning, and we don’t want to end up with nothing good.”
Soren stood as well. “I do have to say you look better in my shirt than I do.”
She helped Soren load the dishes into the dishwasher before returning to the bedroom to get dressed. Once they were ready, Treasure followed him onto the elevator, then to his car in the parking garage.
The St. Lawrence Market wasn’t too far from where Soren lived. There were actually two parts to it—the north and south markets. On the way down to the car, they decided to go to the south. It was inside the historic building that had served as Toronto’s first City Hall from 1845 to 1899. It became a market in 1901. With two levels, it had more than fresh produce available for sale. Treasure had a feeling she’d be doing some shopping herself.
It was a bit on the crowded side, but she didn’t mind. With a simple meal of steak, potatoes and veggies, which she decided she’d teach Soren how to cook, they soon had what he needed. He bought other items he figured would be fresher than what the grocery store would have.
All the while they shopped, Treasure thought of what Soren might have to say to her. She didn’t think it was anything too serious or bad, since he seemed more relaxed than he had been the night before. And from time to time, she caught him staring at her as if she were the most precious thing in the world. Not that she would complain about that.
After they returned to Soren’s penthouse and put his purchases away, he led her to the bedroom. Treasure climbed onto the bed and sat in the middle of it as she waited for him to join her. He just stood at the end and stared at her.
“I have to tell you, Soren, you’re making me a bit nervous standing there like that. I now wonder what it is you want to say, and if it’s a bad thing.”
Soren’s gaze became more intense, not straying from her face. “How good are you at accepting change, sudden or otherwise?”
“Pretty good. I’m not one of those people who have a set schedule in their lives and stick to it no matter what. Considering what I do for a living that wouldn’t exactly work.”
“Okay. How about accepting something you would think is totally bizarre and not the standard?”
Treasure furrowed her brow. Just where exactly was Soren going with this line of questioning? The part about accepting sudden change, she thought he referred to maybe them forming a committed relationship, or even him asking her to move in with him. But the second question blew that theory out of the water. She didn’t know how the bizarre part figured into what they had together.
“Ah, I guess I’d be okay with it,” she said. “Though it would have to depend on what exactly you mean by bizarre.”
“All right, let me simplify it a bit more then. What if it were something to do with me?”
“With you?”
“Yes. Do you have strong enough feelings for me that you would be able to accept it if I were…different?”
She narrowed her eyes. “You’re starting to lose me here, Soren. I haven’t a clue what you mean by you being ‘different’. And as for my feelings for you…” She paused and met his gaze squarely. “I do have them. Stronger than I’ve ever felt for another man.”
Soren smiled, one that made her long to pull him onto the bed and have her way with him again. But she remained where she was, sensing he wouldn’t go for it until he’d said what he wanted to.
“I’ve fallen for you, Treasure,” he said. “And I want you to move in with me, but I’m jumping ahead of myself.” He stopped speaking and took a deep breath before he continued. “Now I know this will be hard for you to believe, but I’m telling you the absolute truth.” He paused a second time. “I’m a werewolf, Treasure.”
She blinked a few times. She couldn’t have heard Soren right. “A werewolf? Did you just tell me you’re a werewolf?”
“Yes.”
Treasure looked him up and down. He didn’t look any different from the Soren she’d come to know and had started to fall in love with. There were no signs she could see of him all of a sudden becoming delusional. He appeared to be the same good-looking guy who had her craving his touch like chocolate.
“And how did you become a werewolf?” she asked. “Were you bitten by one on a night of the full moon?”
“No. That’s just superstitious crap made up by mortals who didn’t understand my kind. And is one of the main reasons why we keep hidden what we are. The only way for someone to be a werewolf is if they are born one.”
Shit, he had the whole theory of him being a shapeshifter already all worked out in his head. “So you were born a werewolf from werewolf parents?”
“Correct.” Soren ran a hand through his short, blond hair. “You’re not believing me, are you?”
Treasure climbed off the bed to stand in front of Soren. “You have to admit it sounds more than just bizarre. It makes you sound as if you have a problem telling reality from make-believe.”
He reached up and stroked her cheek with the backs of his fingers. “I know it does, but I’m not losing it.” Soren took her face in his hands and held it in place. “If I were lying, or had lost touch with reality, would I be able to do this with my eyes?”
She tried to jerk free of his hold when they glowed mutedly, but he held on. There was no mistaking it this time. He didn’t look away, but steadily held her gaze. “How…”
She let the rest of what she was going to say trail off.
Soren gave her a slight smile. “All I have to do is think of you and how much you turn me on. My eyes glow when I’m aroused or angry, or just before I shift.”
Treasure’s heart tried to beat out of her chest, and not because desire coursed through her, heating her blood. She couldn’t pull her gaze off Soren’s eyes. “What do you mean by shift?”
“I’m a werewolf. What do you think it means?”
She swallowed, her pulse racing as a shiver ran down her spine. “That you can shape-shift into something half wolf and half human.”
“Another tale told by superstitious mortals. The only thing I can shift into is a wolf.
Like the ones in the wild, except I retain my ability to think as a human.”
This time she jerked away hard enough to force Soren to let her go. She wrapped her arms around her stomach as she trembled. “The other night on the phone, that growl I heard wasn’t from your TV, was it? You made that sound.”
“Yeah, it was me,” he said. “When I get too aroused, I have a hard time keeping the wolf growls back.”
“I see,” she said and took a little step back.
Soren must have noticed. “Treasure, you don’t have to be afraid.”
“I’m not,” she quickly replied.
“You are. I can smell your fear. My kind smell emotions. Each one has its own unique scent. And right now you’re giving off fear.”
Even though she really didn’t want to see it, Treasure knew she had to. Soren had already shown how his eyes glowed, but she needed to see the rest for herself.