Page 13 of Oklahoma Storms
“I’ll pay to fix your gate. I shouldn’t have blown through it like that. That was rude of me.” She bounces on the heels of her feet, excited, yet nervous.
Listening to her heart race, smelling her curiosity when it comes to me, gives me enough hope to know that I’m not alone in this. Nariko feels the bond.
Her words fade together, sounding distant when anger and annoyance replace the excitement that was once buzzing through my veins. I turn my attention to the group of people standing there awkwardly.
There’s a man who stares directly at me, narrowing his eyes and crossing his arms.
I could kill them all in less than a second and take Nariko away to have her all to myself.
But I won’t.
These people clearly mean something to her, even if they mean nothing to me.
Still, I am a gentleman and pride myself on how I treat others, even if I don’t like them.
Her scent is too much for me. I take another step away from her, needing as much space as possible. My fangs tingle in my gums, threatening to drop and reveal my existence.
“Nariko.” The man in the group tugs her to his side, taking a protective stance.
What would he know about protecting her? He isn’t capable of mass destruction likeIam. He can’t kill hundreds in the blink of an eye likeIcan. He can’t crush human bone in his grasp likeIcan.
Not that I would. I’m a gentle giant, but when it comes to what belongs to me, I’ll be the demon that breaks someone’s mind into madness.
The willpower it takes to control myself causes a tremor through every limb. Holding in the transformation is difficult. My nails lengthen as the instinct to rip his throat out has fury boiling in my blood. Taking a deep breath, the sharp points press into my palms. The slight sting helps me regain control of my emotions.
Barely.
How can I focus when the soul meant for me is standing next to another man?
I don’t say a word while staring at her.
“Maybe we should go.”
The shaky sentence comes from a young woman who has short red hair and big, round glasses that take up most of her face. Her discomfort is easily felt, especially by me.
Not only can I smell emotions, but I feel them deeply, as if they are my own. They are debilitating, depending on howintense the emotion is. When I was a human, I considered myself to be a sensitive soul. Empathy ruled me as an individual, and when Alaska turned me, that was amplified.
“Let’s not be rude.” Nariko steps forward and holds out her hand. “Can we start over? I’m Nariko Ohtani. This is my brother, Ruka.” She points to the guy beside her, who still stares at me with untrusting eyes.
Her brother. Good. I won’t have to kill him.
“Then, this is Reina, Millie, and Jessica. We are the Dust Bunnies. Maybe you’ve heard of us?”
Like I’d ever pass up the chance to touch her. “I’m Oklahoma Richards.” I wrap my hand around hers, and the moment our palms collide, a massive wave of relief fills me.
Finally.
Finally, I exist for a reason.
“And this guy is Van Gogh.” I scratch behind my horse’s ear.
He has swirls of brown and white all over him, which reminds me of Van Gogh’s painting style.
“He’s beautiful,” she says, releasing my hand, and it takes all of my power not to yank her wrist to my mouth and sink my fangs into her tender flesh.
“We will pay for your gate, Mr. Richards,” Nariko offers. “It’s the least we can do. Plus, it’s my fault. I told my brother to run through it when I knew I wouldn’t be able to unlock the chain.”
“The storm was too perfect, you know?” Reina chimes in, doing her best to sway my favor for her friend.
