Page 136 of Wolf Blood

"Hot?"

"Slightly better."

"She wants you to tell her we look interesting," Rhone said.

It was true, and I liked that he'd realized it about me.

"You definitely look interesting. He's all gigantic and tatted up, and you're tiny with faded pink hair."

I grabbed a few strands of my hair, realizing just how faded it was. It had been hot pink at first, and was now almost a pastel color. Some of the strands were significantly pinker than others, too. I liked it. "We need to color it again."

Bloom made a face. "Because that went so well last time?"

"It did. It's cool. And I want to use lighter dye this time. I think this color looks better."

"It does," she said.

I looked at Rhone for confirmation. He gave nothing away, so I elbowed him lightly in the side.

"You're sexy, Harper. I don't care what color your hair is. The pink is interesting."

I looked back at Bloom. "He's trying to be nice to me now."

"That's a big change from trying to make you hate him for the sake of your stability."

I blinked.

Rhone's fingers dug into my skin lightly. "I wasn'ttryingto make her hate me."

"You said she needed something to hate, and you'd be the something," Bloom pointed out.

"That's not the same as trying to make her hate me."

"It's—" Bloom started.

I interrupted. "I was in a dark place. I still am sometimes. If you guys disagreed about how to help me, that's okay. You don't need to explain yourselves to me or to each other."

One of the enforcers came up and asked Bloom something. They were on the phone with someone else. I figured it had to do with the investment company, because I vaguely recognized them as someone who had been involved when I was devolving.

Rhone said into my mind,"I know we butted heads before we hooked up, but I wasn't trying to piss you off. I was just..."

"Being yourself?"I asked, when he didn't finish his thought."You were never purposefully cruel to me. That's what matters. I don't expect you to be someone you're not. You're always going to be rough and growly and a pain in my ass. I need all of those things. I want them, too."

Rhone lowered his lips to my forehead, and kissed my temple lightly.

It was a small gesture, but a sweet one. New for him. Right in front of the pack, too.

My chest warmed.

He was trying, and I loved it.

One of the challengers that hadn't fought Maverick yet suddenly strode toward us.

Rhone was on his feet and dropping me on Bloom's lap in a heartbeat, stepping in front of us to function as a living shield.

As much as I hated that, I knew logically that Rhone could fight, so I tried not to feel any way about it.

The enforcer Bloom had been talking to stepped up to the other side of our chair, adding to the werewolf shield.