Werewolf Academy 07 Chosen (22 page)

“
They’re so cute,” Siale said.

The warm smile that spread across her face made Alex smile, too. He made up his mind and held out his hand.

“
Come with me.”

“
Where are we going?” Siale asked when they walked past the street where the motorcycle was parked.

“
You’ll see,” he replied.

Alex led Siale through the entrance of M’s, the finest restaurant Greyton City had to offer.

“
Alex, what are we doing here?” Siale asked in a whisper before the steward saw them.

“
Siale, you agreed to be my wife and I haven’t even taken you on a proper date. You deserve better.” He ran his thumb over the ring she wore. “I’m going to take a page from Jericho’s book and start appreciating the little things as well as the big. You are such an amazing person, and you should be treated like a queen instead of a fiancé wondering if her future husband is ever going to come home.”

Siale’s soft gray eyes shone bright in the elegant lighting. “You don’t need to do this,” she protested.

Alex smiled at her. “Yes, I do.”

“
Will you require a table for two this evening?” a man in a black shirt and gray vest asked politely.

“
Yes, thank you,” Alex replied.

He realized after the steward had seated them that he was actually nervous. Couples sat at stylish glass tables spaced just far enough apart to give those around them privacy. The sounds of silverware on glass plates and the chink of wine glasses overtook the quiet conversations.

Alex had never been in a place so fancy. He felt suddenly grateful for the money Trent had always insisted he carry in case of an emergency. He figured realizing how very much he had taken Siale for granted and needing to show her he loved her would be considered just such an occasion.

Siale’s fingers twisted in the cloth napkin. He noticed she had barely eaten a bite of the fancy little dinner roll that sat in the middle of her plate next to a flower-shaped dab of butter. He almost laughed out loud at the thought that she was nervous, too. It relieved him to think that he wasn’t the only one who didn’t feel like they fit into the fine atmosphere.

“
This is a bit much, isn’t it?” he asked. “We don’t exactly fit the type that requires an extra small fork for shrimp.” He held up the amusingly tiny object in question.

Siale’s dimples showed when she gave an answering smile of relief. “Not at all.”

Alex winked at her. “Then let’s enjoy it. We’ll pretend to be all fancy and talk with proper enunciation.” He sat up straighter and held his shrimp fork between his thumb and finger. “Do you suppose this is better held like so, or between my thumb and middle finger? Is there a better name for the middle finger? It seems a bit crude. I don’t suppose the shrimp mind either way, seeing as how they’ve already been cooked. Although, I’m not quite sure how I feel about eating cold fish.”

“
I don’t think shrimp is a fish,” Siale replied, playing along. Her eyes danced at the game and she held up her little fork as well. “I recall hearing once that shrimp are considered a member of the shellfish family, although,” she eyed the shrimp on her fork. “This one is definitely a bit shrimpy even for a shrimp.”

Alex chuckled. “I’ll bet he got made fun of in school.”

Siale laughed out loud. She immediately covered her mouth and looked around.

Alex grinned at her. “Don’t worry. It’s okay to laugh.”

“
Alex, people are staring.”

Alex glanced to his right. Several of the finely dressed couples around them had indeed stopped their own conversations and were looking in his and Siale’s direction.

“
Maybe we shouldn’t have made fun of the shrimp?” he guessed. An uncomfortable shiver ran up his spine at the attention.

“
Do we need to leave?” Siale whispered.

Alex shook his head, but he wasn’t certain. He attempted to turn his attention back to the shrimp, but with everyone watching them, it was impossible to even pretend to be interested in the food.

Siale’s gaze locked over his shoulder.

“
Alex,” she warned.

Alex’s muscles tensed and he reached for his wine glass so he could smash it in case he needed a weapon. He glanced back. The cook, who was bald and wore a black chef’s hat at a rakish angle along with a black apron bearing the restaurant’s italic red M, walked beside a man in a tailored black suit and a black tie with a matching golden M tie tack. Neither men appeared armed. Alex didn’t grab the glass, but he rose and placed himself between his fiancé and the potential threat.

The man in the black suit stopped a few feet away and surprised Alex with a warm smile.

“
Mr. Davies, I am honored that you would bless my establishment with your presence.” The man bowed. He looked past Alex at Siale and bowed again. “And the soon-to-be Mrs. Davies, the honor is mine. You are even lovelier than you were on television.”

Alex was still in awe of the fact that the man had bowed at them. He didn’t know people even did that anymore. Unsure of whether it was appropriate to bow back and feeling entirely underdressed in his jeans and tee-shirt, Alex went with his gut and held out a hand.

“
The pleasure is ours.”

The man in the black suit shook his hand with another warm smile. “I am Keith Earl Bucherer, the owner of this restaurant, and this is our head cook, Kenyon Manson.”

The cook shook Alex’s hand as well. “I must admit, I never thought I would cook for werewolves.”

Silence fell across the entire room. Alex didn’t know how to respond. He wasn’t sure if the man was taking a jab and his words were a polite warning for them to leave, or if he was joking.

Cook Manson smiled. “I’ve heard that with a werewolf’s acute sense of smell comes the ability to enjoy every nuance of the spices and herbs used to accentuate a plate. I would be honored to know what you think of the Peking duck Mr. Bucherer has asked me to prepare for you this evening.”

“
Uh, I’ll be glad to let you know,” Alex replied.

The cook smiled again and excused himself.

Mr. Bucherer motioned for Alex and Siale to take their seats again; he even assisted Siale by maneuvering her chair to a comfortable position beneath the table.

“
Your meal is on the house,” Mr. Bucherer continued. “As well as every meal you choose to partake of at M’s, which I hope will be many.” He smiled. “Just think of this as your fine dining experience away from home.” He turned away to follow the cook back through the restaurant.

Alex was touched by the man’s kindness, but he had to know why. The other guests at the restaurant had gone back to their own hushed conversations. Alex took the opportunity to ask, “Mr. Bucherer?”

The owner turned back. “Yes, Mr. Davies.”

Alex glanced at Siale. She looked at concerned as he did about the situation. Alex went with the straightforward question. “Why are you being so kind?”

Mr. Bucherer smiled and gestured to the chair on Alex’s left. “May I?”

“
Of course,” Alex replied.

Mr. Bucherer sat down. He was silent for a minute, his gaze distant. When he spoke, the surety had left his expression and instead, to Alex he looked lost.

“
I’ve gone over time and again the things I would say if I ever had the chance to speak to the Demon face to face.”

Alex and Siale gave him the silence he needed. Siale’s hand slipped into Alex’s under the table.

When Mr. Bucherer spoke again, the man’s forehead was furrowed and gaze stark. “Yet putting thoughts into words brings the memories to life again. I didn’t expect that.” He turned to face Alex. “Mr. Davies, my wife had by kidnapped by the Fivers. By her account, she was being held hostage with three other women in the back of a delivery truck when the Demon appeared and helped them escape.” Tears filled his eyes. “I never thought I would see her again. The police had been searching, but the women kept getting moved and they couldn’t locate them. Days went by. I couldn’t eat, I couldn’t sleep. I kept wondering what she was going through.”

His eyes filled with tears and he bowed his head. When he took a shaky breath and looked back at Alex, the expression in them was so stark and bare empathy surged in Alex’s chest.

“
Then I saw her on the news. She was being helped into an officer’s car. The reporter said the women had been rescued by the Demon. In the far left corner of the screen, a huge wolf limped into an alley.” The man’s eyes followed a drop of condensation down the side of Alex’s water glass. “I paused the image. I couldn’t imagine why something so ferocious would save my Melody.”

“
I’m not…” Alex began.

Mr. Bucherer cut him off with a shake of his head and a smile that chased away the agony that had filled his expression. “Of course you’re not, Alex. That’s what I came to realize. When I picked up Melody at the hospital, she told me how brave you had been. Neither of us could believe you weren’t even old enough to be out of high school, yet you risked your life to save strangers.” He met Alex’s gaze. “You gave me back my wife, you gave us back our city, and you changed the prejudiced views of someone who felt he was on a different level than werewolves.” He gave a self-deprecating smile. “I appreciate that you changing my mind.”

Alex smiled back. “I’m glad I could help, and I’m glad Melody’s alright. Please let her know.”

“
I will,” Mr. Bucherer said, rising to his feet. “And now I’ll stop interrupting your evening. Please enjoying the Peking duck. It’s a specialty of ours.”

“
We will,” Siale told him. “Thank you.”

Alex waited until the man was out of earshot before he said, “That went far differently than I expected.”

“
Me, too!” Siale said breathlessly. “I’m so happy for him.”

Alex nodded. “I’m happy for them both.”

Siale set a hand on Alex’s. “You gave them their life back. That’s so wonderful.”

Alex set his hand on hers. “See how romantic I am? I got you a duck for dinner, and I didn’t even have to catch it.”

Siale laughed. “I’m glad. I get tired of feathers.”

“
Me, too,” Alex agreed. “They taste horrible and the stick in the back of my throat. Do you think Cook Manson cooks his duck with them on or off?”

“
Off, I hope,” Siale said with a giggle. “I couldn’t imagine them on.”

“
What if Peking means with feathers?” Alex asked.

They were both relieved when the dishes arrived without feathers and cooked to perfection.

“
Maybe we should ask Cook Manson to host our fake wedding luncheon,” Siale suggested.

Alex smiled at her joke, but the comment turned his thoughts to their earlier conversation. “Are you sure you want to stage our wedding just to draw Drogan out?” Alex asked.

“
I’m absolutely sure,” Siale replied. “It’s the best chance we have to catch him and end his reign of terror once and for all. If we have to fake a wedding to do it, then so be it.”

“
What about your dad?”

Siale let out a small breath.

“
I think we should keep it a secret from our parents, as hard as that will be,” she answered. “We need everyone to act as though it’s a real wedding.”

“
And if Drogan doesn’t show up?”

He heard the smile in her voice when she replied, “Then we’ll get married.”

The thought of catching Drogan if his half-brother was indeed alive tempted him almost beyond reason, yet Alex wanted to make sure he was being rational. Asking his fiancé to fake her wedding felt far beyond what he knew he should expect from her, but Siale was adamant. Her determination to catch Drogan matched his own.

“
Let’s do it,” Alex finally agreed.

There was a hint of teasing in Siale’s voice when she said, “We better start talking about details.”

“
What details?”

“
Wedding colors, cake flavors, flower arrangements.”

Alex groaned and let his head fall to the table.

Siale laughed and gave his shoulder an affectionate squeeze. “I’m just kidding. I know how much guys don’t like that stuff. I’m sure your mom and Cassie will be happy to help.”

The thought of deceiving his mother and sister ate at Alex, but he knew how important it was to make the ruse look as real as possible. A building had fallen on Drogan, but until they found his body, Alex wasn’t going to accept a hand as a sign that he was dead. The mayor of Greyton City had already offered to host the wedding. If the best case scenario happened, they would be married. If the worst came to pass, Drogan would attack and they would finally bring the nation’s number one criminal and terrorist to justice.

Chapter Twenty-three

Alex leaned against the back of the couch, grateful he had healed enough on their ride to Cherish’s to at least pretend to be relaxed.

“
Let me get this straight,” Professor Chet said. “There are at least eight Demons left out there after the destruction of Block D. They’ve been killing and pillaging faster than any force can stop them, and you and Siale decide to take a little ride to Greyton? Did this seem like a good idea to you?”

Alex met his mother’s worried gaze, then Cassie’s. The professors standing around Jaze’s couch all had matching expressions of frustration and anger. Siale sat up as though she wanted to speak, but Alex knew it was his fault. He wouldn’t let her take the brunt of their fury. It wasn’t the first time he had managed to ruffle the feathers of everyone at the Academy.

“
I’m sorry.” He said the words with full honesty and met the gazes of every werewolf in Jaze’s living room. “I shouldn’t have left, and I shouldn’t have taken Siale with me, but I made a promise.” He looked at his mom. “I know everyone here feels Jericho’s loss as strongly as I do, so you understand when I say I made him a promise. I couldn’t let Cherish find out what had happened without telling her in person. I had to give her the ring.”