No.7

"Sorry. "Go on.

"When I was presented to him on my sixteenth birthday, I... rejected him. He's hated me ever since. "

She let out a low whistle. "Ouch. No wonder. Think he still has a thing for you? "

"No. He's probably searching for a dark corner he can pull me into so he can get rid of me. "

"Sure, we'll pretend that's why." Standing, she stretched and rolled her shoulders. I sure wish someone hated me enough to look at me like that. I'd let her hate me right out of my clothes and into bed. "

Oh, I'm sure there's someone out there for you to have hot hate sex with.

"From your lips to the goddess's ears." She blew me a kiss before strolling away with her fiery hair swaying.

I picked up the three books I'd pulled from the reference section, returned them to the librarian's cart and headed for the mythology shelves, which were tucked deep in the back of the library. The eyes of the stained glass sphinx that made up the entirety of the west wall seemed to follow me with every step I took. The remaining glow of the last rays of the setting sun made the art appear alive.

An uneasy tremor built in my center as I scanned the books, searching for anything that stuck out as important for the class I was already behind in. The hair on the back of my neck rose, and I whirled around just in time for a large hand to grip me by the throat as I was pushed hard against the shelf.

Kingston's stare burned straight through me, settling deep in my core. What the fuck are you doing here, Sunday? Are you stalking me? "

A warning growl built in my chest, the only response my wolf ever gave me. "Believe me, if I knew you would be here, I would've run away."

"Doesn't smell that way to me." He leaned in and dragged his nose across my collar and up my neck. Right to the spot where he would've marked me as his if I hadn't rejected him. "It smells like you still want me even though you threw away your chance."

"In your dreams."

"It was. Every fucking night, in fact. Until I realized how defective you were, I should thank you, you know? You saved me the embarrassment of being mated to a weak excuse of a wolf. "

My chest fluttered, the anger boiling inside, ready to escape. The urge to let my wolf out had my skin itching, too tight, desperate for a change.

"Look at you, so needy," he whispered. "I bet if I touched your little cunt right now, you'd be slick and hot for me."

"Fuck you!" I spat.

One brow cocked. "That's the idea, Sunshine. You know, we may not be mates, but you'd still be good for a hard and fast fuck. What do you think? " His palm left my throat and slid down between my breasts before traveling farther, settling just over the top of my pussy. "Would you say no this time?"

Before I could answer and fight him off, Kingston was gone, flung across the aisle and into the wall, knocking books off the shelves.

"That's quite enough from you, wolf." The tall, broad man's voice boomed through the space, his Irish accent almost lyrical. "Need I remind you of our earlier lesson in restraint?"

"Not all of us are as controlled as you, Priest," Kingston bit out. "And we don't want to be either."

This guy was a priest? He was hot as fuck. Dark, wavy hair, cropped close at the sides but long enough to run your fingers through. The harsh slashes of his defined brows spoke of someone used to commanding respect. And then there was the jawline. Sharp, strong, sexy. What a waste. Curiously, even though Kingston called the Irishman a priest, his complexion bore the trademark pallor of a vampire.

"Miss Fallon," the priest said, "Come with me. You're late for our first session. "

"Session?"

"Yes," I am sure if you look at your schedule for the week, you'll find my name there every evening. "

"Gallagher?"

His jaw clenched, annoyance flickering in his eyes. "Americans can't pronounce anything correctly."

I bristled. "What was that?"

"Gallagher." He said it, Galla-her. If eyerolls could be verbalized, he'd just nailed it.

"Oh. I've never heard it said that way. "

"Of course you haven't. You privileged little creatures live life in your ivory towers, never expanding beyond what you already know. "

God, he was grumpy. "Okay, Father Gallagher. Did I say it right this time? "

"Aye. My name is Father Caleb Gallagher, and I am going to help you find your wolf. "