Chapter Two

Now she’d gone and done it. As if her smart mouth wasn’t enough trouble, now she was testing the waters.

Not that she knew that the redhead she was challenging was a vampire.

Nicole Jenson, actually. The daughter of the royal family over the southern region.

The family was ruthless. No boundaries. If someone, human or not, stepped on their toes, they’d go missing within the week.

Drake couldn’t let Waverly go missing. It was his job to protect his mate.

Which wouldn’t be easy since she was dead-set on getting away from him, and pretending he didn’t exist.

Drake eyed the table across the row. The redhead looked pissed, her gaze on the kitchen door where Waverly had walked into to gather their drinks.

One of the other vampires at the table noticed Drake and tossed him a head nod. Drake returned it. Maybe if he was nice he could talk them down if he needed to.

He’d moved into the apartment complex a couple of weeks before because he’d smelled her. It was a random day at the mall. She was with one of her school friends and passed by him with no knowledge that he was her fated mate.

Drake followed her home, and may or may not have, slipped some weird stalker letters under her old neighbor’s door until she moved out, giving him the chance to move in.

It was desperate but he had to get close to her. Being away twisted his stomach into knots. Once he did move in, he realized she was in love with the guy down the hallway.

Not that Drake was worried about him. He couldn’t even remember her name.

The kitchen door swung open, and Waverly walked out with a tray of drinks. Drake couldn’t stop himself from watching the way her hips moved when she walked.

She was curvy, her blonde hair pulled back out of her face with soft curls swinging with each step. Waverly looked plucked from his wildest fantasy, and it’d been torture to keep his distance.

She stopped at the booth behind the vampires, sat the drinks down, and began to hand them around the table. Nicole stared daggers at her. Drake clutched his fingers into a fist, listening as she took their order, and how they changed it at least five times.

Waverly’s neck and cheeks were red from irritation. Drake prayed that she didn’t do anything stupid. She was close to graduating and really didn’t need the job as much as she pretended.

Would she quit? He’d rather her quit quietly than tell them where to shove it before doing so. She wouldn’t make it back to her apartment.

She delivered the couple's drinks and appetizers and brought over his beer and water.

“What can I get you?”

Drake glanced over his shoulder at the table, and Waverly folded her arms over her chest, pushing her breasts up in the process. “Do you want me to ask her for her number? You have the balls to eavesdrop but not talk to a girl?”

Drake took a swig of his beer. “I think you should watch what you say to them.”

Waverly chuckled and turned the page on her ticket book. “Thank you for that, but as you know, I don’t hold back when disrespected.”

Drake met her emerald gaze. “Maybe that’s something you should learn.”

Waverly chuckled. “Maybe minding your own business should be on your list.”

He smiled. “I want the biggest burger on the menu, rare.”

She grabbed the menu from the table, and he swiped his arm out and grasped her wrist. “I’m serious, Waverly. Be careful with them.”

Keeping eye contact, she slid her hand from his and walked back into the kitchen. She kept her distance most of dinner, laughing with the other servers, while Nicole kept a close eye on her.

She’d pissed her off, and his fear grew by the minute. Drake couldn’t let her leave this building without him. By the look on Nicole’s face, she was pissed, and Drake didn’t put it passed them to hurt Waverly.

Waverly walked the check over to their table and sat it down. “Can I get you anything else?”

Nicole sat back and glared at her. “Did we ask for the check? Are you rushing us out? I bet your manager would love to know that you’re rushing your customers out of the restaurant, wouldn’t he?”

Waverly’s gaze shifted toward his, but she ignored the facial expression Drake gave her. “You don’t have to leave now. Who said you did? It’s protocol to hand your customers their check once they’ve finished eating.”

Nicole narrowed her dark eyes at Waverly, but Waverly didn’t flinch. “I don’t like your attitude.”

“I don’t care,” Waverly snapped back.

The hairs on the back of Drake's neck stood on end. One of the vampires with Nicole put their hand on her shoulder in an attempt to calm her down, but she shrugged it off. “Come on, guys. Suddenly I’m ready to leave.”

They shoved passed Waverly, paying their ticket on the way out, and leaving her with a terribly messy table. Waverly rolled her eyes and began to clean their mess.

Drake watched them walk into the parking lot and make a turn around the side of the building where Waverly parked. They weren’t leaving.

Waverly walked the dishes into the back.

He didn’t know her schedule, but he knew that he couldn’t let her leave this building without him. How would he tell her that he was a vampire, and she’d pissed off a royal? He had no idea, but he needed to come up with a plan.

Waverly came to check on him and looked down at his empty plate. “Here is your ticket—”

“I want pie,” he said.

“Okay,” she said, leaning forward to write down the pie he wanted on the ticket. “What kind?”

The scent of her strawberry perfume doused him. “Anything strawberry is fine. It’s my favorite.”

“We have strawberry cheesecake?”

“Sure.”

She stood up and tilted her head. “You’re awfully observant to know that group would be rude to me. Do you know them?”

Drake leaned back. “Somewhat.”

“I don’t like ‘em.”

“They don’t like you either, apparently.”

She smiled. “I’ll be back with your pie, and then you need to leave. You hanging around is scaring away my customers.”

He had no intention of leaving.

Drake was staying until Waverly left the restaurant, and most likely, she was going to need some saving tonight. Call him, Superman.