Ivana looked at us like she saw water burning.

Correction: Ivana looked at me like she saw water burning. The moment the door swung open, Etienne had hissed and retreated upstairs, shying away from the sunlight now shining into the tree house.

His damn light sensitivity got him off the hook. Not that he was ever really on the hook. Ivana wasn't going to blame a vampire for... whatever she thought she saw between us when she walked in.

"Ivana," I greeted my pack leader with a sheepish smile. "What brings you here to our very isolated tree house in the middle of nowhere?"

"I wanted to speak with you face to face about your lodgings," Ivana replied, though she sounded like she now regretted that decision.

I pretended I didn't notice Ivana's frown. Or her snippy tone. Or her shock about practically finding me chest to chest with Etienne.

Honestly, there was little else I could do but smile like nothing was going on. Because nothing was going on. Certainly not what Ivana was thinking.

That's what I liked to tell myself, anyway.

"Of course we should talk," I said. "Let's step outside."

"Yes. Let's," Ivana replied tersely.

I followed Ivana outside and closed the door behind me. Rain poured down from the sky and the wind whipped against my face, stinging my cheeks. But I knew the storm raging in the fey woods was nothing compared to the storm I'd be facing with Ivana the moment we were far enough away from the treehouse.

Once we were out of earshot, Ivana shot me a look so cold it could freeze these woods twice over. "I came to ask whether you were holding up alright with the vampire," she said. "Clearly, that is the wrong question. You seem to be holding up very well."

I raised my hands. "No, no. It's definitely not what you think!"

"And pray tell, Boris, what am I thinking?"

I mentally braced myself before replying. "That I'm 'involved' with the vampire," I said. "But I'm not. What you saw was simply an attempt of his to fluster me."

Ivana crossed her arms. "A rather effective attempt. Because you didn't seem to be in a hurry to get away from the vampire just now."

I dodged Ivana's inquisitive gaze. I had to admit part of me hadn't minded being close to Etienne. On some level, the more simple-minded, animalistic part of me was attracted to him—his scent. But that part was far buried beneath my rational mind, which knew Etienne was only acting like this to try to lull me into a false sense of security.

Contrary to what the vampires believed, I wasn't some mindless animal who just ran after his instincts. I could suppress that part. I'd been suppressing some of my more wolfish impulses ever since I started living with the humans, and Ivana had to know that better than anyone else.

"It's definitely not what you think," I repeated.

It came out even weaker than the first time. And as I heard myself speak, I was reminded about that time I laughed at my nephew Aquila floundering and blushing as he said this exact same thing about Xavier when I teased him with his crush.

I wasn't surprised that Ivana didn't fall for it. "The evidence doesn't agree with you," she said. "I spoke with the fey about your lodgings again. After going through a lot of trouble to get an audience, mind you. The fey have bigger problems of their own, as you may have noticed."

"Well, that explains the storm," I muttered, glancing around at the trees, which swayed and moaned in the strong wind.

"Indeed," Ivana said. "The fey, who were greatly annoyed by my interruption, understandably, insisted they had made no mistake."

"But it must be a mistake! Neither of us wants to be in a damn honeymoon suite," I protested, but I recognised a losing battle when I saw one.

Ivana's frown only grew deeper. "Boris," she started slowly, "I think it's best if you go home now. And that you're no longer the person keeping an eye on the vampire from here on out. I will keep him company myself for the time being."

Ivana was right, of course. From her position as the pack leader, she couldn't afford to give anyone the benefit of the doubt. If the vampire situation ended up exploding in our faces, the other werewolves would surely point out that I 'defended' Etienne at my house, that the humans believed we were romantically involved, and that the fey woods agreed with that sentiment as well. Regardless of what the truth was.

On the outside, I looked extremely biased and objectively speaking, it was best to get me away from this job. And I should be relieved about it. Who would willingly spend time with a vampire? Who wouldn't be eager to get away from a predator who hunted humans?

"Of course," I said, ignoring the way my stomach sank. "I'd rather be rid of the vampire sooner than later. But who is going to take over my job?"

Ivana shot me a stern look. "That is for me to decide and no longer any of your concern."

"I know," I said. "I just want to warn you. You know a few of them—Nathan and his friends—came to my house and tried to drag Etienne into the sunlight themselves? You can't give this guarding task to just any of us."

Ivana's frown deepened and she shook her head. "What's gotten into you, Boris? You're very concerned about the fate of the vampire."

I grimaced. Concern was far too big a word. The overgrown mosquito was a pain in the ass, but the bottom line of it all was that, in the end, he didn't strike me as evil. Even the fey forest had eventually decided it accepted him. That didn't mean I was concerned.

"I don't care what happens to him, aside from him not entering Pinewood," I said calmly. "But E- the vampire doesn't deserve to be treated poorly by Nathan or one of his friends either for an entire month."

"Boris, are you listening to yourself?" Ivana asked incredulously. "Remember how you spoke about Etienne yourself just a few days ago?"

I thought about it. A few days ago, I was willing to do anything to send the vampire packing as soon as possible, safe from things that would endanger our werewolf or human community.

The pups liked Etienne, and so did the fey woods in the end. But I wasn't supposed to feel any sympathy for him. I was supposed to know better, because I knew he was still scheming against Pinewood and the humans with his fellow vampires.

"You're right," I reluctantly admitted to Ivana. "I shouldn't be the one keeping an eye on the vampire."

Ivana's face relaxed ever so slightly. She patted my shoulder. "And I shouldn't have asked of you to watch the vampire entirely alone for a few days in a row. I won't make that mistake again. From now on out, I will assign another person to watch him every day."

"A wise decision," I pressed out. It was a wise decision. But it shouldn't have had to be made. I was supposed to be Pinewood's protector. Some protector I was.

My thoughts must've shown in my expression, because Ivana gave my shoulder an encouraging squeeze.

"Don't feel like this is a failure, Boris," Ivana said. "This is what vampires do and live for. They're predators who manipulate your feelings to get what they want: blood."

I knew Ivana meant to be encouraging, but frankly, she only made it worse. I really felt like an idiot now, despite Ivana offering me some semblance of mercy by not saying out loud what she thought was going on between me and Etienne.

I offered Ivana a wry smile. "I was toyed with, it seems."

"I don't know if you were," Ivana said. She hesitated for a moment before going on. "The fey woods chose this treehouse for you both. Not only you."

I sighed. "That's perhaps even worse. But you're still right: this can't be allowed to continue. I'll go home and leave the vampire to you. Just... make sure he gets treated well, alright?"

"He will be," Ivana replied. "Even if you didn't ask. Because nobody wants to risk open war with the vampires."

"There are a few among us who don't seem to care all that much whether they start a war," I warned Ivana again. "Keep a close eye on them."

Ivana just stared at me. Before she could open her mouth to tell me again that my concern about the vampire was inappropriate, I spoke first. "I'll be off then. Thankfully, I left the keys in the car since nobody's going to steal it out here, anyway."

I turned around and walked back towards the cabin. Ivana didn't try to stop me, nor did she call after me. I was grateful she was allowing me to leave with my dignity relatively intact. A wolf like Nathan would never me live this down, and he'd never let me forget I let myself be manipulated by a vampire.

When I reached the cabin, I cast one last glance at the closed drapes behind round windows. I wonder how Etienne would take my sudden departure, but then banished the thought from my mind. It was no longer my business.

Turning away from the tree house, I walked to my car, got in, and drove out of the fey woods alone without looking back.