Compelled Read Online Free Page B

fool.
    “I’ll need a favor in return,” he quickly added.
    “Anything—well almost.” I did have personal limits.
    He paused for a moment and played with his coffee cup. What the heck did he need from me? It wasn’t like I could hook him up with one of my cousins. He wasn’t into werewolves.
    “I need you to go to a dwarf matchmaking dinner with me.”

Chapter 4

    “So you’re saying you want to take another woman to this matchmaking dinner?” I asked Tyler again a few days later. “A dinner where you’re supposed to hook up with someone?”  
    Maybe I’d heard him wrong or something.
    “Yes.” Tyler didn’t look me in the eyes. He simply kept walking down the quiet East Village street. Evenings in NYC should always be pleasant like this. “Look, Nat, I wouldn’t be too worried about it. Not to hurt your feelings, but you’re not that pretty compared to dwarf girls and you’re going to stand out.”
    Oh, yeah. No shit. “So I’m ugly, huh?” I tried to sound hurt but failed. Was I a bad girl for giving him a hard time?
    “No, you’re not that…unattractive. You’re just too tall. And you need more…curves.”
    He glanced at my chest. I’d yet to hear any complaints from Thorn, so I just chuckled. To each his own.
    I adjusted the gifts I carried. Even if I didn’t think this was the smartest idea Tyler came up with, I decided to go and be at my best. I’d had enough home training from a sharp Russian mother to know I should wear a nice dress to a dinner and bring a gift of some kind.
    The fairy at the bakery in South Toms River suggested thick loaves of bread and wine, so I bought a couple loaves from her and a cheap bottle of wine at the local convenience store. It didn’t seem like the smartest move, especially with Tyler’s harebrained idea of bringing me to his date.
    “I’m so nervous,” he whispered as we walked up to a brick apartment building.
    “So this is where her family lives?” I asked.
    “Only dwarves live here.” He hesitated at the entrance.
    I nodded and patted his shoulder. “C’mon. Where’s the guy I remembered who battled werewolves like nobody’s business?” Tyler, along with the rest of my therapy group, had come to the South Toms River Pack’s rescue when an invading pack tried to take over. I’d always be grateful for his bravery.
    “That was different. I wasn’t trying to get married. I feel different on the battlefield.”
    “Fair enough.”
    Once inside, I expected us to climb the stairs to one of the top floors, but instead, we went down two levels. The stairwell was well lit, with sconces illuminating the whitewashed walls. My nose told me someone had diligently scrubbed these hallways with cleaning products. Tyler led the way to a door at the end of the hall. His fine leather shoes scuffed against the wooden floor.
    Once we reached our destination, he froze.
    “Do you want me to knock?” I asked.
    He wiped a line of sweat off his brow with a handkerchief. His scent, heavy with agitation, filled my nose. “No need. Just give me a sec.”
    I hid my smile and tried to stifle the swell of nervous flutters in my stomach. Here was a man who’d make women tremble with his grin, and yet his nervousness seeped into me. His hand rose, then dropped again. By the third time, after a deep breath and wiping off his brow again, Tyler knocked on the door hard.
    Poor guy.
    “You got this,” I whispered to his back.
    His nod was barely perceptible as the door opened wide. Tyler blocked the doorway so I took a peek around him. From what little I could see, I spotted an older woman at waist-height.
    “Right on time, Tyler son of Wendt,” she said stiffly.
    A sweet scent hit my nose and the wolf within me melted. Ham, baked with brown sugar and poked with lots of cloves. Just my kinda place.
    “Greetings to Eosa, daughter of Kagte.” He bowed at the waist then stepped inside.  
    This was my first visit to a dwarf home, so I followed Tyler inside and