Page 7 of Forged Alliances

Sierra squeezed Jer’s shoulder. “Thanks for being all worried over my honor, but the mean ole kitty cat will have to try a lot harder if he wants to get a rise out of me.” She fixed her gaze on Dax, challenge burning in her chest. “You worry about keeping up when we’re out in the woods. Don’t think I missed the way you had to catch your breath yesterday.”

He smirked, pushing the empty can of tuna toward her. “Depends on what sort of exertion we’re talking about.”

She shot him a glare in response.

In a matter of minutes, the waitress stepped in, bringing a tray full of food. Not like Sierra didn’t enjoy verbally sparring with Dax, but the man had a way of getting under her skin, and she didn’t trust the way her body reacted to him. The scents of syrup and cinnamon drifted her way, combined with the salty tang of meat, the crisp char of toast, and strong coffee.

The table lapsed into silence as they scarfed down food. With all the energy she burned while running in wolf form, she better get her calories in now. Dax and Jer dug in with equal gusto, and in minutes the plates had been emptied apart from a couple of crumbs. Once the waitress cleared the plates, Dax broke the silence.

“Since the niceties are now over, let’s get down to business,” he said, tossing a couple of crisp bills onto the table. “We’ve got territory to scout.”

“If our exchange until now is what you’d call niceties, no wonder your pack’s in trouble,” Sierra muttered, eliciting a razor grin from him. She added her crumpled cash to the table and squeezed Jer’s shoulder. “I’ll keep you informed. Thank you for helping me with this.”

He glanced over to Dax and then back at her, distrust clear in his eyes. “Call me if you need anything.”

Sierra nodded and then took the lead toward the exit. “Let’s go for a run.”