The Monarch ( Fated Series: Book 2 - Completed )

Chapter 5 - Fire and Ice

"Fine! I love Philip Philips. Happy?" Avery asked and rolled her eyes as Jon narrowed his eyes at her. He shrugged his shoulders.

Was he happy he made her admit it? Of course, he had won this argument.

Was he happy of her declaration of love for whoever that Philip dude was? Definitely not!

Avery was his... even if she had been the one to take him in, she was his.

His friend, companion and chef.

Jon was not the one to share!

He narrowed his eyes and decided that telling her that she was his might only irk her. Knowing how stubborn the she-wolf was, she would stop cooking for him on the principle alone. It was much safer for his dinner if he changed the topic all together.

"What are you preparing?" Jon found himself asking. That was a very neutral topic, right?

"Food." Avery flatly stated and closed the oven.

"Yeah, but what?" Jon asked slightly irritated at her smartass remark.

"Smashed potatoes and oven roasted lamb", she quickly told him.

"Where did you find lamb?" Jon asked in a surprise as his mouth was already more than watering. He was drooling. He loved lamb! He was a wolf after all...

"They have these big buildings they call stores these days," Avery explained giggling, obviously aware of his appreciation of the menu.

"You're not funny," Jon informed her. It was her turn to casually shrug her shoulders.

As she was pouring the water out of one of the pots, she started, "I was thinking..."

"I am done with chores for today, so forget about it" Jon snapped, interrupting her. All he could think about was the lamb in the oven and if she would entertain even for a moment the idea that he'd do another chore for her on an empty stomach, she was badly mistaken.

She rolled her eyes at him and then placed the pot on the counter, snatched and threw something at him. Jon quickly reacted catching the flying object, only to stare back at her when he figured out what he was holding – her cell phone! Why would she throw what appeared to be expensive piece of electronic at him? His eyes landed on her face that was smug. He narrowed his eyes at her. Jonathan didn't like it one bit when her smile got broader. She was up to something and he bet that he would like it even less than chopping wood. There were only two explanations of her action. One was that she had actually tried to check his reflexes which would imply she suspected who he was. The second one was equally as upsetting as the first – if not even more – that he had angered her to the point where hitting him in the head with her phone had seemed an acceptable punishment.

"The battery won't last long. Make a call, while you still can." Avery explanation was more puzzling than anything that he had expected.

"So I am no longer a guest, I am kidnapped. Do you really think I should be the one making the ransom call?" Jonathan chuckled, recovering nicely. She laughed at his response, her face shining of mischief and her cheeks slightly colored in a reddish hue.

"You're funny" She shook her head, clearly not believing that he was worth a ransom. She then continued with a friendly voice, "The generator is older than I am. My charger is in the trunk of my car, which is one big pile of snow at the moment. If you want to make a call to let someone know you are okay and assure them you are showed, fed and looked after, go ahead. The battery won't last long."

Jonathan smirked. She had just given her strategy away. All this time that Jonathan had thought that they were fighting over the control of the household, she had actually had another agenda in heart. She had wanted to take care of him by coyly making him shower, eat and was continuously looking after him, despite his prickly behavior.