Rathe was studying me as if he was trying to figure me out. He hadn’t acknowledged the other girl at all. This alone made me curious. He should have lost interest in me by now. The repel charm was subtle, but it was strong. I’d had to cast it to make sure men always left me alone. My natural charm had to be combated with a supernatural one. It was the only way to save them from themselves.

I studied him closely, trying to see if anything was changing in the way he was looking at me. I could feel he was uncomfortable with my scrutiny. I could read that easily enough in his unusual eyes. Maybe the charm was finally doing its magic. With a shift of his feet, he stepped back. “I’ll see you around, Cat,” he said, then walked over toward the awaiting crowd. Even the way he walked commanded attention. He had a swagger that had every female in the room panting after him. Except me. I turned my head away immediately.

I glanced back up at Heath and frowned as Rathe was taken in by the others. “Why are you holding my arm in a vise grip?” I asked, not so politely.

He immediately dropped his hand. “Sorry,” he muttered, as his cheeks slightly flushed pink. “I didn’t realize I was,” he said, as if that was an excuse.

“You acted weird around Rathe. That doesn’t bode well if he’s your roommate now.” This was my concern. If Heath thought he needed to guard me against Rathe, which was what it had looked like, then why would he let Rathe live in the same apartment as Margo? Had he found out things after Rathe moved in that he didn’t like? There was a protective spell around this apartment. One that alerted me if my friends were ever in danger; however, if Rathe was a problem, why was Heath letting him stay?

His brows drew together in a frown. “I wasn’t trying to protect you from Rathe. He’s a nice guy. He’s just a player. I’ve watched him around girls, and he goes through one right after another. When he saw you,” Heath paused, then shrugged and looked over my right shoulder to break eye contact with me. “I knew he’d zone in on you was all. I wanted him to understand you weren’t another girl for him to use and throw away. Even though, I knew you wouldn’t be interested in him.”