Double dating with friends was a luxury for us. One that would make a nice memory once Zack left in six weeks. Did I want to give that up for paranoia? I sighed. You’re right. Not like he’s going to attack us in public.
I scooted onto the stool next to Zack. Through my curtain of dark brown hair, I snuck a peek past the wide window at the pale werewolf. He was tall for a guy, and looked like he could be in his early thirties. He wore faded jeans and a dock-striped blue and gray short-sleeved shirt. His clothes may have been considered casual-wear, but they screamed money. And his hair was just a bit shaggy, yet he looked like he’d just stepped out of a magazine.
He seemed familiar, yet I knew I’d never seen him before.
I couldn’t totally tell in the dim patio lighting, but something was up with his skin. The texture seemed off, like tiny little bumps puckering the surface. Scars maybe?
As he took a sip from his cup, he glanced my way and I recognized those gray eyes.
We should’ve left like I’d wanted to. On the upside, at least he was the same werewolf I’d just seen in the woods and not yet another new one. But that gave me little comfort since his mere presence made my muscles go rigid.
You need to chill, he told me silently. Or you’ll give yourself away.
I tried to ease the tension in my shoulders to no avail. Instead, I eyed the man again on the sly without turning my head. He was the one in the woods tonight.
Are you sure? Zack frowned as Trevor and Maya approached.
Same eyes. Positive.
Zack shoved a stool toward Trevor.
“No way, dude. Maya wants to sit outside.” Trevor headed toward the door right behind Maya.
Having no choice, we pushed off the stools and followed them out to the patio. Trevor landed at the farthest vacant table from the lone man. It was a small patio, though, which still put him only several yards away. Too close.
Dry leaves skittered across the cement past a couple huddled together near the door.
“Your mom seemed like she was feeling pretty good tonight, Zack,” Maya said as she took the chair next to Trevor, oblivious to the tension filling the air.
Zack claimed a chair on Trevor’s other side and motioned for me to sit. But I had no intention of getting comfortable near any werewolf except Zack — whose firm grasp on my hand prevented me from bolting. He tugged, forcing me to sit.
“Not so sure about that. She’s probably just being extra perky so no one will fuss over her.” Zack seemed thoughtful for a moment. “She’s really pale and she’s wheezing. Even the slightest movement winds her.”
“You think maybe she overdid it earlier when she got up to referee our argument?” I hoped not. Without her help, I probably wouldn’t have gotten Zack to finally admit he wanted me.
“No, she’s been a little off for a few days now.” Zack shook his head, his face strained with emotion. “I’m afraid it’ll turn into pneumonia like it did last year. Her immune system can’t handle that right now. I should take her to the doctor, but she keeps fighting me on it. Maybe I’ll insist tomorrow.”
“Don’t you have to work after school?” Trevor asked. “You can’t be two places at once.”
“I’ll take her,” I offered. “Otherwise, I’ll just stay home and worry.” Maybe she’d let me pick her brain for childhood stories about Zack, especially embarrassing ones.
“Thanks.” He frowned, staring into his paper coffee cup. “But I’d rather do it. If she needs to go and Timothy needs me at the shop, I’ll take her after my shift.”
Trevor nodded, and Maya gave Zack a sympathetic smile.
The energy around us changed, like the air was denser, even slightly prickly. Zack met the man’s gaze and I wondered if they were having a silent conversation. If so, I wanted in on it. Resting my hand on Zack’s thigh to make a physical connection, I listened in.
Charles is your supervisor? the man asked. I don’t know him. And what’s your name?
Zack De Luca.
Whatever emotion flickered in the man’s eyes came and went so fast, I figured it had to be my imagination. I really hoped he wouldn’t do what William had done and try to claim Zack as his own recruit.
Werewolf scouts only seemed to care about bringing new werewolves to the king and collecting their reward. Charles may be scum, but at least he’d said Zack could finish school, maybe even stay for his mom’s last days or weeks.
And you? Zack asked.
Renzo. See you around. He stood and turned his back to us, tossed his cup in the trash, and strolled in the opposite direction toward a midnight-blue Jaguar.
I released my breath in a whoosh, wishing I could feel more relieved that he’d left. But I couldn’t. I suspected I’d be seeing him again soon.
Zack turned his attention to Maya. “Are you coming back to our house later?”
She smiled at Trevor. “Maybe.”
We chatted about graduation as we finished our drinks and, after a while, Maya pushed her cup away. “I still need to study for that English test tomorrow.”
On the way home, Zack and I sat in the back seat peering out the rear window religiously to make sure we weren’t being followed. But I didn’t see any midnight-blue Jaguars — or any other car — tailing us.
Several minutes later, Zack and I stood on the sidewalk in front of my house, waving good-bye to Maya and Trevor. Before going inside, we glanced around for any signs of werewolves.
Nothing, I said.
We wouldn’t sense him if he was a block away, though. Zack shook his head. He could be watching us from right around the corner, just waiting for you to open the door. He’d be here before we got inside.
If he’s stalking us and he’s a block away right now, he already knows where I live. My stomach pinched as I fished inside my purse for my house key. I just wanted to get inside where we weren’t so exposed and vulnerable.
Yeah. Zack ran a hand through his dark, thick hair. If not, he’d find out soon enough anyway.
Just great. “You’re coming in, right?” I asked. Maybe, finally, I’d get some time alone with him. Yes, my life could be in danger, but that didn’t mean I no longer wanted Zack. Danger gave me all the more reason to take advantage of every moment with him.
“Sure.” He looked preoccupied, his forehead creased.
I unlocked the door, entered and closed it behind us. Instead of following me to the kitchen table where I dumped my purse and sweater, Zack hung near the front door. His face still held a pensive expression.
My heart sank as I instantly gave up on any chance of us continuing where we’d left off on the couch earlier. “What’s up?”
“I can’t spend the night here anymore,” he said, taking a step back. “It was safe before because we weren’t together. Less chance of anything happening. But now…”
Before he could get away, I snaked my arms up around his neck. “Stay,” I whispered.
“I want to.” With the softest touch, he disentangled himself from me and stepped out of my embrace. “But how much willpower do you think I have?”
I dropped my arms in impatience. He’d asked me to be his girlfriend only a few hours ago and he was already pulling away. Memories of every time he’d turned me down these past few weeks clouded my vision, and rejection weighed heavy in my gut. “We can’t even kiss anymore?”
“Not here. All alone, it’s too easy to push boundaries and we can’t risk it.” Zack stepped closer and rested his hands on my hips, but held me at arm’s length. “I’ll be here in the morning and we can drive to school together.”
I’d gotten used to him being with me every night and I hated the idea of being without him through the long stretch until morning. But was that really Zack’s problem? Or was he having second thoughts about me? My stomach knotted.
He brushed his lips against mine. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Okay.” I followed him out the front door and gave him a half wave from the top of the steps. What choice did I have
, but to let him go? I certainly wasn’t going to beg. Yet.
Watching Zack get smaller as he got farther away triggered a dull ache in my chest. I held my breath until I couldn’t see him anymore, then went inside and hit the stairs to my room. The sooner I got ready for bed and fell asleep, the sooner I could wake up and see him again.
Once showered, I threw on some flannel shorts and a tank and crawled under my covers, but was still too wired to relax. Stupid mocha. Should’ve asked for decaf. Sleeping without Zack nearby wasn’t helping either.
I fantasized about ripping his clothes off and getting myself some werewolf love. But what if it wasn’t a myth and we became so weak that we couldn’t defend ourselves when Renzo or Charles came for Zack? As if our youth didn’t already put us at a physical disadvantage against the older and stronger werewolves.
After tossing and turning for what seemed an eternity, I flung my covers off and switched on the bedside lamp.
Okay, so Zack and I couldn’t spend the night alone. I couldn’t sleep without him either. What were my options? Staring at the ceiling, I recalled our last conversation when he’d said it might be easier with people around. Zack lived with his mom and Trevor’s family, so we wouldn’t be alone. That was his objection, right?
I jumped out of bed, dashed down the stairs and snatched my keys on my way out of the back door. I leaped high over our fence, landing in the neighbor’s backyard. It only took seconds before I’d traveled the few houses and arrived at Zack’s bedroom window. It was open, of course. He tended to be warm at night.
After poking my head through the curtains, I saw him lying in bed. He faced away so I couldn’t tell if he was sleeping. If he made any startled noises and woke everyone up, I’d have to bail.
What if his mom or aunt spotted me before I had a chance to get away? I flushed at the idea of getting busted creeping into his room. Especially by his uncle Mac. No freakin’ way.
As quietly as I could, I squeezed past the window sill.
Zack was out of bed by the time I stepped onto the floor, his eyes darkening. Oops. Maybe this had been a bad idea.
~~~
Chapter Two
Zack moved in a blur and the next instant, his arms closed around me and his face was buried in my hair. “I couldn’t sleep without you.”
The tension eased out of me. “Same here.”
Zack kissed my forehead, then hugged me tighter. “What are we gonna do now?”
“Nothing except go to sleep.” I gently pushed him away, tiptoed to his bed and slid under the covers.
“Uh… we’ve never actually slept next to each other before.” He hesitated at the foot of the bed.
I noticed then that he wore only boxers — at least I had on a tank, even if it was a little skimpy. The pale moonlight filtered through the curtain and shone on his smooth chest and rippled abs.
I gulped and resolved again not to let things get out of hand, especially not with his mom sleeping on the other side of the thin wall. But, oh, how good he looked. I wanted to run my fingers up his spine and watch him shiver. I wanted to feel his weight on me and—
No, nothing would happen tonight. Well, maybe some cuddling.
Slowly, he shuffled to the other side of the bed where he’d been lying before. But he didn’t make a move to climb in beside me.
“It’s either this or I have to go home and we both sleep crappy. How well will we be able to defend ourselves if we’re exhausted?” At that, I turned away and waited for him to join me. “Come on. Spoon me.”
He chuckled softly and slipped under the covers.
“We’ll be good tonight. We have to be,” I said.
“Easy for you to say.”
Not really.
I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to ignore the feel of his warm skin and length of his thighs against the back of mine. The tip of his thumb pressed into my waist as his big, warm hand covered my hip and scooted me closer. Butterflies danced in my stomach and warm tingles spread over my chest.
I could resist temptation. I had to. Otherwise we’d have to sleep apart. I rearranged his arm so it lay at my ribs. Unfortunately, that was distracting in an entirely different way.
Zack brushed my hair off my shoulders and kissed the back of my neck. “I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep this way either,” he whispered, sending goose bumps dancing along my skin. “But I’ll be much happier while I’m wide-awake.”
“Keep that up and I won’t be responsible for my actions.”
He groaned, snuggled up to my back, and stayed very still. After a while, his breathing settled to a steady rhythm. I knew rest wouldn’t come as easy for me, but so long as I had Zack, I’d put up with a little sleep deprivation.
† † †
“Autumn, wake up.” Zack shook me gently. “You need to slip out before it’s light outside.”
“Ten more minutes.” My lids grated over my dry, tired eyes. The room was beginning to brighten.
“Shhhh! They’ll hear you.”
I was lying on my side facing him, our lips just inches away. His breath smelled sweet. Had he brushed already?
“Who are they?” I asked, speaking a little louder than was wise.
He kissed me, probably to shut me up. I cringed, afraid I’d offend him since I hadn’t freshened up yet.
“Don’t worry.” Zack chuckled quietly. “Our bodies heal quickly, remember? We don’t have the bacteria and all that stuff. You only need to brush if you eat spinach.”
Seriously? Best news ever! I grabbed a handful of his hair and pulled him to me, my lips locking onto his. He slid over me as I turned onto my back. Zack’s stomach pressed into me as our bare legs tangled under the sheets. Mmm. It was way too nice and I didn’t want it to end.
But it had to. This time, I was the one to stop, pushing my palms against his chest as I got in one last lick on his bottom lip.
He rolled off me and ran his fingers through his hair. “You’re even hotter when you’re sleepy.”
“Yeah, same to you.” It was getting light outside and too risky to leave his room in my human form. Reluctantly, I rose from the bed, morphed into a squirrel and slipped through the open window.
† † †
Zack appeared at my door later that morning just before I had to leave for school, grinning and holding out a sprig of flowers. He wore a faded green shirt that read Vampires are all talk. Werewolves are all action. Lord, he was beautiful. And totally sweet. Warmth spread over my chest as I inhaled. Jasmine.
“Thank you.” Opening the door, I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and snagged the fragrant blooms.
As Zack passed me, his gaze drifted lower to my short skirt and bare legs. His mouth curved up. The look in his eyes made me want to drag him upstairs and skip school.
Shaking it off, I went in search of a vase and arranged the flowers.
We drove to school and my eyes instinctively scanned the perimeter as I exited the Mustang. Beyond the gate, cars lined the curb. Farther down the block, I could just see the front of a dark sports car. Midnight-blue.
Chills raced through me.
When I glanced back at Zack, his stony expression told me he’d seen it too.
Probably not Renzo’s car. Even if it is, he’d have to get through Charles. Zack held my hand and walked me toward my homeroom class.
When we passed Gina — the skank who’d hooked up with my now ex — she glared at me. Her lips moved and even though she was yards away, I heard what she said. “Liar!”
The burning hatred in her eyes intensified as I neared her. Sure, I’d told her yesterday that Zack and I weren’t together, but it was the truth at the time. Whatever. She wasn’t worth stressing over.
At lunch, we sat with Maya and Trevor and every time I glanced at Gina, she was ignoring her tablemates and sending me a death glare. I sighed, mentally acknowledging the inevitable confrontation. I met her gaze, then jerked my head toward the exit and rose.
“Where are you going??
?? Zack asked.
“To deal with Gina.” I quickly explained why.
He grinned. “Aw, you don’t have to get into a catfight over me, babe.”
I lightly slapped the top of his head, just enough to ruffle his hair, then left. Gina followed right behind me as I led the way to the bathroom where we’d have privacy.
Once inside, she scowled, fists planted on her hips.
I checked under the stalls to make sure we were alone, then raised my hand, hoping to prevent a tirade. “I didn’t lie. It really was over between Zack and me yesterday, but we made up.”
Gina sneered. “I’m supposed to buy that?”
I sighed. “It’s the truth.”
She dug out her eyeliner and began touching up her eyes in the mirror. “It’s comforting to know that you, the Virgin Princess, haven’t done the things with Zack that I have.”
A knot formed in my stomach. “As if I’d believe anything you said. Besides, you guys barely knew each other.”
“Not at first,” she chirped, her words heavy with implication. While I digested that, she dropped her eyeliner into her purse and her mouth curled up. “What can I say? Daniel couldn’t say no to me either.”
Zack wasn’t anything like Daniel and he’d easily resist Gina now. I was sure of it. But we weren’t together two weeks ago. . . In fact, we hadn’t even liked each other. Had he fooled around with her?
My stomach lurched, but I feigned boredom and folded my arms over my chest to mask the doubt creeping up on me. “It’s not working, Gina.”
Moving to stand directly in front of me, she got right up in my face. “Ask him.”
Was this the rare moment Gina actually told the truth? If she was lying, she wouldn’t be pushing me to talk to Zack about it, would she?
And just like that, my world turned a shade of gray.
I refused to let her see how much her words affected me. I pushed past her, trying to act more composed than I felt. “This is a waste of my time.”
Storming through the corridor on my way back to the cafeteria, I couldn’t get Gina’s words out of my head. Should I ask Zack about it? Wait, if he had slept with Gina, did I really want to know? Did I really want images of them making out — and who knew what else — knocking around in my head?