‘Him’ was a guy who looked Asian and was watching Michael with a look that was absolutely void of fear. Suddenly, I wasn’t so worried that Michael would hurt anyone. I didn’t want to mess with anyone who’d take on a Werewolf without breaking a sweat.
“Tell me what happened,” I ordered.
“He slept with Courtney,” Michael snarled.
I glanced at the guy again, eyeing him. He was handsome and corded with muscle, just Courtney’s type. “Uh huh, and did he hurt Courtney, either physically or emotionally?”
His glowing amber eyes swung my way. “That’s not the point.”
I sighed. This wasn’t the first time I’d seen a Werewolf pull this kind of thing. They could be so overprotective. “Yes it is, she’s a grown woman.” I pointed to Courtney's apparent new lover. “You go, and if you do hurt Courtney, he’ll be the least of your worries.” Then I turned back to Michael. “You’re coming with me.”
He growled. “I’m not going to let him get away with it!”
I slapped him on the back of his shoulder. “Yes you are, you’re going to suck it up because you’re a good guy and Courtney will kill you when she hears about this.”
“He’s a cat shifter!” he exclaimed.
Wow, that explained the lack of mortal terror in the face of an angry Werewolf. I gave the guy another cursory glance and the bastard winked at me. “Don’t you think about throwing that at me, I’m not going to give you any slack for being prejudice.”
“It’s unnatural,” he stated.
“So’s a wolf standing on two legs, yet here we are, come on, before I decide to tell Murray you’ve been starting fights.”
He growled but didn’t protest as I took his arm and dragged him back towards Julie. The threat of Murray was usually enough to get even the most stubborn wolves to comply.
When we reached the train station he stopped. “I’ve still got some business in the city,” he said moodily.
“Stop bothering your poor sister and stay out of trouble,” I said, patting his cheek.
“You too.” He gave me a reluctant smiled before disappearing.
“Why is it you know all the handsome men?” asked Julie as we boarded.
I laughed. “He’s one of Murray’s pack. I know him because once a month they all come over to howl at the moon.”
She chuckled. “I hear they also strip naked in the field.”
I grinned. “Yeah but Beth makes me stay inside when they do that.”
“What, you’ve never snuck out to watch?” she demanded teasingly, as she reached to put her bag into the overhead space.
“You do realise half of them are women, right?”
She smirked and slid into an open seat as I stowed my own bag. “Hey, I don’t judge.”
I laughed softly as I sat down beside her. Then I wondered idly if I liked women, I could appreciate a pretty woman and maybe there was a sexual appeal there but I definitely seemed to gravitate towards the male sex.
“So, how are you feeling about Adam?” she asked.
That particular male hadn’t done himself any favours. “I think I’m over it. Who ditches a girl at a party he invited her too?” It was a shame really, just as seeing him was starting to seem like a good idea.
“Don’t pretend, you were just searching for a reason to reject him,” she chided.
“Well, he went and gave me a pretty good one,” I pointed out.
“So, nothing happened?” she pressed, eyeing me curiously.
I gave a half shrug. “We danced and kissed a little.”
She raised her eyebrow. “Was it good?” she asked, leaning closer.
“It was nice enough.” Not as good as the time Vince had kissed me, I found the memory of that kiss was entirely too vivid.
“But no spark?” she pressed.
I shrugged again. “I don’t exactly have a wide spectrum of experience.”
“Vince kissed you.” She felt the need to point out.
I turned away to hide my blush from her. Just thinking about Vince's kiss had me weak in the knees. “With Vince it was different.” I bit my lip.
“Different how exactly?” she demanded, eyes curious.
I closed my eyes. “With Adam, it was just a kiss, Vince kissed me like the world was ending.”
“Remind me again why you can’t be with him.”
I shot her a look. “You know why.”
“Right, he has a kid and people with kids are totally undateable.”
Guilt bit at me and I glanced at her quickly. “Oh God, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to imply-”
She waved me off. “I’m just making a point.”
“No, I’ve been incredibly insensitive.” I felt like an asshole.
“Come on, you’re young. You’re basically two years old, I don’t expect you to have everything figured out.”
I smiled, I may have just two years worth of memories but I was definitely fully developed. “You’re a good friend.”
“I know, which is why I’m telling you to give Vince a chance.”
I gave her a flat look.
She held up her hands. “Hear me out. He’s a great guy with a steady job. You blush like a schoolgirl every time he looks at you.”
“I don’t!”
She grinned smugly. “Yes, you do, and he looks at you a lot.”
It didn’t help my case that I felt my cheeks heat up. “I’m two years old, remember? Not ready for a serious relationship.”
“Come on, you’ve got the body of the twenty-year-old, and you haven’t lived, like, at all.”
“I got kissed by two guys in the space of a week,” I told her.
“I’ll tell you what, I’ll invite Vince and Jem around for a playdate with Abi. You will come over and teach me to make those cookies you baked over the summer.”
“Julie-”
“No pressure, I’ll take care of the kids and the two of you can just talk, figure stuff out.”
I bit my lip, the thought of being alone with Vince was at the same time very appealing and a little terrifying. “I’ll think about it, no promises.”
She smiled as if she already knew I was going to cave. “That’s all I ask.”
Chapter Eleven
Upon arriving home, I was bowled over by a scaly creature the size of a small dog the moment I opened the door. “Trip? What the hell have they been feeding you?” I demanded.
A growl rumbled up his throat as he nuzzled my neck. The sound was a lot different from his usual high pitched chirps but I knew I’d recognise it anywhere.
“I missed you too, buddy, but what happened to you?” I asked, running my hands over his snout and face.
He whined and licked at my neck with his narrow serpentine tongue. It tickled and was kinda gross but I didn’t mind.
“I’m sorry, but I bet Beth took good care of you,” I said, stroking his scales.
He huffed but nuzzled my face.
I smiled. “You’re the only guy I need in my life,” I murmured softly.
He gave a reptilian grin, baring sharp teeth, and nuzzled me again.
“Alright, big guy, up you get before you crush me.”
He hopped off, nudging my butt until I climbed to my feet.
“How did he get-” Wilson’s voice broke off as he stepped outside and saw me. “There’s our pup!” He scooped me up, crushing me against him.
I laughed and hugged him back. “What did you do to my Dragon, wolf?”
“He started growing when you didn’t come home that first night, Murray thinks he was trying to get bigger so he could go off on his own and find you.” He set me down and I staggard a little.
I reached down to scratch Trip’s head. “Silly boy, I told you to stay put.”
He growled and nudged my legs until I walked inside.
Beth pulled me into a hug as I reached the kitchen. “I’m so glad you’re back, that beast has been moping about all weekend,” she told me, stroking Trip’s head affectionately.
“I’m back now,” I assured him softly, then I glanced up at Beth. “I’m just going to go unpack, real quick,” I told her.
“I’ll have something for you to eat by the time you’re done.”
I leant to kiss her cheek. “Thank you.”
I WAS OUT FOR A JOG on my own a few days later and I’d been wandering around for a while before realising that I was completely lost. I wasn’t sure how it had happened but I was pretty sure I could lay the blame at the feet of a certain handsome young father.
I just kept thinking about that damn kiss, and how I’d have liked it to have been more than just a kiss. To make matters worse, I hadn’t seen him yet this week. Was he still embarrassed about the kiss, did he regret it?
Had he decided that if he couldn’t be with me he didn’t want to be around me? It was dumb, I was being dumb. He was probably just busy with work or the kids. Driving myself insane thinking about the possibilities wouldn’t help anyone.
Besides, none of it would matter if I couldn’t find my way out of this damn forest. I pulled out my phone, fearing that I might have to hike further to find signal. The screen came on, then it flashed me the dead battery sign and turned itself off.
I cursed, loudly.
I hiked back the direction I’d come in. Without knowing where I was, if I kept walking I could just end up getting further away from civilisation, but I recalled a ridge being back that way. If I could get to some higher ground, maybe it would help me get my bearings.
Ten minutes and one scraped knee later, I reached the top of the ridge and looked out at the forest. I looked like... forest. I swore again as I looked out at the endless sea of reds, oranges, and greens. It was beautiful, and it all looked exactly the same, especially with the darkening sky.
It was a good thing I had a pack of wolves who’d hunt me down when it got dark. Unfortunately, things could get pretty cold in the meantime. I would have brought Trip with me but he’d fallen off the back of the sofa earlier, in front of everyone, and he’d been too embarrassed to come out from under my bed again.
It had been really hard not to laugh at the poor thing, so I’d felt too bad to press when I’d asked if he’d wanted to come out with me.
I was in trouble, or I would have been if I didn’t then notice a plume of smoke rising up not too far from the ridge on which I stood. With my luck, it would probably be the start of a wildfire, but this looked to contained for that.
Hopefully, it was a campsite.
About twenty minutes later, I caught sight of lights through the trees. I picked up the pace until I could make out a wooden structure up ahead. The lights had been coming from the windows.
Letting out a breath, which misted in the air, I approached the door and knocked loudly. For a moment, nothing happened, and my heart seized with worry but then the door was flung open.
“Hey, um, sorry to bother you but I’ve gotten a little turned around and my phone died.”
The large, bearded mountain man who stood in the open doorway, smiled, his eyes warm. “No problem. You want to borrow my phone?” He stepped back and left the door open in a clear invitation for me to follow him inside.
Common sense warred with the desire to step in the warmth and accept the offer of help. Common sense lost and I stepped into the stranger’s abode. It wasn’t as if I was likely to fare any better out in the wilderness now that night was falling.
“Do you live all the way out here?” I asked, glancing around casually. There were no bloody axes or butches knives lying around, which I took to be a good sign. In fact, the place looked cozy.
He shook his head. “No, my place is closer to the city, I just come out here some weekends to do some fishing. You’re actually lucky I came down this week, I wasn’t sure I would but it’s been a stressful few days.” He picked up the landline and offered it to me.
I smiled thankfully as I accepted it but then I hesitated. Who did I want to call? Murray was busy with pack business tonight and I’d feel bad about dragging Beth all the way out here. And Julie would probably be looking after Abi.
I dialled Wilson’s number.
“What can I do for you, bear?” he answered on the third ring.
Bear? “Hey, it’s me.”
There was a brief pause. “Making new friends?”
“Um, I got a little lost, but you know the guy who lives here?” I asked, glancing at the man in the room with a sheepish smile.
“Yeah, the old bear’s cool, you’re safe with him.”
I tried not to visibly relax but the bear guy just smiled goodnaturedly. “Yeah, well, anyway, I was out later than I meant to be and was wondering if you’d be able to drive up and come get me.”
He made a sound of feigned exasperation. “Fine...but it will take awhile for me to get there, I’m out grabbing some stuff for my mother and I’ll need to drop it off home before I come out there.”
I grinned. “Thank you, you’re a peach.”
“Don’t think you won’t owe me big time,” he warned.
I rolled my eyes. “Sure, I’ll owe you.”
“Okay, I know where the cabin is and I’ll be there as soon as I can. Sit tight.”
“Okay, thank you.”
He hung up and I offered the phone back to the bear. “You’re friends with the Werewolves?” he asked.
He must have heard and recognised Wilson's voice, which meant he had to have some kind of supernatural hearing. I eyed him curiously. “Werebear?”
He chuckled. “No quite. I’m a type of Skinwalker, though not the evil type from legend. We’re like Werebears but different, our power comes from our connection to the earth spirits, not from lunar cycles.”
“Oh, cool. I’m probably human.” I bit my lip, feeling awkward.
He smirked and walked over to the kettle. “You want some hot chocolate, little human?”
I relaxed a little. “Sure, I’d love some. So, how do you know the Werewolves?” I asked curiously, taking a seat on one of the stools by the kitchen counter.
“This is their territory, so I went to them to ask permission to buy this place. Sometimes they stop by when I’m here and join me fishing. They’re good guys, are you close to them?”
“Pretty close. Beth kind of adopted me a while ago and the wolves often join me on my runs, though I can’t always keep up with them.”
He laughed softly as he put the hot chocolate mix into two mugs before pouring water. “Yes, my animal side is kinda cumbersome so I know better than to try and run with the wolves.”
“Yup, it’s rather exhausted, but it keeps me in shape.” I shrugged.
By the time Wilson arrived, I was curled up in an armchair by the fire with my third hot chocolate and the bear was sprawled on the sofa, working on a beer. We’d just been chatting and I’d been so engrossed in the conversation, I was surprised by the knock on the door.
Without waiting for a response, Wilson opened the door and stepped inside. “Come on, time to go home,” he declared.
I sighed and set my mug down on the coffee table. “Okay. It was nice chatting to you, thank you for inviting me in and letting me use the phone.”
“You’re welcome here anytime, cub, and if you ever want to try out some fishing, you let me know.”
“I might just do that.” I had no interest in fishing, but there was something about the old bear I just liked. I had the distinct feeling I’d made a new friend.
As if to confirm that fact, he yanked me into a hug on my way to the door. “Don’t be a stranger.”
He let me go and I dropped unsteadily to my feet, laughing softly.
Chapter Twelve
“You can’t come with me,” I told Trip seriously as I walked down the road, the bike at my side. I’d only been back from work for a few hours and he was worried I’d disappear on him again.
He growled and bumped gently against my legs.
“I’m going to Julie’s, she still thinks you’re half a foot tall.”
&nbs
p; He huffed.
“Anyone could see you.”
He glanced at me and his silver scales suddenly turned black, startling me into stopping in my tracks.
“I didn’t know you could do that, how long have you been able to do that?” I demanded.
He raised one shoulder in what looked like a shrug.
I laughed softly. “You are just full of surprises.” I lifted my leg over the seat of the bike. “Now go on home, I’ll be back later,” I promised before kicking off and cycling down the lane.
He growled in protest but turned to lope back towards the house.
As I pulled to a stop in Julie's back garden, I heard a soft thud and turned to see Trip standing two feet behind me. I sighed softly. “If you won’t go home then I’ll just go home and take you with me.”
Before I could move his head butted my stomach, pushing me towards the door.
“Trip-” I protested but he kept pushing so that I had to back up against the door to avoid being knocked on my ass.
“I didn’t realise you and Julie were such close friends,” I growled.
The door suddenly opened at my back and I had to grab the frame to keep from falling on my ass. I straightened and turned to smile at Julie. Her eyes were wide. “Is that Trip?”
I glanced at the creature as he brushed past my legs “I’m not even sure anymore.” I bit my lip.
She took my arm. “Come on, I’ve got everything we need.”
I followed her reluctantly to the kitchen where she had already set up her baking stuff. Then she walked over to switch on the radio before pouring me a glass of wine. “You know I don’t drink.”
She squeezed my shoulder. “Just have some, I’ll just check on Abi.”
Trip leapt up on one of the kitchen stool where he sat awkwardly. “On the floor, Trip, you’re too big to be jumping up on furniture,” I told him.
He whined low in the back of his throat but hopped down.
“Good boy.” I took a cautious sip of the wine. It wasn’t as nice as the drink Adam had ordered me but it wasn’t terrible.
There was a knock at the front door.
“You know what, I think I left something at home, I should really go back.” I took a step towards the door but Trip blocked my path, growling.
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