Shapes of Autumn (Boxed set, books 1 - 5)

by Veronica Blade

  Rolling on my side to avoid Charles, I saw my knife crimson with Charles’s blood just inches from me. In one swift movement, I grabbed for it. Damn paws! I roared and flipped over on my back, but Charles was already charging, eyes wild with rage and the long blade aimed at me.

  Zack hurled himself into Charles, knocking him down the hallway. They tumbled further away, white drywall dust clinging to them as they struggled for the sword. Weak as I was from loss of blood, I couldn’t allow Charles to hurt Zack. If only he and I could continue to keep Charles off each other and stall death. But how long could we keep that up?

  I fought through the blood loss and weak limbs to fling myself at Charles, my giant paws slashing at his flesh. He struck out at Zack, flinging him against the far wall, then whipped around, sword in hand.

  Screw this.

  I shoved forward, opened my jaws as wide as I could and covered his head with my mouth. His arm flailed and the sword cut into me. He couldn’t see, but he didn’t need to. Fire burned my neck. I increased the pressure, using the full force of my jaws and his skull cracked. As my paws held him down, I tugged. Bone snapped and flesh ripped. Just as I prepared to give his head one final yank to separate it from his shoulders, Charles wielded his sword and more pain shot through my neck. A moment later, his body pitched forward. His head slipped from my mouth, fell with a thunk and rolled in the opposite direction.

  But he’d already done his damage. Like an old building being detonated, my knees buckled and I crumpled in a heap. The floor-boards thundered when they met my rump and the room spun around me.

  I morphed into my human form.

  Zack was calling my name, but his voice was faint. I raised a weak hand to touch the fleshy chasm the blade had made at my throat. My fingers slipped on something gooey. So much liquid…

  My eyes closed.

  Numbness set in and I vaguely wondered how bad it was. Had Charles severed my head? My hand flopped to the floor with a thud. I was cold, so cold, and I was floating. A tremor began in my fingers and spread to my knees until my legs and arms were quivering, too. Then frigid cold settled over me like a dry ice mist.

  Somewhere far away, voices raged, but I couldn’t follow the words. I drifted off, succumbing to the white light beckoning me. I thought of emerald green eyes and how I’d never look into them again.

  Chapter Thirty-four

  I opened my eyes and scanned the dimly lit room. My room, my house. The mattress creaked as someone sat next to me, but it wasn’t Zack. I turned my aching neck to see Renzo.

  Renzo? My spine stiffened.

  “I won’t hurt you,” he said in a soothing voice. “Relax.”

  If he was going to kill me, wouldn’t he have already done it? Instead, he was by my bedside. My shaky limbs wilted. “Where is he?”

  “Zack? He went to check on his mother.”

  Zack was alive. I let my lids shut and took a moment to breathe in the relief.

  “He’ll be disappointed he wasn’t here when you woke.”

  My head felt fuzzy as I faced Renzo and blinked. “What are you doing here?”

  “Tending to you, obviously. How are you feeling?”

  “But why are you h—?” I coughed and pain sliced through my neck. “I feel like I died,” I whispered.

  “Almost. You’ve healed quickly, though, considering the damage. I’m impressed.”

  A fire worked its way through my throat as I gulped. I needed water desperately. “Thirsty.”

  “Here.” He handed me a cup with a straw.

  I sucked up every last drop, the cool water soothing the burn. “Who are you?”

  “Renzo. Did you lose your memory like you almost lost your head?” He touched my forehead with his index finger.

  “I mean who are you? What’s your real name?” I studied him. Zack clearly favored his mom with his dark hair, but in my foggy haze, I couldn’t help noticing Zack’s eyes and brows were eerily similar to the man sitting beside me.

  “Renzo.” His eyes narrowed.

  “Ever gone by the name Lucio Gavino De Luca?” I whispered, wanting to be discreet so Alura wouldn’t hear from wherever she was. Plus, Zack could make an appearance any moment.

  “Your questions never stop.” Renzo made a quick grunt. “Wouldn’t Zack know his own dad if he saw him?”

  “All the pictures of his father disappeared and Zack was very young when his father died,” I said. “You didn’t answer my question.”

  “Rest now. You’re weak, hallucinating from the pain meds I gave you.”

  I groaned and rubbed the skin at my throat, feeling a scar running from one side of my neck to the other, just above my collar bone. Having expended too much energy with that little movement, I left my hand there. “I’m not going to give up.”

  “So I’ve seen.” He breathed deeply and grated out four words. “My name is Renzo.”

  That was his name today, but what about when Zack was a boy?

  Oh, man, I was really reaching to think Renzo was Zack’s dad. I didn’t even like Renzo, did I? Of course not. Still, there was something about him… However flawed he might be and whatever demons haunted him, he’d be loyal. Maybe even die for ones he loved.

  But was he our friend? If not, why was he there? Why hadn’t he already killed us? Because I wasn’t buying the whole vacation thing anymore. Not after he followed us to Yosemite. He had a secret agenda — keep us safe, then take credit for delivering a new recruit and a slave to the king in one fell swoop? Charles was too dead to tell anyone what really happened. Or was he?

  “Charles… where is he?”

  The door opened and my heart thumped faster, expecting to see Zack.

  “How’s our patient?” Alura asked, her voice musical and soothing.

  “More water,” I said. “Please.”

  She beamed. “That’s a good sign. I’ll be right back.”

  “Charles is dead.” Renzo patted my hand comfortingly. “For real this time.”

  “Are you sure?” I asked.

  “Positive. This time, you killed him properly.” A corner of his mouth curled up. “Unlike last time.”

  I nodded, but even that motion hurt. “Why?”

  “Why what?”

  “Why haven’t you turned us in?”

  “I’ve known Charles a couple hundred years. He’s a lowlife. You’re both young and I don’t think it would be fair to cut your lives short when his life was worth so little.”

  “That’s nice of you.” I didn’t totally believe him, but it was obvious he wasn’t going to give up any more information. “So why are you here?”

  Alura returned with a cup and straw. I was so grateful, I could have kissed her. She gently propped my head up and I took a sip of glorious, cool water.

  “We weren’t sure if you’d make it,” Alura said. “It was a clean cut except for a small section holding you together. If you’d fallen differently…” She shook her head, her expression grave. “But you’re very strong and you healed well.”

  So I’d been that close to death. I shuddered at the thought.

  “Autumn!” Zack raced through the doorway, setting a tray of food on my nightstand. Alura got out of the way as Zack shoved past Renzo. He leaned over, his arms wrapping tightly around me, his face against my cheek. “I didn’t think you’d wake so soon or I never would’ve left. I’ve been so worried about you,” he rasped into my ear.

  “I’m okay.” I brought my arm up to touch him, then let it drop to my chest. That was when I noticed that my arm was covered in white cotton — not what I’d worn that day. “Who dressed me?”

  Alura raised a hand. “Me. You needed a bath too. You were a bloody mess. Literally.”

  “Thank you,” I said, wishing she wasn’t so likable. Could she and Renzo be trusted? I turned to Renzo who’d stepped aside so Zack could claim his spot on the chair beside me. Zack gently squeezed my hand. I raised my brows, first at Renzo, then Alura. “How did you two end up here?”

 
“The longer Charles was missing, the more suspicious we became that something was off.” Renzo gave Zack and me a scolding look. “We decided to keep tabs on you. When we realized Autumn was a shape-shifter and there was a chance that the two of you overpowered him—”

  “Wait.” Zack held out his palm to stop Renzo. “You knew about Autumn?”

  I prayed that neither of them would let on that I’d been fully aware that they both knew I was a shape-shifter. I’d confess to Zack later, when I had more strength to deal his anger.

  “Yes. That’s when I suspected that Charles had figured it out too and you both had probably felt threatened and defended yourself. But, being rookies, you didn’t know how to kill him.”

  “So you were stalking Zack and me to protect us?” I asked, shooting him a look full of suspicion.

  “Just keeping an eye on you both, in case Charles showed.” Renzo glanced at Alura, then continued. “We were here last night and followed you when you left. We think he slipped inside as soon as we were all gone. We figured that might happen, but we assumed you’d be smart enough not to return.”

  “Apparently not.” I sighed.

  “Since you live here, that’s not a surprise,” Alura said in a soothing voice. “Maybe it’s for the best that you returned so soon. He would’ve been even stronger tomorrow.”

  “You’ve been keeping an eye on us, but for what purpose?” I tilted my head, trying to figure Renzo out. “To protect us? Epic fail. Because I’d already ripped his head off by the time you arrived.”

  Renzo leaned back in his chair and eyed me. “Very impressive how you two handled yourselves.”

  “Thanks.” I eyed Renzo, wondering why he never answered my questions. What was he up to? “So what took you so long to get here?”

  He shrugged. “We were down the block where you wouldn’t sense us. Too far away for us to hear, but when you didn’t come back out, we figured something was wrong and went inside.”

  “You should rest your throat.” Zack squeezed my hand, then turned to Renzo. “You said you weren’t going to turn us in and Charles is dead. So what’s next?”

  “You finish school,” Renzo said, his tone firm. “And we’ll take it from there. Your mom is unwell, correct?”

  “Yeah, she’s doing better at the moment, but with her condition we never really know from week to week what to expect.”

  “You’ll stay after graduation and spend as much time with her as you need.”

  “Are you my supervisor now?” Zack asked.

  “No. I told you I’m not a scout,” Renzo answered. “I’ll be around for a while though. I trust you’ll let me know if any other werewolves make an appearance.”

  “Yes,” Zack and I said in unison.

  “The blood is cleaned up and a contractor will be here tomorrow after school to look at the wall,” Renzo said. “You’ll want that fixed before your parents come home. It’d be difficult explaining to a human how a werewolf took out a wall.”

  Since I still didn’t trust Renzo completely, I let him continue to believe my parents were human. “He took out the whole thing,” I said. “Both sides of the wall at once. I guess he healed pretty quickly to have that kind of strength.”

  “He probably removed the other side of the wall ahead of time, leaving just enough to appear normal from the hallway,” Renzo explained. “Then he only had one side of the wall to go through to get to you.”

  “Don’t worry,” Alura said, “we’ll make sure it gets fixed quickly so you don’t get in trouble.”

  My parents would understand, but Alura and Renzo didn’t need to know they weren’t human. “Thank you so much for arranging it.”

  Alura straightened. “I think it’s time for us to give you some privacy. We’re glad you’re awake and healing. Make sure you have a good meal, then get some rest. You should be in pretty good shape by morning.”

  “Thanks.” I smiled weakly, half hoping they’d stay. I didn’t know much about them, but they obviously cared enough to help us. Zack would probably say I was too trusting. Maybe he was right. Maybe not. “You guys should stay here. It’s probably more comfortable than your hotel room.”

  “That’s a kind offer.” Renzo narrowed his eyes. “But we’ll stick to room service.”

  Alura leaned over and kissed me on the forehead. “Be well. And try to stay out of trouble.”

  Zack walked them to the door and returned moments later. He crawled in bed with me, slipping an arm under the cover and splaying his hand over my stomach.

  “Hungry?” He nodded toward the plate of pasta on the nightstand.

  “Starving.” In only a matter of minutes, the swelling in my throat had decreased. “I’m feeling better by the second. I could probably even feed myself.”

  “I’ll do it.” He leaned over for the plate. “Save your energy for healing.”

  I opened for a forkful of what looked like cheese tortellini smothered in a wine cream sauce. I chewed and swallowed. “Lord, that’s good. Cara made this?”

  “Yes.”

  “God, I love her.” I opened for more. Energy surged through me and I scooted up on my pillow.

  “Look at you,” he said, his mouth curving up. “You’re moving much better.”

  “I can feed myself, not that I’m not enjoying this.” I grinned.

  “Now that you’re eating, you’ll heal even faster. You might even be up for school tomorrow. You’ll probably still have a scar on your neck though. That might take longer to heal,” he said, offering up another forkful. “And it’ll be hard to explain.”

  “Then I’ll wear a cute scarf and everyone will assume I’m covering up hickies. Since we just got back together, it’s almost expected.” I opened for the next bite.

  “I want to give you a hicky.” Zack’s gaze went to the blanket covering my stomach. His index finger touched just above my belly button, then he leaned over and pressed his lips to the same spot on the blanket. “Right here.”

  Damn it. As good as Cara’s cooking was, I’d just lost interest in it. I was far hungrier for Zack than the pasta.

  “Sorry. I distracted you.” He moved to the end of the bed. “You need to eat. I’m staying over here until you finish.”

  I wanted to wolf it down so I’d have Zack sooner, but my body needed all the nutrients the food had to offer, so I took my time chewing.

  “I hope Maya and Trevor weren’t too disappointed that we flaked on them today,” I said between forkfuls. “What excuse did you give them?”

  “I said you weren’t feeling well. Cramps. It was all I could think of that wouldn’t make them worry you were coming down with something.”

  “Good thinking.”

  When I’d scarfed the last bite, Zack took the bowl and set it on the nightstand. “How are you feeling?”

  “Pretty damn good. My throat doesn’t hurt anymore and I’m tingling all over. It’s like my nerve endings and everything are coming to life.” But I had a feeling the tingling might be because of the way he was looking at me.

  “Well, you should get some rest.” Zack moved off the bed.

  “What? I thought you were going to give me a hicky.” Wow, did I really just say that?

  Zack chuckled softly. “I said I wanted to, not that I would. You can’t spend your energy on me when you need to heal. And I don’t want to accidentally hurt you.”

  A part of me knew he was right. “I’ll probably be almost like new in a few minutes.”

  “It might seem that way to you. Renzo said the major stuff heals quickly, but sometimes the smaller things, like tiny blood vessels, take longer so you shouldn’t do anything strenuous and risk re-injuring yourself.”

  “Speaking of Renzo, he knows I’m a shape-shifter now and that we’re dating. Since we’re both still alive and he didn’t report us to the king, he couldn’t be all that bad,” I said.

  “Charles got William and Daniel out of the way for us and he was more dangerous than them. For some reason, Renzo is protecti
ng us and I’m grateful for that. But he still has secrets and until he opens up, I can’t trust him completely.”

  “I suppose you’re right.” But I wanted Zack to be wrong. “You’re staying the night, right?”

  He shook his head. “I’m afraid you’ll tempt me into doing something I shouldn’t, and you’ll end up straining yourself.”

  “I promise to be a perfect angel.” I grinned.

  Instead of coming to bed, Zack came around to my side and gently lifted my covers. He moved my shirt and lowered his mouth to my exposed stomach, his lips landing just above my belly button.

  One Mississippi… two Mississippi… three Mississippi…

  “Mmm.” I touched the nape of his neck with my fingertips, prickles of heat spreading toward my toes. One thing was certain — Zack was good for my circulation.

  He abandoned my stomach and gave me a searing kiss. I wound my fingers through his hair and pulled him closer.

  He straightened suddenly. “This couldn’t be conducive to healing. I’ll be over there.” He pointed to a chair. “You go to sleep.”

  Despite the disappointment weighing in my gut, my eyelids drooped. He tucked the comforter under my chin and an instant later, I succumbed to the will of my lids.

  † † †

  “Good morning.” Zack rested on his side, his free hand removing a wayward tress from my forehead.

  “Morning,” I returned.

  “Stay here and I’ll get breakfast ready.”

  Zack cooking breakfast? I grimaced.

  “Relax.” He grinned. “We can do cereal.”

  “I’m fine to cook.” I tested my legs by swinging them off the bed and onto the floor, then rose to my full height. “I feel…”

  He rushed to my side, his hands shooting to my hips to steady me. “Are you okay?”

  “I feel… exactly like a normal shape-shifter. Good as new.”

  “Okay, you feel that way but it doesn’t mean you are. I want you to take it easy today.”