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

by Veronica Blade

  And my dad had already forbidden us to share a room.

  When we got to Cedric’s suite, I palmed the panel and the lock clicked. Nice that they hadn’t programmed us out. When we stepped inside, five sets of eyes found us.

  Dathan leaned a hip against Cedric’s desk. “You can sleep in my room.”

  “Which is exactly where you should be,” Cedric said, jabbing a finger in Dathan’s direction. “You need to rest and heal too.”

  “I will. Later.” Dathan pointed Zack toward the bedroom. “Go.”

  Zack dragged me toward Dathan’s room. Yeah, as if my dad was going to let me sleep in there with Zack. I glanced over my shoulder to see my dad rising from the sofa, his shoulders rigid, hands balling into fists.

  But why should I allow my dad to have any say about my love life? Don’t, Dad. I sent him a gentle but determined look. I’m over eighteen. I won’t let you waste these last moments I have with Zack. I disappeared into Dathan’s room.

  Zack closed the door then stared at it for a beat. I think we’re in the clear.

  I finally had Zack to myself. This room isn’t soundproof, I reminded him. They’ll hear every creak of the bed, rustling of clothes. We can barely move without them knowing.

  He lowered his mouth to mine and kept it there as he cupped my face with his palms. I have to sleep anyway.

  Yeah, he did. I resigned myself to cuddling. Though his musky scent and the feel of his warm, rough skin against mine made me want to slip out the window with him and find someplace in the woods with more privacy, I had to resist.

  Chapter TWENTY-ONE

  Zack

  I steered Autumn’s Mustang over the dirt road then veered left and parked under the cover of a cluster of trees. A shiver sent goose bumps along my arms as I anticipated our run. I’d gone out with Renzo and Autumn’s parents after the explosion, but that felt like days ago. I was so ready to morph.

  It had taken some serious talking to convince the others that Autumn and I would be safe by ourselves for a couple hours. I argued that Ulric was dead and his men had left. Any of his men who may have been lurking at the shape-shifter compound couldn’t have followed the jet and couldn’t have known where we went.

  In the end, we compromised. Olivia and Dathan stayed behind at the vampire palace to heal while Quentin and my dad drove with Autumn and me in the Mustang she’d left at the palace weeks ago. Quentin and my dad decided to stay at Autumn’s house while we went for a run in the woods, then visited with my family. If either had done otherwise, they’d been super stealthy about it. For all intents and purposes we were alone, the way it used to be—before we met Renzo or the vampires.

  As soon as I killed the engine, I exploded from the car, my feet landing with a thud on the dirt and crunching under a branch. Damn. I’d gotten too used to the privacy of the underground park and not having to worry about being quiet. Or being spotted.

  Chastising myself for being so noisy, I scanned the area to make sure no one was around. We couldn’t allow any humans to catch us morphing. When I didn’t see anything, I drew in a lungful of air to check for scents. Nothing. I relaxed. Autumn slammed the car door and she was already turning into a wolf as she galloped deeper into the forest. “Don’t bother waiting for me,” I muttered.

  Don’t be so slow, she teased.

  I chuckled as I rolled my eyes and shifted into a wolf, then sprinted to catch up to her.

  ***

  Refreshed from our run in the nearby woods, we cruised into the driveway of Aunt Cara’s house.

  I grinned at Autumn. “We’re just in time for dinner.”

  She stared at the door doubtfully. “Don’t get too excited. She might not have made enough since she wasn’t expecting us.”

  “We’re talking about Aunt Cara who always cooks enough to feed the whole neighborhood.” I headed up the path to the familiar yellow house where I supposedly still lived yet hadn’t seen in weeks.

  “I hope you’re right.” She paused at the front door. “Maybe we should’ve called first.”

  “And in between the time I talked to them and actually arrived, they’d assume I’m staying. And I’m not.” We shouldn’t have come and given them hope. But what if things turned bad with King Mortimer and my family never saw me again? Aunt Cara had already lost her sister; I couldn’t disappear without stopping by one more time.

  The sound of laughing from the kitchen warmed me as I opened the front door. God, I’d missed them. Aunt Cara glanced up from the table, gasped and dashed over to me. “Autumn, Zack.”

  She squeezed me tight and I hugged her back. And then everyone else rushed me. Mac caught me in a bear hug and a split second later, my cousins Patrick and Brian wrapped themselves around my waist. After a long moment, they disbanded and Trevor sidled up to me.

  “Good to have you back, man.” He reached an arm across my back and leaned in to whisper, “Maya knows your secret.”

  I caught my jaw before it dropped. My cousin Trevor had been dating Maya, Autumn’s best friend, for months. But Autumn and I had been extremely careful. Neither of them could possibly know the secret.

  “I’m going to steal Zack but we won’t be long. I’m not stupid enough to come between Zack and his food.” He offered Autumn a smile then shared it with the rest of them. “I’ll return him in a minute.”

  We hustled down the hallway but instead of stopping at his bedroom door, he tugged on my arm and shoved me into the small room that Aunt Cara had set up months ago for Autumn to sleep. He shut the door behind us and darted to the window to make sure it was closed. “Maya knows,” he said in a low voice.

  I blinked, not sure I wanted an answer to my question. “Knows what?”

  Trevor huffed. “Dude, we’ve been like brothers for years. I figured out your secret months ago.”

  He couldn’t be referring to me being a werewolf. Humans weren’t allowed to know about us. If another werewolf suspected a human had that kind of knowledge, the human could be killed. Well, I’d have to show him he was wrong.

  “And?” I asked, pretending to be thoroughly mystified.

  “I don’t have time to play dumb, Zack. As soon as you and Aunt Favianne moved in, you were sneaking out every night. You obviously didn’t want to share whatever it was and I was worried. So one night when you slipped out, I was already in the woods up in the highest tree waiting for you. I’d read your dad’s books before that, so after I stopped trying to convince myself you couldn’t possibly be a werewolf, I remembered how important it was to keep it a secret, even from you. I didn’t want you to worry. But… now that Maya saw you turn into a wolf, I can’t pretend anymore. So let’s fast forward past all the denials and decide what we’re going to do about it.”

  I swallowed. Yeah, didn’t seem like I’d be able to convince Trevor of an alternate reality anytime soon. “H-how did Maya see?”

  “We were parked in the woods earlier tonight. Lame, yeah. But damn if we can get any privacy around here or her house. We heard a car coming and when we glanced up Autumn’s Mustang rolled by. I didn’t have to wonder what you were about to do. But Maya had already recognized her car and then Autumn suddenly morphed and it was too late. After you guys ran off, I got Maya calmer and we left.”

  This was all wrong. I forced my lungs to work, taking long deep breaths. “I don’t understand how I didn’t hear you guys, catch your scent or something.”

  Trevor scoffed. “How could you hear anything beyond your own noise? And we never even got out of the car or rolled the windows down, so you wouldn’t have smelled us. You didn’t see us because I’d driven the Jeep between a couple low-hanging trees. We didn’t want to get caught. But we could still see you through the back window.”

  I groaned. “Where’s Maya now?”

  “She’s in my room. She didn’t want me taking her home because she was too freaked out. But she couldn’t eat yet and didn’t want Aunt Cara noticing something was wrong. I told them she had cramps and she was lying down fo
r a few minutes.”

  “Maybe Autumn can handle Maya.” I chewed the inside of my mouth while I pondered my dilemma.

  “About that… dude, did you change Autumn into a werewolf? What the hell?”

  “I didn’t change anyone. And she’s not a werewolf.”

  Trevor snorted.

  “She’s a shape-shifter. There’s a difference. She can morph into almost anything while I’ll only ever be a wolf.”

  Trevor shook his head. “Whatever. Let’s get back out there and then you should send Autumn to my room to talk to Maya.”

  Autumn had better talk damn good or we were in trouble. Maya too. If she couldn’t pretend as well as Trevor, she didn’t just risk our lives but hers and Trevor’s too.

  Trevor slapped me on the back, gave me a nod and exited the room.

  Autumn was seated at the table scarfing pasta, making me envious. The pasta smelled incredible. I’d give her a chance to enjoy a bit more before I dropped the bomb.

  Not like I had time to fill her in with all the questions hurled at me. My gaze ricocheted around the table while I fired off answers to their questions, carefully avoiding what I’d really been doing all this time. Somehow, I managed to get enough food in my face.

  “It’s so good to see you.” Cara beamed. “Are you going to try to get your job back at the auto shop?”

  My smile faded. Here we go… “No, I can’t. Actually, I’m leaving tonight.”

  “My parents invited him on a road trip. My dad’s picking up a job in Texas.”Autumn cast me a quick glance. “I don’t think Zack is ready to return to his old life yet. So we’ll probably stay in Texas a few months.”

  Silence blanketed the table and Aunt Cara pushed her plate away. She rose, rounded the table, then slung her arms around his shoulders and landed a kiss on the top of his head. “Do what you need to do. We’ll always be here for you.”

  “Thank you, Aunt Cara.” He reached up to squeeze her hand. “Love you.”

  She gave him a quick pat and reclaimed her chair. “If nothing else, you’ll come back for the food.”

  You guys were gone so long. What did Trevor have to say? Autumn asked as she tore off a hunk of garlic bread.

  I glanced down at her nearly empty plate. I’ll tell you after dinner.

  She froze, peered over at me then loaded the next forkful slower, as if she was expecting bad news and she wanted to put it off.

  When everyone had finished eating, Aunt Cara began cleaning up. I leaped from my chair. “Autumn and I will do that.”

  She flicked her wrist in the air, waving me off. “You’re leaving soon. Enjoy yourself.”

  Right, I didn’t have much time and we still needed to work out what do to with Maya. I swiveled my chair to face Autumn and leaned into her like we were about to have a private conversation. Which we were. Maya and Trevor were in the woods tonight. They both saw us. Turns out, Trevor has known about me this whole time. But Maya isn’t processing this too well. She’s in Trevor’s room now freaking out.

  I waited for her to answer and when she didn’t, I noticed her eyes were pooling. I stroked her arm. You have to convince her that everything is okay. Make sure she understands how important it is that she keep our secret as well as Trevor did.

  Because if she doesn’t, they could die. Autumn’s arm trembled beneath my fingertips. And it would’ve been my fault because I was sloppy tonight. How could I have been so stupid?

  I can’t blame you because I was there and just as stupid. Go talk to her. I angled backward, putting some distance between us, a silent signal for her to get on with it. She’s a smart girl. She can do this.

  I hoped.

  Chapter TWENTY-TWO

  Autumn

  I tapped on the door to Trevor’s room as a warning, but didn’t wait for a reply. The door gave way to reveal Maya sitting on the foot of the bed, staring at the dresser in front of her. Without a word, I sat next to her.

  “I guess you’re a bit freaked out,” I said softly, not wanting to spook her, but also not wanting anyone besides Zack to overhear our conversation.

  Seconds ticked by. “Kind of.”

  “How can I help?”

  “I’m pretty much over it, I guess. Mostly, I just have a lot questions.” She pivoted toward me and lifted her chin. “For starters, if you have these superhuman abilities, why were you afraid of Daniel?” Seeing my hesitation, she barreled on. “Trevor told me that you two are much stronger than humans and your senses are sharper.”

  And how the hell did Trevor know all that? Clearly he’d been paying attention while we were too busy underestimating him. “True. If Daniel had been a mere human, I wouldn’t have been worried.”

  Her eyes brightened. “Daniel was a werewolf too?”

  “Not at first. Long story, but remember when he disappeared and the rumor spread that he’d been dragged away by a wolf? All true.”

  Maya slapped her palms to her cheeks. “You’re kidding.”

  “You have no idea how much I wish it was all a joke. The guy who changed him into a werewolf was stalking Zack, so he and I decided we should stick together.” I tapped her knee. “And guess what else? Zack and I really weren’t a thing back then, even though you never believed me.”

  She plopped back onto the mattress in a fit of giggles. “That’s amazing.”

  Relief swelled within me that she wasn’t flipping out. But this was no joke. “Maya, I need you to understand something. This is important.”

  She moaned and propped herself up. “But I want to live in a fantasy world and believe that you guys were traipsing across the country these past few weeks and not gone because someone’s after you.”

  “I’m sorry. I wish I could tell you what you want to hear. Listen, Maya…” I paused to make sure she was listening. “You can’t talk about this with anyone, not even Trevor. If anyone were to overhear, which is easy with our enhanced senses, they’ll kill you. It’s forbidden for humans to know we exist.”

  She mulled that over a moment. “I have so many more questions. Just tell me this: do I have reason to worry about you two?”

  Should I lie my ass off to spare her feelings? Or tell her the truth to relieve my own? “We have a lot of protection. Get this.” I nudged her with my elbow. “We’re buddies with the vampire king.”

  “Vampires?” She blinked as that sunk in. “Oh, my God. I have to meet one.”

  “Maybe you will one day. I can’t vouch for a lot of them, but if you ever come across a scary vampire named Dathan, he’s okay. For now, I need you to promise me that you and Trevor will never speak of this again. Ever. Especially if you think no one can hear you.”

  “I pinky swear.” She held out her little finger and I crossed mine over hers. “Have I met any other werewolves?”

  I chuckled, realizing she wasn’t going to let up until I gave up a tidbit. “Renzo and Alura.”

  Maya snorted. “No way.”

  “Yes way. My dad and Renzo are at my house right now. Waiting for us.” I wanted to tell her Favianne was still alive, but I didn’t feel like it was my place to give away any vampire secrets. Even Favianne’s. Plus, the less Maya knew, the safer she’d be.

  “Your dad… I guess that explains why they were always moving from city to city and hovering over you, huh? They were trying to keep you safe from…” She lifted one eyebrow as she stared at me expectantly.

  I sighed. “Yes and that’s all I can say. I should get back out there and spend some time with the others.”

  Maya’s lip jutted into a pout. “I wish I could keep you a while longer. I’ve missed you so much.”

  “Not more than I’ve missed you. I’ll try to call you again soon.” As I gave her hope, I realized there wasn’t any. Not yet. My parents and the rest of them would never allow me to go anywhere without them, not anytime soon. And if they were around Maya and me for very long, they’d probably figure out she knew something. The farther she stayed from them, the better.

  Maya thr
ew her head back and moaned. “My college classes begin next week and I’ll only be available at night. I’ll be busy studying or slaving over whatever design project I’m working on. But I’ll make time for you.”

  I had no idea how demanding the fashion institute was, but knowing Maya, she’d excel. And that meant she’d stay busy. Good.

  “Me too.” No matter what happened next or what my future held, I’d find a way to keep my friendship with her.

  ***

  Zack’s belongings sat near the door, obscene in their abundance. He’d packed nearly everything he owned. Which was understandable. If the werewolves believed he had all his worldly belongings with him and no ties left behind, they’d believe he was starting a new life with them.

  I wanted to look away, but I couldn’t. Zack was leaving. And if anything went wrong, he could be killed. This could be the last time I saw him.

  Zack touched his forehead against mine. Let’s take a quick walk before I go.

  We’re not supposed to be out there alone. We’re lucky they let us go to the woods earlier and to see your family, I said, knowing we’d already pushed Renzo and my dad’s patience. My dad had disappeared into his office upstairs and Renzo was down the hallway on the phone. They’d be pissed if we left without telling them. We shouldn’t be out there by ourselves. I don’t want to press our luck.

  I want a few moments alone with you, Zack said, surreptitiously scanning the room. We won’t be far.

  Zack wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important, so I nodded. Hand-in-hand, we stepped outside and veered in the opposite direction of his house. Seconds ticked by and neither of us spoke. I wasn’t sure if I could get any words past my swollen throat anyway. Several houses down, he slowed to a stop and twirled me until I was facing him. “I need you to know where we stand before I go. It’s not fair to you if I don’t say anything.”