“What question?”
“Where we stand. I rejected you, and you can’t get away from me fast enough.”
“Yeah, pup.” He settles back on his heels. “It’s weird. Other people, when they get rejected, they can’t wait to dive in for further humiliation.”
“And if I was some guy you met at camp, barely exchanged two words with, I could see that. But, strange thing, I got the impression you actually kind of liked me, regardless of whether I wanted more. Guess I know better.”
His jaw sets as his gaze flits away. The black car parks down the lane. The driver stays in the car, patiently waiting.
“Well, that’s your ride,” I say. “Don’t break your ankle running to catch it.”
A low rumble. It takes me a moment to realize it’s a chuckle. “Your sister isn’t the only one who inherited the snark gene, is she? You just hide it better.”
“I hide my temper better. As Clay Danvers’s son, I need to.”
He swings his bag to the ground. “Yeah, I can see that.”
When he doesn’t continue, I say, “You caught me off guard with the kiss. As you might have noticed, I’m a little tightly wound. Maybe that made you think surprise would be a good tactic. Except to me, it wasn’t surprise. It was an ambush. If you didn’t intend it that way, we could have talked it out. You wouldn’t.”
He still says nothing, but his bag remains at his feet, meaning he is listening.
“I’m sure it’s not easy, finding out if someone’s interested,” I say. “It’s tough enough for straight guys. Must be even harder if you’re gay.”
“I wouldn’t know,” he says, gaze fixed on the forest. “Never tried it before.”
“And the first time you do, you got rejected.”
“So what am I supposed to do?” he says, still looking at that forest. “Ask if you like guys? I tried, and you wouldn’t answer. So I decided to find out.”
“I did answer,” I say. “I answered in the only way I can. I don’t have a preference. That should mean I’m bi, but I’m not sure it does. It literally just means I don’t care about gender. I’m attracted to the person . . . once I get to know them.”
“And you’re not attracted to me.”
I don’t answer. He reaches for his bag.
“Is that it, then?” I say. “If I’m not attracted to you, then you’ll walk away. I’m not enough otherwise? Not as a friend. Not even as an acquaintance.”
He hesitates. Then he lowers the bag and exhales before looking at me. “You don’t make this easy, Danvers.”
“I’m not trying to make it hard, either. You ask whether I’m attracted to you. I hesitated because I’m not sure how to answer that. If I say yes, then you might take that as a guarantee. I really do need to get to know you better, and if that sounds weird, then I guess I’m weird, and you need to decide what you want to do about that.”
He slides a careful look my way.
“It’s not a pop quiz, Mason,” I say. “If you only want to stay in touch in hopes of getting more, then walk away now. Otherwise . . .” I lift my cell phone. “Give me your number.”
He takes my phone and taps something in. His own phone buzzes with a message. He hands me back mine, and I see what he sent himself from my phone.
Mason is an asshole.
I chuckle. “I never said that.”
“But you wanted to,” he says as he taps something into his phone. He hits a button, and the message appears on my screen.
Thank you for not giving up on me.
Our eyes meet. He nods and says, “I’ll be in touch.”
“Good.”
Mason leaves, and I walk around after that, deep in thought. I’m back inside when I hear familiar footsteps, and for a second, I’m confused. Why am I hearing my dad’s footsteps here?
Uh, because they were on their way to pick you up? Because you were literally just outside waiting for them?
I’m striding to find them when a blast of music sounds. Then Kate’s laugh. I follow it to the common room where she’s sitting on a sofa with Elijah, her feet curled under her, the two of them leaning over a phone, laughing at something on the screen. Elijah says something, and she socks him in the shoulder.
I’m about to step through when I realize I’m not the only person watching. There’s a second doorway, and Dad’s in it. He’s staring at them as if he’s seeing a mirage. There’s this look on his face . . .
I don’t know the whole story of Logan Jensen and my parents. Growing up, you only get scraps of your parents’ past. The parts they deem suitable for offspring consumption. I know Logan was Mom’s best friend. I know he didn’t really get along with my dad.
I also know it was never more than friendship between Mom and Logan. But now, seeing the consternation on Dad’s face, I wonder whether that mattered. Mom and Dad had a very rocky early relationship, and I think of my own unsteady relationship with Kate, my initial jealousy over her sudden bond with this stranger.
Had Dad been jealous of Logan? In his case, it would have been even harder, wondering whether their friendship could become something more, whether Logan Jensen could usurp him entirely in Mom’s life.
I look at Dad’s face, at his first reaction seeing Kate and Elijah giggling on the couch, and I remember that picture of Mom and Logan doing the same, and I know that’s what Dad’s seeing. He’s walked in and stumbled back in time.
I slip into the hall and circle around to him, whispering, “Hey, Dad,” before I sneak up. He gives a start and turns, and that’s when Mom appears from around the corner. She sees us and walks over, smiling, arms out for a hug. I fall into them, and as we part, she glances into the room, sees Kate and Elijah and freezes, blinking.
“He’s his brother,” I say. “Half brother.”
She nods, gaze still fixed on them. Then she takes a faltering step into the room, and Kate catches her scent. Her head whips up as she breaks into a grin and leaps to her feet. Three running steps, and she’s in Mom’s arms, and then Dad’s, hugging them both.
When she steps back, she glances at Elijah, awkwardly poised by the sofa, cell phone clenched in one hand. Kate jogs to him and lays a hand on his arm.
“Mom, Dad,” she says. “This is Elijah.”
Mom takes one step toward him, her eyes glistening with tears as she smiles. “You look so much like your brother.”
“I’ve heard that.”
Kate leads him over, and for a moment, Mom just looks at him. Then she opens her arms and says, “I’m not really the hugging type, but may I?”
He nods, and she folds him into a quick embrace before pulling back. Then Dad’s there, his hand outstretched.
“Clay Danvers,” he says.
Elijah takes his hand. “Good to meet you, sir.”
Kate lays her hand on his arm again. Dad doesn’t fail to notice that, but he only nods.
“Before we go, Elijah would like to talk to you two,” Kate says.
“If that’s all right,” Elijah says. “I know you probably just want to get back home.”
“Our kids are safe,” Mom says. “And right now, I’d like nothing more than to talk to you.”
“Can we do it over brunch?” Kate says. “I’m starving.”
Mom smiles. “I’m sure you’re all starving. Let’s go eat and talk then.”
We’re back at Stonehaven. It’s late afternoon, and I’m unpacking in my room when Kate bounces in. She hops onto my bed, grinning.
“Wedding plans going well, I presume?” I say as I lift out a folded shirt.
She rolls her eyes. “Very funny.”
“Elijah is downstairs. His mom is hopping on a plane to come visit. Half the Pack will be here tomorrow to meet him. Pretty sure you’re going to be picking out your china by the weekend.”
She rolls her eyes again, but she still can’t stop grinning, and I’m happy for her. Despite my teasing, I’m happy about far more than my sister finding a guy she likes. She found a friend, too. More
than one. She’s already been in contact with Holly, arranging to meet up with both her and Allan later this summer. Elijah’s found something, too. A potential Pack. He spent hours talking with my parents, and while he’s not exactly ready to sign on the dotted line, his mom’s coming to meet my parents and allay her own concerns. It’s good for Kate and good for him, too, and I’m happy.
I’m also happy that I was included in the invitation to hang out with Holly and Allan. My sister may have been the one in obvious need of friends, but I’m going to be doing some serious weeding of my social circle, too, after discovering the hell my sister went through post-breakup. My last year of high school probably won’t be very comfortable, especially with Kate adamant that we not switch schools. But I think I’m going to like being a little less popular. I’ll find out who my real human friends are while enlarging my circle of supernatural ones.
“So where’s the groom?” I say as I close my dresser drawer.
“Elijah is with Jeremy, who’s showing him Logan’s page in the Legacy. I figured they should do that alone.” She sits up. “Speaking of potential boyfriends, did Mason ever make his move?”
I arch my brows. “Mason?”
“Don’t look so shocked. He’s totally crushing on you, and it’s adorable. Any chance it’ll be requited?”
“I’m working that out.” I zip up my duffel bag. “I’d like to talk to you about it if that’s okay.”
“We can talk now. Or we can sneak out for a run first while Elijah’s busy with Jeremy.”
“A run sounds good. A run and a talk.”
She hops up and hooks her arm through mine. “The forest and boy-talk awaits.”
I smile and let her lead me out the door.
About the Author
Kelley Armstrong is the author of the Rockton thriller series and standalone thrillers. Past works include the Otherworld urban fantasy series, the Cainsville gothic mystery series, the Nadia Stafford thriller trilogy, the Darkest Powers & Darkness Rising teen paranormal series and the Age of Legends teen fantasy series. Armstrong lives in Ontario, Canada with her family.
Visit her online:
www.KelleyArmstrong.com
[email protected]
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