by Karen Lynch
Shannon had confided that the imprint made werewolves all touchy feely and made the male possessive of his female. It couldn’t be too bad. She didn’t seem to mind Pete’s possessiveness one bit.
Would Roland be like this when he imprinted? The thought of him looking at another girl with such devotion made my chest ache. I kept telling myself we were just friends, but my heart stubbornly refused to listen.
I’d even gone to visit him at the garage today to show myself I could be around him without him affecting me. I’d failed miserably. Every time he’d smiled at me, butterflies had taken flight in my stomach. And when he’d gotten close, I could smell his mouthwatering scent that made me want things I couldn’t have. Even now, just thinking about him, I imagined I could smell it.
“About time you guys got here.” Peter smiled at someone behind me, and I didn’t need to turn around to know who it was.
My stomach quivered as Roland squeezed into the space beside me, his warm body pressed against one half of my back. If it had been anyone else, I would have felt crowded and anxious. His nearness felt familiar and comforting, and he did what none of the other werewolves here could do. He made me feel safe.
He also made me feel breathless and hyperaware of every inch of him that touched me. I needed to move away from him, but my body refused to cooperate.
“What did we miss?” Roland set a glass of soda on the table and smiled down at me. “Hey, Cookie Girl.”
“Hi,” I squeaked.
Shannon laughed. “Cookie Girl?”
“Emma baked us the best chocolate chip cookies,” Paul said from behind me.
Roland reached back to shove Paul lightly. “She brought them for me. You’re just lucky to work with me.”
“They were for both of us, loser,” Paul retorted. “Tell him, Emma.”
“I like cookies.” Peter gave Shannon a mournful look. “Why don’t you make me cookies?”
She poked him in the side. “I made you a blueberry pie yesterday, you ungrateful wretch.”
He pulled her closer and whispered in her ear. She giggled and looked at him adoringly.
“Okay, if you’re really good, I’ll make cookies. Maybe Emma and I can make some together.”
It was my turn to laugh. “I made mine at the diner under the supervision of the cook. That’s the only reason they were edible.”
She gave me a bright smile. “Then you are in luck because I learned to bake from my granny. If you want, I can come over next week and teach you some recipes.”
“That would be great.”
“Now you’re talking,” Paul said.
Peter feigned a scowl. “My female bakes for me, buddy.”
“Fine. I’m sure Emma will make me –”
Paul grunted. I looked back at him to see him rubbing his side.
A new song began to play, and Shannon perked up. “I love this song. Come on, girls. Let’s dance.”
She took my hand and tugged me out onto the floor. April followed us, and we all danced together to the upbeat rock song. We stayed out for the next song, and then the boys joined us. I tried not to notice whenever Roland brushed up against me on the crowded floor, but it was impossible to ignore his presence.
The song ended, and the singer’s warm soulful voice began a ballad. I turned toward the table, and a hand caught my wrist in a loose grip. I looked up into Roland’s dark blue eyes.
“Dance with me?”
I nodded mutely. It was a bad idea to get so close to him, but I was unable to say no when he looked at me like that. I justified it by telling myself I was only doing it so he wouldn’t think it odd that I didn’t want to dance with him. Apparently, I could lie to myself as convincingly as I could to everyone else.
Roland pulled me into his arms, and I rested my cheek against his chest, content to let him lead us. I was having trouble concentrating on anything but the feel of his body pressed against mine and the warm hands on my back. In his arms, the club, the people around us, and the bad memories all disappeared.
“Having a good time tonight?” he asked against my ear.
“Yes.” It wasn’t a total lie. The night had gotten better since he’d arrived.
“I’m glad you and Shannon are hitting it off. And April, too.”
I smiled. “Me, too. And Shannon said she’ll be around a lot now that she and Peter are mating.”
His steps slowed. “You know about that?”
“Yes.” I bit my lip, hoping I hadn’t gotten the girls in trouble for telling me stuff I wasn’t supposed to know. “Is it okay that I know?”
“Yeah.” He started moving again. “What else did Shannon tell you?”
I thought about how much to say and settled for the bare minimum. “She and April told me you guys choose your mates by imprinting. They tried to explain it, and I think I got the gist of it.”
“You must think it’s strange to choose a mate that way.”
“It’s different,” I admitted. “But Shannon and Peter certainly look happy together.”
“I’ve never seen Pete this happy,” he said almost wistfully. Was he hoping to find his mate, too? My throat tightened a little at the thought.
“Have you…? Do you ever wonder who your mate will be?” I asked, determined to torture myself.
“No,” he replied gruffly. “I just hope she accepts me as a mate.”
I leaned back to look up at him. “What girl wouldn’t want you as her mate?”
He smiled and pulled me to him again. I hadn’t realized he’d grown tense until I felt his back muscles relax under my hands.
We danced without speaking for the rest of the song, and he seemed as reluctant as I was to end it. I stifled a sigh as he escorted me back to the table.
Shannon gave me a curious look when I reclaimed my stool. Her eyes flicked to Roland, who stood beside me, and I gave a small shake of my head. People in love always try to pair up their single friends, but a human and a werewolf could never be a match, no matter how one or both of them felt about the other.
Dylan came over to our table again. “Roland, you think you could help us carry our gear from the van. Two of our buddies who were supposed to come couldn’t make it.”
“Sure.” Roland touched my arm. “Back soon.”
“Okay.”
He and Peter left with Dylan. Paul was dancing with April, leaving Shannon and me at the table. As soon as the others were out of earshot, she leaned across the small table to me.
“Are you and Roland –?”
“No.”
She gave me a dubious look. “You guys looked pretty cozy out there.”
I summoned a smile. “Just friends. Sorry to mess up your plans for a double wedding.”
“Damn, and I thought I was being so sneaky,” she said, laughing. “You like him, though, don’t you?”
“How can anyone not like him? He’s a great guy.”
“And gorgeous and totally ripped,” she said slyly.
“Who’s ripped?” asked a girl with a cute platinum bob as she slid onto an empty stool at our table. I recognized her as Shannon’s friend, Lizzy.
“My boyfriend, of course,” Shannon said.
A group of people descended on our table, and I figured they must be Lizzy’s band. They all had the same hip rocker look, except for the boy who came to stand beside me. Tall and clean-shaven with short black hair, he looked more like an honors student than a musician.
“Are you in the band, too?” I asked him above the noisy conversation at the table.
“God, no. Just a groupie. I’m a student at USM. How about you?”
“Senior.”
“College?”
I smiled. “High school.”
“Oh. You seem older.” He held up a hand. “I don’t mean that in a bad way.”
“No offense taken. What are you studying at USM?”
“Economics, second year.” He made a face. “I know, I know, not as exciting as these guys.”
“M
ore exciting than high school.” I assumed it was anyway. It had been a long time since I’d been in a school.
“True.” He glanced around the club. “Place is full tonight. You come here often? I usually go to a place closer to campus.”
I shook my head. “First time for me. I’m not much of a club person.”
“Me either, although this place is nice.” He held out a hand. “I’m Keith, by the way.”
I took his hand. “Emma.”
Paul appeared at my other side, slightly out of breath. “I think it’s my turn to have a dance, Cookie Girl.”
I glowered playfully at him. “Only if you stop calling me that.”
“Deal.”
I smiled at Keith and followed Paul to the dance floor. He was a bit of a goofball, and the more I got to know him, the more I liked him.
It still amazed me how quickly I’d gone from seeing the werewolves as something to fear to thinking of them as friends. Now I understood why it had been so hard for Sara to leave them.
“You thirsty?” Paul asked when the song ended.
I nodded, and he led me over to the bar where he bought a bottle of water for me and a beer for himself. When someone bumped into me at the bar, Paul put his body between me and the jostling crowd. It was sweet how protective he was, like I was one of his pack members.
We met up with the others on our way back to the table, and my stomach did a little flutter when Roland’s gaze met mine and he smiled.
“Getting kind of stuffy in here,” Shannon said. “We’re going to the deck for some fresh air.”
The handful of tables on the wide deck were occupied, so we stood near the rail. Once again, I found myself between Roland and Paul, and I was glad for their warmth. The night had cooled, and goose bumps covered my arms. None of the werewolves seemed to mind the slight chill in the air. I really needed to start carrying a sweater.
“You cold?” Roland asked.
“Just a little. I’m soaking up the heat you guys are putting off.”
He moved closer until he stood behind me like my own personal heater. “Better?”
“Yes,” I managed to say.
Having him that close felt more intimate than friendship, even though he didn’t put his hands on me. No one else in our group seemed to think anything of it, and I wondered if werewolves were less reserved that way. They were used to going naked around each other when they shifted, so casual touching must be nothing for them.
I sipped my water and listened to the others compare the bands we’d heard so far. Shannon argued that Lizzy’s band was the best, and Peter said Dylan’s band would blow everyone else out of the water. It was cute how the two of them argued passionately, holding hands the entire time. That was the kind of relationship I wanted to have someday. One where you could be yourself and disagree with each other sometimes, and always know you were loved, no matter what.
“You’re pretty quiet.”
I craned my neck to look up at Roland. “You’re not saying much either.”
“Not much to say.”
He rubbed his lips together, and all I could think about was how they’d felt against mine. Heat suffused my body, and I suddenly felt too warm. Needing a little distance from him, I moved to the rail and looked down at the people walking along the street. The soft breeze felt nice against my heated skin, and I was able to think clearly again.
I had to stop letting him affect me like this. The way I felt for him was not how you were supposed to feel for a friend, and I was going to end up hurt when he found his mate and looked at her the way Peter looked at Shannon.
“That’s a great idea,” Shannon gushed. “And Emma will come too, won’t you?”
I turned to face her. “Where?”
“Camping.” She bounced from one foot to the other. “What do you say?”
I’d gone camping once when I was ten, with Chelsea and her family in their RV. I wasn’t even sure that classified as camping.
“Ah…I’ve never been in a tent,” I told her. “I’m not sure I’m cut out for sleeping in the woods.”
Her eyes sparkled with laughter. “We won’t be going into the woods. Peter said there’s a nice isolated cove five miles from town. You can get to it by boat.”
Camping near the beach didn’t sound too bad. “How long would we be gone? I have my job at the diner.”
“We were thinking we’d go up next Saturday and come back Sunday afternoon. What do you say?”
I thought about it. “I usually work one day on the weekend. I’ll ask Gail if I can switch a shift.”
“Yay! We’re going to have a blast; I promise.” Her enthusiasm was infectious.
“What should I bring? I don’t have any camping gear.”
Peter waved a hand. “Don’t worry about that. We have everything, including sleeping bags.”
“Okay, thanks.”
Shannon looked at Roland and Paul. “You’re coming too, right?”
Roland nodded. “We should be finished with the Chevelle next week, so I can take a weekend off.”
“I think I’m on patrol Saturday night. I’ll let you know,” Paul said.
For some reason, I’d thought she’d meant it would be only the girls. Thinking about spending two days with Roland, and sleeping in a tent with him, made my stomach do funny things. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all.
I looked down at the street again to hide my heated cheeks. A white Lexus SUV pulled up and stopped across the street, and Keith, the guy I met earlier, walked toward it.
The driver’s side door opened, and a man got out. My hand flew to my mouth as the bald man from the coffee shop greeted Keith, and the two of them smiled as if they knew each other. Why would Keith be meeting up with that man of all people? Unless…
Chapter 16
Emma
Panic twisted my gut. I gripped the railing, and my water bottle slipped from my fingers to splatter on the sidewalk below. The sound drew the attention of the two men, and they looked up. As soon as they saw me, they got into the SUV and drove off.
“Emma?”
Roland’s voice sounded far away as I fought off the first panic attack I’d had in weeks. Then his face was next to mine, his eyes narrowed in concern.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” he asked.
“I-I saw him,” I stammered.
“Who?” Roland’s eyes widened, and then his expression grew thunderous. “The man from last Saturday? He’s here?”
I pointed a trembling finger at the street. “He w-was there, talking to Keith. They left.”
Roland swore loudly, and I flinched.
“Sorry.” He drew me close to his side with an arm wrapped protectively around me. I was too upset to care that I shouldn’t be taking comfort in his touch.
“What’s going on?” Shannon asked.
I looked up to see them all gathered around Roland and me.
“Some guy’s been following Emma,” Roland said harshly. “She saw him watching her when we were here in Portland last week and again on Monday outside the Hub. And he was just here.”
“What?” Shannon’s voice rose. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
“You were already gone, and I wasn’t even sure it was the same man.” I took a shaky breath. “Now, I’m pretty sure it was him.”
April’s lips thinned. “You should call the police.”
“No,” I blurted. The last thing I needed was the police poking around in my life. Dax had assured me the identity and background he’d invented for me were solid, but I couldn’t take any chances.
“What am I supposed to tell them, that I saw the same guy a few times?” I asked when she gave me a puzzled look. “He’s never approached me or spoken to me.”
“But he’s obviously scaring the hell out of you,” Shannon fumed. “What are we going to do about this?”
Paul gave me a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, Emma. He’ll have to go through us to get to you.”
“Yeah.” Peter nodded. “No one messes with one of ours.”
Tears pricked my eyes. “Thank you.”
Roland’s hand squeezed my shoulder, and I looked up at him. The angry set of his jaw belied his gentle touch.
“You mentioned someone named Keith. Who is that?” he asked in a hard voice.
“I met him tonight. He’s Lizzy’s friend.”
Shannon’s brow furrowed. “I don’t remember a Keith. What does he look like?”
I described Keith for her. “He came to our table with Lizzy and the others. I thought he said he was a friend of the band.”
Her frown deepened. “Lizzy and her friends are total rockers. I can’t see her hanging out with an economics major.”
“Son of a bitch,” Roland growled. “Is Lizzy still here? We need to be sure.”
“I’ll find her.” Shannon said, heading inside.
April came over and rubbed the arm that wasn’t pressed against Roland. “You still look pale. You doing okay?”
“Maybe she needs to sit down,” Peter suggested.
“No, I’m fine,” I lied, even as I leaned against Roland for support.
“We’ll leave after we talk to Lizzy.” Roland’s tone told me he didn’t believe for one second that I was fine.
I didn’t argue with him. Seeing that man again had freaked me out a lot more than I wanted to admit. I’d been afraid for a long time, but this was different. A strange man was stalking me, and he might have sent that guy Keith to lure me outside, something I’d done many times for Eli. The man wasn’t a vampire, but predators came in all forms.
Shannon came through the door with the blonde singer. I described Keith, and Lizzy nodded.
“I saw you talking to him, but I thought he was one of your friends. Was he a creep?”
“Something like that,” I replied.
Lizzy scowled. “I hate guys like that. I hope he didn’t ruin your night.”
“He didn’t.”
We talked to her for a few more minutes, and then she went back to her friends. As soon as she left, Shannon turned to Peter.
“I think we’re ready to leave. Can you get the car and pick us up out front?”
