by JoAnna Grace
“I lost count at one twenty,” Vivian said. “Ami’s doing so well, they just keep showing up.”
“It’s nothing.” Amilynn’s face went red and she shrugged. “V’s helped me, but there are so many—”
“I’ll help in the morning, if you’d like.” The words came out of his mouth before he thought it through. What if she didn’t want his help? What if it was all females and they didn’t need a guy around, intimidating the students?
“If you want.” Ami met his eyes for a second before skirting away. “I’m sure you have things to do.”
“I think that’s a good idea,” Kasey said, taking a sip of coffee. “It would be good to do a demonstration, wolf verses cat.”
“Great.” Ami gave Kasey a tight smile. “The more hands on deck, the better.”
“Did Brooks come back with you guys?” Sampson asked.
“Nah. He said he wanted to finish up the perimeter sweep on the west side. Three of the younger guys stayed with him. They have another couple days’ worth of roaming.”
Ezekiel had to hand it to Brooks; the guy was meticulous. The younger soldiers learned a lot. As far as teachers went, Ezekiel thought highly of him. But nothing could have kept him from making sure Ami was okay.
After dinner, he walked into the kitchen, carrying the last of the dirty dishes from the table. His mother was at the sink.
“Bianca,” Ami said, coming up behind him. “Leave those there. I’ll get them later.”
“I’ll not argue with that. Thank you, sweetheart.” Bianca smiled and patted Ami’s shoulder. “Love ya.”
“Ami,” Tom called from the sofa. “Bring the popcorn.”
“Thomas Blackburn, what’s wrong with your legs?” Bianca put her hands on her hips. “Do not order her around.”
“Yeah, respect your elders.” Nate teased him, but the jibe was directed to Ami.
“She loves me, she doesn’t mind. Do you, Amilynn?” Tom stared adoringly over the back of the couch, giving her a wide, innocent smile while Nate meowed. Yeah, that would never get old. Watching Nate lick his hand was too freaking funny.
“Okay, the puppy-dog eyes are a seriously unfair advantage.” Ami shook her head at the boy, but ended up bringing a couple bags of popcorn to the couch.
As crazy as it was, given this was the house he was raised in and the only home he’d ever known, Ezekiel felt a bit out of place. Like he’d been gone a year, not a week, and Amilynn had taken his place with his brothers. “Got room for one more?”
The only open space was next to Ami on the couch. Luck was on his side. Surely they could watch one television show without killing each other. Without a word, she pulled her feet under her and made room for him.
Nate and Tom sang the show’s title sequence at the top of their lungs, both of them in different keys, neither one correct. Thank God the boys were good at sports because, musically, they were doomed.
As the show went on, Ami relaxed. Her shoulders went lax and she stretched her feet out until they were close to his thigh. It pissed him off how she avoided him. He wasn’t some damned disease. Proximity wasn’t what mated people. But there she was, acting like he was a virus. He finally got tired of it.
Ezekiel reached down and brought her feet into his lap. She frowned, but when he started rubbing her feet, she let out a heavy breath and conceded to him. Yeah, it feels good, doesn’t it, pussycat? See, I can take care of you. His wolf was in heaven at the contact.
He casually moved his hands to her ankles and received nothing more than a sideways glance. Progress.
A particularly horrible dancer came on the show and had them all laughing. Ezekiel might not know about the art of dance, but he knew that guy sucked.
“They’ll let him through,” Ami said, a grin on her face as she watched the dancer. “He’s got charisma. Look how happy he is when he dances. He just needs instruction.”
“No freaking way.” Nate threw popcorn at the screen. “He sucks.”
Ami grabbed the remote and paused the show. “Want to make that an official wager?”
Nate sat up and narrowed his eyes at Ami. She challenged him right back. Ezekiel sat still, watching the battle of wills. Entertainment at its best.
“Here we go again.” Tom gave a heavy sigh. “Never bet against Ami, dude. Haven’t you learned yet?”
“I totally got this,” Nate said. “You’re on. You know my terms.” He puckered up and kissed the air.
“Fine,” Ami said with all her feline confidence, which made her ten times sexier than should be legal. “If I win, you get to use a litter box for two weeks, starting tonight.”
Ezekiel choked on the popcorn. He coughed and sputtered, laughing the whole time.
Nate hesitated, looked at the screen, then nodded his head. “Deal. Get your chap stick, baby.”
Ezekiel tried to cover his laughter with coughing, but it drew Amilynn’s attention. “How about you, tough guy? You want in on this?”
“Aw hell.” The terrifying thing was, he wanted to say yes just to play with her, just to show her he could be a part of her games. Ezekiel opened his mouth twice before he could speak. “My terms are the same as Nate’s.”
She flinched, but covered it like a pro.
“Not for you. If I win, not only do you have to use the same litter box as Nate, but I get to pick your Halloween costume.”
Shit. His gut reaction was to decline. Ami had a mischievous streak bordering on evil villain territory. He would regret this come October. Especially since they held a Pack-wide costume party at the alpha house. Not too many people skipped it. Even the older generation would come to eat and socialize.
That line of thinking was blown to hell when Ami smiled at him, taking his hesitation as surrender. The challenge in her eyes turned him on with a spark of electricity shooting straight to his groin.
“Deal.” He kissed at her and she blanched. Her eyes flashed yellow and he knew the reaction was from her cat.
“G-good.” She pressed play on the remote and they all held their breath.
Please don’t move this guy on. Please don’t like him.
The judges on the show were entertained, just like Ami said they would be. Ezekiel got nervous. Then the judges addressed the technical aspects of his performance. Nah, this guy was toast. Even when it looked like he was a goner, Ami appeared confident.
“But you have such infectious joy when you dance,” said a female judge. “I think you deserve a chance.”
“No.” Nate drew in a sharp breath.
All the judges agreed. They moved him into the next round.
“Mother trucker,” Nate screamed and threw popcorn at the television. He stood and gripped his hair, a look of total defeat on his face. “Balls!”
Ami, on the other hand, was doubled over, tears streaming from her eyes, braying with laughter. Tom lay on the couch, kicking his legs in the air, joining Ami in her victory. That little punk was enjoying this far too much.
Ezekiel rubbed his temple. Shit. Tom had warned him, hadn’t he? Never bet against Amilynn.
“Ha. Serves you right suck-ahs.” Ami sat on the couch, gloating and dancing in place.
“You think that’s funny?” Nate said as he shifted and launched himself at Amilynn, licking her face and nipping at her hands.
She squealed and batted him away. “Yuck. Wolf drool. That’s so nasty. You asked for it, brat.”
Ami shifted into her leopard, temporarily stunning Ezekiel. Even in cat form, she was sleek and beautiful. Her massive paws wrapped around Nate, rolling them on the floor and bumping into the coffee table. The leopard outweighed the young wolf by double, but Ami held back, giving Nate a chance to pin her.
Oh yeah, he had to get in on that. Ezekiel and Tom shifted at the same time and jumped into the fray. The four of them bit and growled, clawed and tumbled around the living room. Ezekiel didn’t know who was fighting whom, but he was having a blast. He caught Ami’s tail in his mouth and gave it a squeeze. The
leopard retaliated by chomping down on his ear. He howled, letting go of her tail. The twins were so similar in wolf form, he didn’t know which one had him by the neck, but they playfully latched on while the other got on his back, pushing him to the floor.
The leopard wiggled out of the pile of fur and stood over the three of them. Ezekiel caught her stare, mesmerized by the intricate patterns in her yellow-green eyes. The temperature of the room skyrocketed. Wolf and leopard recognized each other as mates and the female cat growled.
Yes, I’m all yours, the wolf said. Instead of protecting his neck as the leopard bent her face down, he tilted his head back, giving her a better angle. When had the twins moved off of him?
Ami’s jaws slipped over his jugular and he didn’t move. The ultimate act of submission.
Mark me, his wolf begged. Claim me.
The leopard heard his pleas. No! She jumped back and Ami once again stood on two legs, a look of absolute terror on her face. Her head shook and she bit her bottom lip. Hearing each other’s thoughts was a sure sign of mates. She glanced at the twins before she recovered, putting on a show for their sake. “Three to one and I still came out on top.”
“Three to one? I thought I was on your side.” Tom grinned, but he was blushing.
Nate crossed his arms over his chest and his eyes narrowed on Ezekiel, who shifted back to human.
“No wonder she pinned me. I thought I had backup.” Ezekiel laughed, trying to ease the tension. He slapped Nate on the back. The twins relaxed, thankfully.
“Well, uh, now that I’ve won a bet and pinned your sorry asses, I think I’ll go finish up those dishes and go to bed.” Amilynn flipped her ponytail over her shoulder and sauntered off to the kitchen, her fine ass swaying.
“Mother trucker, that is one hot kitty.” Nate leaned on Ezekiel’s shoulder. “I hate you so much right now.”
“She loves you two brats and can’t stand me. Who should hate who?”
“You don’t get it, do you?” Tom shook his head. “She loves us because we aren’t trying to mate her.”
“Speak for yourself,” Nate said under his breath.
Tom elbowed his twin. “What I mean is, every time you get around her, you go all crazy mated male. Have you even once tried to be her friend?” Tom rolled his eyes when Ezekiel couldn’t respond. “Thought so.” He headed for the kitchen, probably to talk to Amilynn.
“Girls, right?” Nate bounced his head up and down. “Flipping girls.”
“What do you know about women?” Ezekiel pushed his brother away.
“Not a thing. But I do know I have to pee and I’m scared of Ami. Do you know where a litter box is?” He grabbed himself and danced around in place.
Ezekiel couldn’t help it; he laughed and clapped Nate on the back. While they searched for a damned litter box, he thought about what Tom said. Could the braniac be right? Was he going about this all wrong? Maybe he needed to look at Ami through the eyes of his brothers. Well, maybe not through Nate’s eyes, more like Tom’s.
AMILYNN’S HANDS SHOOK as she washed the dishes. What the hell was wrong with her stupid cat? Jeez. She’d nearly marked Ezekiel right there in front of his brothers. Crazy. Her cat was bat-shit crazy. They were in the middle of a possible war between the Nevada Pride and the Blackburn Pack, she’d already seen Brian in town, and all her cat was thinking about was marking a wolf.
Opportunistic hussy.
Did he have to be so sexy? Did his smile have to feel like a shot of rum, warming as it went from her head to her toes? Those dimples and that devilish grin were going to be her destruction. Life would be so much easier if she could drain this persistent nagging need for Ezekiel.
What if they did mate? Would she get stuck in this same position for the rest of her life? Twenty years from now, would she still be in this house, washing dishes, wondering who she could’ve been on her own? Even now, the idea of such a boring existence drowned her, cutting off her air supply.
There was that infinitesimal part of her, a part that grew every moment she was in his presence, which knew Ezekiel was anything but boring. His eyes shined with adventure and his wolf was openly mischievous. He was so cute when he debated accepting her bet.
No, damn it. Ezekiel could not be cute. He was a pain in the ass, not cute. He was demanding and cocky, not cute. Unless he had that grin on his face, the sensual one that drew attention to his lips . . . those perfectly shaped, luscious, bitable—
“Ami?”
She dropped a glass in the sink. “Balls.”
“Sorry,” Tom said. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
She took a deep breath, gathering herself. “It’s fine. I was far too lost in my own head.”
“We have a dishwasher, you know?” Tom retrieved a clean towel and dried the dishes.
“Menial tasks help me think.”
Tom might have been at least four inches taller than she was, but he still had a sweet baby face and big puppy-dog brown eyes. Tom was the heart of the Mirrors, Nate the mouth.
“What’s on your mind?” Tom asked.
“Nothing important. What about you?”
“Same.” He shrugged a shoulder.
Amilynn asked about school and promised to attend one of his basketball games.
“It’s kind of funny,” he said, “because half the team is Pack. I don’t think the humans realize there’s something weird about us. They think we’re just a bunch of corn-fed Indians out here.” He laughed. “The tricks you showed us helped.”
“Sweet. I bet being a big-shot basketball star has made you popular with the ladies.”
“Nate is the popular one. We may be identical twins, but he received enough personality for both of us.”
“Not true. I happen to adore your personality. It’s different from Nate’s but no less wonderful.” Ami hip-bumped him.
Tom blushed and put his face down. “There is this one girl. She’s a cheerleader. Cliché, I know. But she passed me a note today. I think she likes me.”
“Of course she does.” Ami had the sudden desire to do a full background check on this cheerleader that made her boy blush. She wasn’t above scaring teenagers.
“It won’t work, Amilynn. She’s human.”
“And?” Ami handed him another dish.
“Uh, I’m not.” He scoffed like it was the most obvious issue in the world. “I’m pretty sure she’d freak the first time I grew fur. Werewolves might be accepted in pop culture, but nobody wants one in reality.”
Ami dried off her hands and leaned her butt against the sink. “My first real boyfriend was human.” Her memories of him were bittersweet. She focused on the sweet for Tom’s sake. “Alex was very human, which was a taboo in my old Pride. He asked me out in high school. I told him my father was controlling, and so we had to be careful about seeing each other. God, he was so sweet. He’d leave me love letters in secret places and bring me sunflowers. Those are my favorite.” Ami grinned at Tom. “He treated me better than any man ever has. Alex was good to the core and I didn’t have a lot of people like that in my life.”
“What happened?”
“My father found out.” And murdered him, right before he turned me over to a psycho. She swallowed the bile in her throat. “We never saw each other again.”
“I don’t see how this is supposed to help me.” Tom stared at her with utter confusion.
“Alex showed me what affection could feel like, sound like, look like. He was my first introduction to young love. We might not be married with five kids, but Alex was the best boyfriend I’ve ever had; the only one, really. Our secret relationship wasn’t a mistake. He taught me a lot. You never know the rewards if you don’t take the risk.”
Tom was silent for a moment as he chewed his lip. “You should take your own advice, Amilynn.”
Ami opened her mouth twice before she could form a retort. “It’s different.”
“No, it’s not. You and I have the same problem. We’re afraid to be at the mercy o
f someone else.”
With that bomb dropped, Tom left her in the kitchen. Ami grasped at her chest, wishing those darn wolf pups didn’t make her so emotional. They could crush her with one look.
No sooner had she recovered from Tom’s accusations than the doorbell rang. Ezekiel beat her there to find Martin. Shit.
The two men greeted each other with nothing less than controlled hostility. Ezekiel hated Martin because he had slept with Ami. Martin hated Ezekiel because he’d slept with Martin’s ex, Julia, which caused a hell of a headache when she was suspected of breaking into the Pride’s apartment. Turned out she was innocent and Ezekiel was her alibi.
“I’m here for Amilynn,” Martin said.
Ezekiel turned his face to her, the smoldering jealousy in his eyes making her shiver. “Visitor.”
Martin pushed past Ezekiel and his face softened when he saw her. “Hey, beautiful. You never answered my text and I got worried.” He wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed a kiss to her neck.
Amilynn met Ezekiel’s eyes over Martin’s shoulder. Steam practically whistled out his ears. His jaw tightened, his nostrils flared, and his chest heaved with each breath. God, she had to get the two of them away from each other.
“I’m fine, thanks. Just bad timing. I’ve been distracted.” Ami gave Martin a slight push.
“It’s still early. You want to go out?” He smiled sweetly and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “I’ll take you dancing again.”
Ami glanced once more at Ezekiel. He stood in front of the open door, gripping the handle until his knuckles turned white. His slate-blue eyes held her captive, as if he were begging her to end his pain, commanding her to get rid of Martin.
Martin followed her gaze. “Did I interrupt something?”
“No, not at all.” Ami tried to act casual, but she’d never seen Ezekiel act like this. It was both terrifying and attractive.
“Ami and I were just about to go over some of the self-defense moves for tomorrow’s class.” Ezekiel opened the door a fraction wider.
Martin turned to Amilynn. “You didn’t mention Ezekiel was helping you.”
“Only for tomorrow. No big deal. How about we take a rain check and we can hang out tomorrow night?” She ran a hand over his chest and smiled, trying to keep his attention on her and not Z.
