Sure enough Amy had prepared a feast for lunch. She had grilled hotdogs and cheese burgers and made macaroni and cheese, cheesy potatoes, and green beans to go along with it. The boys piled their plates high and I was surprised when Charlotte and Chris took just as much. I came along and got a normal, human-sized, portion and joined them. Bryce scooted over so I could have the seat by Caeden.
“So,” said Bryce addressing me, “when do you turn eighteen?”
“January sixteenth,” I said.
“Oh, so you’ve got a while yet.” He said. He shrugged his shoulders. “I guess it’s a good thing though. It gives you time to learn about being a wolf.” I paled at the mention of my being a wolf. “Don’t worry,” said Bryce patting my hand. “You’ll love it. It’s the best feeling in the world. It’s like you’re unstoppable.”
“Bryce,” scolded Caeden, “I think you’re scaring her more than you’re helping.” He gave me a look and asked, “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” I said and smiled to prove that I was. “And he wasn’t scaring me. I’m not as breakable as you think I am.”
He grinned and kissed my cheek to a chorus of “Aww’s”.
Bentley shoveled some mac n’ cheese into his mouth, swallowed, and said, “So, Caeden how does it feel to be whipped?”
Caeden rolled his eyes at his best friend. “I’m not whipped,” he said, “you just wait till it’s you.”
Bentley looked longingly at Chris and then back at Caeden, “Nope, not a chance. I’m a free spirit.”
“Aren’t we all,” said Charlotte softly almost sadly. They all looked sad and I realized that as much as they embraced being wolves it was still like a curse. I knew that most of the time they genuinely enjoyed being shifters but I also knew that at times it had to be a burden.
“So,” I said trying to lighten the mood, “does anyone have any embarrassing stories about Caeden?”
Everyone brightened at that and Caeden groaned. “Don’t do this to me,” he said to me.
I grinned. “Oh, something you don’t want me to know?”
“No, I’m afraid you’ll decide I’m a complete loser,” he said and hung his head in mock shame.
“Not a chance,” I said and squeezed his hand and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.
“Okay, lovebirds,” said Bentley. He looked at me and said, “Do you want to hear a story or not?”
“Of course,” I said.
“Alright well stop sucking face,” he said with a grin so I’d know he was joking.
“Zipping my lips,” I said and mimed zipping them closed.
Bentley steepled his fingers in front of his face and said, “Hmm, where to begin? There’s so many.” He was thoughtful for a moment and then said, “How about the time that Caeden and I were just mere pups and we decided to kill a squirrel.”
“Oh no,” groaned Caeden and buried his face in his hands.
“Oh yes,” said Bentley grinning evilly. “Caeden I were about five years old and we got the bright idea to go kill a squirrel with our bare hands. So, we wandered out to the woods and found several squirrels gathering nuts for the winter. We hid in some bushes, bushes that turned out to be infested in poison ivy, and watched the squirrels. We had seen our dad’s on many occasions take down large prey when they were in their wolf forms so we thought we’d surprise them by getting a squirrel. Well… the squirrels apparently didn’t want to get caught. Caeden and I jumped out of the bushes with our plastic swords, screaming like banshees, and the squirrels fled up into the top branches of the trees. We both tried to climb the tree unsuccessfully. But the squirrels had a plan.” Bentley laughed and then continues the story. “They started throwing their nuts and acorns at us as hard as they could. By that time we were both starting to itch and getting pinged in the head with tiny projectiles wasn’t helping the situation. So, we ran. Only the squirrels decided to follow. We screamed and ran home with the squirrels right on our heels.” Bentley shuddered. “After that we both look twice when we see a squirrel and give it a wide berth.”
Caeden laughed and said, “You left out the most embarrassing part.”
“Oh, right,” said Bentley. He leaned towards me conspiratorially, “We were both butt naked.”
Caeden looked at me and grinned. “Bentley and I were convinced that if we ran around naked we’d shift into wolves.”
I shook my head and laughed. “That’s a good story.”
“It is now,” said Caeden. “At the time were too preoccupied with all the itching to laugh about it.”
“I learned my lesson,” said Bentley, “never hide, naked, in a bush of poison ivy. The consequences aren’t worth it.”
Amy had come into the room and chuckled. “I’ve got a story,” she said.
Caeden groaned. “Please, no, mom.”
She smiled and said, “When Caeden was seven he got the bright idea to run away. He packed a bag full of cookies and went outside and sat in the woods.”
She paused so I prompted her. “What happened?” I asked.
“I forgot something to drink,” Caeden said. He shrugged his shoulders. “I was seven, my plan wasn’t foolproof. So, I marched my sorry butt back into the house and surrendered to my punishment.”
Amy laughed. “And then all the cookies he ate made him sick.”
Caeden looked at me. “I wouldn’t touch another cookie for a month.”
“So, what did you do to make you want to run away?” I asked.
Caeden grinned. “I made Bryce eat worm pie so to avoid my punishment I ran away.”
“Worm pie?” I asked with a smile.
“Yeah, it’s like mud pies only with more worms.”
“It was good too,” said Bryce smacking his lips.
Amy patted Bryce’s shoulder. “My strange child,” she muttered.
Bryce grinned. “Don’t knock it till you try it.”
Amy shook her head. “What will I do with you?” she asked exasperated.
“Sell me in the slave trade,” Bryce quipped.
“No one would want you,” said Caeden.
Bryce feigned offense. “I am very desirable, dear brother.”
Caeden pointed his fork at Bryce. “That’s Alpha.”
Bryce rolled his eyes and threw his hands in the air. “You’re still annoying so what difference does it make?”
I found their sibling fights to be very entertaining. I was an only child and had always longed for a sibling to play with. You could tell that the brothers loved each other and that their fights were more at poking fun at one another. It would have been nice to have had a sibling to confide in growing up, especially now, with how much my life had changed.
We finished eating and then Bentley stood. “Come on Christian, it’s time for our patrol,” said Bentley washing his plate.
She smiled and said, “Give me a second.” She finished eating and followed suit.
“I better get going,” I said to Caeden. “I have a lot of homework.”
“Oh, yeah,” he said rather reluctantly. “I’ll walk you to your car.”
Caeden and I walked out the front door. He had stuffed his hands in the pockets of his shorts. I unlocked my car but before I could get in it Caeden had pinned me against its metal frame.
“Caeden,” I said my breath catching. His blue eyes smothered mine.
He leaned towards me. “Don’t go,” he whispered.
“I have to,” I said. “I really do have a lot of homework. I was going to do it yesterday but then we were gone the whole day.”
“Please don’t go,” he whispered against my lips. “I don’t like being away from you. It makes me anxious, nervous. I imagine all kinds of bad things happening to you.”
I laughed. “You’re the one that showed up bloody on my front porch. Not the other way around.”
“Still,” he said leaning in even closer until his blue eyes dominated my line of vision, “my body doesn’t like it. I’m on edge the entire time your away. Last night n
early killed me.”
“You’ve been away from me every night since we met. I think you’ll live,” I said with a smile.
“That was different,” he defended. “That was before we kissed, before we spent the night together, it was before… it was before I knew that you felt the same way about me.”
“Caeden,” I whispered.
“Sophie,” he moaned and closed those precious few gaps and pressed his lips to mine. He pressed his body against mine. I grabbed the hair at his neck and held on for dear life. Kisses like this should be illegal. My mouth opened underneath his. I could feel my knees going weak. As if he could sense my weakness his hand wrapped around my waist holding me up.
A voice shouted behind us. “Caeden stop sucking face! We have stuff to do!” yelled Bentley.
Caeden groaned and pulled away. Not taking his eyes off mine he said, “Bentley, I am going to kill you.”
Bentley chuckled and sauntered over, Chris on his heels.
“Come over for dinner?” I asked breathlessly.
He grinned, his dimple showing, “I’ll be there.” He started to pull away. “Uh, Sophie?”
“Yeah?” I asked.
“Can you let go?” he grinned.
Somehow, during our intense kiss my hands had moved from his hair to his shirt. I had the fabric fisted tightly in my hands. My cheeks bloomed red and I let go. Two very distinct wrinkles were left behind.
Caeden leaned down and kissed my cheek. “I’ll see you for dinner,” he said grinning. I watched him follow after Chris and Bentley who were disappearing into the trees. With a burst of speed Caeden jumped on Bentley and both fell to the ground. I laughed and got in my car driving away.
I could hear the sounds of wolves yowling in play and it put a smile on my face.
eight.
Gram wasn’t at home when I got there so I assumed she was either meeting with the council again or at her store. I was worried about how much time Gram was spending with the council. It made me think that there was something bad, something major, going on. But then it again it could just be my overactive imagination because Caeden acted as if it was normal. If he wasn’t worried then I shouldn’t be worried either.
I took a quick shower and changed into jeans and a long-sleeved maroon shirt. I quickly finished my homework before deciding to start dinner. I looked through the refrigerator for something to make for dinner. I decided to make a homemade pizza. I first made only one but then decided with the way that Caeden ate that I should probably make two. Just as I stuck them in the oven the doorbell rang.
I practically floated to the door. A smile lit my face before I even opened the door. I opened the door wide to let in Caeden. His hair was still slightly wet from the shower, the ends curling slightly. He had on jeans and a black pea coat, with a gray scarf. I thought that he had never looked more perfect.
Noticing my gaze he blushed as if embarrassed. “It got cold out,” he said quietly. “I may be wolf but I’m not entirely impervious to the cold.”
“You look perfect,” I breathed. “I feel underdressed,” I stated.
I closed the door as he began to shrug out of his coat and pull off his scarf. “Have no fear,” he said hanging up his coat, “I wore a plain shirt.” I smiled as he tugged at his gray long-sleeved shirt. “Is that pizza I smell?” he asked with a grin. “I thought you Beaumont women felt the need to cook everything?”
I laughed. “I did cook it,” I said, “and it should be ready any minute.” On cue the timer went off and I strode in the kitchen to get them before they burned; Caeden right behind me.
“Mmm, smells delicious,” said Caeden as I removed the pizza’s and waved the oven mitt at them to help cool them down.
I shook my head. “You think everything smells good.”
He grinned. “That’s very true. But I still know the difference between what’s good and what’s bad.”
“Sure you do squirrel-hunter,” I mocked.
He groaned. “Can we just forget about that?”
“Oh no,” I said, “never.”
I cut up the pizzas and grabbed two slices for me and a whole pizza for Caeden. He was already sitting at the table and he grinned when he saw that I had made him a whole pizza.
“You already know me so well,” he said and took a bite. “This is really good,” he added.
“I’m just waiting to see you eat a whole cow or two,” I said.
He laughed. “Next time,” he said.
We ate in companionable silence, every little bit one of us voicing an errant thought. Our peace however was disturbed by a scratching at the back door. I jumped. I couldn’t think coherently. All I could see was Caeden, only a few days ago, at my door as a wolf dying. Was it possible that one of the others had been attacked?
Caeden stood and sniffed the air. “It’s just a dog,” he said and sat back down grabbing another slice of pizza.
“A dog?” I asked, still holding my hand over my racing heart.
“Yeah,” he said around a mouthful. “Wait,” he said holding up a hand. A grin spread across his face. “I think your familiar is here.”
“What?” I asked. “How is that possible?”
He chuckled. “We don’t control when they come. But it might not be your familiar,” he added. “It might just be a stray.”
The scratching at the door became more incessant, harder to ignore. I stood and went to the door. I expected some kind of monster of a dog to jump out at me like Murphy. Murphy was a nice dog though just abnormally large. One of the sweetest I had ever been around so it couldn’t be so bad could it?
I opened the door, looking into the gloom, for a big dog. But what I found was a tiny little Boston terrier staring at me with the most adorable brown eyes.
“Aww,” I said picking up the tiny dog.
Caeden laughed. “He suits you,” he said.
“He’s mine,” I said. “I can feel it. But how?” I asked cuddling the dog to my chest.
Caeden laughed. “I don’t know. It’s a weird perk of being a shifter,” he stood and petted the dog on top of his head.
I cooed softly to the dog in my arms. He was just so cute with his white and black fur and pointy ears.
“What are you going to name him?” asked Caeden.
I held the dog out at arm’s length. “Archie,” I said. “His name is Archie.”
Caeden laughed and said, “I hope Archie and Murphy get along because if I have my way you’ll be spending most of your time with me.”
“Oh is that right?” I asked. I looked at Archie. “Do you think they’ll get along? I mean, Archie’s a small dog and Murphy is the size of a moose.”
Caeden eyed me. “He gets along great with Bella so I don’t see why this would be any different.”
I set the dog down on the floor and grabbed a bowl from the cabinet. I filled it with water and set it down for him. Within moments he had lapped it all up. “Good boy,” I said and stroked his soft fur. “You know this is your home don’t you? Don’t you?” I asked in that gooey voice that most people reserved for babies.
Caeden shook his head and laughed at me. I didn’t care though. This was a new experience for me. I had never had a dog before. I wondered at that. Didn’t my parents have familiars? I’d have to ask Gram about that later.
Caeden sat back down and continued eating his pizza. I was so absorbed in my new dog that all thoughts of finishing my meal were gone.
Chomping on his pizza, a little sauce sitting adorably in the corner of his mouth, Caeden said, “How about tomorrow after work I take you to PetSmart? We can get little Archie some toy’s and what not.”
I smiled. “That would be great. My poor little baby doesn’t have anything,” I cooed to the dog. I saw Caeden shake his head out of the corner of my eye. I didn’t care though. I was going to have my fun.
I heard Gram’s car pull in the driveway and then a moment later she appeared at the front door. Archie went running to her, his tail wagging.
>
She smiled and bent down to pet him. “Well, who is this?” she asked.
“Archie,” I supplied. “He’s apparently my familiar.”
She smiled. “He suits you.”
“What does that mean? I’m cute and sweet?” I asked jokingly.
“Of course,” said Caeden grinning.
I raised my eyebrows, “So Murphy symbolizes that you’re a giant mess?”
He grinned, his dimple showing. “No, silly. Murphy is my familiar because we have the same traits. Passionate, affectionate, easy-going, quiet, fearless, loyal and many other amazing things.” He finished with a laugh and a mischievous twinkle in his eye.
“Maybe you should date him?” I said.
“Ugh no thanks,” said Caeden and then grinned. “He’s not as good of a kisser as you. I don’t think I could survive off of Murphy’s kisses. But yours… Your kisses are like heaven.”
“Glad to know that you’ve made out with your dog, Caeden,” I said and punched his leg from where I sat on the floor with Archie who had curled up in a little ball on my lap.
He puckered his lips. “You seem to like the way I kiss. I guess practicing with Murphy paid off.” He laughed and moved his legs to avoid another punch from me.
“Ugh, too much information,” said Gram. “You’re making me nauseous.”
I couldn’t help the laughter that burst forth. Caeden started laughing too. A few tears leaked out of the corners of my eyes.
Gram sat down across from Caeden to eat her pizza. “So how did it go today Sophie? I know you were dreading it.”
I groaned and Caeden grinned.
“Sophie was fine up until the point where she fell flat on her face when she got a look at my delicious abs,” he said and pulled up his shirt rubbing his chiseled stomach.
I blushed and then mocked him, “Delicious huh?”
“Oh yeah,” he said jokingly. “My basement floor is now flooded with your drool.”
“That’s not drool that’s your sweat,” I chuckled.
“Touché,” he replied with a smile. He finished his pizza and stood. “I better get home. I don’t want to worry my mom. I’ll see you tomorrow at school, babe,” he said and bent down and kissed my cheek and rubbed Archie behind his ears.
Outsider (Outsider Series) Page 10
