She’d waited for Ty to call. Something, anything to indicate he’d found their night together, well, more than just a fling. How hard could it be to get her number from Riley and find five minutes to call her?
Obviously too hard, she answered herself. “Tell Evan to come see me.”
Mila strode confidently back to the small collection of desks she had to share with Evan and four other students. Evan had a hangdog expression. He wasn’t a bad kid, he was just immature and the hormones had only just begun to make him stupid about girls.
“Yes, Miss Brierly?”
“Evan, did you take Mila’s calculator?”
“I borrowed it.”
Jess nodded, twisting her hair back on her head and shoving a pencil in it to hold the messy bun in place. “Here’s the thing, Evan. Borrow implies you mean to give it back. Are you going to?”
He nodded, his hand brushing absently over the pocket of his jeans, as he glanced back over at Mila. Poor kid.
“Look, I know it’s cool to have something of hers, but all it’s doing is making her angry and I don’t think that’s what you want, is it?”
Evan shook his head.
“Give it back to her. Next time, why don’t you try giving her something instead of taking it?” The kid shuffled back to the table and handed Mila back her calculator. Mila barely glanced at him.
Jess knew that feeling and wondered if relationships ever got any easier. They sure didn’t seem to. She reassured herself she was being silly for expecting anything from Ty. She’d wanted a hot night to be free, without it impacting the rest of her life. She’d gotten exactly what she’d wanted. She should be happy. But if it had been just what she wanted, why did thinking about him still make her heart beat harder?
Jess took a deep breath. Time to move on and quit daydreaming about what if. What if he really liked her? What if she wanted to get to know him better? She glanced at the clock and realized recess was in two minutes. “Okay everyone, put your math books away, please. I’m waiting to see which table will line up first for recess.”
The minute she’d seen the last student out the door, she grabbed a can of air freshener and sprayed it around the room, replacing the odor of boy with that of Wildflower Spring. It was a saving grace when it came to keeping the air in the room breathable with so many boys. A trick she’d learned at home when she was younger.
She plopped down at her desk, and her gaze flicked to the neat squares on her desk calendar, garbled with messy notations in several different colors of ink. Friday. Good.
Wait.
Jess frowned. It was the middle of the month? Already? She started counting. Twenty-six, twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty, thirty-one, thirty-two. All the blood left her head in a rush, leaving her skin cold and clammy. She braced her hand on the desk, feeling numb from head to toe as she stared at the dates in horror.
Damn. She was late.
Chapter 5
Stunning how she could still function when her heartbeat and breathing were stopped cold. Jess sat on the closed lid of the toilet in the powder room just off the kitchen and stared at the little clear window in the white plastic stick.
She shook it.
It was wrong, of course. Had to be.
Picking up the box, she reread the directions. “Most accurate test on the market, my foot.”
There was simply no way she could be pregnant.
Not now.
Not with him.
She didn’t even know him. Not really.
Jess flicked the plastic stick into the trash, a throbbing burn starting behind her eyes. She tried blinking rapidly and staring up at the ceiling as her nose began to run and the tears came anyway, then turned into a full-on crying jag.
A few minutes later a knock at the bathroom door jarred her. Jess sniffled loudly, then grabbed some tissue and blew her nose.
“You doing okay in there?” Edgar’s voice made the tears well up all over again.
“Yes—no—I don’t know.”
The door opened a sliver and he peeked in. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Everything.” Jess wiped her face with the backs of her hands, but the tears were still sliding down her cheeks. “It’s just all so silly. I should be happy, not crying, shouldn’t I?”
He looked thoroughly puzzled. “Is this a female thing?” he asked cautiously.
She nodded, threw open the door and launched herself into his barrel chest, hugging him. Edgar folded her into his arms and patted her head. “Hey, pipsqueak, whatever it is, we’re here for you. All of us.”
Jess let out a rattling sigh. She was glad it was Edgar. Davis would have just been awkward. Paul would’ve tried to tease her into a smile, and there was nothing funny about this. Riley would have just looked panicked. But Edgar’s arms were reassuring. Just like Dad’s had been. Out of all her brothers, he reminded her most of her dad, even though it was Davis who’d tried to step in and fill their father’s shoes.
“Why don’t you tell me what it is?”
She hiccupped. “I’m pregnant.”
Edgar went rigid for just a second, then rubbed her back. “You sure?”
“Pretty sure.” Although she wasn’t sure how. She and Ty had used protection every single time they’d made love. And it had been more than a year since she’d dated anyone else, and even then it hadn’t ended like her night with Ty had.
“Wow.”
She gave a high-pitched, nervous little laugh she didn’t feel. “Yeah. Wow.”
“How far along?”
“No clue. Not very far.”
“That’s good. Means you can probably make it through this school year.”
She gave an inelegant little snort. “Yeah, if they let me.”
“Oh, come on. They can’t be that draconian.”
Jess pulled back from Ed for a second and looked up at him. “You don’t understand, Ed. Teachers are held to a higher standard. The district might not see this as acceptable. It all kind of depends on the principal and then how the superintendent views this.”
A pained expression crossed his face. “Jess, who’s the father?”
She nibbled at her lip. “It’s not like I date much. Who do you think it is?”
“Riley’s survival teacher?”
She nodded. Huh. She’d never thought of Ty as a teacher, but she guessed that entailed a large part of the training he did. Maybe it was a brick they could build on. Jess let out a shuddering breath.
“On one hand it’s exciting. I mean, I knew I always wanted kids, it’s just—”
“You always thought you’d do it in order. Dating, marriage, maybe your own home...”
Jess gave him a weak smile. “Yeah, something like that. I thought I’d at least know the father of my child better than this.”
Ed grunted. “I know we told you he wasn’t your type. But—”
“But this changes things,” Jess finished for him.
“Yeah.” Edgar paused for a second, rubbing his hands on her arms. “You’re cold. You want a sweater or something?”
Jess’s smile grew wider. “You don’t have to coddle me yet. Wait until I get big first.”
“No, first we’re going to track down Mr. Survival Guide.” Edgar had that shotgun gleam in his eye.
“Oh, no, you don’t. You are not forcing that man into anything. If he wants to start a relationship with me, I’d rather it not be motivated with a shotgun at his back on the way to the altar.”
Edgar grunted. “You sure?”
“Absolutely.”
“You’re at least going to let him know it’s his kid, right?”
“When the time is right.”
Edgar shifted his gaze to the large oak farm table in the kitch
en, where all the family meetings had taken place since she could remember. “Are you going to tell the rest of the family, or do you want me to?”
Jess wrapped her arms around her chest. Now, that thought did make her aware of the chill across her skin. “It’d be easier if you told them. I don’t think I can handle a lecture from Davis yet. I need some time to think about how I’m going to talk things over with my principal and then with Ty.”
Edgar nodded. “I’ve got your back. I’ll let the others know tonight.”
Jess leaned against the bathroom door frame and let out a sigh that went all the way down to her soul. She was grateful it was the weekend. That at least gave her time to figure out how to break the news to her principal and see if she could salvage her job. It was one thing to be a single teacher. Another to be a pregnant single teacher. Even these days, as outdated as it seemed with single mothers everywhere, some parents might not see her morals as high enough to teach their children.
She couldn’t even contemplate talking to Ty yet. One step at a time. First she needed to make sure her brothers knew, then she ought to make a doctor’s appointment. Until she’d done those two things, she really didn’t know anything about her situation, not even a potential due date to give her employer. There was only one thing she did know for sure. Her life was never going to be the same.
* * *
Night fell over the woods. Out here, beyond the ambient light of Seattle or the streets of Sinclair, the dark was a palpable thing. Just how Ty liked it.
The absence of the additional stimuli to his eyes let his keener Were senses of scent and hearing take over. Those senses were amplified a hundredfold when he was in his wolf form, as were his speed and strength, but tonight, out on training with his students, he was stuck in his human shape. Still, even in his human form he could tell something didn’t feel right.
There was a presence in the woods that lifted the hair on the back of his neck. He couldn’t smell anything unusual, but then if it was downwind, he might not know until he was practically on top of it.
Blue team and red team were on maneuvers again. He supervised them both via remote mic. It was red team’s turn to attack blue team. “Red team. Moving in.”
“Copy, Red Leader. Clear to go.”
A terrified yell rent the quiet of the forest, followed by flashes of light and the chatter of gunfire. “What the hell is that?” Red Leader muttered into Ty’s ear.
Ty stood, peering into the inky darkness. He tapped the mic, changing frequencies. “Blue Leader, report.” Only static came through. Blue Leader didn’t respond. Ty tapped the mic again. “Red Leader, have your team stay where they are. Wait for further orders.”
“Yes, sir.”
Ty bolted through the forest, the wet ferns and salal bushes slapping and soaking his pants as he ran flat out toward blue team’s last position. The wind shifted. The sharp, metallic odor of fresh human blood hit him hard, followed by the strong undercurrent of moldy decay. Vampires.
The familiar electrical arc zipped through his system, making his muscles twitch and tremble. If vampires had attacked his team, there was no way he’d get there quick enough on two feet. He threw a quick glance around, making sure his students were out of visual contact, then tucked down, digging his fingers into the wet detritus of fir needles and earth, and let the shift take him.
He sniffed the air, zeroing in on the blue team and the vampires, then ran.
The forest became a blur. He raced until the stench of the bloodsuckers grew nearly unbearable, then slowed his pace, watching, listening. Ty stalked cautiously toward the overgrown logging road, careful to stay low and downwind.
Blue team lay crumpled like discarded trash across the road, their bodies broken and bloody. His stomach twisted. They’d been his responsibility and he’d let them down. Ty stifled a howl of anguish. Giving away his position wouldn’t do a damn thing to protect the red team he’d left unguarded and vulnerable.
Four vampires huddled around one of the team members, whose legs twitched as they sucked the last drop of life from him. Ty bit back a growl as he recognized one of the vampires, his legs hidden by the long dark folds of his black leather duster. The bastard who’d tried to take Jess from the bar. The vampire rose and slicked his hand back through his black wavy hair, his eyes twin points of violent crimson in the dark night. The hair on the ridge of Ty’s back prickled.
Another of the vampires, in torn faded blue jeans and a black hoodie, trotted up behind the one in the duster. “I’m still hungry.” The younger one’s brown hair was overgrown, skater style, hanging in his face and making it impossible for Ty to see his eyes clearly. But the slick red stain of fresh blood stood out against the vampire’s chin.
The taller one whipped around in a blur of movement and grabbed the young one by the back of the head, forcing the kid to look up into his crimson eyes. “You’ll eat when and where you’re told, and be grateful for what we allow you. Understand?”
“Yes, master.” Fear made the words waver.
“And maybe, when you’ve proven yourself useful, you’ll be granted the opportunity to join us. Until then, your only job is to do as you’re told.” The older vampire flung the kid away from him, letting him land on his knees in the dirt.
Ty remained perfectly still. As much as he detested the vampires, and this one in particular, he wasn’t stupid enough to take on a group of them on his own. If he’d had two or three brothers with him, then perhaps they could have taken the bloodsuckers out. But a lone Were wouldn’t be a match for them.
He’d never felt his aloneness more than he did right now.
He breathed deeply. These vampires smelled different from those of the Cascade Clan. Shit. That meant there were even more vampires around.
On the ground one of his men shifted enough to lift his sidearm. The report of the single pistol shot in the woods echoed in the cold night air. The skater kid bucked, his mouth growing wide a second before he fell face forward to the ground. A growing slick of red spread across his back. What the hell? The only vampires he’d ever seen didn’t bleed red. Their bodies seeped black liquid. Ichor.
In the space of a heartbeat, the older vampire had moved across the clearing and grabbed up the recruit, twisting his head with a quick and efficient snap that made Ty physically ill. Becknell hadn’t deserved to die like that. None of them did.
The vampire dropped Becknell’s limp body to the ground, disposing of it with all the care of a used tissue. He straightened the lapels of his black leather duster and stared hard at the other two vampires waiting at the edge the clearing. Neither of them had red eyes like their leader. “Pick up the Thrall and whatever weapons are useful, then head back to the nest. We’re finished hunting for the night. And perhaps that Were will take the hint to get lost before the rest of the people who associate with his kind disappear.”
His mind raced into overdrive. Jess.
A charge intensified in the air a second before the vampire in the duster vaporized into a puff of dark particles. Odds of two to one weren’t bad. Not good, but doable.
Ty leaped from the bushes, using the element of surprise to take the remaining vampires off guard. He slapped one across the head with his paw, knocking the vampire into a tree. The back of his head hit with a satisfying, audible crack against the trunk. He slid to the ground, unconscious.
The other leaped on Ty’s back, wrapping his strong arms firmly about Ty’s middle. He squeezed, trying to crush Ty’s ribs, and was breathing hard in Ty’s ear. Ty deliberately fell backward, letting his full wolf weight land on the vampire cushion. A heavy whoosh of air left the vampire, accompanied by a groan laced with suffering. Wait, since when did vampires need to breathe? The shock caused him to shift back into his human form.
Ty pulled from the loose hold of the vampire he’d crushed. He stared down at the vampire
, whose brown eyes were hazed with pain. “What the hell are you?”
The vampire’s mouth lifted into a shaky smile, a trickle of red blood dribbling from the corner of his mouth. “Vampire in training.” He struggled to sit up.
Ty wasn’t going to take any chances. He punched him hard in the jaw, knocking him out completely. “School’s out,” he muttered darkly.
He went to each of his recruits in turn, searching for any that might still be alive. His teeth gritted together as he shut Becknell’s sightless eyes, and those of Rhyerson and Jones. The only one who remained was Brierly—his star pupil. But he wasn’t in the clearing.
Ty sniffed the air, searching for his scent, and found him five feet from the clearing, leaning up against the trunk of a tree. From the gurgling and labored sound of his breathing, the kid didn’t have long to live.
“Stay with me, Brierly. That’s an order. You hear me?”
Brierly’s eyes cracked open. “Yes, sir.” The words came out barely a puff of breath and slurred together.
Gods, the kid was a mess. His side was torn open, his shirt and his pants on the left side soaked in his blood. “Brierly, you remember how we talked about a special assignment?”
“Yes, sir.”
“You still want it?”
Brierly’s head dropped to his chest. Ty felt for a pulse. It was growing weaker. Damn. If he was going to change the kid, it had to be now or never. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
Ty’s head and neck shifted into his wolf form and he bit down hard, letting his serum flow into Brierly’s veins. Certain there was enough for a transition to take, Ty released his hold and transformed back. He placed two fingers on Brierly’s neck. His pulse was growing stronger. Ty heaved a sigh of relief.
The kid wasn’t out of the woods yet, literally or figuratively, but at least he had a fighting chance. If Brierly made it and fully transitioned by the full moon, he’d added a new member to his pack.
In the meantime he needed to get Brierly medical treament, call in an animal attack to the authorities to cover the scene, make sure his other students were safe and figure out exactly what these strange vampires were and where the hell they’d come from. The red-eyed vampire had called the dead one a Thrall. He didn’t know what that was, but he knew one way to find out.
One Night With the Shifter Page 6
