“We get a copy, right?” Henry asked, acting like the awkward picture was somehow incredible.
“Yeah, you all do,” I told him.
“Awesome!” he said excitedly and then ran off.
Priscilla moped up to me. “This is the worst night ever.”
“It could be worse, believe me.”
“Your prince ever show?”
“No. I’m starting to think he ditched me. I’ve never had a guy pay first and then ditch second. Usually, I’m left with the bill.”
“You sound like you have experience with this.”
“A bit, but I don’t want to brag,” I drearily joked, and then snapped a shot of the last couple at the arch, which was Veronica and this stud muffin in a black tux. He looked a little bit like James Bond. It was ridiculous how glamorous this random pairing looked together.
“Those cannot be real,” Priscilla commented, and I knew exactly where her eyes were treading.
“Maybe she has a really good push-up bra.”
“It’s called a surgeon.”
“I really do feel like I’m taking prom pictures,” I noted. Veronica then wrapped her leg around her James Bond partner and he held it in place by clasping onto the back of her thigh. “Okay, maybe not my prom.”
“My prom was way better than this.”
“Whoa, you actually went?”
The couple walked away, leaving us.
“That surprises you?”
“Slightly,” I admitted.
“My prom was a blast. Me and some girls got wasted on Jell-O shots and hung out in the parking lot throwing spit balls at the prom queen.”
“Ah. Makes sense why you enjoyed yourself, then. Did you at least bring a date?”
“Yeah, some doofus who hung out with my cousin. He actually showed up in a blue suit, but had to change it halfway because he sweat right through the jacket.”
“You attract some real winners.”
“He brought the Jell-O shots, so I wasn’t going to complain.”
I shifted through all the photos I had taken of the couples on my camera and couldn’t help but focus on the two shots that were missing, more importantly the two people that were missing—Molly and Owen. Where the heck were they?
“I’m gonna go look for Owen one more time,” I told her.
“Fine. I may just slip out.”
“What? No, you can’t leave.”
“I did my part, I don’t see why I should stay. This party is a complete bust, I mean even the bitch who threw it doesn’t want to stick around.”
“Please don’t leave. At least until I come back, okay?” I pleaded.
She folded her arms and rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”
I didn’t know what I was expecting. The full moon was going to outlast this party, regardless of me stalling, but somehow, the moon being fresh felt more dangerous, like these things would immediately be out for blood. I wanted to make sure Priscilla didn’t get caught on her way home and not live to see the next day. Or have what happened to Scott happen to her. And that thought only made my worry for Owen amplify. What if he went outside to take the garbage out and something ate him, and he’s just been lying on the cement bleeding out this whole time while we’ve been partying? I needed to know. Too bad I was scared shitless.
I crossed the main hall area and back toward the kitchen, and had to shove past the sea of men that were circling around Veronica like she was a circus act. A lot of the men were offering her drinks and boneheadedly chuckling over every little joke she told, while some teenagers were just blatantly gawking at her breasts that were always a second away from popping out. The fact that her boobs didn’t seem to be doing a lot of moving supported Priscilla’s theory. Poor Dana, of course, sipped from a plastic cup while laughing harder and louder at Veronica’s jokes more than anyone, snorting and swaying like she was the dorky neighbor from a sitcom. God, it was like observing fifteen-year-old me.
By the time I got to the cold, dreary kitchen, the music from the next room started pounding through the walls. I popped my head back out one more time and saw Veronica in the middle of the dance floor popping her ass out in the air while all the men clapped and took pictures. I felt like I was on the set of some horrible hip-hop video.
The kitchen, somehow, was even darker and creepier than the time before, and the window above the sink was no longer lightly lit by the full moon, but engulfed in the glow. The moon was so large, it looked like someone had simply painted an image of it on the glass and you couldn’t see passed it if you tried. My plan was to poke my head out through the back door and see if Owen was in the parking lot, and it sounded simple enough, but every moment that the moon hung in the sky, it felt like it was taunting me, daring me to take one step outside and see what would happen. I was a bundle of nerves that swallowing felt like I was trying to push my heart down through my throat.
I inched toward the back door slowly, my heart thudding and pounding against my chest hard and erratic. I knew it would be better to just run to the door as quickly as I could, get an even quicker look outside, and then I’d be done and could return to safety, but my body wouldn’t allow me to move anything above the speed of a snail. I reminded myself of a dog being dragged by the collar toward a bath.
Then I heard a noise; a low, deep groan that sounded muffled and indistinct. I couldn’t tell what was causing it, but my body knew enough to stop in fear. I thought it was coming from the other side of the door, but it sounded too close, even though it was stifled. My brain argued with my feet for a minute, commanding them to move forward so I could investigate. Whatever it was, they were inside the building and groaning from behind the corner near the door shrouded in darkness. Dear God, I didn’t want it to be a werewolf.
Suddenly, two bodies came spiraling out from the shadows, tangled up in one another to the point that all I could see were arms, legs, and lots of blonde hair. It was a couple making out. More specifically, Tiffany and her boyfriend, Freddy. When they saw me, they unlocked at the lips and looked at me, red cheeked with disheveled hair and clothes.
“Hi there,” Tiffany said and licked her puffy mouth. “Didn’t see you standing there.”
Now it was my turn to be embarrassed. “Uh, sorry about that. I’m not a creeper, I promise.”
“Maybe we like being watched,” Freddy teased and swooped an arm around a dazed Tiffany. My mistake, it was Freddy who was the creeper.
“Oh, Freddy, stop,” Tiffany said and swatted at him. “This is my boyfriend.”
“Freddy.”
“Yeah! How’d you know?”
Gee, she did just say it in front of me... “I heard your speech.”
Freddy glowed. “Awesome speech, huh?”
“It was... memorable,” I politely told him.
Tiffany pointed her finger at me and said, “That’s right, you were in the auction, too. And took the pictures. You’re Molly’s friend; Beth, Sarah...” She was scrambling to remember who the heck I was.
“Cora,” I corrected her. Yeah, totally sounds like Beth. “Have you seen Molly anywhere, by chance?”
“She told me she was going to go talk to her brother, then Freddy and I ran into each other.” Tiffany’s eyes radiated as she gazed at Freddy, and I was preparing for another awkward make out session. “Haven’t seen her since.”
“Great...”
“Something wrong?”
“No. I’m just going to look outside for her.”
“Okey dokey,” Tiffany said in her perky tone and then took Freddy’s hand into hers. “Come on, Freddy, we’re gonna need a new corner.”
“Right behind you,” he replied and the two ran off. They looked to be around my age, yet acted like teenagers experiencing summer love. I wasn’t sure whether to be envious of what they had or disgusted by it. Then again, I’m sure most people fresh in love appear disgusting to everyone that isn’t them. I guess the bliss of a new romance creates a protective fog around you to where you don’t even n
otice resentful stares of single people or couples in ruts.
I inhaled deeply and put my hand to the doorknob, realizing I had to do this now or I never would. I twisted it to the right real slow and then halted. I wanted to pull it open gingerly, but the door was too heavy and was going to need a hard tug, so that’s what I did and it made a screech noise that instantly made me regret my decision. I slammed my eyes shut tight, as though doing so would make me disappear. Thankfully, there didn’t seem to be anything around to hear it.
The parking lot was still and quiet with cars jammed into every parking space and one street lamp fighting to keep itself lit. A thick forest was about a mile beyond the parking area—close enough for me to see it, but far enough for there to be nothing but dimness seen between each tree, and only the swaying of the leaves at the top made by the wind. There could have been a man standing there, but the forest was so thick, he would have blended in with the shadows. It only heightened my fear wondering if there really was something out there.
I wanted to call out to Owen, in case he was just around the corner or sitting in his vehicle, but I was still too frightened to do so, even with no sign of wolves. I put one foot down on the back porch like I was gently putting a toe onto a thin sheet of ice, afraid to break it, and then followed it up with the other foot as well. I didn’t want to make one peep, and would make myself light as a feather if I had to.
“What are you doing?” a voice rose, and it startled me so deep within my soul that I jumped higher than Michael Jordan, I swear. Instantly, Max began to chuckle, and my heart struggled to slow down as my brain registered him leaned against the railing of the porch.
“Max?” I asked with my hand to my heart. “Cheese and rice... what are you doing out here?”
“Is it against the law?”
“No, but giving me a heart attack is. You knew how freaked out I was going to be tonight. Why would you scare me like that?”
“You were going to jump out of your skin no matter what I said.”
I finally caught my breath. “Maybe you’re right. I’m not exactly...calm.”
“You had me fooled,” he teased.
Once I was able to settle down, I noticed Max was dressed up in a fancy looking dark jacket that was buttoned together by just one button over an untucked white dress shirt and black pants. He dressed for the occasion.
“What are you doing out here?” I asked him, this time less accusatory and more curiously.
“I thought this was an open invitation.”
“Yeah, but you said you weren’t coming.”
“I changed my mind.”
“Why?”
He grinned and his eyes warmed. “You really are on edge tonight.”
“Have you seen the moon? Shouldn’t you be on edge as well?”
“There have been more full moons than I can count since I’ve lived here, and I’m still in one piece, am I not?” I could feel the space between us getting smaller and smaller as he eased his way toward me, seemingly gliding.
“This is different and you know it.”
“It’s only different because we know about it.” Still, he continued to loom in toward me.
My eyes fluttered as my personal space decreased. “What are you doing out here, though? How long have you been here?”
“A while.”
“How long is a while?”
“Enough to see you up there on stage.”
I raised my eyebrow. “You saw that? You watched me make an idiot of myself and you didn’t think to throw a charity dollar my way?”
“What would be the point of me laying low if I did that?”
“What is this, espionage now?”
He smirked. “No. I just wanted to see what all the fuss was about and didn’t feel like being conversational. It looked like Owen took care of it, anyway.”
“So, you saw that, too, then?”
“Yeah,” he replied, sounding almost disappointed. He halted his progression toward me and leaned against the side railing of the porch and folded his arms. “He really has a thing for you, you know that?”
“He was being a good friend by helping me out back there. Something that you could have at least thought about.” I couldn’t believe Max had been slinking around in the crowd and I didn’t notice. Come to think of it, I was pretty damn nervous, so most of the faces I saw in the audience were a complete blur.
“You wanted me to buy you?” he asked and then propelled himself off of the ledge and toward me. He had to go and twist my words like that and make me a blushing mess. “You wanted me to swing by your grandma’s place and take you to a nice restaurant?” He was mocking me now.
“That’s not quite what I meant,” I said and looked to the pieces of wood that made the porch beneath my feet. “I’m just saying I was almost paired off with Father Time and Owen was the only thing that saved me.”
“So, he’s like your knight in shining armor.”
“If you want to get theatrical about it.”
“Let’s,” he said and approached me progressively. “What if Owen and I had both bid on you? Who would you have chosen?”
My skin betrayed me and flushed like crazy. Thank God for the moonlight covering it. “What kind of question is that?”
“One that begs for an answer. Who would you choose?”
“Why do I feel like this is some kind of trick?” I asked awkwardly, but Max didn’t utter a word and beamed holes through me with those beguiling eyes of his. “There is no right answer to this question.”
“This isn’t Sophie’s Choice, all right? Just say who you’d pick.”
“I wouldn’t know,” I replied with a shrug. “I never know half of what I’m doing until the moment strikes. Maybe you should have tried out the scenario to get your answer. As it stands, I guess you’ll never know.”
He shook his head back and forth with a growing smile, his eyes flicking back and forth between focusing on my gaze and my lips. “I’m not sure if you’ve ever given me a straight answer before.”
“Did I not tell you a werewolf tried to kill me? I’m not sure how much more straight forward you can get.”
“I’m not talking about that stuff. I’m talking about anything that concerns yourself. You have a very honest nature about you, but really, you’re like a little ball of secrets.”
“I’m an open book,” I said, echoing his own words to me from our previous conversation.
“Sure you are.” He was being condescending, but the way he spoke was so soft and alluring, I felt like his mocking nature was somehow a seduction. Like this was foreplay for him. “How long does it take before you let someone passed the cover?” I thought he was using an analogy for a block he perceived me putting up, but the lust in his eyes implied something else. Was the cover he referenced just code for my clothes?
“I’m not hiding anything, so I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Yes, play dumb. Pretend you don’t notice him undressing you with his eyes.
Out of nowhere he asked, “Do you care about Owen?”
“Yes, of course I do.”
“How much?” he emphasized. I thought I had been perfectly clear where I stood, but Max obviously thought I was holding out secret feelings for Owen.
“I care about him, but not that way. He knows that.”
I expected to see some kind of relieved or satisfied expression on Max’s face, but he simply turned his eyes to a strand of hair that had fallen from my rose hair clip. He captured the strand between his fingers, unclasped my clip, and slid it beneath it slowly until I had goosebumps covering the back of my neck and arms.
“You have this weird way about you,” he said gently while snapping my clip shut. “Something about you makes it hard to shake you from the mind. You’re like an annoying pop song.”
“Does it have to be annoying?” I asked, swallowing deeply and trying to ignore the thousands of goosebumps popping up all over my skin.
His hands pulled away from me, but the
eye contact remained. “The best kinds are.”
His hand grazed the apple of my cheek, stroking downward with the tips of his knuckles—a tender gesture I had no idea was inside Max. I wanted to close my eyes and enjoy the moment, but I was so perplexed at the rate in which this all was happening. We hardly knew each other, but yet, I was being sucked in completely. Any doubt I had about his feelings for me were now gone.
Max breathed slowly into me and I could feel his body gravitating toward mine with only inches dividing our chests. His eyes were steadily on mine with such provocative determination that it became as clear as the full moon above us that he was going to kiss me. And I was going to let him. I could practically taste his lips already.
But all that was abruptly and chaotically stopped.
We heard a loud, horrifying shriek coming from inside the building. It was a woman, and she sounded like she was enduring such terror that her voice took Max and me out of our fog of growing lust. We didn’t even have to discuss it with each other before we both went running back inside to see what was going on.
Someone had turned off the music and lit the place up bright. Several people stood around in a circle as Veronica coddled a sobbing Dana. Dana looked inconsolable, shaking and screaming as Veronica pulled her to her ever comforting chest.
I found Priscilla in the crowd, who was watching the madness with a crooked smile, and asked her, “What happened?”
“Chick is having some kind of meltdown,” Priscilla answered.
“How come?”
“Says she saw some kind of demon outside the window. No wonder she hangs out with Molly. I knew crazy always traveled in packs.”
“Demon?” I gasped, and a moment later, Max joined up with us. He must have heard our conversation because he looked stern and stoic, like he was finally taking this seriously. I knew this wasn’t a coincidence and that it was no demon outside. Deep down, I knew this would always happen, but I felt sick about it, anyway. If what this girl said was true, we were now all boxed inside this building with a bloodthirsty predator hiding in the dark.
Lunar Rampage (Lunar Rampage Series Book 1) Page 24
