“This is stupid.” I observed Angela for a moment as she waited patiently for me to get out of the car. “If Angela has anything to do with this alpha, I won’t find out by sitting in this car.”
“Marjorie—”
“No. I’m going to talk to her.” I unbuckled my seatbelt and open the passenger door.
Alexis put the cell up to his left ear and said, “It’s me.” He waited in silence for a moment, listening to whatever Bray was saying at the other end before responding. “So far it’s just the three of us.” Glancing to his right, he said, “Hold on a second.” To me he said, “Stay right where I can see you. If she asks you to go anywhere with her just put it off until I get back.”
In a panic almost, I grabbed his wrist. “Where the hell are you going?”
“Don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere. I’m just going to have a look around.”
“Are you sensing something?” I let go of his hand and looked around the parking lot myself, terrified that I would see a pair of glowing eyes staring back at me from some place nearby. I saw nothing out of the ordinary.
Alexis opened the driver side door, popped his head out, and sniffed the air. “Nothing. It’s quiet. We’re alone. For now.”
“That makes me feel a whole lot better,” I quipped.
He shut the door again and leaned back against the driver seat. Holding the cell to his ear he said, “Give me a minute. I’ll call you right back.” Whoever was at the other end must have agreed because he ended the call a moment later. Turning to me he said, “Shut the door for a moment.”
I did. “What is it?”
“There’s something I want to give you.” Before I could ask him what it was, he reached inside the breast pocket of the jacket he wore, and pulled something out. “A friend of mine gave this to me once. She said I should hold on to it and give it to someone special.” His arm extended toward me. “I’ve finally found that someone special to give this to.”
I reached out to accept what was hidden in his fist. Something light and leathery landed on my palm. Curious, I immediately set out to inspect what he’d given me and found a soft, brown leather bracelet with the words, forever in my heart, followed by two interlocking hearts, both outlined by the same shade of silver used for the inscription.
I stared at it in mute silence, trying to figure out what message Alexis was trying to convey, but my mind was completely blank. The bracelet, though beautiful and a very moving touch, was also confusing and even a little misleading.
“It’s gorgeous, Alexis.” I ran one finger over the caption, and felt something tug at my heart. Where the ends of the bracelet were tied together, three strings hung lose. A tiny silver heart was attached to the end of each tip. “Are you sure you want to give this to me?”
This wasn’t the kind of gift one would give a friend. This was more like a couple thing. It wasn’t something we should be exchanging. Not after everything I’d come to find out in the last day, but I found it very hard to openly reject it. I’d break his heart if I did.
“Yes. I’m sure.” Taking the bracelet from me, he slipped it on my right wrist. The three tiny hearts dangled beautifully from my arm when it was raised, and made a clinking noise whenever I moved my wrist. “It was intended to be for my mate. Though you can’t return my affections you’re still my mate.”
I felt horrible accepting the gift. A mate who wasn’t truly a mate. A mate who could never return his affections. That defined me. “Alexis, I can’t—”
“Please, take it. I want you to have it. Take it as a means to remember me by.” His fingers interlocked with mine. “Bonding hasn’t been easy on any of us. I know many think it’s especially hard on me because you don’t feel the same way about me as you do for Kyran, but that’s not necessarily true. I’m not going to lie and say I don’t find the situation unbearable at times—and there are moments when I do get jealous in spite of my attempts at keeping it together, but truth is...when I see things from Kyran’s point of view I can’t feel entirely angry...even when I want to. Kyran’s burden is harder to bear than mine.”
“I’ve never asked you how you felt about...everything.” I’d been selfish in wanting to know Kyran’s side of the story. Not once had I stopped to talk this through with Alexis. I wasn’t sure that would have been much help but it would have at least showed him that I do care for him. Maybe not in the way that he would want me to, but a little TLC would have gone a long way.
His hand left mine only so that his fingers could find my chin, where his thumb traced along my lower jaw before his lips captured mine. It wasn’t a passionate kiss, nor was it demanding. It was a simply measured pressure that was both sweet and yielding. There was nothing calculating about it, but it touched something in me that I couldn’t quite explain. I wasn’t supposed to feel anything. I had bonded with Kyran, but there was no denying the way Alexis forced my heart into a race with just one peck on the lips.
He pulled back a moment later, his eyes glowing. “I needed this closure.”
“Why are you talking like this? Don’t scare me, Alexis.”
“I’m not planning on doing something drastic if that’s what you’re worried about. I just...needed to let you know that from now on, I’ll only see you as Kyran’s mate. That won’t be easy, and it will cost me a lot, but I have to make an effort. Otherwise, this will only bring more conflict between all of us involved and the people around us. Besides, once you’re permanently linked with Kyran, my feelings for you will quiet down.”
Could he just give up? Bonding had no end other that the separation brought on by death, so how was he planning to accomplish a permanent split-up between us?
“I thought death was the only way out?”
“It is, but I won’t feel as lured to you with a permanent bond in place. Right now, we basically behave like hormonal idiots because we have the need to claim you. It’s part of a natural process. Once you’re claimed things will get easier for me and maybe, I can find a mate of my own.”
I lowered my gaze to the bracelet as he pulled back. “I’m so sorry, Alexis. I know this must be painful for you. I never wanted for either of you to get hurt.”
“I know that. This isn’t your fault. It’s just the way things turned out.”
Was it really fate that brought Kyran to me first? Or just coincidence? It seemed that was the one thing I could never truly answer, yet it was the one I needed the most. I couldn’t help but wonder if Alexis had been the one to walk into my life first, was it possible that we could have connected the way Kyran and I did.
“Come on.” Alexis got a hold of my chin and lifted my face so that we could make eye contact. “Don’t feel sorry for me.”
“That’s not it.” I grabbed his hand, effectively removing it from my face, and interlocked our fingers. “It’s not pity. I’m just so worried about you. I feel like such a bad person. I don’t—”
Alexis smiled. “You’re not a bad person. You’re everything that’s right with this world.”
I opened my mouth to deny that, but Alexi’s cell phone rang. He picked up and looked at the number.
“It’s Bray. I’ll answer this. Go talk with Angela. Find out why she’s here and the rest of the gang isn’t.”
I nodded, unable to say anything else to him.
Alexis winked at me, much like he used to do back when things were less stressed than they were now, and opened the driver side door. He stepped out to answer the call, walking deeper into the woods. Soon he was out of sight. I watched him go with a mixture of emotions. A sudden heaviness began to weigh me down. How could I fix everything that was wrong?
Feeling a pair of eyes on me, I turned to where I’d seen Angela sitting and found her staring at me. It was hard to know for sure if she was angry or just frustrated that I’d made her wait for so long, but for a second there I thought I read animosity in her face.
Deciding to ignore my overactive imagination, I opened the door and slipped out of the car. I took
out my phone and texted Tracy to ask when she was coming as I made my way toward the table. Since I didn’t get an immediate response from Tracy, I shoved my phone inside my hoodie’s pocket and took a seat on the bench opposite of Angela.
“Hey, Marjie. I’m glad you came. I was beginning to think you were heading back home,” Angela greeted me, her face a mask of exuberance.
“I’m sorry I kept you waiting,” I said, suddenly a little nervous. “You look great.” I gestured to her shorter hair, which she had cut into a bob style. Ever since the accident, Angela hadn’t worn her hair short, hadn’t donned makeup, hadn’t dressed as sexy or classy as she used to. The Angie before me was no longer the simple girl she’d turned into. Her old style had made a sudden reappearance. Aside from the shorter hair, she had carefully applied makeup, and wore a black cardigan, blue jeans, and black ankle boots—all of which appeared to be a size too small for her.
“I’m sorry I can’t say the same thing about you.” She pointed to the dark circles under my eyes. “You’ve lost weight. You look exhausted really. Trouble in paradise?”
This wasn’t going as I wished it would. She had sounded so sincerely apologetic over the phone the day before that I mistakenly thought she really wanted to patch things up between us but it didn’t appear that way anymore.
“We all have our troubles,” I murmured. Taking a moment to look around, I scanned the area for Alexis but he was nowhere to be seen. “Where is everybody?” I asked once I failed to locate Alexis.
Angela shrugged. “Oh, they should be here any minute now.” Tucking a lock of hair behind her right ear, she said, “So, Marjie, I see the romance with Alexis is still alive.”
Not wanting to give her the green card to delve into my personal life I changed the subject by saying, “I thought you wanted to meet so that we could talk.”
She laughed softly. “Oh, of course. There are so many things I’ve been dying to tell you.”
“Like how close Kenny and you have gotten?” I couldn’t hold back the accusation.
She didn’t seem to be the least bit startled by my remark. “Oh, so you know.”
“Alexis mentioned something about Kenny picking you up at the hospital yesterday.”
“Mom couldn’t come. She’s on one of her drunk weekends. She’s had a lot of those since Dad skipped town with his secretary and left us nothing but a mountain load of debts.”
Her statement took me aback. “What? I had no idea things were that bad at home.”
Angela glanced away for a moment, her gaze focused on nothing in particular. “Yes, well, things are bound to improve soon enough. I’m sure.”
“How are you holding up?” I reached for her hand, which rested on top of the picnic table, but she snatched it back before I could touch her.
“I’m fine. All my problems are one picnic away from disappearing.” At the look of confusion that must have been on my face, she added, “I’m kidding.”
But I didn’t find her comment funny at all. “Right. Well, um, when did things between Kenny and you pick up?”
“We’ve always been friends.” She raised her eyebrows. “Why? Does it bother you that we’re close now? I mean, I knew Kenny had his eye on you, but since you seem more interested in the Rousseau twins, he’s moved on.”
I didn’t think she was aware of how relief I was of hearing that Kenny was no longer romantically interested in me.
“Which twin are you dating, by the way? Because that was Alexis who dropped you off, wasn’t it?” When I nodded, she said, “And Kenny mentioned how overprotective Kyran is of you. Are you involved in a relationship with both? Or is Kyran available?”
So Kenny had been spreading gossip around. “It’s complicated.”
“Explain complicated,” she insisted softly.
“Right now I’d like to hear more about you.” My attempt at steering the conversation elsewhere went ignored.
“Both brothers have made a connection with you. That’s interesting. I find it very interesting. Don’t you?”
A chill ran down my spine. The way she spoke about our three-way connection was very disconcerting. It was almost as if she knew about the bonding. I stared hard at her, trying to determine whether I could read deceit in her eyes, but she wasn’t that easy to call out.
“What’s so interesting about it?”
Her right shoulder lifted slightly. “Oh, I don’t know. I find it very remarkable that someone like Kyran would put up with watching the girl he likes kiss his twin brother.”
I found it oddly thought provoking that she seemed to think she knew Kyran well enough to know what he would put up with and what he would not.
“Like I said, it’s complicated,” I cut her off.
I thought to ask Angela more about her relationship with Kenny, but my phone vibrated. Hoping it was a text from Alexis, who I hadn’t seen since he walked off into the woods, I fished it out of my hoodie’s pocket to read the message.
Only it wasn’t from Alexis. It was from Tracy.
What picnic? I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’m at home with the gang.
My heart sank. I read and reread the message about ten times just to make sure I hadn’t imagined the words, but they were clear. Angela had lied. She hadn’t had any plans at all. Alexis was right. I’d been set up.
I texted Alexis right away. Where are you? I waited, anxiously, for him to respond.
“Why did you insist I meet you here?” I asked as I looked up at Angela.
She tapped the side of her chin with one well-manicured fingernail. “There are a few reasons, but I guess I can talk a little about how I’ve been feeling for a while now.”
“Angela—”
“Oh, Marjorie. I can’t say I’m completely ungrateful. I don’t think that’s the case. But, when it comes down to it, I don’t think I can’t continue on like this.”
I looked around nervously as Angela babbled on, hoping to spot Alexis walking back to me. So far he was nowhere in sight.
“This is not how I wanted things to go down. We did have a nice relationship, but I’m desperate.”
That last bit caught my undivided attention and I turned back to her.
“What do you mean?”
“My father left us. My mother’s turned into a drunken slut, bringing men over to the house at all hours of the day and night. My health, well, you can pretty much guess how miserable I’ve been. You are responsible for this,” she pointed to her legs, “and now I have a chance to a plant a little semblance of normalcy into my life, and I can’t let the opportunity pass.”
“The accident was just that...an accident. I didn’t mean for it to happen. We were all partly responsible for causing it,” I argued.
“That’s water under the bridge now, isn’t it?” Her tone changed. It went from excited to unamused in seconds. “Marjorie, as a good friend, you should want me to have just a little happiness. Why should you have all the fun? You took something from me and it’s only fair that you help me get it back. You can help me, you know.”
She was seriously freaking me out. “Angela, I don’t—”
“You can help me,” she started again. “Only you can.”
“I can’t help change—”
“Yes, you can. All you have to do is cooperate.”
My phone vibrated and I wasted no time checking to see if Alexis had finally messaged me back. It read, Get in the car right now!
I couldn’t help it. I glanced in the direction Alexis headed when he walked off into the woods, but he still wasn’t visible. My hands started to shake, but I tried my best to keep the tremor out of my voice as I said, “So this is the only reason you invited me to this place with false pretenses? You’re looking to get back at me?”
I fought hard to remain calm. A part of me wanted to run away. Another part of me wanted to hold my ground and ask Angela why she’d set me up. Did she really resent me so much to hand me over to the enemy? Did she even know what she was doing?
“No. Of course not. He swore you wouldn’t be hurt.”
For a moment there, I swore my vision blurred. Not Angela too. One of my best friends? Betraying me? I should have known. She had been acting strange for a while. I’d suspected something wasn’t right. But even so...this?
“Who did? Kenny? Is he behind this?”
A look of surprise crossed her face. “Marjorie, don’t panic. It’s not what you think.”
I stood up. “Angela, whatever they promised you...it was all a lie.”
“I can’t live in misery anymore. I’m tired of people ruining my life. This can all stop and I’m one step away from fixing all my problems. All I need is just a few more minutes—” She was quickly becoming agitated. A desperate, almost crazed look crossed her eyes.
I shook my head. “What did they promise you? Money? Health? The change is not even guaranteed, Angela. You can die from the bite. Did they tell you that?”
For a moment, she looked as if she was having doubts, but just as quickly she reverted to staring at the picnic table in front of her.
“How do I know you’re not just saying that?”
I wanted to drill the truth into her head, endlessly, but my phone vibrated and I knew I’d run out of time. Turning on my heels, I presented my back to her and faced the car. I took one step toward it when I picked up on movement about thirty yards to my left.
It took but a moment for me to realize the dark brown mass of fur stalking its way toward me was most likely a foe. He tried hiding behind a tree but I made him out anyway. A quick observation led me to spot yet another wolf about ten feet away from the first one. This one being about a few inches taller and darker in color. Both stood on two solid, muscled legs, gazing in my direction with glowing eyes.
The moment they realized I’d noticed them, they started toward me, slowly.
“Oh, my God,” I whispered. There was no way for me to make it back to the car in time. They’d be on me before I even made it half way across the parking lot.
“Marjorie.”
Ignoring Angela, I dialed Alexi’s number and held the phone to my ear as I turned and started toward the bathrooms, which was in the opposite direction of where the car was parked, and much closer.
Dark Side of the Moon Page 17
