by Kate Wendley
And it was the daily things that were hard to mask sometimes. Like working out. Human gyms didn’t even come close to being adequate. Supernaturals were too strong and fast, so the gym in Anthony’s home is where they all went, no matter what family they belonged to.
“Hey, Marc!”
He turned in surprise to see his old high school buddy walking his way through the parking garage. “Augie! How’s it going man?” They gave each other a quick one handed hug and a smack on the back.
“Wow! It’s great to see you man! It’s been forever!” He turned and gestured to the woman beside him. “This is my wife, Deborah.”
Marc shook her hand, his soul feeling lower and lower at the feeling of both of their solid, sure auras. There was nothing flaky about these two.
Marc and Augie caught up for a few minutes about what they’d been doing with their lives, which for Marc was just about nothing except screwing off.
“Are you still hanging with Rio and the guys?”
“Yeah man.”
“Anybody up to anything interesting?”
“No, just the usual. Working, hanging out, you know.”
Augie said with pride in his voice, “Well me and Deborah bought into the ‘Pizza in the Forest’ chain a couple years ago. We’ve got six stores now. Can you believe it?”
His gut dropped. They were actually doing something with their lives. “Wow. You guys must be busy.”
“It’s unbelievably crazy, but we love it. You should come by sometime! Pizza’s on the house!”
That last part was said with just a hint of pity.
“Yeah, sure man. Look, I should get going. I’ll see you around.”
They parted ways as Marc wondered where his life had gone wrong. At what point had he given up on trying to make something of himself? Or was it the opposite of that? A point in time he hadn’t realized he’d missed? A time that he was supposed to have thrown away the carelessness of youth and learned what it meant to grow up.
The guards let him in the front door after barely a nod, the two werecoyotes the same two who were usually here on Saturday mornings. “Hey Frederick. Sloan.”
Sloan smirked at him. “Any action going on tonight?”
Marc’s gut twisted up even more. Was that all he was known for? Getting crazy at parties and being a total waste of space? “Don’t know, man. Rio’s probably got the low down. Has he come in yet?”
Sloan rolled his eyes. There was bad blood between those two. Rio had gone off on him one day and picked a fight on his way out, and no one knew why. Not even Rio. He’d just been in one of his crazy moods. Unfortunately, Sloan wasn’t the forgiving type.
“Yeah. He came in a few minutes ago.”
Marc gave him a head bob and headed upstairs.
**
The gym was a huge room with a high ceiling, the remnants of the old cotton mill these buildings used to house. When Anthony and his father bought these buildings they’d renovated them to be apartments, school rooms, a doctor’s office, a club, and whatever else a family of shapeshifters and vampires might need in order to live hidden away from regular humans.
Marc could hear people talking, machines whirring, and the clanking of weights even before he walked in the door. Inside, he jammed his backpack into a cubbyhole along the wall, then turned and caught sight of Sebastian, the Alpha Wolf, growling at someone. What was he doing here so early on a Saturday morning? His usual times were weeknights.
Sebastian was one of those guys you wanted to steer clear of, and not just because he was the Alpha Wolf. He was strong, quick, and seemed to enjoy letting his animal out on people that made him mad. It didn’t help that he always seemed to be in a bad mood, or at least could get there in the blink of an eye. To be fair, the idiots who irritated him usually deserved what they got. Either way, Marc had seen him flip out enough times over the years, either here or at the ranch where they could run free as their animals, that he didn’t want to even accidentally be on the receiving end of it.
This morning Sebastian was bench pressing way more weight than Marc even knew was possible for one man to lift. He was, of course, jealous. Sebastian was shorter and a little smaller all the way around than Marc, but he was strong as hell. That’s one reason Marc kept coming here. He’d love to be in as good of shape as him. Not that Marc was a slob, but he knew he could do better. At everything really.
“Marc. Over here.”
Rio was surprisingly working out rather than shooting the breeze with whoever was in this morning.
“Hey man. You’re starting early.” Marc got behind the bench to spot him.
“I want to look good for the ladies. If you’re not going to hang around much anymore, I need to make sure I’m next in line for their booty calls.”
Marc chuckled, but deep down he knew Rio was still mad at him. There was a growing chasm between them ever since Marc started trying to do things differently in life. “Let’s hit up that new all natural café after this then.”
Rio finished his set and racked the weight, then scowled irritably as he sat up. “Oh Jesus. Not that again. We’re werewolves dumbass. We can heal ourselves! Why worry about eating leaves and twigs when we can eat all the meat and greaseballs we want and still be fine?”
Marc sighed inwardly but let the subject drop. “So did you meet anyone new last night?”
Rio’s eyes lit up like the cat that ate the canary. “Man, too bad you passed on Lyndsey. She’s a hot one.”
“Are you going to ask her out?”
The irritated scowl was back. “What, are we in grade school? I’m not going to ask her out, I’m going to see her at Rick’s tonight.”
Marc let Rio’s bad temper roll off his back. His moods shifted like the wind, especially when it came to the topic of Marc not hanging around as much anymore.
But Rio wasn’t going to let this drop. “Have you given up on acting like a monk or something? Are you interested in Lyndsey?”
“No man, she’s all yours.”
Rio’s quickly hidden snarl was none too friendly as he gave the bench to Marc and switched positions to spot him.
When they were in place, Rio grumbled, “I don’t know why you bother working out if you’re not trying to get laid. Not that pretty boy needs any help in that department.”
“Cut the poor me bullshit Rio. You don’t have any problems getting laid either. Besides, I’m trying to impress myself. Working out keeps me healthy.”
Rio laughed caustically. “Yeah, whatever dude. Don’t know how you can turn down free sex when they drop right into your lap. Seems like a waste, man.”
The chasm just kept growing between them and Marc knew it was his own fault for continuing to hang out with Rio and everyone else just like him. They’d been friends since they were kids, though. He wouldn’t know how to change friends if his life depended on it even though more and more he hated feeling like he was stuck in a time warp. He wanted to grow, to change and become more… something.
Better. He wanted to be a better man. Or at least a man. He just wasn’t sure where to begin, and every time he thought about it he felt like a hypocrite because he used to be exactly like Rio and the whole crew they hung out with. He pretty much still was like them, except he was the only one that seemed to get irritated about it and try to pull away.
He finished his workout, silently hoping Rio didn’t have another one of his crazy outbursts with anyone. For some reason, coming here always ramped him up, and when he got hyper, he liked to pick fights. Today he seemed pre-occupied with looking good for Lyndsey, so it was easier than usual to shepherd him out the door once they were finished without having to talk him down off some crazy mental cliff.
Chapter 3
It was Friday night and Helena made sure she still had her ticket to the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s show at The Tabernacle, totally excited that she was doing something besides working late again. Being responsible seriously sucked sometimes, so she was going to this concert come hell or high
water, work be damned.
She smiled as she finished dolling herself up, then checked her tiny, chic purse to make sure she had all her important stuff before leaving.
**
Marc soaked in the music, the crowd, and danced with the girls all around him. Maybe Rio was right. He was too uptight lately. A good night out felt like just what he needed.
The girls here tonight were all pretty fun loving, which was nice, but he didn’t let it go to his head. He supposed he was just like them, never serious about anything or anyone, yet that nagging voice in the back of his mind was always whispering to him that he needed to get his life together. He was forever owing someone money, forever being asked by his boss why he didn’t try harder, and forever just hanging out with the crew. Though there were fewer and fewer to hang out with as time went on and they settled down and got married. He secretly envied the friends that finally found their ‘one’.
He forced a smile at Jess as she sauntered up to him in her tight t-shirt and short shorts. She had an awesome body, and just for tonight he’d play the game and be her play toy for some dancing and flirting. But that was all. He was done getting cozy with every pretty girl that was interested in him, which made him mad at himself for kissing Lyndsey last week. He wanted to be able to look in the mirror and respect the person he saw staring back. So far it was a toss-up.
The Tabernacle was dark and full of people, including lots of werewolves. Some of the guys spread the word that they were coming tonight, so a lot of shifters that showed up ended up congregated all around them. He laughed about that. Even though they didn’t all know each other, or even necessarily like each other, shifters still felt like family when they were all together.
Marc threw back another beer with the crew. It took a lot to get a wolf drunk, but after enough booze, and the stronger the better, they could get a short lived buzz. So the music, dancing and drinking went on and on, and sometime during the show the girls jumped up onto all the guys’ backs so they could see better. Marc and the others just rolled with it because having a hot girl molded around your body wasn’t so bad, except that they squirmed a lot.
**
Helena’s heart got a little pitter patter when she spied Mr. Tall and Gorgeous in the crowd. And of course he was with his crazy group of friends.
She made her way closer, telling herself it was just because they were wolves, and in crowds, she always felt drawn to them. She’d agreed long ago to give her wolf at least that little bit of a win since she usually kept tight control over her the rest of the time.
She didn’t get too close, though. Just near enough to have no trouble checking out this man that she actually had to look up to. Not far, since she was almost as tall as him, but she definitely wasn’t looking down, either. Ever since her growth spurt in junior high, she’d become the awkward girl who was always taller than the majority of the boys around her. Her heavenly climb to the stars eventually stopped, leaving her at a smidge over six foot one, but she never truly got over her awkwardness around men. A lot of guys didn’t like dating someone taller than them, so it made it hard for her to ever feel truly sexy. It didn’t matter so much now that she was a werewolf and was only pretend dating in order to remind herself what it was like to be human. But that didn’t mean tall, handsome guys didn’t turn her on. This guy’s height alone was catnip to her, and his soulful eyes, fit body and sexy, kissable mouth only added more danger to his off limits appeal.
From the excited pawing by the ladies all around him, it was obvious it wasn’t just Helena that found him irresistible. A woman was riding him piggy back right now, pumping her fist in the air as she hooted and screeched indecipherable lyrics along with the crowd.
Was that the same woman he kissed at the bar? It was hard to tell and didn’t actually matter. Helena had to remind herself that Mr. Yummy wasn’t her type. Him and all his friends were exactly what she imagined her mom was like back when grandma and granddad decided they’d had enough of her flakiness and kicked her out, keeping Helena to raise on their own. If only Helena hadn’t also royally screwed up years later by somehow getting turned into a werewolf. Thank God she’d been able to keep it under wraps well enough that granddad didn’t find out before he passed away. He would’ve been so disappointed in her, especially after all his lessons about responsibility over the years. One stupid night in the wrong guy’s bed…
She pulled her focus back before her mind could wander too much. It was warm in here, some fans rotating overhead. It was summer in Atlanta so there wasn’t much to be done about the heat and humidity.
She closed her eyes for a time and tried to lose herself in the music. The bass guitar, pounding drums, and the sultry voice of the lead singer carried her away to a place in her mind where work didn’t consume every waking thought, and where wanting to let go and be herself, free and open, wolf and all, didn’t mean she’d lose everything she’d worked so hard in life for and hurt those she loved most.
Someone bumped into her and she opened her eyes to the hot guy telling her sorry, then giving her a funny look. He didn’t have a woman on his back anymore, so when a slow song started up and he gestured for her to dance with him, she decided to hell with it. This was her night and she was going to enjoy it.
He never took his mesmerizing eyes off her, which rattled her nerves in an exciting, intense way. His gaze felt incredibly intimate, way too intimate for the fact that they were strangers to each other. In a way, she felt like she was living vicariously through herself just by dancing with him, and she’d be damned if she was going to walk away now.
His hands were warm on her waist, and she wasn’t sure how close to get to him. She settled for resting her hands on his biceps… his nice, firm biceps. And if he didn’t stop looking at her like that she might just jump his bones like all the other ladies seemed to want to.
Over the roar of the crowd and the music, she clearly heard him say, “I’m Marc.”
“Helena.”
A thoughtful look filled his features. “Helena. I like that. It means bright, shining light in Greek, right?”
She couldn’t help a smile. It did mean that, and the fact that this sexy stranger knew it was fun and surprising. But this wasn’t a time for conversation. The crowd was pressed close around them, and soon someone jammed her in the back, shoving her even closer to Marc. He quickly snaked his arms more fully around her and held her tight against his hard, hard body.
Oh, wow. The possessive sensation of him hugging her against himself made her feel all womanly inside. She took a deep breath and relaxed, laying her head on his shoulder and swaying with him to the music. She even gave herself a pass, just for now, to quit thinking about controlling her wolf. Instead she focused on the awesome feel of Marc’s strong, steady body around hers, his earthy scent the best thing she’d smelled in forever. Even her wolf seemed to like him, which was too bad since he’d never be theirs.
**
Marc had been tired of Jess on his back, irritated with her hands roaming where they shouldn’t be, and unsettled by the feel of a powerful force somewhere near him. After finally prodding Jess off of him while trying to ignore the overtly sexual way she always flirted with him, he welcomed a distraction from her attention.
He hadn’t bumped into Helena on purpose, a stranger to him and his circle of friends, but one touch and his interest was definitely piqued. Her werewolf aura was solid and sure, which he definitely liked, but there was more to it than that. Something he’d never felt before.
Her aura felt like it had reached out and grabbed onto his, trying to suck it into her orbit. It felt like it had tried to combine them into one even flowing current around them both.
And it felt good. In a crazy way, in the short moment that they’d touched, the energy made him feel like he belonged with her.
But who was this woman?
She’d had her eyes closed, dancing by herself to the music until he’d bumped into her. She was tall, taller than most women,
and wore an innocently sexy dress that revealed no more skin than was necessary to keep cool in this heat. Her overall look was simple and understated, and a quick scenting of the air told him she wasn’t taken by anyone.
He and his wolf were both alert with wary interest.
She had a pent up, excited energy about her, and even though he was interested in finding out more about her, he was almost disappointed with how easily she agreed to dance with him. There was no look in her eyes that said she saw anything special about him. So was he just a handsome face to her? Just like he was to women like Jess and others he’d dated over the years?
Maybe she couldn’t feel auras like he could. He’d never actually heard of someone else with his ability, so he tried to be calm and get a sense of what was going on.
He wrapped his hands around her, and she hesitantly put her hands on him, which let him clearly know she wasn’t crazy with lust tonight. That was good, actually. He was tired of the fast and furious hormonal relationships he was used to having with women.
But touching her was incredible. He’d never felt a stronger life force on anyone, and he’d definitely never felt someone trying to comingle auras with him. And what a tempting, solid aura it was. Just what he’d been dreaming of finding in a woman.
His gut reaction was a caveman-like declaration that she was his, and his wolf wholeheartedly agreed.
Marc had a hard time actually listening to the music now because he desperately craved everything he sensed about Helena. It was a heady feeling to have someone in his arms that teased every desire he’d ever had about a woman, knowingly or not. It raised so many questions and sent his mind running in circles. Who was she? Where did she come from? What kind of person was she?
