by Lola Gabriel
“I think it’s better if you come stay with me until your car is finished,” he said. “That way, I can keep an eye on you.”
Sasha raised her eyebrows and stared at him in shock. “Keep an eye on me?” she repeated. “What the hell for?”
Diesel ran a hand through his hair.
“Between Chastity and Nolan, anything could happen, and I…” He paused for a minute. “I couldn’t forgive myself if it did.”
“What do you mean, anything could happen? What could happen?” Sasha demanded. “Am I in danger here? Because if I am, maybe it’s better for me to leave this town altogether!”
Diesel stared at her, and Sasha was able to see, once more, how several different emotions crossed his face.
“They won’t do anything to you as long as they know I’m around,” he ended up saying. “I know it doesn’t make any sense, and I promise I will explain everything and tell you anything you want to know, but…” He sighed deeply. “But right now, we have to go.”
Although Sasha wanted to get some answers now, she also didn’t want to stay in the motel room any longer—not after both Nolan and Chastity had practically harassed her in it.
“Fine,” she said. “But you better keep your word, okay?”
Diesel smiled kindly at her, and Sasha felt as though something had squeezed her chest. “I will.”
6
The loft above the garage was actually quite nice. It was laid out like an oversized studio apartment with a large bed on one side and a tiny kitchen on the other. A giant television hung on the wall at the foot of the bed.
“Make yourself at home,” Diesel told Sasha.
“Where are you going to sleep?” she asked him.
“In the office. I’ve got a heater in there, and with a few extra blankets, I’ll be fine.”
Sasha stared at him. “Don’t you think this is a little, um, excessive?”
Diesel didn’t answer her. Instead, he said, “Help yourself to whatever you want in the fridge. I’ll be downstairs working, if you need anything.”
Sasha wasn’t sure why Diesel was acting so strangely protective. Did she really have something to fear with Chastity? She might have been crazy, but there was no reason to think that his crazy ex would go beyond silly games and bullying. Right? It was hard to think rationally about the situation when she didn’t fully understand any of it.
Chastity had told her to get answers from Diesel, and he had promised he would explain everything to her, but so far, she still was no closer to knowing what the hell was going on than when she had first arrived. Part of Sasha was ready for her adventures in Pine Bend to be over. She just wanted to spend Christmas alone—without her parents, without Alejandro, and without all the drama in Pine Bend.
Watching Christmas movies in her pajamas and drinking wine sounded divine. That would be good enough for this year, way better than being trapped in a town with too many secrets.
The day crawled by. Sasha spent it watching monster movies and playing with DJ. Occasionally, she’d peek out of the big window to watch Diesel work. For a small town, he took in a lot of repairs. She wondered if he ever took a break, or if he had any help.
Looking around at all the parts and partially assembled cars was a little overwhelming. It made her sad, thinking of a lone man working into the night, cheerless, joyless, maybe even loveless. Staring at his broad shoulders and thickly muscled arms reminded her of how tightly he’d held her the other night. The thought of those chiseled abs pressed against her bare stomach turned Sasha to jelly. She wanted to be with him.
It was shortly after five in the evening when Diesel finally came back upstairs. He had his keys in hand. Sasha was grateful to finally get out of the house for a bit, even if it was just a trip to the grocery store.
When they got back, she was surprised at Diesel’s suggestion that they cook dinner together. Sasha hesitated. She ate a lot of frozen foods at home for the sake of convenience. If she still had any culinary ability left, it was basic. Asking her to do more than maybe boil the water would have been a bad idea on Diesel’s part.
“I’m hoping I can count on you to help me.” Diesel was setting out everything it took to make homemade pesto on the counter. “I’ve always wanted to try this.” Sasha watched Diesel put all of the ingredients in a blender. “I hope making it this way doesn’t ruin it.” He plugged in the appliance. “I don’t have a food processor.”
“I think this setting is the same thing. My blender at home is like this one.” Sasha pushed the button before Diesel had finished securing the lid.
Green paste went everywhere.
Diesel and Sasha were silent for a moment before she said, “What else is there to eat?”
“I bought instant potatoes,” Diesel said. “Can you mix them up? Normally I’d make mash from scratch, but I’m starving, and it takes potatoes forever to boil.”
Sasha took the package of potatoes out of the bag, read the instructions, and carefully measured out the ingredients.
I can’t possibly screw up instant potatoes, right?
The flakes were supposed to be mixed in after the milk was warm and the pot had been removed from heat. Sasha only caught the first part. The unevenly heated mound of potato bits started to pop, and a plume of half cooked starch splashed her in the face. Diesel tried not to laugh. Sasha took her stirring spoon and wiped it across the man’s face.
“Hey!” he yelped. “That’s hot!”
“We’re in this together, buddy!” Sasha started laughing, which made Diesel start laughing, too. He quickly grabbed another spoon, and soon they were in the middle of a food war, trying to get mashed potatoes on each other’s faces.
They ended up causing such a mess throughout the entire kitchen that Sasha slipped on a puddle of mashed potatoes that had fallen on the floor. Diesel was barely able to catch her, but he wasn’t quick enough to stop both of them from tumbling down to the ground, Sasha on top of him while they continued laughing.
“Oh, god, I’m so sorry!” she cried, letting out a small giggle. “I’m so sorry, are you okay?”
“Yeah,” he said, chuckling. “Yeah, I’m… I’m fine.”
“I’m really sorry—”
“No, don’t—don’t worry about it.”
Sasha apologized for rubbing mashed potatoes on him, and Diesel did the same, staring intently at her. His gaze reminded Sasha of the night he had almost kissed her, and she wondered if he would try to kiss her again now. She wanted him to.
“I, uh…” Diesel cleared his throat, and Sasha realized she was still on top of him. She stood up and helped him to his feet. “I guess we should finish cooking before we ruin any more of the ingredients.” Diesel wiped the potatoes off his cheek.
Instead of making dinner, they ordered pizza.
Diesel grabbed some extra blankets to take with him to the office. DJ had already made himself comfortable at the foot of the bed and wasn’t interested in following his master back out into the cold. Sasha jumped into bed next to DJ and settled in.
It felt sort of naughty, sleeping in Diesel’s bed. She touched the pillow next to her. He’d been laying right there at some point. Probably shirtless, maybe even totally nude. His skin and cologne, his scent, was a part of the sheets that were brushing against her. It felt like falling into him somehow. She wanted to be wrapped in his arms, tangled in a mess of cloth. Sasha hugged a pillow and swaddled herself in the covers as she drifted off to sleep.
In the middle of the night, she woke up to barking. DJ paced fiercely at the door and barked madly. Sasha’s first thought was that Chastity was right outside. Even though the other woman had been clear about not wanting Diesel, she hadn’t said much else.
If she really were crazy, would she even need a reason to attack someone?
Sasha grabbed her phone and called the office. It rang and rang, but no one picked up. Now she was pacing.
What would she do if there were an intruder? Would DJ be enough to keep her safe?
Sasha grabbed a kitchen knife and filled a pot with water. She turned the electric burner all the way up, hoping the water would start to boil before whoever was out there breached the door. DJ was scratching at the door now, trying to get out.
Maybe something was happening to Diesel.
DJ’s a smart dog, but… would he know if something was happening to Diesel? Sasha wasn’t sure what to do. She had never taken a self-defense class before. She didn’t even work out.
If Diesel couldn’t overpower this person, what hope did she have? Sasha made up her mind to find out. She grabbed her coat, pulled on her boots, and took the kitchen knife with her downstairs. Before she opened the door to go out, she could hear lots of barking and growling. Sasha looked down at DJ, who was still full of aggressive energy.
“This had better be important, boy.” She opened the door, and DJ shot out like a rocket.
Sasha ran after him, stopping when she saw two big animals fighting in front of her. One of them looked like that odd black dog she’d seen a few days ago, the one that had spent that one night with her. The other animal had a short tawny coat, but it was just as large. The two canines were biting and scratching at one another. There was blood on the ground. DJ barked at the pair, but he stayed out of the fight.
“Stop it!” Sasha started yelling instinctively at the animals.
The animals obviously didn’t listen.
She was about to go back for the pot of water they’d left on the stove to toss it onto them, but hesitated. If it was still hot, she might really injure them. She ran back to the garage, hoping to find a hose there.
She’d seen that work with dogs. Those two things were kind of like dogs, just bigger, so she might need more water, but she was confident that would break up the fight.
Two steps from the hose, Sasha stopped dead in her tracks. There was another canine in front of her. A wolf. Its fluffy brown coat, with just a few flashes of red here and there, and dark banding around the neck looked just like the wolves she’d seen on television.
There was no doubt that this was an out of place predator. The wolf bared its teeth. Sasha squeezed her knife tightly. She might have a chance to stab it if it tried to bite her. If it didn’t rip her throat out first, that was. She took a step backward. The wolf didn’t move.
She took another step back.
This time, the animal took a step forward.
Sasha’s plan went out the window. She broke into a sprint. The wolf gave chase, and it started gaining on her when she heard an unexpected whimper. Sasha looked over her shoulder to see the oversized tawny-colored animal now fighting with the brown wolf. The fight with the odd black dog had ceased, and a new one had begun. It was a short skirmish. The wolf backed down when it realized its opponent would not be easily dominated, and it ran away and disappeared from sight just as quickly as it had seemed to appear.
Sasha stood there, not knowing what to do. She thought about trying to help the hurt animal who had probably saved her life. But, was it safe? Wild animals weren’t always friendly to begin with, and this one was wounded. As she tried to figure out her next move, DJ came over. The dog wasn’t barking or aggressive any longer. In fact, he seemed concerned for this fallen comrade. The dog licked the other animal’s face then laid down beside it.
“I guess… it’s safe.” Sasha reached down and touched the injured animal. It looked at her with tired, green eyes.
She ran back to the office to get help from Diesel, but the office was empty. Instead, she grabbed a couple blankets and headed back. For the second time that night, Sasha was frozen in place. Right where she’d left the bloody canine, lay a bloody, unconscious Diesel.
“Diesel? Diesel?!” She shook him, but he didn’t move.
Sasha spread out one of the blankets and rolled his body onto it. She then covered him with the other one. Blood was already starting to stain it. Grabbing one end of the blanket, Sasha shuffled back to the office, dragging Diesel the whole way.
After covering him in the remaining blankets, Sasha went to search for a first aid kit in the loft. She only managed to find a bottle of rubbing alcohol and a hand towel. Her hands shook as she wiped over his puncture wounds. Sasha had wanted to see Diesel without his trademark jumpsuit on, but not in these circumstances.
“This is really bad… I need to call a doctor.” She kept wiping at his wounds, and suddenly, she realized that they were… they were starting to vanish as though they had never been there.
That was impossible, though. Scratches could stop bleeding in a few seconds if they weren’t too deep, but these were bite marks that were even starting to scab over.
Was Sasha imagining this?
She looked at the bottle of rubbing alcohol and brought it closer to herself. It smelled like regular rubbing alcohol, and it certainly looked like it, too. But then, how were Diesel’s wounds healing so quickly?
Sasha didn’t question the bottle’s contents or how this was all happening anymore. It felt like it was too late to do so. Instead, she just dumped the rest of the rubbing alcohol onto Diesel, who immediately cried out when the liquid settled in a particularly deep gash on his neck.
“Oh, my god! You’re alive!” cried Sasha, throwing her arms around Diesel, who softly touched her hair. “What happened to you?” she asked. “What happened?”
Diesel sighed. “I was hoping you wouldn’t have to see that.”
“What are you talking about?”
“My fight…” Diesel let out a groan. “With Nolan.”
Sasha shook her head in confusion. “Your what?”
“You saw—” Diesel tried to catch his breath. “—two dogs fighting, right? Well, they weren’t dogs. They were wolves.”
“I only saw one wolf.” Sasha started patting Diesel on the head with the towel, wondering if he’d hit his head.
“The one that chased you was Chastity,” Diesel said. “The one that saved you was me.”
“Wait, what?” Sasha shook her head again. “Are you seriously telling me that you, Nolan… and Chastity are all wolves?”
Diesel touched the quickly healing cut on his neck. “Most people in Pine Bend are a little… different.”
Sasha started rubbing her forehead with the medicated rag.
“What are you doing?” Diesel asked, amused.
“Maybe we both hit our heads.”
He grabbed her hand and gently held it. “I’m serious. That’s why I couldn’t stay with you after dinner. I had a feeling Nolan was going to come around again after dark, after he changed.”
“What are you talking about?” Sasha questioned. She didn’t know if it was the blood loss affecting him, but the more Diesel talked to her, the less she understood. “He’s not a reverse vampire or whatever. I don’t even think that’s possible.”
Diesel sighed. “Nolan is a little more different than the rest of us. Black werewolves can’t control their transformations. They happen automatically. As soon as night falls, poof—they turn into a wolf.”
Sasha was at a loss for words. Of course she had known there was something incredibly strange going on with the people she had met over the past few days, but… but to think that they were werewolves?
Still… she had seen it with her own eyes. She had seen the wolves fighting, and she had seen Diesel lying where a wolf had been mere seconds before.
Diesel interrupted her thoughts by touching his forehead to hers.
“Thank you for helping me. I’m sorry all this happened.” He hugged her tightly. “I’m just glad you’re safe.”
Sasha wrapped her arms around him. “I’m glad you are, too.”
Well, at least she had gotten some answers now.
7
“So, what were you two fighting about?” Sasha was cramming blankets into the washing machine in the bathroom.
She had to repeat her question, since Diesel, who was showering, couldn’t hear her over the running water. “What do you think?”
She felt her cheeks flus
h. “But why?”
“Because I’m bad at sharing.”
Not really knowing how to respond to that level of honesty, Sasha attempted to change the subject.
“So,” she began, “you said that other wolf was Chastity?”
“Yeah.”
“Why was she there?”
Diesel took a few seconds to answer. “She can be kind of… selective when it comes to new females joining our pack. She’s an alpha, after all.”
“And you’re not?” Sasha asked. If anything, she would’ve thought Diesel was the leader.
“No, I’m not. Does that change your mind about me?”
“I haven’t even made up my mind about you yet,” she replied, “so how can it change?”
“I’ve made up my mind about you.” Diesel turned off the water in the shower.
Sasha took that as her cue to step out into the bedroom. She sat on the bed, and a few moments later, Diesel came out with a towel wrapped around his waist. He was rummaging through his closet when Sasha spoke up.
“Before you get dressed, can I… see it?” A short, awkward pause passed between them.
Diesel looked at her with raised eyebrows and laughed. “That’s awfully forward of you.”
Sasha looked away, immediately embarrassed, though a small chuckle left her lips. “I mean your transformation. I want to see it.”
She had been expecting a slow painful transformation like the ones in horror films, but it wasn’t anything like that. It was relatively quick and seemingly painless. There was two-legged Diesel and then a four-legged one—as simple as that.
The shorthaired tawny wolf sat in front of her calmly. He looked more like an overgrown wild dog than the wolves she’d seen in paintings, but she thought it suited his personality. Sasha got up to pet him. They touched noses and their cheeks brushed against each other. It was more tender than playful; it compelled her to hug him.
Diesel changed back in her arms. His face still very near to her, he whispered, “I want to take you… as my mate.”
