by A Lonergan
Sizzling and popping from the stove brought me back to the present and what was happening. A knock at the door sounded a few seconds after my phone pinged an alert to someone walking up the driveway. That person was absolutely the last one I want to see. I would have preferred Rafe over him, and that was saying something. I clicked the stove off and removed the pan from the hot burner before I went to answer the door. Just because I can stomach cooked meat doesn’t mean that I like it well done.
Knox was waiting on the other side of the door. A brown paper bag was clutched in one hand, and something indistinguishable in the other. When I open the door he offered me a timid smile. I crossed my arms over my chest and lift an eyebrow in contempt.
“What can I do for you?”
He shifted from one foot to the other at the tone of my voice. I don’t blame him for his anxiety, I was far from friendly. I still don’t like him and the way he tore through that man in the woods. Though it was effective, it was also terrifying. I still see it in my nightmares, except he’s ripping my heart out instead of the stranger’s. I took a long sniff and identify Chinese takeout in the brown bag and a DVD in his other hand. A peace offering, maybe?
“Rafe sent me on patrol tonight but it’s cold and my wolf hates getting wet,” He shivered for extra measure then smiled at me again. He looked so innocent that I could almost forget that his hands were made to kill, that he was forged to murder for his Pack.
I eased back a step, but only slightly. I narrowed my eyes as I considered his words. “None of the other patrols have been sent into my yard. What is going on?”
Knox shook out his shoulders, for extra emphasis on his wolf hating the cold before I step aside. “None of the patrols have gotten this close to your house because the rogues had stayed away. They have gotten closer and closer to this house and Rafe is worried.”
My eyebrows inched up my forehead. So that explained the smell every time I left my house yesterday. Something smelled off- wrong- when I would leave. Especially around my car, but Rafe was adamant on the fact that I didn’t need to go anywhere without a guard. I had waved off his paranoia and not listened but now, I didn’t mind as much, even if it was this lunatic. Knox closed the door behind him as I went back to the kitchen. I pulled potato salad from the fridge and leftover grilled vegetables from the microwave. I appreciated the peace offering of takeout but I wasn’t so easily bought. I ignored the Guardian as I prepared my plate. Knox didn’t say anything as he searched the drawers for a fork and dug into the first cardboard container. It was sweet and sour chicken, it had once been a favorite of mine. Did he know this from Tracey or was he just getting the basics? Who didn’t like sweet and sour chicken? I speared the grilled asparagus on my plate and watched the man leaning against the counter. Tonight he wore jeans and a tight white t-shirt, his auburn hair was pushed away from his face. From what I could tell, his wolf wasn’t close tonight. Instead of the yellow hue his eyes usually were, they were a navy blue tonight.
“Have you made any progress with Carden?” I absolutely hated saying his name. Not only did it hurt my heart but it also made me feel guilty.
Knox cracked his neck and nodded slowly as he took another bite of his chicken. “Yes, though I have never seen these wolves or witches before. I thought it would have been easy discovering their identity, but so far, it’s been harder.”
An idea occurred to me. “Maybe I could help?”
Knox grinned around his fork. “That’s the best thing I have heard all day and honestly, it would bother the hell out of Rafe.”
I rolled my eyes, though I did like the sound of that. Bothering Rafe didn’t sound like a bad thing. “Then, I’m in.”
Knox looked me over and then a devilish grin replaced the other one. “There are many ways we could annoy Rafe.”
Maybe Knox wasn’t such a bad escort after all.
Chapter 47
Jade Rivers
Knox was starting to become a bright light in my very anxious life. I was going back to classes now at the University and having his presence every morning made me feel calm. The first time he had picked me up from school, his idea- not mine, Rafe had a fit. Tracey told me he stewed in the woods for hours. Apparently, Knox hadn’t been the one sent on babysitting duty, it was Mav. Which didn’t make sense as he had been in trouble for going against Alpha orders before. I wasn’t sure what was happening behind the scenes with all of them but it was giving me a headache.
I clenched and unclenched my hands as I walked to my last class of the day. My wolf hardly cared about coming out to see what was happening in the real world unless we were going for a run, but even that didn’t seem to excite her like it did on the full moon. Which was a good thing, it meant I could go back to school and live a normal life. Or as normal as I could get it while having a wolf living inside of my mind and body.
When I slid into my seat at the back of the room, I smelled it again. That wrongness in the air. My hackles rose as I looked around me. Everyone was faced forward getting ready for the lecture but I couldn’t move. I was frozen in place. Nalia rose to the surface in my mind and a growl tried to rumble through my chest. I swallowed it back and clutched my shaking hands under my desk. I wiggled my fingers as fur rolled across the tops of my hands. My lips trembled as I exhaled.
This was very bad. When I finally looked up, the hair on the back of my neck stood up to attention. The feeling of being watched was overwhelming. I folded my hands together and looked beside me. The boy sitting there couldn’t have been my age. He looked young, like too young to be in college. His facial hair was spotty on his face and his limbs looked too long for his body shape. But those weren’t the things that kept my attention on him. It was the way his head cocked toward mine, in a predatory manner. When his eyes met mine, they shifted to gold.
The professor had entered the room and was getting set up on the floor. The projector clicked on. I inched to the edge of my seat but Nalia kept me from bolting.
Do not run. He likes the scent of fear. He’s baiting you.
I swallowed hard and pulled my phone in front of me. This professor was more strict about cellphone usage but thankfully, with the projector on, he wouldn’t see me back in the corner. I sent out a quick text to Knox. His reply was lighting fast. I was actually surprised he didn’t jump into the room to interrupt the lecture.
Do not engage. He could just be a rogue reacting to the smell of your pheromones. We have no war with the rogues as long as they stay away from pack lands. I will be waiting in the hall for you.
That eased some of my worries, but not all of it. The rogue seated close to me kept his eyes on me the entire lecture and didn’t even take notes. How the professor didn’t jump down his throat was beyond me. He was usually quick to catch those things. He hated students that didn’t pay attention or take notes. I knew better than the rest, I had been caught on my first day in his class, not paying attention. The tongue lashing in front of the rest of the students was humiliating and reminded me of high school. None of my other professors cared at all about what we did, except cheating.
When the professor announced dismissal I was careful to push my chair in slowly and walk carefully out of the room. I hated giving the wolf my back and Nalia practically shouted in my mind about it, but the human world was oblivious to wolves. I couldn’t face off with the gangly boy in the middle of the room. I would have to turn my back on him to at least get him away from the humans. They wouldn’t be safe if the rogue went off the walls crazy. Most of them were insane because they didn’t have an Alpha to pledge to. Is that what I would become?
Knox was leaning against the white cinderblock walls when I came out of the room. His dark red hair was a mess around his head and his navy eyes were now bright gold. Knox wrinkled his nose in disgust. “You need to shower. You smell like him.”
“How?” I lifted my arm to sniff myself and sure enough, I did. I fought back a gag.
Knox snarled as he placed his hand on my lower bac
k and led me out of the school. I didn’t miss the appreciative glances thrown his way as he slipped his sunglasses over his nose. I also didn’t miss the sneers as they watched his hand on my lower back. The gangly rogue that had been beside me in the classroom was now gone. He hadn’t emerged behind me. He had disappeared.
“I think he rubbed his scent all over your chair. He’s baiting us but I can’t figure out why.” Knox ran his hand down his face. I felt the pebbling of fur ripple across my arms again. He stiffened beside me as he felt it. “You need to keep your wolf in check, Jade.”
“I’m trying,” My voice came out in a growling mess. Knox bristled as he opened my car door for me then slipped into the driver seat.
He flipped the AC on to full blast and I felt my wolf relax. Nalia wasn’t happy but she wouldn’t force a shift in the car, at least not right now. My shoulders relaxed as I leaned back in my seat.
“When was the last time you had some fun?” Knox’s voice took on a different tone and it was like the last hour hadn’t happened. He seemed to be more relaxed as he wove through the traffic to get us home. When he missed the exit for the pack lands, I was confused.
I wrinkled my eyebrows as I tried to not think of the night Carden tried to claim me. “It’s been a hot second.”
Knox cocked his head toward me and mischief twisted his lips. “I think you need to get out of the house, Jade. All of this stress isn’t good for your wolf and neither is all of this rogue mess. She is going to lash out and I would hate for it to happen in the grocery store.”
I wanted to deny what he was saying but Nalia was eerily silent. She was agreeing with him, without openly agreeing with him. I sighed. “I’m not going to another party if that’s what you have planned.”
Me and parties no longer mixed. Even though I really wanted them to be normal to me again, they never would. I would never be able to enjoy the party lifestyle that I had been so used to, the lifestyle that I had loved at one point. Knox shook his head as he pulled into my driveway. This time my parents were watching.
My phone rang after exactly a minute. “Hello?”
Much to my surprise, it was my mother on the other end. “Is someone visiting the house? I haven’t seen that car before.”
My lips pinched together to keep myself from laughing. “Yes, I’ve been carpooling to and from school with one of my friends.”
“That isn’t Tracey’s car,” My dad’s voice was slightly stern. Knox leaned against the door and an easy grin spread across his lips. I shoved my door open, not giving him the opportunity for him to get out and get my door for me. That was the last thing my parents needed to see. It would only egg them on. I unlocked the door and Knox followed behind me with a slow swagger. He knew they were watching and he was going to put on a show. I gritted my teeth together as I shook my head at him. The audacity.
“No,” I dragged the word out slightly. There was nothing to feel guilty over… except I had to lie to them again and it wasn’t anything scandalous. “It isn’t Tracey’s car.”
“You brought a boy into the house,” My mom actually whispered this like she knew Knox had super hearing or something. He grinned across the kitchen at me.
“Yes, I did.” I didn’t know how I was going to play this out. “We aren’t seeing each other in case you’re wondering.”
My dad grumbled something I couldn’t hear. My mom didn’t sound as chipper as before when she finally turned back to the phone. “Well, that’s disappointing.”
I choked on the water I had been sipping on. I didn’t think it was possible, but Knox’s grin only continued to grow bigger. Lord help me. I let out an exasperated sound. “What does that mean?”
“I mean you have brought home some very fine male specimens as of late, and honestly,” She paused and I knew it was because she was walking away from dad. “I’m not mad about it. Whew, he is probably the best looking so far.”
I set the water bottle down on the counter. There was no way I was going to be able to drink anything while on the phone with her. This time I didn’t even look at the werewolf in my kitchen. I turned on my heel and marched up the stairs. “Mom!”
She laughed and it released some tension in my shoulders. “I mean, you know it’s true.”
“Knox is just my friend.”
She let out a choked sound and I knew this conversation had to be over. “He even has a hot name.”
“I hope you’re enjoying your trip! I really need to take a shower.” But then I realized I said the wrong thing as I listened to my parents grapple with the phone.
“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” My mom shouted as my dad grumbled something again.
“Not happening like that! Goodbye!” I practically threw the phone onto my bed as I scrubbed my hands down my face.
“It could though,” Knox’s voice behind me made me jump but instead of away from him, I jumped toward him and all wolf instincts took over. I swung at his face and he ducked it easily. “But you still smell like the rogue. Maybe I’ll join you after his scent is gone.”
I bit the inside of my cheek and slammed the door in his face. “Are all wolves arrogant like this?”
Chapter 48
Rafe Crimson
“Absolutely not,” I growled at my best friend. Knox had returned to the pack lands after he checked the perimeter of Jade’s house when she was tucked in bed. My patrol shift was about to start even though my Guardians didn’t like that at all. They preferred to be the ones on the front line, especially with how many rogues seemed to be prowling around our town. There had never been so many. I didn’t know where they could be coming from.
Mav leaned against the wall and shook his head. “Knox is right, her anxiety and stress are high. I went with her to the store the other day. Jade needs some stress relief.”
I pressed my tongue to the inside of my cheek and looked back at Knox. I knew he would tread carefully but he had the highest body count out of all of us. He would pursue her even if they weren’t mates. “Is your idea of stress relief what I think it is?”
Knox ran his tongue over his teeth as he lifted an eyebrow. “If that’s what you need from me, Alpha.”
It took every ounce of willpower in my body to not launch myself at him and rip the smirk from his face. I took a deep breath and paced across the room instead. “Does anyone else have a better idea?”
Mav’s lips pulled away from his teeth in a timid smile. “Maybe we could take her downtown.”
Between him and Knox, they knew her better than I did. Which was my fault. I could have gotten to know her better, but I apparently had my head stuck in my ass, as Tracey said. “Why would you do that?”
Knox shrugged his massive shoulders. “She liked to party, right? She told me the last thing she wanted to do was party but maybe some karaoke would do her some good.”
It was Tracey’s turn to put forth input. “And who would bring her? Last time the guys went downtown for karaoke, there were several bar fights and none of you can sing to save your life.”
Knox rolled his eyes. “You must be tone-deaf. My voice is magical.”
Tracey snorted. “It’s you that is tone-deaf.”
“Tracey is right,” I ran my hands through my hair. “If you take her downtown, you aren’t allowed to get rowdy.”
Mav looked disappointed and Knox looked entirely too smug. “We aren’t going downtown without you, Alpha.” That was why Knox looked smug and Mav looked disappointed. My best friend broke away from the wall as he continued to speak. “You want her to swear to our pack before the rogues get her, you’ll have to go with us.”
I crossed my arms over my chest and looked to Tracey for some help. She shook her head. She wasn’t going to get in the middle of this.
“Fine, but I’m not wearing matching outfits with the rest of you.” I knew my words were useless as Mav grinned.
Chapter 49
Jade Rivers
Nalia wanted me to get out of bed but that was the last
thing I wanted to do. The semester was almost over and the classes I had for the day weren’t entirely important. I had hardly slept the night before and even though the sun was shining into my bedroom, all I wanted to do was go back to sleep.
You need to get up.
This was the first time she had interrupted my want to sleep in. Since when did she care? All I did was yank the covers higher over my head. Maybe she would get the hint then.
The Guardians are going to pull you from your bed.
“They’re going to get the fight of their lives then,” I muttered back.
When Nalia realized her efforts were futile, she slipped back to the corner of my mind to sleep herself. She wanted to act like she was well-rested but she was just as stressed as I was. She bristled and flew to the surface at any random noise. She was ready to protect us, no matter the cost. All night we had done that. The AC had kicked on loudly and she had practically burst from my skin.
When one of the Guardians entered the perimeter of my yard, I kicked the blankets from me and dragged myself to the shower. As I scrubbed my hair I thought of all the places I had sent my resume to. I wondered if I could call them. Maybe this was silly and I just needed to get a job waiting tables somewhere. That was what a lot of the girls around town did. There were enough restaurants in this college town. I leaned my head against the cool tile and took a deep breath as I considered my options. My parents would never consider that a real job. They would only accept an office position or they would never leave me alone about it. They knew how expensive it was to live in this town and I would have to work probably two jobs in order to keep my head above water. I needed an internship for my degree and graduation was right around the corner.
