The Transformed Box Set: Books 1, 2, 3, 3.5

by Stacy Claflin

  "I suppose that's true."

  "I'll walk you out."

  I stuffed the phone in my hand bag and then stood, not wanting to leave. He took my hand and led me through the mansion to the front door. When we got outside, he gave me another kiss and I could see that it was early in the morning based on the placement of the moon and stars in the sky.

  "Goodnight," he said. "If I don't see you tomorrow, we'll definitely talk. Sound good?"

  "Sure."

  He smiled and went back inside, closing the door behind him. I stood at the door for a moment, hoping that he'd open it and say that he changed his mind and was going to stay with me. But I knew that wasn't going to happen. He was the pack leader, and he had to deal with them and their emergencies. I pulled my shoes off, turned toward the street, and ran home.

  Fourteen

  "You owe me big time," Natalie said, rolling over in her bed, after I slid through her window.

  "Why? What happened?"

  "I got the fourth degree, that's what."

  "I think you mean the third. It comes from the Mason's secret society. They grill—"

  Glaring at me, she said, "Don't talk nerd to me. I'm serious. We both nearly got into a lot of trouble. You're lucky that I'm such a quick thinker."

  "Will seeing my picture help?"

  She sat up, suddenly looking excited. "Show me the mystery boy."

  I pulled out the phone and pulled up the picture, putting it where she could see it.

  Her eyes widened as she stared, most likely trying to figure out if she was really seeing me with the hot teacher. She looked up at me and then back at the image a couple of times. "You're seeing…him? No way. You can't be. That's not possible. You just ran into him and then took that picture to trick me. Right?"

  "You can't tell anyone. I'm only showing you because I'll probably need you to cover for me other times too. I know your secret about Braydon, so you can't say anything—to anyone."

  Natalie's mouth dropped. "You mean you're really with him? He's seriously your secret guy?"

  "Why else would I bother keeping it a secret?"

  She shook her head. "I just can't believe it. Couldn't he get into trouble or something?"

  "That's why it's a secret."

  Leaning back, she sighed. "That's just so unbelievably romantic. Well, I'm like, totally tired. Promise to give me more details later? I want to hear everything."

  I nodded. "I'll tell you what I can."

  "I can't believe it. Come on—are you trying to play me?"

  "Why would I do that?"

  "Seriously. He's a teacher."

  "You think I didn't realize that?"

  "I know you know. I just can't believe he's the guy."

  "Well at least he's an attractive teacher. It's not like I'm seeing the football coach or something."

  "Ew! Just ew. That's so gross. Don't make me picture that again. Mr. Foley does make more sense. I heard he's not even twenty. Is that true?"

  "I, uh…I'll have to ask him."

  "See. You're lying to me. You don't even know how old he is."

  "No I'm not! He said that he graduated from high school at fifteen. If you add four years to that, then he would only be two years older than me."

  "So he's actually closer to your age than Braydon is to mine. How weird is that?"

  "Pretty strange. So is there anything you told Mom and Dad that I should know about?"

  "I still can't believe you're dating him. Just say you fell asleep in here," she said. "I was pretending that you were in my bed. Say you woke up and went to your room or something."

  "Okay." I opened her door, and went to my room as quietly as I could, holding my breath. Not that I needed to, since I didn't need to breathe and I had super stealth skills to be able to sneak up on prey. I was usually so quiet that I accidentally scared people, not trying to sneak up on them.

  I got into my pajamas, not bothering to wash my face or anything. I didn't want to risk waking my parents, and it wasn't as though I was going to get any blemishes anyway. I climbed into bed and fell right to sleep.

  When I woke up, my room was bright with late morning light. I rolled over and grabbed the phone out of my purse from the night stand. I stared at the picture for a while. I couldn't help thinking about how much my life had changed in the last year. Just before the Homecoming dance the previous year, I was still the school's biggest geek. No one ever gave me a second glance.

  Then my transformation kicked in and everything had changed. I beat Hailey Adams out of the spot for junior princess, and if she didn't hate me before, she really did after that. Although in the big picture, she was the least of my concerns, and for some reason she had left me completely alone since my return to Delphic Cove.

  If someone would have asked me before my junior year started, what I thought my life would be as a senior, never in a million years would I have used the words vampire, werewolf, or dating the hot, new teacher—who hadn't even started teaching at school yet.

  I sighed, still staring at the picture. I kissed the screen, and then put the phone away. I got up and grabbed my school bag, knowing that I would need to use some of my supernatural powers to get everything done in time. My stomach roared with hunger, but I ignored it. I didn't feel like facing my parents. I wanted to bask in the memories of the previous night, undisturbed.

  There was a knock on my door just as I was starting the homework for my third class. I looked up without saying anything because no one ever bothered to wait for a response.

  My dad walked in. "Oh good, you're up. So what happened last night?"

  I thought back to what Natalie had told me. "I went to her room and we were talking about, you know, girl stuff." I knew he would never question that line. "And I was more tired than I thought and fell asleep in her room. Why do you ask?"

  "Do you remember where you fell asleep?"

  "I woke up in her bed, so I would assume there. Why?"

  He lowered his voice. "Your mom wanted me to check."

  I laughed. "Well, that's what happened."

  "Oh, and I'm supposed to remind you girls that we're going caroling next weekend."

  "Thanks for the reminder," I said, fighting a groan. Walking around in the cold, singing carols was my least favorite tradition. Not that the cold bothered me anymore, but that wasn't the point. "I nearly forgot that it'll already be two weeks after Thanksgiving. Where are we going this year?"

  "We'll start at the retirement village—you know how much they love the caroling."

  "They give us sweets. I always get more chocolate than I know what to do with," I said, and smiled. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all. We hadn't gone there in a couple of years, and the residents adored us.

  He nodded. "Then if we have time, we'll go to the neighborhood near there."

  "When are we going?"

  "I think Saturday, but you'll have to check with your mom."

  "Okay. Thanks, Dad." My stomach rumbled loud enough for him to hear.

  He raised an eyebrow. "You should go down and eat. It's past lunch time and you haven't left your room yet."

  "Yeah, that's true. Thanks."

  I went downstairs and managed to eat lunch unnoticed. I spent the rest of the day doing my homework. A little before dinner, Amanda called, wanting to hear about the ballet. I told her everything I could remember. What I really wanted to do was tell my best friend about the spectacular date that followed the show. But I'd already told my sister, and I had told him that I would keep it a secret. But I had to tell Natalie since I would need to sneak out to see him. It wasn't as though we could simply walk to the mall and meet for a smoothie.

  Almost as if on cue, as soon as I was done talking with Amanda, Natalie walked in. "I can't take it any longer. You've got to tell me more! Forget your stupid homework for ten minutes and tell me how you two fell in love."

  I sighed. "It wasn't on purpose, I can tell you that much. I've been so focused on Cliff ever since I got back. I wasn't
even close to thinking about moving on. And Tobias definitely wasn't looking for anything either. He's busy with his, uh, Wilderness Club, so I wasn't exactly on his radar any more than he was on mine."

  She nodded, wide eyed, for me to continue.

  "He noticed me wasting away and tried to convince me to take care of myself. He got me some snacks and drinks, thinking that I might not be eating otherwise. I'm not really sure what happened from there. I think that his kindness got to me, breaking through my exterior. I couldn't focus on anything except Cliff. Then he got my focus off, and I guess it's like they say. The rest is history."

  Natalie sighed dramatically. "That's so romantic. Especially since it's a forbidden love. Now you know how exciting it is to love someone that everyone says is bad for you."

  "I guess I do. In a way, it feels nice to say 'take that' to everyone who's ever tried to control me—even if they don't know I'm saying it."

  She nodded. "Exactly. Not only that, keeping all the secrets is cool because they make you closer. Let me see that picture again."

  I grabbed my phone, found the picture, looked at it for a moment myself, and then handed it to her. She stared at it, smiling. "It just seems so unreal. I mean, he's a teacher. But at the same time, he's so hot. Of course he'd choose you. Who wouldn't?"

  "Hopefully the football coach. How could I have even said that last night? I think I gave myself nightmares."

  Natalie giggled. "I think you were making a point. So where were you guys? That's some seriously expensive stuff in the background."

  "He took me to a restaurant."

  "That's no restaurant. Where were you?"

  "His house," I mumbled.

  "What? Speak up, girlfriend."

  I repeated myself.

  Her eyes grew as large as tennis balls. "He took you to his house already? Holy cow. When did you guys start seeing each other?"

  I sighed. "We went out of for coffee the night before."

  She nodded, looking impressed. "Nice."

  "You think that's too soon to go to his house?"

  Shrugging, she said, "How would I know when it's too early to go to a teacher-boyfriend's house?"

  "What about a regular boyfriend?"

  "That's totally different. So how does he afford all that stuff?"

  "His family has money."

  "Oh. Is he one of those who teaches public school to get back at his overbearing family?"

  "One of those guys? Is that something that happens all the time?"

  She frowned. "It happens on TV, I can't tell you how many times I've seen that."

  "I don't know if you've realized this, but we're not on television."

  "I know that. But TV's based on reality, even if it's not a reality show."

  "If you say so," I said, glad to have moved the conversation away from his house. I didn't want to tell her where he lived. Then she'd have a whole new set of questions for me.

  She went off, talking about how fiction is more like reality than people want to admit, and I allowed my mind to wander back to Tobias and our time together the night before. I couldn't wait to see him again.

  "Alexis. Hey! Are you listening to me?"

  I looked at her. "Sorry. My mind keeps going back to him. I can't help it."

  She looked at the picture again. "I can't blame you. He's like, unnaturally hot. You guys are pretty much made for each other. So anyway, I might need you to cover for me tonight. Will you be around?"

  "As far as I know."

  "Good. Braydon has tickets for something, and he won't tell me what. He just says that he knows I'll like it."

  "Really?" I asked, surprised. "It sounds like he really has changed."

  "Yeah, I know."

  "If he's changed so much, though, why do you guys still have to have a secret relationship?"

  "You can't tell anyone," she said in a hushed voice. "He went through rehab, and part of it is that he's not supposed to be romantically involved with anyone. I wish he'd let me tell Mom and Dad. If they knew he isn't a druggie anymore, they'd probably approve."

  "So he's completely clean now?"

  She nodded. "Totally. He's doing everything else he's supposed to. Except that he has my added support."

  "Just let me know what's going on. I haven't heard from Tobias, so we're probably not—"

  "Tobias?" she squealed. "I forgot you said that's his name before you told me who he was."

  I groaned, kicking myself for letting his name slip. "Don't tell anyone."

  "Who would I tell?"

  "Pretty much anyone at school."

  She shoved me. "We're keeping each other's big secrets, remember? My secret is safe with you as long as I keep yours safe."

  "You really haven't told any of your friends about Braydon?"

  "Not even Sydney. She has no clue."

  "You can say that again."

  "Hey! That's my best friend you're talking about," Natalie said, but she was smiling.

  "Sorry, but that doesn't change the fact that she's not the sharpest knife in the drawer."

  Natalie shrugged. "I guess you know why I can't tell her. She'd totally let it slip, even if she didn't mean to. She can't help it. Anyway, I need to get ready to meet with Braydon. I'll let you know the details as soon as I know anything more. You'll be able to cover for me without giving anything away, right?"

  "My future dates depend on it," I said, crossing my heart with my fingers.

  "Exactly," Natalie said, winking.

  Fifteen

  The next morning, as I was walking to my TA period, I was feeling giddy. I couldn't wait to see him again, even though we wouldn't be able to act like there was anything going on between us. We'd be able to make eyes with each other, and he would most likely have a blood-laced drink for me. I wanted my fingers to brush his as he handed it to me. Maybe, just maybe, we could even close the door and sneak in a kiss.

  As I approached the classroom, I noticed the door was closed. I smiled. Maybe he was thinking along the same lines as I was. The excitement grew with each step I took. I wanted to fling open the door and then run to him, throwing myself onto his lap, and kissing every inch of his face. I needed to tell him how much I missed him the day before.

  I had only gotten a text from him, saying that he had been with his pack until daylight and the slept most of the day. I offered to help him with grading papers, but he said he wanted our next date to be special, not grading assignments.

  When I finally reached his door, I grabbed the knob and turned it, eager to see him. I walked in, only to stop dead in my tracks.

  "Who are you?" I asked the heavy-set, sixty-ish lady sitting at the desk.

  "You must be the TA. I'm covering for Mr. Foley today. The note said that you know what to do."

  I nodded, grabbing the stack of papers from my bin. "Where is he?"

  "I'm not sure, dear. I just know that he's out. But if you have any problems with those, I'm sure I can help."

  "No, I'm fine." I walked to the back of the room and sat down, trying to fight back tears. Where was he? Why hadn't he bothered to at least text me? He could have warned me that he wasn't going to be there. What if I would have ran to the desk without looking, and jumped on that lady? That would have been bad for both me and Tobias.

  I pulled out a pen and began grading the homework assignments. I tried to focus on them instead of the questions I had. I got through a few papers before my vision was too blurry to continue. I blinked a few times to clear the tears, and got a few more graded, before I couldn't see again.

  "Can I use bathroom?"

  She looked up. "Sure, dear. Are you all right? You look upset."

  I nodded. "I just need to go to the restroom."

  "No problem. Let me find where Mr. Foley keeps the hall passes." She dug around one of the drawers, and pulled out a large, wooden square with the words 'Hall Pass' on it. I walked to the desk, took it from her, and then walked to the bathroom as calmly as I could with a huge knot in my thro
at and tears threatening again.

  Where was he? What had happened? Most importantly, why hadn't he told me that he was going to be gone? Had I done something wrong? Or had something happened to him while he was out in the woods with the pack?

  As soon as I got to the bathroom, I ran into a random stall, and locked the door. I leaned against it, finally allowing the tears to run full force. I cried silently, not wanting anyone to hear me, but I still shook from being so upset. I couldn't figure out why he wouldn't at least send me a text.

  I heard someone enter the bathroom, so I pulled myself together, not wanting to be a sobbing mess around anyone. As soon as I heard them leave the bathroom, I went to a sink and washed my face as best as I could. The skin around my eyes was red and puffy, and I had makeup smeared and running down my face.

  I reapplied makeup as best as I could with what I had on me. I didn't bring everything with me, but I had enough to do the job and cover up how bad I looked.

  Before leaving the bathroom, I pulled up the picture of the two of us and stared him. He looked so happy, so in love. That was the last I had seen him, so I couldn't have done something to upset him…I hoped. I closed the image and then sent him a text: is everything okay?

  It was vague enough to sound non-accusatory, and sound like I cared, without sounding upset or needy. I remembered someone telling me that guys hated it when girls are needy. I was too upset to remember who had said it. Had it been Natalie?

  I shook my head. It didn't matter. I just had to get back to class before that substitute got mad at me for taking too long. When I got back to the class, I nodded as I passed her, and then went to my seat, and corrected the papers as fast as I could. When I returned the stack to the completed bin, she looked at me in surprise.

  "How did you manage that so quickly? And without the answer sheet."

  "I'm the smartest person in the district," I said without apology. I tried not to sound boastful, but the facts were the facts.

  She scanned the first few sheets. "You must be. There's a little bit of time before the bell. I imagine that you have your own homework to do."

  "Always," I said, and then walked back to the desk. I pulled a history book out and pretended to read it, while I tortured myself with more questions about what could have happened with Tobias.