by Aileen Erin
I dropped to my knees and ran my fingers through his thick fur, searching for any signs of damage. “Are you okay? I was so worried—”
Shit. I probably shouldn’t have said that.
I stepped away from him.
He lay down on the ground and covered his face with his front paws and let out a pitiful whine.
I gave it my best guess. “You’re sorry?”
He sat up, and gave a soft woof.
Good thing Meredith slept like the dead.
I didn’t know what to say. Now that I knew he was okay, some of my anger was back. The guy had been avoiding me after biting me.
But he did kind of save me.
He whined again.
“If you want to talk you should shift back to human. So you can actually talk.”
He huffed.
“What? It’s against the rules?”
He yipped.
“Guess I’m not going to find out about what happened with all the vampires then, huh?” He tilted his head to the side. “Well, thanks for saving me. But you’re really giving me mixed signals. Ignoring me one second and ordering me around the next. I’m not sure why you’re here.”
He started sniffing at my belly, and I couldn’t help but laugh as I tried to push him away. “I’m fine. Really. Just a scratch.”
He tried to get between me and the door.
“You want me to let you in? It’s like four AM. I have to get up in a few hours.”
He sat, and looked up at me. I took a step back to close the door, but he darted past.
I growled. How was I going to get a huge wolf out of my room?
Maybe having Dastien there wasn’t a horrible thought. If there were vampires around, then he would offer a measure of protection.
Shit. That’s why he was here. To see if I was okay, and to keep watch.
I closed the door behind me. “If I let you stay, then there are rules. First, you will not—I repeat—will not be changing in the middle of the night. If I wake up with you naked in my bed, there will be hell to pay. Whatever it is that’s going on with us, we’re not at that part yet.”
He tilted his head to the side and made a little coughing sound.
Was he laughing at me? “You should be thanking the Baby Jesus that I even let you in.” Which wasn’t entirely true. He’d gotten past me fair and square. “Second thing, I’m going to sleep. You keep me awake and you’re out.” I wasn’t sure I could follow up on that threat, but it was the best I could do right then.
He jumped up on the bed, circled around once, and then plopped down—nearly taking up the whole thing.
I shoved at him. “Scoot over.” I crawled under the sheets. It was dangerous, just giving in like that. If I had more energy to think about the implications, I would have kicked his hairy tush out of my bed. But I didn’t.
Wolfy-Dastien moved so that he surrounded me. His warm wolf breath hit the back of my neck. He whimpered and touched his nose gently to the bandage.
“Cut it out.” I shoved at him again, but he didn’t move much.
Having him there should have weirded me out, but it didn’t. His breath moved in and out, lulling me. I didn’t have time to freak. One second I was thinking about how warm and relaxed I was, and the next I was in Dreamville.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
When I woke, it was to the sound of birds chirping outside my window. Bright light glowed at the edges of my curtains. I’d slept through the rest of night like a rock. I stretched as I reveled in my refreshed state of mind.
And then I remembered I wasn’t alone.
I shot out of bed, but he wasn’t there. I walked over to the bathroom.
Empty.
He was gone. I should’ve been glad. It shouldn’t have ruined my good mood. But it did. It kind of hurt.
Why was I in a good mood in the first place? It’s not like I really wanted him to stay with me. Did I?
That damned boy was bad for my brain.
I got ready as fast as I could, and peeked into Meredith’s room. She wasn’t there either. I checked the time. She’d be in the cafeteria still. I grabbed a pair of black lace gloves that stopped at my wrists and ran out the door.
When I got to the cafeteria, a boy was waiting at the door. He held out a tray for me.
“I don’t need any help,” I said. I cringed at my own words.
He looked at me like I’d just kicked his puppy. “You need extra protein after the attack. Just wanted to make sure you knew.”
I was officially a terrible person. “Thank you,” I said as I took the tray. “I didn’t know. I really appreciate it.”
He nodded, and walked off.
Hopefully some food would help with my mood. I piled my plate high with scrambled eggs, bacon, ham, and pancakes, and went toward our table.
Dastien’s laugh carried over the voices in the room, warming me. He was sitting at my table. With my new friends. He pushed out the chair between him and Shannon without standing up. That was a slick move. I couldn’t ever tell what was going on with him. He ignored me half the time, and the other half alternated between bossing me around and being so perfectly sweet.
It was beyond confusing.
Still, I couldn’t just give him what he wanted all the time. That whole claiming me thing still bugged the crap out of me. I plunked my tray down next to Chris on the opposite side of the table. The conversation stopped.
“You smell…confused…annoyed…I don’t know but I don’t like it,” Dastien said.
“That’s really creepy. And makes me feel like I need to take another shower.” I crumpled in my chair. “Normal people say, ‘You look upset.’ Just FYI.”
His smile faded. “I’ll leave.”
Shit. Now I’d kicked two puppies. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that to sound…I just…I’m going to shut up now.” I’d never had a boyfriend. Dastien was my first kiss. My first everything. Him sleeping in my bed meant something, even if he was a furball. It hurt that he’d left before I even woke up.
Was he embarrassed of me? Or ashamed? Or worse—was it only his wolf that wanted me?
I shoved my tray to the middle of the round table and rested my head on the cool Linoleum. A warm hand settled over my back.
“Don’t touch her,” Dastien growled.
I whipped my head up. Bossypants was back with a vengeance. “Seriously? Please don’t tell me that after your days long disappearing act—which, by the way, you were painfully consistent with this morning—”
“Tessa—” Dastien started, but I held my hand up.
If we did this here and now I was totally going to cry. “Let’s talk about it later.”
No one said anything as I downed half my Diet Coke in one gulp. Maybe it would’ve been better to go for the regular Coke these days, but I’d grown accustomed to the taste. A girl needed a little something familiar when surrounded by the completely unfamiliar.
The sounds of the cafeteria as people moved around, grabbing their breakfast and chatting about last night’s attack, filled the silence at our table as I took a bite of food.
Dastien looked across the room as Mr. Dawson walked through the door. They were having some sort of unspoken conversation that involved minute changes in body language. Dastien nodded and stood up.
“Catch you later,” I said. It sounded pitiful, even to me. For once it’d be nice to be the one doing the leaving.
He walked around the table and squatted next to my chair. “I have to, mon coeur. I want to stay here with you, believe me. I need to win your trust. I’m sorry I left before you woke this morning. I’m an idiot and I didn’t know it’d hurt your feelings or else I would have stayed. But I have to go now and I hope that later you’ll give me yet another chance.” He kissed my cheek and rubbed his nose from the corner where my neck met my shoulder up to my ear. He breathed in deeply, scenting me, and I felt it all the way to my core. “Je t’aime, ma chérie.”
My heart skipped a beat. Did he just say wha
t I think he said?
No. I must’ve misunderstood.
I wanted to hang on to him, but stubbornness was in my nature. I wouldn’t be forced into any relationships. But after last night, my resolve was weakening. Dastien was addicting, and I was hooked before I ever got to Texas.
I watched him until he was at the door. He glanced back and smiled, and then was gone.
Shannon scraped her chair against the floor as she got up.
Meredith broke the silence first. “Adrian, can you help me with my meta lab?”
“Hey, if you want help, babe, all you gotta do is ask. I love helpin’ the ladies.” He grinned.
“Don’t be such a dork.” She picked up a biscuit and chucked it at him.
He plucked it out of the air and took a bite. “Yum. Thanks.” He winked at her. It was really nice to see them flirting. Meredith always counted herself out of the whole mating-game. Which reminded me… “So, why haven’t you picked one?” I gestured to the tables of guys.
Everyone at the table stilled.
“I haven’t shifted yet,” Meredith said quietly. She looked down at her plate. “I had a run in with some witches a few years back. Mr. Dawson thinks they cursed me. I wouldn’t want to stick anyone with that.”
Adrian reached across the table. “Hey. I told you I was working on it. Brujo blood, remember.”
“Brujo?” I said.
“Witch. I’ve got some in my lineage a ways back. It’s a pretty diluted but strong enough that I can cast minor spells.”
“I know what brujo means, but isn’t it just a bunch of hippie stuff. At least, that’s what my dad always says about my cousins and they claim to be brujos.”
Adrian studied me. “You looked a little Latin but your name threw me.”
I nodded. “Half. Dad’s one hundred percent white-boy. Mom’s Mexican.”
“So when you say cousin, you mean as in somewhere along the line we had a relative in common kind of a thing, or cousins as in mother’s sibling’s kids.”
I laughed. Mexican families were typically really large. My mom joked that in her hometown on the Texas-Mexico border everyone was cousins somewhere down the line. “As in my mother’s nephews and my aunts and uncles and my grandmother…basically everyone on my mom’s side.”
He ran his fingers through his short black curls. “How are you just now telling me this?”
I shrugged. “I didn’t realize it was a thing.”
Chris nudged me. “It’s a really big deal, and might explain a few things.”
It explained nothing. “You guys are being extra weird, and that’s saying something given the fact that you’re already freaks of nature.”
“You’ve got a bit of a pot and kettle scenario going on with that statement. You might be even more of a freak of nature than the rest of us.” Chris leaned back to balance his chair on two legs.
I moved to knock Chris’ balance off, but he laughed and slammed his chair down.
The bell rang. I hadn’t even eaten my food. I was so screwed. The past few days had shown me that Meredith was right. Anytime I didn’t eat enough, my temper was short. I had to eat to keep the wolf at bay, and with my moods running so hot and cold, I couldn’t afford to skip a meal. “What do I do now?”
Chris grabbed my tray, and two slices of bread off his. He piled eggs, bacon, ham, and potatoes on one slice, and then topped it off with the other, making the biggest breakfast sandwich I’d ever seen.
“Adrian, toss me that biscuit,” Chris said. He caught it without looking and cut the biscuit in half. He made a smaller sandwich with it. “Eat this now.” He grabbed a napkin, wrapping the massive sandwich. “Eat this one in class. I’ll bring you a snack later.”
“That’s sweet, but you don’t have to,” I said.
“It’s no big deal. I have a study session first period. I have time to grab you something.”
I looked into Chris’ blue eyes as he got up. “Thanks. I seriously appreciate it.” Everyone was already clearing out. It was nice to have a friend to look out for me.
“My pleasure, cutie.”
Fire burned my cheeks, but guilt quickly washed the heat away. Why did I feel like I was betraying Dastien by flirting with Chris? It wasn’t like we were married or anything.
“What is it with you? One guy not enough?”
I whirled to face Imogene. “Jealous?”
Chris stepped in between us. “Ladies. Ladies. Let’s calm down. There’s enough Chris to go around.”
Imogene made circles on Chris’ chest with her finger. “You wouldn’t choose her over me? Would you?”
Even if she was a bitch, Imogene was gorgeous. Her brown eyes were large, just shy of being too big. With the make-up she wore, you couldn’t look away from them. Her lips were full and red. I wondered if that was natural or lip-plumper.
“Yes. I would pick her over you.”
She gripped Chris’ shirt. Shaking him. “What?”
I was as shocked as Imogene was. He would pick me over her? It was one thing for Dastien to pick me. He was the one who bit me. He kind of had to pick me. But Chris had options, and he still wanted me?
Wow. I grinned. Maybe today wouldn’t be so bad after all.
Chris stared down at her. “I’d let go before you embarrass yourself any more than you already have.”
She let go of his shirt and glared at me. “This isn’t over between us. You’ll regret—”
“That’s enough. Go.” Chris backed his words with so much power that the hair on my arms stood on end. Imogene growled as she stormed off.
“You’re more dominant than her?”
“A lot of people are,” Chris said. “She just likes to act tough and annoy the crap out of most everyone.” His eyes were still glowing.
“What’s with that?” I asked.
“Sorry.” He closed them, and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, they were back to normal sky-blue.
“Why do they change?”
“Wolf. Power. Magic. Take your pick.”
“Cool.” I had no idea what that meant, but from the short answer, it didn’t seem like he was up for chatting about it. I took a bite of my sandwich to keep myself from asking any more questions.
We started walking from the cafeteria to the class building. I noticed he was limping. “Hey, are you okay? Shouldn’t you be in bed?”
“Nah. I’m fine.” He tapped my bandage. “Quite a scare you gave us.”
“You’re telling me.” I shuddered. “That thing was no Brad Pitt.”
He reached toward me but hesitated. “Listen, you’re going to have to face this whole thing before too much longer.”
“You mean Imogene?”
He nodded. “She wants Dastien as her mate. They’re family friends, and their parents have been trying to get them together ever since they were kids. Everyone’s wondering what you’re going to do.”
“I honestly don’t know.” I took a giant bite to give myself time to think about what I was going to say. “I’m having enough of a time coming to terms with the possibility of going furry. Add in the whole choosing a guy for the rest of my life…that’s a lot of pressure on a girl.”
He grabbed my hand. “In the beginning it started with mated pairs. Meaning that the mates were two halves of one soul. It was easier then. You saw each other and you just knew. You were drawn together like magnets. If one died, so did the other. But that’s legend now. People fall in love and if the wolves accept each other, then you’re good to get married. But there’s still no divorce for us. So be sure.”
I knew exactly how that whole magnet thing felt, but that was crazy. I had my own full soul, thank you very much. “That sounds intense. How can I possibly figure out who I want to spend the next fifty years with?”
He laughed. “It’s a lot longer than that. Try hundreds.”
Chris had to be joking with this. The bell rang, and I was happy for it. “I gotta get to class.”
“Dastien’s my
friend, but since you haven’t decided yet…”
I didn’t have time to move. He swooped down, and brushed his lips against mine.
I really want her to like me. She’s so pretty and nice. And so much stronger than she thinks. I hope she doesn’t pick Dastien. Please don’t let her pick him. I know I could make her happy. She smells good.
My mind raced by the time he pulled away.
“Just something to think about. You have options.”
He walked back down the stairs before I could remember to breathe.
I leaned against the lockers. My visions had changed for sure. Instead of seeing something that had happened to the person, I read their minds. And I heard things I didn’t want to hear.
As much as I might have wanted it, I didn’t feel for Chris what I felt for Dastien. And I couldn’t read Dastien. Even if Chris was easy and fun and sweet, I craved Dastien. Chris’ full-on kiss left me a little breathless, but Dastien’s stupid barely-there kiss on my cheek shattered me.
Christ. This had just gotten way more complicated.
I banged my head against the lockers a couple of times. Why didn’t I dodge the kiss? Or at the very least, why didn’t I push him away? I’d never felt so guilty in my life. I wanted to upchuck the sandwich, but forced myself to finish eating it instead.
I wished Dastien hadn’t left this morning. It’d be amazing if we could have an actual talk about what he wanted from me.
I needed a distraction.
Imogene walked past me with a devilish grin on her face.
I nodded at her. Distraction taken care of. I wasn’t much for skipping class—I was already behind—but from what I’d put together from the little snippets of visions I’d had, that girl nearly got me eaten by vampires. I grabbed Meredith before she went into class. “I need to talk to you.”
“Now? Because if it’s about making out with Chris, then maybe it can wait.” She waggled her eyebrows at me.
Perfect. My reputation didn’t need anymore help in the negative direction. I’d bet money that’s what put the grin on Imogene’s face. “Not about a boy. Something bigger. I need to pick your brain and no, it can’t wait. And no we can’t talk here. Too many ears.”
