“Both nights with the wolf . . .” he starts slowly.
“Yeah?” I lean forward eagerly. He has my full attention now.
“It was me.”
“What did you do?” I shake my head, not understanding what he is admitting to.
“No. The wolf.” His eyes lock on mine. “It was me.”
“What happened to you?” I rephrase my question slowly since we’re clearly not following each other.
“Nothing,” he sighs. “The wolf, Sav. I was the wolf. The wolf was me.”
A giggle escapes me before I see the expression on his face, and I realize he’s not joking. He’s serious. I settle with a smile that I hope masks my thoughts. Mostly disappointment that the first guy to show any hint of interest in me since the whole Steve-and-Jill incident is clearly destined to spend his future in a psychiatric hospital.
“I think . . .” His eyes narrow slightly. “You already suspected that.”
“For you to tell me you moonlight as a real live wolf?” I snort. “Uh, no. I definitely didn’t expect that.”
“Then why did you say my name in the parking lot the other night?” He fires the question off quickly, like an accusation.
I swallow. “I didn’t.”
“I have exceptional hearing, and I know that you did.” His lips curve into a lopsided grin. “You were looking right at me when you said my name.”
“No, I . . .” I shake my head rapidly when a gust of wind tosses loose strands of hair in my face. “I . . .”
Oh, no. I think I did. I totally said his name, though I had no idea why at the time. I still have no explanation as to why I said it. It’s certainly not because I believe that Luca is actually the wolf in question.
That’s absurd.
“That’s crazy,” I tell him.
“I’m a shifter,” he says. “A wolf shifter.”
“Am I on hidden camera?” I quickly inspect the ceiling for a blinking red light. “Is this part of a new reality show I don’t know about?”
“Instinctively, you know what I am,” Luca continues, as if there is a chance I believe him. “You knew that night, and a part of you believes me now. Listen to that voice in your head, Sav. Your instincts are almost always correct.”
Sure. Listen to the voices in my head. Believe the cute boy is a wolf shifter. Trust him.
Sounds like a checklist for streamlined admittance to a padded room.
I give up my search for a camera. “So . . . I’m not on TV?”
He shakes his head once. “No. This is all real. I’m a shifter.”
“Right.” I squint at him. “I guess you’re going to keep going with that prank. Though I have to tell you, it’s kind of lame.”
“It’s not a prank. I am a wolf shifter,” he repeats as if I will suddenly believe him if he says it enough. “I come from a family of shifters.”
Family. Oh, shit. I nearly forgot who he is. Luca Caspan of the Caspan family.
“Wh—” My gaze darts toward the door beside us.
“They’re not here right now.”
I don’t know if I’m relieved or more concerned now. “We’re all alone?”
He nods. Watches me. Waits.
I glance in the direction of my car and determine it’s too far for me to make a run for it.
“I’m not going to hurt you, Sav,” Luca says. “Surely, you’ve sensed my intentions by now.”
I shrug, feeling a little guilty for causing the wounded sound of his voice. “I thought maybe I did.”
“You thought correctly,” he assures me. “You’re safe with me.”
“Then why are you doing this? What kind of game are you playing?”
“This isn’t a game.”
“So much weird stuff has been happening to me,” I blurt. “The animal attacks, or whatever they were, and then you, a Caspan, show up at my campground.”
“That was a coincidence.” He jabs a finger at me.
“I don’t believe in coincidences,” I argue. “It’s strange, and you know it. Now you tell me you’re a werewolf. That’s—”
“Shifter.”
“What?” I sigh exasperatedly.
“I’m a shifter,” he grits out. “Not a werewolf.”
I gape at him. I know there is a difference. I read plenty of books—both the classics and the latest bestsellers. Apparently, so does Luca. But I don’t care to break down the differences between werewolves and shifters right now.
It’s all fantasy. It’s not real.
Luca sits back in his seat with a carefree shrug that extinguishes some of the heat in his gaze. “Just don’t make the mistake of saying that to the wrong shifter.”
“This is ridiculous,” I scoff.
“I’m serious, Sav.”
I give him a tepid smile. “That’s what worries me.”
He turns around on the chaise, leans back to rest his head against the cushion, and stares up. A loud sigh passes his lips. “At least you’re not running away this time,” he mutters under his breath.
“What’s that?” My cheeks hurt from holding the fake smile, but I can’t stop now. Not when it’s the only thing holding me together. “‘This time’ implies that we’ve had this conversation before, and I—”
“We have.”
“—can assure you that . . .” I stop. Stare. My smile morphs into a frown.
“If it makes you feel any better, you’re tolerating it much better now than you did before,” he says. “Of course, I did dump a lot of information on you in a short period of time, so I suppose that was to be expected.”
“Let me guess.” I put a finger in the air. “Three years ago? My last visit here, which I seem to have mysteriously forgotten?”
“No.” Luca sits up quickly and leans forward to enter my bubble of personal space. “Eight months ago.”
My eyes narrow. “Impossible.”
“The night of your birthday, to be exact,” he adds. “I arranged . . . a reunion.”
I stare at him, waiting to hear more of this fairytale he’s telling. “And?”
“It could have gone better,” he admits with a smirk.
“You told me what you’re telling me now? Supposedly,” I add quickly, because I don’t believe any of this.
“I explained everything.” He leans back with a carefree shrug. “Of course, you didn’t take it very well, but you came around eventually.”
“I did?”
“There was a lot of . . . evidence that proved I was telling you the truth.” He hesitates like he’s unsure of how much to say. He ends up saying nothing more.
“Like . . . strange animal attacks?” I probe gently.
He doesn’t respond. His expression grows serious as he leans toward me again. “I promised you that night that I would come back. That it wouldn’t be another three years. I did. I came back a week later.”
I stare into his eyes, struck by the dark clouds that have rolled in. The crisp blue darkens to take on a stormy ocean quality.
As impossible as all of this is to believe, I hear myself whisper, “Why don’t I remember?”
“I don’t know,” Luca admits. “When I left you the night of your birthday, you remembered me. You remembered everything. A week later, you looked right through me. You had no idea who I was. Someone got to you. Someone . . . messed with your memories of me and of that night.”
“How . . .” I laugh at myself and the absurdity of the questions I have—because they mean I’m falling for this wild story Luca is telling. “How can someone mess with my memories?”
Luca gazes at me for a few seconds, as if considering his answer. Finally, he says, “We have limited access to magic. It can do powerful things. Even . . . that.”
“Magic? Wow. Just when this couldn’t get any less believable.”
He looks at the floor and nods. “It’s part of being a shifter. There’s a magical element to it. I’m just going to leave it at that for now. There’s enough material here for you to freak ou
t over as it is.”
“I appreciate your concern for my mental health.” I flash him a smile similar to my Hilderness work smile.
Fake. Fake. Fake.
Luca suppresses a grin. “Always thinking of your best interest.”
“Hm. That’s nice. So any insight into who this ‘someone’ could be?”
I expect him to admit that it was him—like the ultimate punchline of a joke I don’t understand. I’m not prepared for the anger that fills his eyes, nor the setting of his jaw.
“I thought I knew,” he starts. “Someone tried to hurt you the night of your birthday. I tracked them down, and I took care of it. But I found others. I spent eight months following a trail . . . that led me back here. Straight to you.”
I overlook the use of the phrase ‘I took care of it’ because I’m not sure I want to know what he means by that. And I’m more curious about what led him to Castien Valley. I suspect we’re finally getting around to talking logic, and my questions about why Luca is here are finally about to be answered.
“You’re in danger,” he says, putting an end to that hope.
“I’m in danger,” I repeat slowly, tasting the words.
“Yes. These recent attacks were not a coincidence.” He pauses before adding, “Which I’m sure you already know since you don’t believe in that sort of thing.”
“So those animals were purposefully trying to hurt me?”
“They weren’t animals. They were shifters.”
“Oh. We’re still on that,” I mutter under my breath.
Luca stares at me with equal parts irritation and amusement. “That is the focus of this conversation,” he reminds me. “Those shifters were nothing but pawns. They were doing the dirty work, but someone else is behind it.”
“Who?”
His jaw clenches. “I haven’t figured that out yet.”
“Possibly the same someone who messed with my memories?”
“I think so.” Luca nods.
I want to laugh, but I can’t. He’s too serious. He is certain of everything he has said. I hate to admit that it is difficult not to believe him when he looks at me the way he does. I feel silly for going along with this for as long as I have, but I can’t stop. Something propels me forward, in search of answers.
“Why would anyone want to hurt me?” I ask him. “What have I done?”
Luca blinks as if surprised by my question. One of his hands flinches in my direction. Then it drops. It hangs at his side, as undecided as he is.
“You haven’t done anything, Sav,” he finally says. “I think it could be someone trying to get to me. My family is . . . influential in the shifter world.”
I suppose that makes sense. I don’t know much about the Caspans, but I do know that they have money. It’s plausible that someone dislikes Luca’s family enough to attack them, but the rest of Luca’s explanation doesn’t make a bit of sense.
“Why would anyone go through me to get to you?” I ask him.
He stares at me. He doesn’t say anything, but he doesn’t need to. Not when he pulls the shades from his eyes and finally gives me a glimpse at his inner-most thoughts. In that brief moment, he is as easy to read as a book.
It’s not a typical guy-likes-girl interest I see, but something more. Something deeper. Something I’m not capable of processing yet.
I sink into my seat on the swing. “Oh.”
He gives me a lopsided grin, and my insides start to dance to the Marvin Gaye in my head. Dammit, there’s a dimple. Cue the head rush and mysterious case of giggles.
“I’m glad you find this amusing,” he mutters, but his grin doesn’t go anywhere.
“That’s not—I don’t—” I shake my head to clear the fog. “I’m not good at this.”
“At what?”
I freeze, suddenly worried I read him wrong. “Nothing. Um . . .”
“Sav?” He holds my gaze. “In case it’s not obvious enough for you . . .”
I wait for him to spell it out for me, but he doesn’t. Whatever he was about to say is forgotten when his head suddenly turns over his shoulder. The conversation is over, and I’m still confused.
“Luca?”
“They’re here.” His jaw hardens. “We’re not alone.”
My spine straightens. The shift in Luca’s demeanor suggests that this is not a visit by welcomed guests. I’m seconds from jumping up and making a run for it when I hear stomping on the stairs. Too late.
I glance behind Luca to spot one of the DeGraw boys. That’s odd because I thought they were friends. I study Luca again and notice he looks more annoyed than angry. Not threatened.
My pulse slows a little, and I settle back in my seat as the newcomer approaches.
He’s the older, more intimidating of the two, but I still don’t know if it’s Ryse or Ryder sauntering toward us. He doesn’t say a word. He shares a look with Luca that I can’t decipher, glances at me, and then turns to let himself in the front door.
I search for another car beside mine, but there isn’t one. Nor is there a boat pulled up onto the sandy shore of the lake. No bicycle, scooter, airplane, or any other form of transportation.
I jab a finger toward the door. “Where did he . . .”
“He ran here,” Luca answers.
“From . . .”
“The campground.”
I laugh. Once. “That’s over eight miles.”
Luca shrugs. “He’s a fast wolf.”
“So he’s a shifter too? We’re back to that now?”
“His name is Ryse,” Luca continues, unfazed by my attitude. “You may recognize him as one of the wolves that followed you through the woods earlier this evening.”
“Oh. This gets even better.” I smirk. “Is he the one with the white-tipped ears or the black-tipped ears?”
“Black,” Luca answers automatically. “Ryder has white ears. They’re brothers.”
My mouth drops open, but I cannot think of a witty enough quip to respond with. He sounds too confident, too sure of his answer. I almost want to believe him.
Then the younger brother—Ryder—joins us on the porch. And he’s naked. At least I assume he’s naked under the newspaper wrapped around his waist. He tiptoes halfway to the door before a growl brings him to an abrupt halt.
I gape at Luca, equally surprised and terrified when I realize the sound came from him.
“What happened?” Luca snaps.
My eyes are the only part of my body to move when I shift them in Ryder’s direction. I feel a pang of sympathy for him.
He shrugs, nearly dropping the newspaper. “There was only one bag of clothes. Ryse beat me to it.”
“There should be three,” Luca says. “Especially now.”
Surely, I imagine the nod of Luca’s head in my direction. Because if I didn’t, then I can only assume that he anticipates more encounters with naked men. Attractive naked men. I am surrounded by them.
I look at the ceiling as I fight back a grin. Vienna would kill to trade places with me right about now. If only I could tell her about this without ruining my credibility.
“I’ll take care of it,” Ryder assures Luca in a low voice. “Once I get dressed.”
With a sharp nod of his head, Luca orders Ryder inside. The instant he is out of sight, the tension visibly leaves Luca’s body. His shoulders are relaxed when he turns toward me, and his lips twitch. “Hazards of being a shifter in the mortal realm.”
My eyes widen at the cavalier statement packed full of information I’m not prepared to navigate yet. I focus on the DeGraw brothers. I remember the two bronze wolves from the night of the graduation party, and Ryse driving my car home while I lay in the backseat with my head on Luca’s lap. I also remember some of what they talked about that night.
“You were looking for someone,” I mutter under my breath.
“What?” Luca asks.
“After the first attack,” I say. “I remember being in the car with the three of you . . .”
<
br /> Luca nods. “Yes.”
“You were looking for who was responsible,” I continue as it all comes back to me. “Ryder was worried that I would remember everything because my head had been messed with before.”
“Your memories,” Luca elaborates. “They’ve been wiped before. The more it happens, the harder it is for the magic to . . . stick.”
“The bright light.” I remember seeing light a few times, all shortly before I slipped away. Everything that happened immediately after the light appeared remains a mystery. The rest, I definitely remember. “I remember the parts where the magic didn’t stick.”
Luca smiles, and I know it’s because he thinks I believe him. I don’t know yet what I believe, but I have to admit this is one wild tale—whether real or made up.
“Yes, that’s why you remember,” he confirms. “We tried, but it didn’t work very well on you. The rest of your friends, however, remember nothing.”
I nod along until he gets to that last part. Then I narrow my eyes. “Wait. You erased their memories of the attack? That’s why I’m the only one who knows what happened?”
“I didn’t erase anything,” Luca tells me cautiously, sensing the slippery slope he has suddenly found himself on. “I can’t do that, but I . . . arranged for it to happen.”
Out of everything that he has said this evening, this admission is the part that pushes me over the edge. I don’t know why. Aside from Vienna, I don’t exactly care what happens to most of my old classmates.
It’s the principle. I needed validation the next morning—proof that I didn’t imagine everything—and I never got it. I thought I was going crazy. Because Luca arranged for everyone to forget what happened that night.
I stand quickly, forcing Luca to lean back in his seat. “How could you?”
His eyes are wide when they meet mine. “What—”
“You acted like nothing happened,” I accuse him. “You knew I would remember and would question everything, and you said nothing. For four days, you allowed me to doubt myself.”
“You weren’t ready to hear the truth.”
“Oh? And I’m suddenly ready now?”
“No.” Luca pushes to a stand in front of me. “But your curiosity brought us to this point.”
Shifter Crown: Valley of Truth and Denial (The Shifter Crown Series Book 1) Page 8
