I had to lie to Jane about my shoulder. If I had given her an edited version of what really happened it would only open the door to a zillion questions. I also didn’t think telling them my new boyfriend beat my old boyfriend into a bloody broken pulp would have been clever after the length we went to, to keep it secret. Billy and Joe had replaced everything in the diner by the next morning. We quit working at Luke’s after Sabrina’s attack and constant lurking around the place. My sisters’ and I always had to go out with an escort, which I didn’t mind because I spent more time with both Ash and my dad.
“Josh and Jane, meet my family. You remember my sisters?” I spoke fast to save Josh before he shrunk an inch more.
“Yes. Ann and Maria, it’s nice to see you again,” Josh answered politely.
“That’s Billy, Ann’s boyfriend and Joe, Maria’s boyfriend.”
“Lucky girls,” Jane muttered under her breath as her eyes travelled over Billy then Joe. Josh wasn’t too pleased about it, but he quickly hid his displeasure under a polite smile.
“And this is my…” I stopped, not sure how to introduce my dad. Everyone knew I was an orphan, calling him my dad would rouse questions none of us wanted to answer. “This is my uncle.”
“I thought as much, there is a slight family resemblance. It’s nice to meet you sir.” Josh shook his hand respectfully. My dad smiled, impressed by him. His eyes practically sparkled. “We have to go, but it was a pleasure to meet all of you.” He pulled Jane away. She was still ogling the guys as she was dragged away.
“That girl is your friend?” Ann asked bemused.
I shrugged. “Not really. She only used to hang around me because Josh liked me. I just got used to having her around.”
“Why didn’t you date him?” my dad asked with a perplexed look on his face.
“I suggested it but it only upset her. He would have been perfect for her.” Ash spoke with a laugh in his voice. I gave him a cut look before I answered my dad.
“I don’t know. He’s just not my type.”
“Steve and Ash are? You are beyond saving,” my dad said shaking his head.
“I’m a rebellious teen, Dad. My job is to give you sleepless nights and an ulcer.”
“You are excelling at that perfectly. Come on let’s go home.” He turned and headed for his Range Rover.
I followed them, but Ash pulled me back. “We aren’t going with them. I have a surprise for you.”
“A surprise,” I said with dread. “Please tell me it’s not expensive.”
He laughed and pulled me closer to him. “You made yourself very clear on the price tag of my gifts. I’m giving you an intangible gift.”
“What is it?” I was glad he hadn’t spent any money on me. I kept the diamond pendant tucked away in my shoebox but today I wore it because Maria had insisted on it. I’d worn it twice just to please Ash, but it always felt like an expensive noose around my neck.
“You’ll see.” His face dropped and then he looked over his shoulder. “Someone wants you.” He sounded annoyed. I shifted to look behind him. George was walking towards us.
I laughed. It was amusing seeing Ash so irritated with someone he didn’t know, all because he asked me out. “I should have dated him.”
“That’s not funny,” Ash said harshly.
“Hi, George.” I stepped out of Ash’s embrace to talk to him. I was actually surprised he wanted to talk to me at all.
“Hi, Lee, and Lee’s current boyfriend.” George stressed on the current as he glanced at Ash before putting all his attention on me. Ash didn’t even answer he just stared at George, his face tight and his eyes lethal. I needed to end this chat fast.
“What’s up?”
“I wanted to invite you out. Remember the rain check?”
I heard a rumble roll in Ash’s chest. I shifted to stand in front of him, between him and George. “Sorry, I have plans today.”
“We could go out another day, maybe this Saturday?”
“She won’t be available,” Ash said between clenched teeth. George gave him an unconcerned stare before he looked back at me with his signature megawatt smile on his face.
“You’re eighteen, play the field a little. You’ll never have that chance if you glue yourself to one guy.”
Ash took a step forward, bumping into me in the process. I reached for his side and put my hand over his clenched fist. George was going to have a bad graduation day if he kept talking.
“George, I’m happy being glued to him. We need to leave, and you need to go party. I’ll see you when I see you.”
“If you change your mind you have my number.” He leaned towards me and kissed the edge of my lips. I saw Ash’s free hand shoot up. I caught it, pulling it down before he could grab George’s neck.
“Bye, George.” I pushed Ash back as hard as I could, he rocked on his feet but he didn’t move. George turned and left us. I waited until there was a good distance between us before I let go of Ash.
“One day I’ll rip his head off!” He growled.
Time to shift gears.
I drew circles on his chest with my fingers and whispered seductively, “How about you give me my present and we forget all about George?”
Ash’s face relaxed, his lips curved up in a crooked smile. “Let’s go.”
He led me to his car, opened the door, and helped me in before he went to his side. We drove for a few miles before he pulled up at the beach. He got out and came round to open the door for me.A perfect wolf-gentleman.“What are we doing here?” I asked when we finally reached our destination. I was glad I wore jeans and a button down shirt under the gown. If I’d worn the girly dress and high heels Maria had picked out, I would have felt even more uncomfortable if we ended up in the water.His lips rose in half a smile. “You’ll see.” He took my hand and led me towards the rocks at the far end of the beach.“I’ve watched this movie before.” I stated taking off my tennis shoes. “The girl always ends up washed up in the morning naked and stabbed a couple of times. Her eyes wide open in terror.” I tied the shoelaces together then hung them over my shoulder. “Would you like to know how it ends?”Ash laughed. “I’m sure you’ll tell me.”“They arrest the jealous boyfriend a few days later and
The thought of him being dead, never meeting him, didn’t sit well with me.“Things happen for a reason, Ash. We suffered what we did so that we could have each other. Tell me about your eyes, why silver?” I asked quickly changing the topic.He was quiet for a while before he answered me. He was still stuck in that sad pit. “Silver because I don’t drink human blood,” he said bluntly.“What!” I shot out of his embrace and stared at him, shocked.“Now I’m sure you won’t fall asleep.” His eyes darted to the ground and he looked so uncomfortable. “Why do mine turn golden?”“Because a part of you is still human and your blood keeps them gold.” That didn’t make any sense. “I don’t understand.”“Your human blood is feeding the part of you that has been changed by the venom inside you.” “Why the diet change? Apart from the ethical part.” I was glad his conscience trumped his pleasure principle. Otherwise this would have been a barbecue instead of a romantic getaway.His lips curved up into
Maria and Ann looked at each other, and then they looked at me. They were afraid to ask. We had all been waiting to find out what chaos we had inadvertently pulled ourselves into.Normally, the only chaos a girlfriend gets into was the guy’s unruly friends, a mother who didn’t think she was good enough for her son, a father who thought she was a distraction, his sister who wanted to play dress up or spy and turtle tale or his younger brother who had a crush on her. We never expected to be attacked by a six-foot, two hundred, pound psycho ex-girlfriend-wolf, or the constant fear for our lives.“Dad, they want to know about the wolves.”He pursed his lips, his face tensed. He exhaled and spoke, his voice rigid, “I suppose you deserve the truth.” He sat upright in his chair. “The guys’ part of the history, they’ll have to tell you. I’ll just tell you as much as I know.”We went quiet, waiting for the stories to begin.“Ash is Alpha, the original werewolf. I never bothered to ask him how,
I blinked my eyes open waiting for the pain to hit me. Nothing. I exhaled in relief. I never want to feel that kind of pain again. Getting killed by Sabrina would have been far less painful than that.I pushed myself up on my elbows scanning the room to see where I woke up this time. I was in my room—correction, our room. The ‘our’ before room sounded so sweet, so together. I smiled thinking of all the other things I could put our before.In the midst of my daydreaming, I noticed I was alone. That was unusual. My sisters’ never left me alone when I passed out. How long was I out for this time?I pulled the silk covers off me and got out of bed. Before I could touch the door handle, the door flew open startling me. Within a second I was off my feet and getting crushed between something. It took me a while to realize I was in Ash’s arms. The familiar musky woods scent gave him away.I hadn
“Lee!” Ann and Maria rushed to me, almost knocking me over. They hugged me tight, not as tight as Ash did but tight enough to hurt my already throbbing ribs. “Careful with her, she just woke up.” Ash spoke softly behind me. I could feel his fingers on the small of my back, probably prepared to catch me if I fell or passed out again. I pulled out of their embrace and turned my head, just enough for him to see my sarcastic expression. “It’s a miracle, he speaks!” My voice echoed the sarcasm. His eyes mere slits glared at me. I couldn’t help but smile victoriously. “What?” Maria asked confused. I turned to her; she was shifting her gaze between Ash and me. “He’s giving me the silent treatment. Apparently, I’m not taking my fainting spells seriously enough,” I answered her. “We are taking you to the hospital!” Ann commanded. Before I could say anything, three voices boomed harshly, “No!” It was Joe, Billy and my dad. Ash said nothing he di
“What?” I stopped. I couldn’t believe it. That meant my dad’s mind wasn’t the only one I read.Ash pulled me forward forcing me to walk. “After you eat and you get checked out, we’ll talk.”I wanted to talk about it right now, but I knew Ash wouldn’t say a word unless I did what he said. He was bossy and stubborn—not as stubborn as I was but close enough.* * * *“So what’s the verdict?” Ann stood by the door, far away from the smell of the raw meat. Maria sat across from me with Joe next to her.Billy and Dad had gone out. I asked Ash where they had disappeared to, but he wasn’t offering any explanations. That only meant they had either gone hunting for food or Sabrina.Ash brought another plate of peppered steak and replaced it with the empty one I had. I cut into it, relishing its bloody taste. Maria was getting used to all the
I didn’t bother to answer him. My eyes were fixed on his perfect lips. Before he could say another word, I reached up and pulled his head down locking my lips to his.I had missed his taste. His lips were hard as they responded to mine. My legs felt weak; I grabbed and held on to him for support. It always felt new when he kissed me and always very intoxicating.He broke the kiss and held me back. I whined. It had only been a few seconds. But when I looked up his face looked labored, his eyes were closed and his head lowered. His breathing was a little ragged. I hadn’t even noticed Joe was standing next to us. He looked relieved. I shifted my gaze between them. Did I miss something?“Did I do something wrong?” Ash licked his lips lustfully, Joe moved closer. Damn, I’d forgotten about the bloody taste. “I’m sorry, I forgot.”“I forgot you attack when baited.” Ash’s lips curved into a crooked
“Lee, how do you know this is the right way?” Ann asked from the back seat.I didn’t feel comfortable telling her that I was following Ash’s scent. I wasn’t comfortable knowing that either. I just picked up his scent, how, I don’t know. I followed it into the woods, driving slowly and carefully. “I think you’ve had enough shocks for today.”“Are we getting any closer?” Maria asked excitedly.I inhaled deeply—Ash’s scent was getting stronger. I felt awkward answering her. “Yes.”We drove for a few more minutes before I stopped. I could hear Ash’s voice but it wasn’t clear enough. I got out of the car and walked towards it.“Lee, are they here?” Maria whispered behind me.The voices were much clearer; Ash’s scent was stronger. “They’re here,” I answered enthusiastically.“We are going to get int