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 a smile exposing his shiny white teeth. “When my kind feeds on a human, unless we intend on changing them into werewolves they have to die.” He looked at me, his eyes searching for a reaction. “It’s hard to stop feeding once we start.”
I kept my face straight, but I was freaking out inside. I didn’t want him to think I couldn’t handle it, especially since I was turning into a werewolf myself.
“Why not just drink without having to turn them?” I added quickly, “Not that I’m saying you should.”
“I understand what you are trying to say. With that kind of thirst, no one’s going to stop and look for a knife or a barbecue grill.” His lips parted in a wider smile when he said barbecue grill, as if he knew that was what I was thinking about. Then his smile disappeared. “We feed like the animals we are, we drink until there’s nothing left then we eat the flesh.”
“So you aren’t even a little bit human?” I had amazingly managed to keep my cool when he said ‘eat the flesh’ and ‘drink until there’s nothing left’.
“No.” He looked even more uncomfortable.
“You fooled me. You look exactly like a normal boring human being.” His tight face relaxed and his lips curved into a crooked smile. “Am I always going to love the taste of raw meat and blood?”
“Unfortunately, yes.”
“The day you bit my lip, your eyes flashed gold it was because of the taste of my blood wasn’t it?”
“Yes, I’m sorry about that.” He looked embarrassed.
“So how did I taste?” I knew I was stretching it but it was supposed to be a romantic quiet night at the beach, instead it was turning into a camping trip full of scary stories.
His head shot up, he looked confused by my question. “What?”
“Was I yummy, bitter, too salty…” I smiled at him, amused by his now annoyed face.
“You have a very bad sense of humor.” His voice was strained.
“You haven’t answered my question.”
“You were delicious. If the cut was any bigger and on an artery, you wouldn’t be joking around right now, you’d be dead.”
I was taken aback by how candidly cool and yet harsh he was.
“You are such a wet blanket.” He’d killed the humor I was trying to build up to get him out of his funk.
“The good thing is I’ll be able to find you a lot quicker now that I know you inside out.” His tone was gentle and quiet.
I looked at him, waiting for him to elaborate, but he stayed quiet looking at the ground. “You’ve lost me.”
“I know the scent of your skin and that of your blood. I’ll be able to track you down faster wherever you go.”
I crawled back into his embrace. He folded his arms over me and held me tight against him, burying his face in my neck. “What will happen to me with the venom inside me?”
He let out a shaky sigh. “I’m not sure. There isn’t an exact science to it. We don’t have any other option but to wait and see.”
We stayed quiet for the next few hours, watching the ocean and waiting for the sun to rise. I thought of Ash and how similar I was to him now. It didn’t scare me not knowing what I would become. As long as it was going to be something that would make me more like him, I would be fine with it.
The moon disappeared, making way for the sun. The sight of it was a vision. The ocean sparkled as the sunrays hit it. We watched as it rose from the horizon and stood steadily in the sky, beaming its beauty on everything. I’d never taken the time to watch a sunrise. I appreciated it more than I did before, seeing it with a new frame of mind.
“Let’s go home,” Ash whispered in my ear. He knelt beside me, then tucked his arm under my legs and lifted me up. He carried me and headed back to the car slowly. Shamelessly I fell asleep in his arms as we got closer to the car.
* * * *
I walked out of Ash’s sonar bathroom feeling relaxed and refreshed. His bedroom was huge, with a king size bed in the center, opposite the window. The sunlight streamed into the room, kissing the cool colors of the walls making its feel even warmer. I opened the antique chest of drawers and took out my sweats. I felt guilty about evicting him but his room was so him and being in it made me feel like he was close to me day and night. I walked down the stairs and into the living room. My dad was around, so that meant all the guys were gone. The girls were seated on the couch opposite him.
I walked to him and hugged him. “Hi, Dad, where did the guys go?”
“Shopping. You cleared out the fridge again this morning. If you’re not careful you’re going to get fat,” Maria’s chipper voice answered.
The memory of my hog fest was embarrassing. I didn’t want my dad to think he had a pig for a daughter. That morning, immediately after we arrived from the beach, I headed for the kitchen. These days I had this uncontrollable hunger that would wake me up early in the morning and in the middle of the night. Anything bloody and fleshy I shoved down my throat. It was disturbing at first, but I was too hungry to care.
“Merilee. How are you feeling?”
“Tired, but I’m fine.”
“Did you realize how fast you came down those steps?”
I turned and looked at the staircase. Come to think of it, I did move really fast. It was like my speed was increasing with each passing week and I was noticing it less and less. It was beginning to feel normal.
“Yesterday she moved my dresser like it was made out of cardboard and not oak.” Ann shook her head. “You are getting weirder, Lee.”
I smiled, hoping it was a good ‘we still love you weird’ and not a ‘we’re going to run for the hills if you get even weirder’ ribbing.
Quickly changing the subject, I sat on the couch the girls were on and asked, “What did you guys do yesterday?”
“Nothing much, same thing we do every night.” Dad was upset. He dropped back into his seat.
“You went looking for Sabrina?” I knew they weren’t home. I heard them talk the night before my graduation. Dad and Ash were determined to catch her before she tried to kill me again. “Don’t worry. She won’t be coming back any time soon.” That, I knew for a fact. She had a plan, and since everything had gone south pretty fast for her, I was sure she was sticking to it. “She said something about going somewhere none of you would dare follow.”
My dad moved closer, sitting at the edge of his chair. “When did she tell you this?”
I placed my hand on the stubborn bump that was the size of, and also felt like, a small stone under my skin, on my belly. It had only been a month since the attack in New York. “Right before she tackled me. Do you know where that is?”
He slid back into the chair. “I’m not sure. I’ll have to ask Ash.”
“Mr. Jackson, do you mind telling us about what’s going on? The guys aren’t very forthcoming,” Ann said, her tone serious.
“Call me Dave. What exactly do you want to know?”
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
It was dark when we pulled up into the driveway. The one and a half hour drive didn’t help me relax one bit. I was still fretting. Usually Ash’s temper never scared me this much, but there was a neon sign in my head warning me away from him.The door opened and Dave stepped out, closing the door behind him. He had his hands in his front jeans’ pockets and a huge grin on his face. We got out and walked towards him, our shopping bags in hand.“Hi, girls!” he called out cheerfully.“Hi, Dad. How’s everyone?” By everyone I meant Ash.“Fine.” He hugged all of us when we got to the door.“Explain fine?” I wanted to know what exactly to expect when I saw Ash.“They were really angry about what you did, but when it got dark and you weren’t home yet they got worried. They’re waiting for you.”“Thanks. Why aren’t you mad?” I had bee
“Oh, sorry. As I was saying before I got sidetracked, Billy and Joe were difficult to separate. So I picked up Joe’s scent from Maria, he’s the light brown one isn’t he?”“Yes.” He sounded tense. He looked even more worried than happy.“What’s wrong?”“It’s been three months since I bit you. You are changing slowly, but your abilities are emerging solid. I thought they would develop slowly too.”I swallowed hard. “You say it as if it’s a bad thing.”“When the real change happens…” His face creased in frustration. I could tell my complete change was something he wasn’t looking forward to.“I think it’s time you told me the whole story. All of it, including Baku.”“I was made what I am to fight Baku after he was changed. The spirits that made him a werewolf wanted me to put a stop to him, to co