CHAPTER FIFTEEN ChainsI burst through the door, ready to punch, bite and scream.If someone is trying to chain up, theyhave to come through me first."Kenzy!" Dylan leaps off his bed, trying to hide the huge pile of chains behind him. I scan the room. No one else is here.Dylan, what's going on?" I peer around his shoulder. "What are those for?"Dylan glances guiltily back at the chains. I see that there's some kind of oil there, as well as a couple of metalworking instruments. It looks like he's taking care of the chains, or testing their strength. "It's for work."This is getting ridiculous."Dylan, you're a web designer! In what possible world could your work need chains?""It's a long story. Look, I'm tired, I really want to go to bed.""Tell me what's going on."I look him straight in the eye, silently daring him to lie to me.Dylan drops his gaze to the ground. "I can't. I'm so sorry, Lia, but I just can't. If you don't want to live with me anymore, I'll understand."It's mome
CHAPTER SIXTEENJust FriendsI can only hope that Derek, whoever he is, lives in the building. I burst through the front door into the corridor."Derek! Derek, please, it's Dylan!"A man appears from the upstairs floor. He's walking slowly as if he doesn't hear my desperate screams, but his eyes are on me.I become aware that I'm naked, but I don't care.Derek? Dylan needs help - please, hurry!"Oh yes, Kenzy, Dylan needs help, and you can help him. You need to back off.""I what?"The sound of Dylan's screams suddenly goes quiet. I abandon Derek and run back to the bedroom. Dylan is getting up, his face grim, but he seems uninjured. "I Dylan? What happened?"Before he can speak, Derek steps into the room. "I warned you, Dylan. I told you, it's too dangerous, at least right now. You'll hurt her."I wouldn't. I couldn't."You could. You've already come close. You need to stay away from her."You don't own me, Derek!""Yes, I do," Derek hissed. "And you know it. Now get dressed."To my
CHAPTER SEVENTEENWhat Happens AfterTears are falling thick and fast down my cheeks. I press a hand to my mouth to stifle the sound of my sobs, rushing to my room and slamming the door.I don't know if the door will stop Dylan from hearing me, but it's the best I can do.I throw myself onto the bed, pressing my face into the pillow.I never thought it would be like this.I never thought he'd find out.Even if I'd known he would, I would have been sure he'd brush it off, just like all my other efforts of investigation.I grab my phone, sending a text to Hannah with shaky hands."Hannah I messed up. Dylan found out about Jim tailing him. He's mad. I think he hates me." I texted her"Oh hon, I'm sorry. Tell me what happened, exactly." She replied.I spend a few minutes typing out a description of the fight, not wanting to risk Dylan hearing me speaking to her on a phone call.Hannah's response is a few minutes in coming. "Give him the night to cool off. He has a right to be mad. I'm no
CHAPTER EIGHTEENWelcome to HellThey're still speaking, but I'm not listening. I hurtle to the door, grabbing Dylan by the shoulder and yanking him back.He's a lot heavier than I am, and I barely manage to move him, but I push myself between him and Derek anyway."Stay away from him! I'll call the police if you hurt him again, I swear I will."Derek raises his eyebrows at Luke. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Dylan cover his face with his hand.Hm, maybe I misjudged you after all."I don't like the way Derek's looking at me. It's like he's X-raying me. Like he can see everything."Tell me, what has Dylan told you about our... group?"*Just because you've got Dylan too scared to say anything doesn't mean I won't find out. If you try to hurt him, I'll bring you down. My best friend is a lawyer. Trust me, you don't want to go up against her."Dylan chuckled. He doesn't appear at all moved by my threats. "It can wait until tomorrow, Dylan. I assume you have things to do?" He eyes me
CHAPTER NINTEENThe Engagement PartyI hang on Dylan's arm as we enter. He really doesn't know what he's getting into.Kenzy, Dylan! You look lovely, dear. And you, Dylan - that suit is... quite original."I grimace at my mom.Does she have to start with the veiled insults the moment we walk through the door? I already know she prefers Raymond to Dylan.Probably because I limited the time she spent with Raymond for this very reason.Thanks, mom.Joseph comes to rescue us. ''Hannah s already here, she said she needs to talk to you when you get here."Dylan and I follow Joseph to the corner of the room, where Hannah is sitting by the snacks table. She winks at us. "Thought you might need a reason to getaway.Did we have to invite her?" I moan."She'd be crushed if you didn't, "Joseph points out. "Don't be too hard on her. She means well. She's just misguided."I know.," I sigh, and Dylan puts his arm around me.It's ok. This is what I signed up for, remember? It's just one night."No,
CHAPTER TWENTY We're Not ExclusiveI get out of the car, holding my head high. "Raymond."What are you doing here so late?"My head is still buzzing with the argument with Dylan, and I can't think up anything better on the spot than the truth. "I fought with Dylan."Raymond's mouth twists in distaste at the sound of his name. "I never thought you two were right for each other. I couldn't believe it when I heard."*We are right for each other," I growl"Then what are you doing here?"He has me there.I...um..." Words aren't working for me. I stride over to Raymond and kiss him. He responds by wrapping his arms around me, kissing me back in a way that makes me breathless.He breaks away to lead me inside, closing the front door behind us.I knew you'd come back to me."His kisses, now on my neck, are distracting, but I know I have to focus."Raymond, wait. This isn't - I'm not coming back to you. If we do this, it's a one-time thing. We're not together."He pauses to look at me. "You t
CHAPTER TWENTY ONETime to Think***KenzyI'll call you in a few days. I need time to think."Please don't take too long. I understand you're freaked out, but Derek is going berserk about this. I'll try to hold him off for as long as I can." He sentDylan's words do nothing to reassure me. Hold him off? What, exactly, is Derek going to do to me? Surely, Dylan wouldn't let anyone hurt me?How much power does he have over Derek?From what I've seen so far, Derek does what he wants, and Dylan is expected to follow orders.I spend the morning alternating between pacing and lying in bed, worries swirling in my mind.Will the police find the body? What will Derek do me? What do I want to do about Dylan?He's... he's a werewolf. I saw it with my own eyes.Werewolves aren't supposed to exist. They do. How does this change things between us?In desperation, I resort to Google. Unsurprisingly, Google doesn't have anything to offer that suggests that werewolves are anything more than fiction.I
CHAPTER TWENTY TWOPlease Don't TellHe's fiddling with his pants, but before he can get them undone, the man has suddenly ripped them away from me.I spin around in time to see something huge and furry atop him. It looks like a wolf, but wolves don't get that big.The wolf's long teeth sink into his skin, tearing his throat out.I realize I'm screaming hysterically, pressed against the car. The wolf looks at me and hesitates. Probably wondering if I'll make a good meal.It seems to decide that I'm not worth the trouble. It starts walking away.I'm sobbing, and I can't seem to stop.The wolf turns back to me.No, please, leave me alone. Eat the guy you killed, surely he's enough to fill your belly?I don't see what happens, even though I'm staring right at the wolf. Its shape seems to shift. The fur vanishes and it steps upright, shrinking as it does so.The wolf is gone. Dylan is in its place."Kenzy, it's ok." He takes a hesitant step toward me.I stumble into his arms, clutching at