by Jen L. Grey
“Oh, what’s going on?” We were always busy, but I normally didn’t have a ton of dishes to wash by hand.
“We have the same business party and a rehearsal dinner.” He walked into the back and put on an apron. “It’s all hands on deck.”
That was fine with me. I dug in and began working. It didn’t take long for my arms to be elbow deep in soapy dishwater.
Thankfully, the night ended fast.
“Good job, everyone.” Brad took off the apron and threw it in the dirty clothes hamper. “We somehow survived.”
He hadn’t been kidding when he said it was going to be crazy. I still had another two loads to fill.
“Let’s go clean up the dining room while Elena finishes up here.” The crew went into the dining room, leaving me and the other cook behind.
The cook was cleaning the kitchen while I focused on unloading and loading the dishwashers.
It didn’t take terribly long to fill one of the machines when something dropped and rolled over to my feet.
My eyes dropped and landed on some kind of marble. I bent down to snag it off the ground. I picked it up and looked inside. It had a three-dimensional image of a triangle upside down with a line straight through the center. A circle partially arched into the center.
That was the ancient vampire symbol for danger.
I glanced around; looking for who dropped this, but there was no one in sight. The only evidence that it was, in fact, a vampire was the sweet, pungent air they’d left behind. It had to have been that guy from the party.
There was no other evidence that he was still around. Granted, my senses weren’t as strong as a wolf that had shifted. I wasn’t quite sure if someone was threatening me or warning me. Either way, it was disconcerting.
Feeling the need to get out of there, I moved fast, in a hurry to get home. Within the next five minutes, I was done and heading toward the door. “Hey, I’m done and need to be heading home.”
Brad gave me a strange look but nodded. “Okay, we’re done here. See you tomorrow.”
I waved and ran out the door. I scanned the area again, but there wasn’t anyone around. I forced myself not to run to the car because, if he was watching me, it would make me seem more like prey.
As I slammed the car door, something caught my eye in the woods. I examined the area, but other than the tree limbs swaying, there wasn’t anything out of place. Needing distance, I pressed the gas, hauling ass home.
Chapter Six
A chill ran through me as I threw on my jeans and a teal shirt. Even though I hadn’t noticed a vampire since Friday, I couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched. I had too much going on and probably needed to stay low-key.
Of course, it didn’t help that it was Monday, so the week was only getting started. I yawned and put on enough makeup to hide my dark circles and ran the brush through my hair. I was off tonight, so I was hoping I’d get caught up on sleep. I glanced at the vampire marble that I’d placed in my jewelry box, attempting to hide it from my guardians.
It didn’t take me long to grab something to eat and head out the door. I paused, scanning the area before climbing into the car.
The past weekend had been a little intense. Between the vampire and how busy the bar had been, my mind hadn’t been able to shut off.
Not noticing anything out of place, I hurried to my car and cranked the engine. Before I realized it, I was coasting into the school parking lot. I’d gotten here earlier than I had intended, but at least, the area was more crowded here.
I slowly grabbed my things and stood, enjoying the sun that warmed my face. There were only rare moments where I felt somewhat peaceful.
“Do you normally hang out here before class?” The familiar deep rasp of his voice caressed my mind.
“What?” I turned toward him and almost gasped for breath.
Sweat dripped down Mason’s shirtless, muscular body, and my eyes skimmed over a large wolf paw print tattoo on his toned arm.
Drool had to be pooling at the corner of my mouth as I fought the urge to lick his body. I’d never been this attracted to someone before.
His emerald eyes scanned my face. “You got a problem?”
Ah, he was an alphahole. I could be one too. “You’re the one who stopped, so what the fuck is your problem?”
“You need to learn your place.” He straightened his shoulders and looked at me with cold regard.
The irony in that statement had me bursting out into laughter. He had no clue who he was talking to, which was a good thing. The fact that they couldn’t sense my wolf was a blessing within the curse.
“Are you okay?” Concern flickered in Mason’s eyes as he used his forearm to wipe the sweat from his brow.
“Yeah.” I took a few deep breaths, trying to rein the crazy in. I couldn’t blame him for looking so concerned. I straightened my shoulders and lifted my chin. “It’s just hilarious to think that you would assume I was so easily intimidated.”
He scowled and narrowed his eyes at me. “I don’t have time for this shit.”
“Good.” I needed him gone and now. “You’re looking kind of out of shape, so you may want to go for a little longer.”
My eyes had to be playing tricks on me because I saw the corner of his mouth tilt up ever so slightly. “Is that so?”
“Yup, it’s easy to see why you’re running.” I was lying like hell. If I was Pinocchio, I’d have a nose longer than the average-sized erect penis. He was damn fine and hot as hell.
“Well, then I better take off.” He stayed there gazing at me, not moving an inch.
Neither one of us wanted to be there or leave. “All right. Have fun.” I exhaled and forced my legs to move. I even prevented myself from turning around and glancing back at him.
Soon, I heard his footsteps getting farther and farther away.
Maybe if we could keep up our façade, it wouldn’t be so bad not being with him. Hell, he may not even feel it, given the circumstances.
Flashes of Mason’s shirtless body kept popping into my mind as I made my way to class. I’d never been this hot and bothered before, and I had to get my shit together. The last thing I wanted was Ella smelling the arousal in the air. I was sure I’d never live that down.
“Hey, are you feeling okay?” Connor seemed to appear out of thin air.
Great, that’s how preoccupied I was with thoughts of Mason. If the vampire was following me, he could have easily stood right in front of me, and I wouldn't have noticed. “Yeah, sorry. I’m just super anxious about this test.” I’d studied all day yesterday and had this test in the bag. Business ethics wasn’t that difficult.
“I’m sure you’ve got this.” He smiled ever so slightly and adjusted the straps of his backpack on his shoulders. “If you’re that stressed, we could start a study group or something.”
This guy didn’t give up. I wasn’t quite sure if I admired him or thought he was an idiot. “I work most evenings. Sorry.”
“Oh, really?” He kicked at the ground. “Where at?”
Yeah, I didn’t think this one through. “Oh, some restaurant-bar kind of place.”
“Near campus?” He took a step closer to me.
“No, you should know how I am by now.” I shrugged my shoulders. “Being around a ton of people isn’t my thing, so a bar close to campus wouldn’t be ideal.”
“That’s not true.” He lifted his hand, and his forehead creased. “We met at a party here on campus.”
“But that’s not my usual.” The saying ‘first impressions last forever’ rang in my ears. “I had just toured the campus, and the guide made your party the last stop. I hadn’t planned on staying long.” Even though I hadn’t shifted, for some reason, I still had a feeling like a mild heat spell. Not as rough as a typical female shifter, but I got hot and bothered that night when I spotted Connor. He was damn fine, but now that my brain was fully functioning, I wasn’t the least bit attracted to him.
“You seemed to have a good t
ime that night.” His eyes lingered on my lips.
“Do we need to have that conversation over again?” Obviously, I couldn’t be the least bit nice to him. “I’m not interested in you. I don’t want you to come by my work.”
“I feel like this is déjà vu.” Ella’s floral scent hit me as she walked up beside me. “She isn’t into you.”
“We were talking about our test.” Connor cleared his throat and glanced toward the building. “I guess we better get in so we aren’t late.”
“Right behind you,” Ella called out as she grabbed my arm. “You must be amazing in bed."
“What?” I hadn’t expected those to be the next words out of her mouth. “Why?”
“That boy is hard up for another round in the hay with you.” She laughed and shook her head. “You must be magical in the sack.”
“Hay? Sack? What are you? I don’t think people our age talk like that anymore.” That sounded like something Mona or Kassie would say. “Next time, you’re going to say ride ‘em cowgirl or bumpin’ uglies.”
“First off, please don’t ride him.” Ella looped her arm through mine and began our stroll to the building. “The one ride you gave him has him jonesing for more.”
“Really?” She must be watching an older sitcom or something.
“Yes, really.” She winked at me as she snorted. “But I kinda do like bumping uglies.”
“Why am I not surprised?” It was nice to have someone to just go back and forth with.
“Sex is extremely satisfying if done right.” A slow grin spread across her face. “Am I right?”
“Wouldn’t know.”
“Oh, we’ll have to fix that.” She placed her free hand on her chest. “That will be a top priority.”
“No, our top priority is doing well on this exam.” I quickened our pace. “So let’s go do that, okay?”
“Fine, but afterward, we are going to need to talk about this.” She shook her head and glanced at the ground. “This is something that we need to remedy as soon as possible.”
The last thing I needed was her focusing on my sex life. It wasn’t like I didn’t have enough on my plate.
I made sure Ella finished her test before me. That way, I wouldn’t hear the end of not waiting for her. She always needed to be on the go, so I should be home free for the next two days.
Not wasting any time, I turned in the test to the professor and walked out the door.
“I’m a little scared.” Ella’s voice echoed in the hall.
No, she wasn’t supposed to be here. “What are you doing?”
“Waiting for you.” She lifted both hands, and then she lifted her head with a huge smile on her face. “You didn’t think I’d wait.”
“Shh.” I glanced back in the room, and the professor frowned at me.
“Come on,” I whispered the words as I grabbed her arm, tugging her into the hallway. “You were being too loud.”
“Aw, he’ll get over it.” She took a deep breath and stopped for a second. “Are you wearing a new perfume?”
“No, why?” That was an odd question.
“There’s a hint of a sweet scent on you.” Her eyes went straight to my neck. “Just curious.”
That was not comforting. She must’ve suspected it was a vampire. “No. Maybe Kassie or Mona bought a different detergent.” I may need to have a conversation with them and inform them about the weird-ass vampire.
“Yeah, maybe.” She frowned and glanced at my neck again. “Do you mind if we go to the student center today?”
“What? No.” I figured it was going to be brought up again soon.
“Please, I need to grab my textbook for the next class.” She pouted and batted her eyes. “We never have to go again.”
“Fine.” One more time couldn’t hurt me. “But in and out.”
“Well, coffee first, and then we grab the textbook.” She glanced at her phone. “We got out a little early, so we have time.”
“Then the latte is on you today.” I should’ve gotten some kind of compensation for emotional damage.
“Ugh, fine.” She grinned as she rolled her eyes. “Drama queen.”
“So you’ve dropped Hope completely now, and you’re just going with Queen.” I cringed as soon as the last word fell from my mouth.
“Nah, you’ll always be Hope in my heart.” She led me in the direction of the student center.
It didn’t take us long to grab our lattes, and soon we were searching for her friend.
“It took you long enough.” A guy called out from a corner table. He ran his fingers through his chestnut hair and grinned.
“Oh, bite me.” Ella marched over to him and held out her hand for the book.
As soon as I got close to him, his pine scent hit my nose. He was definitely a wolf shifter too.
“Did I just get permission?” He waggled his eyebrows at her.
“Stop, you’ll scare Elena away.” She turned toward me and pointed to the guy. “Elena, this is Alec.”
“You’re the new friend she keeps talking about.” His charcoal eyes locked on mine. “It’s kind of nice to match the face with a name. Even Mason has grumbled about you a time or two.”
I wished he hadn’t told me that. “Hi.”
“Have you hit her up about tonight?” He glanced at Ella.
“No, I figured she would say no.” She shook her head, making her blonde hair bounce. “But do you want to? Mason has another fight tonight.”
“What? No.” I had to keep my distance despite the fact that my wolf was clawing to see him again.
“Please come.” Alec reached over and touched my arm. “I’m begging you. She chatters nonstop, and I could use a break.”
“Hey.” She reached over and smacked him. “It’s actually pretty cool to watch.”
“What kind of fighting is it? Boxing?” When she said gym, that was the first thing that had popped into my mind.
“Hell, no.” The guy grabbed his backpack from the table and placed an arm through it. “MMA all the way.”
“No way.” Part of my training growing up was watching fights to see how to handle hand to hand combat.
“Yeah.” He nodded his head. “If you get near the front, blood can splatter all down your shirt.”
“Ew.” Ella wrinkled her nose and smacked him in the arm. “You’re doing an awful job recruiting her.”
In all actuality, he was making it harder for me to say no. I enjoyed watching fights.
“Okay, then how about this...” He lifted his hand and lowered his head slightly to my side. “Muscular, shirtless guys.”
“But they’re wearing pants.” Ella touched my arm and leaned in. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t be comfortable watching my brother fight naked.”
“He said shirtless, not naked.” Sometimes I wondered about her mind.
“Look, I can come pick you up, and we can grab some food beforehand.” She grinned at me and clenched her hands into fists in excitement.
“This is beginning to sound more like a date than a fight.”
“If you guys go home together, can I come and watch?” Alec wiggled his eyebrows at us suggestively.
“That’s a no.” Ella snorted and bumped into me. “Please, will you go?”
“Yes.” The word fell out of my mouth before I could control it.
“Yay. We’ll be there.” Ella sat in the seat Alec just vacated. “There is no backing out now.”
Great, just what I wanted.
“Where are you heading out to?” Mona stepped from the kitchen into the den.
“Oh, I have some errands to run.” I never left the house unless it was for food, the witch, or supplies. However, none of them would take as long as I’d be, and I hated lying to them anyway.
“Let’s see, your hair has recently been brushed. You have on a royal blue blouse and dark jeans.” Her attention turned to my feet. “And you’re wearing something other than tennis shoes. What’s up?”
“Fine.” I couldn�
��t lie to them, but I could definitely omit some parts. “I’m going out to dinner with a girl from school and maybe do something after.”
“Hot damn. Has the girl actually made a sane decision?” Kassie walked into the room with a beer in hand. She moseyed over to the worn, leather couch and sat. “I’m kind of proud of you.”
“Honestly, I got suckered into it somehow.” The worst part was that I hadn’t been completely dreading it.
“Good.” Mona sat next to Kassie and grabbed the remote. “I hope she suckers you into more. You need friends and to have a life.”
“Why do I need anyone else when I have you two?” They were the only ones I was letting into my life this close, and really, I didn’t have much control over a decision with them. They’d taken care of me and had become the parents I needed. I would’ve been in foster care without them.
“That’s very sweet but very worrisome.” Mona pointed at me. “We’re in our mid-forties. You just became an adult. You need friends that are closer to your age.”
“So, is this how you’re breaking up with me?” I loved ragging them.
“Hell, no.” Kassie waved me off. “We’re saying you need to add to your circle, not take away from it.”
“Well, see, I’m going out tonight.’ I glanced at my phone. She should be here in ten minutes. “I better go outside and wait for her.” They knew I was strange when it came to boundaries, and right now I didn’t want her to come in. That seemed too much for me at the moment.
“Fine, stay out late and have fun,” Kassie hollered as I shut the door.
Those ladies were crazy sometimes.
I paused and took a deep breath. My nerves were running everywhere. Being nervous made me anxious.
Forcing my legs to move, I stumbled outside to wait for Ella to show up, which should have been any second. It wasn’t long before a dark red Corolla pulled up right in front of me.
Ella rolled the window down and grinned. “Come on. Let’s go eat. I’m starving.”
“Yeah, okay.” I climbed into her car and hoped I wouldn’t regret this before the night was over.