by Molly Harper
“Tylene!” my father yelled.
“Who in the hell is that?” Alex asked.
“My family. We need to go.”
“I’m not going to run like a thief in the night,” he protested.
“That’s about a third of my pack, and where they are, others follow. I don’t care how tough you are, you need to run.”
Sighing, he pulled on my hand. “Come with me.”
I weighed the options—how angry my family would be for running versus how angry they were going to be if they found me here in the garden.
“Turn around,” I told him. I stripped out of my clothes and shoved them into my backpack. He was trying not to look, which I appreciated. My other body melted away and I rolled into my more comfortable form.
“I still love seeing that,” he breathed, rubbing his hand over my ears.
I jerked my head toward the fence, away from where my relatives’ voices could be heard. I leapt onto a bench and launched off of it, using the leverage to jump over the fence. I realized I didn’t know where we were going. My only clear thought was to get away.
I could hear my uncles calling me.
“Ty! Come on out, don’t make us track you!” Uncle Creed yelled.
Creed was ancient, but he could still smell blood in the wind at a hundred paces. I was running from them. I’d never run from my family before. I didn’t know what would be waiting for me when I got home, but I didn’t care. It felt so good just to do something for myself for once. Alex passed me, and I whuffed at him, enjoying the game of it.
He could keep up with me. Better than that, he could beat me! I didn’t have to hold back my natural speed to protect his feelings. He offered me a challenge. I loved a challenge.
I pushed my legs even harder and caught up. He led me out of town, down long dark tree-lined country roads. The smells of exhaust and garbage made way to the green scent of grass and the wild woods. Prey scurried away as two predators bolted through their territory.
“Turn here!” Alex shouted, hooking dramatically down a gravel road.
Through the trees, I saw a small, sturdy log house done in a sort of Adirondack style, definitely fancier than most of the older cabins around here. The moon reflected in a small lake behind the house, with a long dock extending over it. The whole scene was very cozy, and I could see myself being very comfortable, surrounded by so many trees.
“What happened to being part of life and a community?” I asked after I shifted to two feet.
“Baby steps,” he said, dropping his dress shirt around my shoulders. I tried not to stare at his half-dressed state, because he’d been so polite when I’d stripped down in front of him. But damn. When had he had time for all the sit-ups required for those abs when he was supposedly practicing music for hours? It was like he was carved by some sort of hyper-perfectionist sculptor. I generally wasn’t self-conscious about my body, but it just seemed unfair.
Unaware of my silent perving, he continued, “Cal talked me into buying some property in town, and there’s some apartment space there, but I’ve lived on my own for so long, it just felt like too much all at once. I had this built just before I moved here. Nik was good enough to oversee the construction. He likes that sort of project.”
“That makes sense, I guess. It certainly smells better out here—no cars. No people. No dumpsters.”
“You wouldn’t want to live in town?”
“I think I would live just about anywhere, if it meant having some peace and privacy.”
“You could, you know.”
I scoffed, waving at the haphazardly buttoned dress shirt. “Yeah, right. This is about as reckless and impulsive as I get.”
“I have something for you,” he said, stepping onto the porch and unlocking a very solid looking door.
I wanted to object. He’d already given me that book. I’d learned over the years that unexpected gifts came with obligations and guilt, but I also didn’t want to offend him.
The house was exactly what I’d expected of him. The open-plan room was clean and orderly, except for the space set aside in the far corner, near a window, for practice. It was littered with sheet music and various instruments. He’d used a mix of clean contemporary pieces with the intricately carved wooden music stands and chairs that looked like they might have fit in his time. The floors were the same warm maple as the school, but the walls were a soft, buttery yellow. You could almost imagine you were standing outside on a sunny day and that made me a little sad for him. There might be a lot of inconveniences and annoyances that came with being a werewolf, but at least I wasn’t trapped indoors before sunrise.
He crossed to a carved wooden box he’d put on the river stone mantle and took out a small metal cylinder on a keychain. That certainly hadn’t been what I’d expected in terms of romantic gifts, but at least I didn’t feel weird about accepting it… right?
“Since you’re out here on your own now, you need some protection.” He pressed the cannister into my hand. “Colloidal silver spray. We’re highly allergic to it, so it’s basically mace for vampires. I figure you know how to fight your own kind, but I wanted to give you an edge against mine.”
I stared at the little cannister. He was giving me a weapon that I was able to use against him. He was that worried about my safety. I wasn’t familiar with people putting me before themselves. That’s the only explanation for the way I jumped on him. I literally threw myself at him, using the momentum to wrap my legs around his waist. He stumbled back a bit, “oofing” in surprise, but he caught me as I plundered his mouth. He groaned into the fiercely sloppy kiss, sliding his hands under my bare bottom as I nudged my tongue against the tips of his fangs.
I couldn’t get close enough. I wanted to wallow in him, rub my scent all over his body so everybody with a nose would know that he was mine. I felt myself growing warm and wet against him and for the first time in my life I wanted to follow that feeling.
Sex was one of the few things werewolves took very seriously. Even with my generally rebellious attitude toward most traditions, I’d never gotten past a few fumbling make out sessions with boys that my family most definitely did not know about. Werewolves mated for life. Once our partners were chosen and the bite marks were exchanged, that was it. We could only have cubs with that person. We simply couldn’t afford casual sex, conceptionally speaking. If you picked the wrong person, you were stuck with them forever.
But with Alex, I wouldn’t have to worry about that. Vampires didn’t have the, um, material. I had complete freedom of choice and I wanted to choose him so, so badly.
Meanwhile, he still had one hand under my ass while blindly attempting to lower us onto the couch. I stuck my foot out against the couch cushion to stop our descent. “Bedroom.”
I watched as waves of lust, concern, and “yay!” crossed his face. “Are you sure about that?”
“I wouldn’t have said it if I wasn’t,” I promised.
“It’s not that I don’t want you,” he swore. “I want you so very much. But I don’t want you to do something you’re not ready for.”
“So we’re going to have to stop in the middle of all this, so we can have a very adult conversation about consent?” I suggested. He nodded, so I added. “Being a grown up is difficult.”
“Yes, but worth it,” he promised.
I kissed him again, hoping that I could pour all of my enthusiasm and certainty into it. He laughed against my mouth, pivoting so he could turn into a bedroom just as open and comfortable as the rest of the house. And the bed was huge, like, almost to the point of being questionable, but I wasn’t about to bring it up. Instead of dropping me on it, he bent at the waist and crawled up the length of the mattress while I still clung to him.
“I want to have sex,” I told him plainly. “All of the sex. But I don’t think we should bite each other. I don’t know how my blood would taste to you and that’s probably not something we should try right now. Also, biting means something different to werewo
lves, which I would rather not get into right this second.”
“I agree to all of that,” he said, nodding sharply.
“Excellent.” I paused to pull his shirt over his head. “Proceed.”
Laughing, Alex skimmed back down my body, nosing aside his shirt to nuzzle at my chest, which was only half-buttoned and covered almost nothing. He teased each nipple in turn until I was whimpering under him. It felt like he spent hours mouthing at my belly button, my hip bones, my knees, and calves. I was boneless against the bed. I felt like every inch of me had been well and truly kissed.
I shrugged out of the shirt he’d given me. I was already half-dressed, which took some of my natural awkwardness out of the situation. But then I reached for the button on his jeans, and fumbled badly, because I’d never tried it from this angle. He grinned against my lips and reached down to help.
Expecting some panic at Alex’s closeness, I was surprised at how right it felt to be there. Every inch of his skin was pressed against mine, cold to my warm, and all I wanted was more. I had chosen this man and this time, and the freedom of it was a heady thing. He rolled his hips and could feel the rigid weight of him rubbing exactly where I needed him.
I hissed and dragged my blunt teeth across his earlobe without biting down. He shivered, which just increased that lovely friction between my thighs. I moaned, following the motion of his hips. He swept his hand down the length of my ribs, down my belly, his deft fingers sliding inside me to find me ready and wanting. He thumbed at the rigid little bundle there, twisting and thrusting his fingers as the tension built in my belly. He seemed to know all of the right motions to coax a response out of me and before I knew it, the tension had become a rolling wave of energy. I fought to stay in the moment with him, instead of letting those ripples of pleasure pull me under. But then everything surged all at once and I was falling, spasming, arching off the bed as I cried out against Alex’s skin.
He pressed featherlight kisses over my shoulders as I came down, floating blissful and breathless. Kneeling suddenly, he pulled me up into his lap, straddling him. “This might be a little more comfortable for you,” he murmured.
I nodded, still kissing him, as he moved to slide into me. It was a little clumsy, all knees and elbows as I tried to find the best way to settle over him. He was smiling up at me, his dark eyes almost glowing in the dim light. He pressed his forehead to mine, and I gasped as he slid home. My nails bit into his back as I sank down, moving experimentally against him.
All those nerves inside me, still firing from my release, sang as he moved inside me. I rolled my hips, trying to keep up. Alex’s hands brushed up and down my spine, comforting me as we found our rhythm. I watched the expressions change on Alex’s face, pleasure to contentment and back again.
Alex’s hips were stuttering, like he had to concentrate to keep moving. An echo of the orgasm I’d just enjoyed was already building. He pressed his mouth against the curve of my breast, his blunt teeth barely touching my skin. My breath caught, half-worried that he would sink his fangs into me, and half-hoping he would. Instead, he reached between us, bent his hand at an unnatural angle to reach that same place.
The echo became a full-blown song and I was riding him, howling. His thrusts went wild and he was right there with me. He spilled into me, his seed almost cold, and slumped to the sheets, dragging me with him.
My heartbeat filled the room, not quite drowning out my heavy breathing. It might have been embarrassing, but I figured I had to have the “live responses” for the both of us. He got up, not bothering to dress, and left the room. I heard the fridge open and the microwave beep. I threaded my fingers through my sweaty hair and tried to catch my breath. I wished desperately for an elastic to tame this mop on my head.
Alex returned with a tall glass of water and a mug full of what smelled like blood. He offered me the glass and I happily drained it. He slid under the covers with me and sipped at his mug.
“So, now that I’m not completely blinded by lust—”
“I take that as a compliment,” I said, grinning brightly.
“You should, you relentless minx,” he snickered, kissing me. I thought the taste of blood on his lips would be off-putting, but it was just a part of him. He leaned away and kissed me on the forehead. “So, what does biting mean to werewolves?”
“It’s how we mark our mates. You exchange bite marks and then you’re connected for life. You can’t have children with anyone else. For life. And while the kids thing isn’t really an issue for us, I didn’t think we were ready for it.”
“Interesting,” he said, nodding. “So we both just made very responsible and mature choices in the midst of passion.”
“Good for us,” I said, reaching out to shake his free hand.
“Yes, three cheers,” he said very seriously, before bursting out into a laugh.
I giggled until I had tears streaming down my cheeks. I pressed my face against his skin, breathing deeply, feeling more at peace than I had in a long time. “I didn’t know it could be like this.”
“Like what?”
“Fun,” I said. “I mean, I knew you were supposed to get some enjoyment out of it, obviously. But I didn’t think you could laugh and talk in the middle of everything and not feel awkward about it.”
“Well, it hasn’t happened for me very often,” he conceded. “I’m glad it happened for us, though. I don’t know what I would do if we didn’t laugh together. It’s one of things I like most about you.”
“Same,” I said, yawning.
I guess it should have surprised me when I drifted off to sleep. It only felt like a few second later when I sat up, gasping for breath. Panicking, I searched the bedside table for the clock and saw that it was after four. My parents were probably still awake, waiting for me. And I could only imagine what sort of rage was going to be waiting for me when I got home.
For the first time, I considered not going back. I had somewhere else I could go now. In fact, I had several other places. Even if I didn’t want to stay right here in bed with Alex, I could go to Jolene’s, or Dick’s, or even Jane’s. But it felt wrong to just not go back without a word. Somehow, I felt like I owed the pack an explanation before I left.
Alex was dozing next to me, which seemed sort of weird for a vampire at night, but I liked to think I had worn him out. I slid out of bed and padded out to the couch, where I’d left my backpack. I dressed in my backup clothes and searched the kitchen counter for a pen and paper so I could leave him a note.
“Do you want to know what you smell like to me?”
I turned to find him standing behind me at the counter, a contented grin on his face.
“Not right now!” I laughed. “I’m covered in dried sex sweat and I don’t have time for a shower!”
“All right then,” he sighed. “Do you want me to drive you home?”
“Definitely not.”
“But it’s late and dark outside,” he objected.
“And I’m a werewolf,” I reminded him as I kissed him soundly.
“Is this because of your family?” he asked. “I don’t think they would sense me close to the compound if they’re all asleep. I don’t like you putting yourself in danger just to avoid trouble with them.”
“No, it’s because this is faster,” I lied.
“I don’t like it!” he called. “But I like you!”
“You, too!” I called, dashing out of the house. I sprinted back to the compound on two feet, my head full of romance and moonlight and sorts of general foolishness. I had done something for myself, for no other reason than because it felt good. I felt absolutely decadent. I’d sort of skipped this silly teenage romance phase, where I dreamed of dark, handsome strangers and happy ever afters. It felt good to indulge now.
I snuck back into the house before dawn. My parents were propped against each other on the couch, sleeping, with the TV blaring informercials in the background. I tiptoed past them, praying that their sensitive ears wouldn’t p
ick up my footsteps. I turned on the shower and triple-washed with the most perfumed soap I owned. I listened at the bathroom door, but all I could hear was the enthusiastic voice hocking some sort of ‘nutritious’ food blender.
I glided down the hallway to my room and pulled the covers over my head, hoping that in the morning, my parents would have moved onto to something besides cutting my date with Donnie short. Maybe, for once, they would just pretend it didn’t happen and we could ignore it?
8
“Whereas in your time, you might have focused on impressing your paramour’s family, modern relationships are keyed in on friendships. If you don’t have the support of your partner’s friends, they will quietly and efficiently undermine your relationship. Probably by text. Probably while you’re in the room.”
—A Gentleman in Any Era: An Ancient Vampire’s Guide to Modern Relationships
* * *
I woke up to the sensation of my blankets being ripped off.
Again.
But this time I was smart enough not to shift and confront the blanket snatcher. My parents stood over me, with my aunts behind them, all looking absolutely furious.
“What were you thinking?” Aunt Lurlene demanded.
I blinked up at my father. “What was I thinking?”
“You just walked out on your date with Donnie. Not a word,” Daddy thundered. “Your mama didn’t know where the hell you were. And then you don’t come home until God knows when. What happened?”
“Nothing. Donnie and I had a good time together, but we didn’t click.”
He stared at me. “What do you mean, you didn’t ‘click?’”
“We had a perfectly nice date, but neither one us sees a romance happening between us.”
“Well, what does romance have to do with anything?” he cried.