by May Dawson
I blinked, coming back to life, and shook my hair out over my shoulders. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He tucked his hand into his pocket, looking over me consideringly. “Come on. I told my dad we’d tell him how the game went, and how you liked your present, before we got too busy with the party.”
“Your dad?”
“He likes you,” he said, holding out his hand to me.
“That’s a change,” I said, hiding a smile.
“He’s always liked you.”
The sheer amount of time we had spent discussing his daddy and his daddy’s expectations tonight was beginning to make me think something was awry.
“Does your dad want us to date?” I asked softly. Maybe Eli’s stupid crush was all a cover for learning more about my family.
“I don’t want to date you, Piper.” A perplexed look crossed his face.
I met his gaze, frowning. “We’re on a date right now.”
“I thought you got it,” he said, setting his cup down so he could take my face in his hands.
I froze, adrenaline suddenly coursing through my legs.
A slow, arrogant smirk twisted across Eli’s lips. “I don’t want to date you. I want to own you.”
“I’m not a thing,” I told him, echoing what I’d said to Nick earlier. I wrapped my fingers around his wrists, pulling his grip away from my face, but his fingers curled painfully around my face, his fingertips sinking into my cheekbones.
His breath was a hot flutter against my ear. “You’re not a person, either.”
I pushed him away from me as hard as I could, and he slammed into the pool table. I ran for the door, but he didn’t chase me.
Behind me, he laughed, a hard, mean sound.
“Good luck running, Piper.”
I didn’t break my stride. I ran down the hall, barreled frantically down the stairs. My purse slammed against my side as I ran into the crowd. My dad, I’d call my dad to pick me up. I had to get away from Eli.
What a creep. I’d known he was a creep, but he was an even weirder creep than I thought.
I shoved into someone’s back as I was rushing through the crowd, and he turned around. Josh loomed in front of me. The beer that had been in his hand was all over his t-shirt. When our eyes met, he said, “Hey. Are you okay?”
Despite myself, I grabbed his tattooed forearm. My heart pounded so hard it ached in my chest. I looked up at him and nodded. I didn’t trust my voice.
“Come here,” he said softly, catching my hand against his forearm. He pulled me away from the crowd, into the quiet of the hallway.
“I’ve got to get out of here,” I whispered.
“I’ll take you home,” he said without hesitation.
I wanted to throw myself against his chest. I longed for him to wrap his arms around me. It felt like he could protect me from Eli.
But could he, really? Should I trust him when I barely knew him?
My lips parted, on the verge of asking him to wait with me while I called my father.
Misty shoved out of the crowd. Her face was alight, her soft brown curls blowing back from her face. She looked lovely and glowing.
“There you are,” she said to Josh. Her eyes flickered to me, and the faintest line dimpled over the bridge of her nose. Her gaze returned to him. “I’ve been looking for you. You promised me that dance!”
“Later, Misty,” he said. “I have to take care of something.”
She bit down on her lower lip, obviously hurt, but smiled anyway as she shrugged. “All right.”
“I’m sorry,” he said to her, and it sounded like he meant it for more than the moment’s disruption. He took my hand in his and tugged me gently toward the front door.
Outside on the front porch, I drew in a breath of cool air. For the first time, I realized I was feverishly hot, on the verge of sweating. My head swam.
“Piper,” Josh said, catching me by the elbows. His worried face blurred before my eyes. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know.”
“Did you drink anything?” Those vibrant blue eyes were all I could see, even though his sexy, urgent voice seemed distant.
“No.” I shook my head. “Can you just wait with me while I call my dad? Then you can go back to the party. Back to Misty.”
I was too sick to hide the bitter inflection when I said Misty’s name. I shook my head, trying to clear my bad attitude away, and the headache too. God. She used to be my friend, and she was still trying to be. Those cupcakes were the act of a sweet soul, the girl I knew before she was caught up in her popularity. She still was sweet, even though she’d abandoned our stupid, childhood plots to escape my father and begun to ignore me most of the time. I should be happy for her.
“Stay with me,” Josh muttered. He was still frowning as he tucked my hair behind my ear. “I’ll bring you home, but I want to bring you home with me.”
I cocked my head at him. “But Misty?”
“Don’t be stupid,” he said, his voice rougher than I’d heard it before. “I’m fucking that all up, aren’t I? But I can’t pretend.”
“Why would you pretend?”
He shook his head, refusing to answer. “Can I take you to see Callum, before I take you home? You don’t seem…right.”
“Neither do you.” My teasing words came out slurred. I stopped, perplexed.
Nick burst out onto the porch, followed by Kai. “What’s up?”
My vision went dark around the edges. As I swayed, Josh caught me around my waist, and my cheek settled against his hard chest. Warm arms wrapped around me.
“This is exactly what I was trying to avoid,” I muttered, even though it’d also been exactly what I wanted, despite the reasonable part of my brain.
“I’ve got you,” Josh promised. His arm slid under my thighs and he picked me up, easily lifting me against his chest.
Wrapped in his warmth and the spicy, pleasant scent of his cologne, my brain itself hot and aching, I fell helplessly into sleep.
Chapter 18
Opening my eyes seemed impossible. My head ached and my eyelids were so heavy I couldn’t imagine waking up.
“Put her on the couch,” Callum said, his voice calm and urgent all at once. “What happened to her?”
Josh still cradled me in his arms as he sat with me, his big palm tenderly cupping my face to hold my head against his shoulder. “I don’t know. But I’m pretty sure Eli Kingston did something to her.”
His voice was gravelly with rage.
“Calm down,” Callum said. “We can wait for the story.” Cool hands touched my face, then Callum said, “She’s burning up. Josh, I’m not kidding—put her down on the couch. I need space to work.”
Josh grumbled, but got up with me, before shifting me gently onto the couch.
“You could bring her downstairs,” Nick said.
“That’s just what we need, for her to wake up in a makeshift operating room,” Callum said. “Might be hard to explain, huh?”
His fingers brushed against my throat, then tightened around the necklace. “What the hell is this?”
“I haven’t seen it before,” Josh said.
“She wasn’t wearing it tonight,” Nick said.
“You would’ve noticed?” Kai asked.
“Yeah,” Nick said frankly. “I would have noticed.”
Callum tried to wrench the necklace away, and pain seared through my body. I groaned as every muscle spasmed, tightening like a terrible Charlie horse. My eyes flew open, my lips parting as the groan almost became a scream.
“What did you do to her?” Nick sounded as though he was about to shove Callum out of the way.
Callum’s eyes locked on mine. “What did you do, Piper? What is this?”
As my muscles relaxed, I fell back into the couch. My head still ached desperately. I tried to tell him I didn’t know, but the words came out as a croak.
“It’s enchanted,” Callum muttered. “Someone bound her. Or she ch
ose to bind herself to someone…”
“Eli.” Nick said. “He bound her. To take away her will?”
“I’m going to fucking kill him,” Josh said. He headed for the door.
“Stop,” Callum called, his voice sharp. Josh didn’t break stride.
Callum nodded to Kai, and Kai went after Josh.
“Hang on.” Callum ordered. “We need to figure out exactly what happened, where guilt lies, and then develop a plan. You can’t go after the witch without a plan—”
“Got a plan,” Josh whipped back over his shoulder. “I’m going to rip off Eli’s head.”
“Be right back,” Callum said, jumping to his feet. I lost sight of him, because my head was too heavy to lift with my aching neck, but I heard Kai slam into Josh, trying to stop him, and then a thud as Callum joined the fray.
Nick sighed, leaning into my line of vision. His fingertips brushed my cheekbones. “I’m on Josh’s side, here.”
“You can’t go around ripping people’s heads off.” My voice came out gravelly, but at least it was audible this time.
“It’s time the real wolves ruled Blissford again,” he muttered, “not the football team.”
“Wolves?” I asked, perplexed.
Nick smiled, leaning forward. He had a nice, warm smile, and I could get lost in those deep green eyes.
“You’re dreaming, sweetheart,” he said softly, running his fingertips over my forehead. “It’s just part of the fever.”
“As long as I’m dreaming.” I caught his hand, feeling a surge of warmth and energy when he touched me. Enlivened, just a little, I pulled his hand to my lips.
Interest sparked in his eye. Or maybe that was lust that joined the warm compassion and concern. I kissed the inside of his palm, watching his face. When my lips brushed against his palm, his eyes drifted halfway shut, as if that smallest tender contact gave him pleasure.
“As long as none of this ever happened,” he murmured.
A thud sounded in the entryway behind me, followed by a sharp curse.
“Just another dream of mine,” I said, and his eyes widened. Shit. I’d given away a bit too much with that revelation. Blame my foggy brain.
I parted my lips, trying to figure out a way to downplay the truth I’d accidentally let slip, and he leaned forward and kissed me.
His kiss was gentle, tentative. His fingers wrapped around mine, and he held my hand as his lips brushed softly over my mouth. I kissed him, back.
Callum was back, breathing hard, standing behind Nick. He crossed his arms and sighed. “Out of my way. The three of you are hopeless.”
Josh glowered at him. A trickle of blood stained the left corner of his lip.
Nick squeezed my hand and gave me an encouraging smile before he stood, moving aside so Callum could kneel next to me again. “Don’t mind Callum. He’s all bark.”
“I’ve got some bite too,” Callum promised, his eyes cool. “I am the head of this…house.” His gaze flickered to Josh, and then to me. “Taking care of everyone in it isn’t always fun for any of us.”
“You’re an asshole,” Josh said.
“And you went feral without a pack,” Callum said. “But you’ll learn.”
I stared at them, feeling like if only my head didn’t ache, this would all make sense.
Kai sighed. “I’m the only one who can keep a secret around here, huh?”
“She won’t remember,” Callum said. He ran his hand over my forehead, his touch comforting. “I can’t do anything to release the enchantment now, Piper. It will take time—and the blood of the witch who set up the magic. But we’ll get you free, and we’ll watch over you in the meantime.”
“Eli must have known there was only one way he could get her in his bed,” Kai muttered, his voice full of fury.
“He gave me the necklace,” I said softly. “I didn’t know. Enchantments? Wolves? What’s going on?”
“Meet the last of the Blissford pack,” Callum said. “Well, most of it. We’re werewolves, Piper.”
“Werewolves,” I said softly.
“Something was stolen from us seventeen years ago,” Callum said. “We’ve come home to get it back. You’re on pack land, our land for hundreds of years.”
“Werewolves,” I repeated.
Callum glanced at his ‘nephews’, as if to point out how fever-damaged my brain was at the moment.
“You’re safe on pack land,” he promised me, “and you always will be.”
“I have to get home,” I said.
He shook his head. “Impossible. We can’t explain what happened to your father, and someone needs to watch over you all night. The enchantment has its claws in you now, and if we try to break it while it’s still bonding with your body…”
“What’ll happen?” Nick demanded.
“It doesn’t matter,” Callum said. “In the morning, we’ll get Eli out here to pay for his sins. We’ll break the enchantment.”
His fingers skimmed my face, regret changing his face. “Then we’ll have to make you forget. It’s the only way to protect you, and to protect ourselves.”
“No,” Josh said. “You can’t do that to her.”
“It won’t hurt,” Callum said. Sharply, he added, “I’ve had enough of you tonight. You’ve put everything at risk.”
“I didn’t do this,” Josh said hotly. “What did you want me to do? Leave her there as prey?”
“No,” Callum said. “Of course not.”
“I can’t stay here overnight,” I said. “My father will be looking for me. He’ll kill me.”
“He won’t,” Callum promised. “We’ll protect you.”
“Good luck,” I muttered. “No one else will. Happy eighteenth birthday to me.”
Behind Callum, Kai and Josh shared a meaningful look. Nick’s deep green eyes were still fixed on me.
“We owe you,” Nick said.
Callum said, “Nick. No.”
“You have my bond,” Nick said. “No one’s going to hurt you as long as I’m alive.”
Callum rubbed his hand across his face. “You three have a lot to learn about being part of a pack.”
“What did I do?” Kai demanded.
“You’re as bad as the other two.”
I raised my hands, about to demand an explanation, but I was almost too exhausted to move. As my hands fell, I caught Callum’s wrist. He turned to me, frowning, as my fingers wrapped tight around his wrist. His eyes met mine, and he didn’t pull away.
“We’ll take turns keeping watch over her tonight,” Callum said to them. “If her condition changes during your watch, wake me.”
He stood, taking away his warmth and his comforting solidity. As he stood over me, his eyes studied my face, as if I were a puzzle he couldn’t quite make sense of.
“Kai, you take first watch,” Callum said. “I have some business to tend.”
Kai nodded, and he knelt beside the couch, taking Callum’s place.
“All of you,” Callum said roughly. “She needs rest. Keep your hands to yourselves. You can’t keep drawing a tighter and tighter bond with the wrong goddamn girl.”
The three of them exchanged a glance as Callum headed for the door. It was only when he’d shut it behind him that Josh muttered something, his tone rebellious.
I was falling back into sleep, but his words still lodged in my mind.
“Maybe fate’s a lie,” he said.
Chapter 19
I slept fitfully, and when I opened my eyes again, Kai was watching over me. His lips flickered in a faint smile, as if welcoming me back into the world, before he said, “Go back to sleep, girl.”
I scrambled up onto my elbows, shaking sleep from my foggy head. The lights were off in the living room except for a lamp in the corner, by the bookcases, and the glow of the fire in the fireplace.
I shivered, hard, suddenly as deeply bone-cold as I’d been fever-hot. Kai stood and leaned over me as he pulled a blanket up over my legs. His tattooed arms and lean m
uscles stood out as he tucked the blanket under my thighs, his touch firm and caring. Then he sat on the edge of the couch, rubbing my arm with his hand as if to warm me. “Better?”
“I can’t be here,” I said softly. I tried to sort through my blurry memories of the night for how I’d ended up in this particular moment. I knew it made sense that I was here, but I couldn’t remember all the details. “My father…”
“…is not someone you have to worry about,” Kai said firmly. “Callum’ll have a talk with him.”
I shook my head. “You don’t know who my father is. He’s powerful in this town.”
Kai’s thumb traced across my forearm in gentle circles, as if comforting me. “So are we. Or at least, we could be.”
“Charming the school and winning over the football team?” I asked, my eyebrows arching. “I’m not sure I’d call that power.”
Kai shrugged. “I’d prefer to avoid attention, but I was outvoted.”
“You don’t like attention.” It wasn’t a question.
“Depends on who it’s from,” he said offhandedly.
I put my hand over his, and he shook his head, leaning away. “You’ve got to rest. And I have strict orders to be on my best behavior.”
“What do you think I was going to do?” I asked, mock innocently.
He leveled a bossy look at me that was surprisingly adorable. “I think we both know damn well that sparks fly whenever you and I are close. But you took the magic equivalent of a blow to the head and the flu all at once, so just lie there and go,” he leaned forward to brush his lips over my forehead, kisses punctuating each word, “back, to, sleep.”
“Magic is real,” I murmured.
“Magic is real,” he said, his eyes worried. I tried to take his shoulders in my hands, but he ducked out of my grip, too quick to catch, although some of the worry was chased away. A playful smile twisted his lips. “And you seem to be magic yourself, girl.”