Shapes of Autumn (Boxed set, books 1 - 5)

by Veronica Blade

Daniel.

  I sucked in air to shout out a warning to Zack who was rounding the hood, but Daniel was already at my side, stuffing a rag over my mouth. Instead of air, I sucked in something vile. He yanked me out of the passenger’s seat and snaked an arm around my neck.

  Zack froze two feet away. Autumn, he drugged you.

  I’d figured that out by the stink up my nose and the fog in my brain. But I wasn’t completely unconscious. Apparently, drugs didn’t affect me like they would a human.

  Act like you’re out. Zack told me silently.

  I pretended to go limp, resting the back of my head against Daniel’s chest. Knowing he couldn’t see my eyes with my back to him, I kept them open.

  “Don’t do anything stupid, Zack. One move and I’ll snap her neck.”

  If Daniel had heard our three-way calling, he would’ve skipped the threats and fast-forwarded to the snapping. I inwardly breathed a huge sigh of relief that Zack was able to block Daniel from our silent conversation.

  “Okay.” Zack took a step back and held out his hands. “You’re the boss.”

  “That’s right, I am.” I felt a tremor in Daniel’s chest as though he were laughing. “You should’ve walked away when you had the chance, moron.”

  “So what now, Daniel? You think you can get away with her dead weight holding you back? You’d never make it.”

  “You’re going to step aside and let me walk away, because you don’t want her to get hurt.”

  “Hm.” Zack nodded thoughtfully. “Why would you think that?”

  Daniel chuckled. “Because you like her. Duh.”

  “Yeah, well, she is hot. But she’s just a girl. A human at that. You want to kill her, go ahead. You’re not leaving here alive though. Not after you’ve insulted me and tried to take what’s mine.”

  With his free hand, Daniel picked a knife from his back pocket. He held its razor sharp edge to my neck below his arm. If he pressed any harder, he’d draw blood. “You sure about that, dude?”

  “You went through all this trouble for her and now you’re okay with killing her?” Zack laughed. “You’re an idiot, Daniel. I can tell you though, she’s worth the wait,” Zack said, a slow smile spreading over his face.

  Daniel’s arms stiffened, then he released me and I allowed my body to crumple the way I imagined an unconscious person would fall.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  I went down, twisting my body and turning my head, so I’d be able to keep tabs on them. My shoulder hit the concrete with a light thud, a few wisps of hair settling over my eyes. Unless he looked closely, Daniel wouldn’t notice me watching them.

  Daniel lunged, swiping the knife at Zack’s torso.

  Zack laughed, dodging the blade. “You can do better than that.” Stay down, Autumn, so this isn’t all for nothing.

  I gritted my teeth, but obeyed as Daniel sprang again. Zack ducked, grabbed a wrench and on his way up, clocked Daniel on the side of his face. Daniel stumbled into a table laden with tools. He gripped a tire iron and swung. When it crashed into Zack’s side, he staggered and fell, his back slamming to the ground. Daniel jumped on him, sending them both rolling. Daniel landed on top with his back to me, Zack struggling beneath him. Daniel wielded the iron again, but Zack swung the wrench, hitting Daniel’s inside elbow. Daniel lost his hold on the iron and it skittered across the cement.

  Fists flew, but from where I lay, I couldn’t tell who was winning.

  The wrench clattered to the floor, which left Zack without a weapon. I couldn’t take it anymore and moved to get up.

  Don’t distract me by doing something stupid, Autumn. I got it.

  With Zack still trapped underneath Daniel, I wasn’t so sure about that. But I held still and hoped.

  Zack’s legs and arms shot out at Daniel. A fist hit its mark, tossing Daniel off. Zack leapt to his feet and flipped a switch behind him, then grabbed the nozzle of a hose. When Daniel went in for another attack, Zack squeezed the handle and blasted air into Daniel’s eyes. He screamed and covered his face. Zack captured Daniel’s arms and shoved him back, immobilizing him against the side of a sturdy table. “Touching you this much is like my worst nightmare. You’re not my type.”

  “I’ll kill you!” Daniel screamed, eyes squeezed shut.

  “News flash for you, loser. That’s exactly what you’ll have to do. Because if you want Autumn, you’ll have to go through me to get to her. I’ll die before I’d let you get near her again.”

  Daniel opened his eyes, then closed them again. “I can’t see.”

  “Stop being such a wuss.” Zack easily blocked Daniel’s blow, then another.

  Even without vision, Daniel put up a good fight, his fists thrashing wildly and relentlessly. Zack dodged them, but I knew any second, Daniel would be able to see again and Zack would be right back where he’d started. Killing him would be the most effective, but I didn’t want to think about that and certainly wouldn’t want to witness it.

  Autumn, look away. You don’t want to see this.

  Apparently, Zack was one step ahead of me, as usual. The next moment, Zack jammed the nozzle into Daniel’s eyes while he released the air. Daniel wailed as blood trickled down his cheeks. The tossing in my stomach returned and the possibility of throwing up was too real.

  “Stop screaming like a girl, Daniel.” Zack stepped away to search the table, finding a roll of duct tape. “It could take an hour or two before you can see again, although I’m not sure if you’ll live that long. That depends on you.”

  “Zack, let him go.” William, Daniel’s maker, stepped into the garage in a flurry of rage, but he went directly to his fledgling, seizing him by his shirt and throwing him to the ground. “You halfwit. I told you not to involve the human.” He leaned over and slapped Daniel, hard, followed by a series of punches to his face.

  “She’s doesn’t know anything.” Daniel curled up in a ball in an attempt to shield himself from the onslaught. “She didn’t see me when I chloroformed her.”

  “But she’s here, isn’t she? She’ll know it was you, pinhead. What if she goes to the police?” With one hand, William picked Daniel up by his shirt and set him to his feet. He backhanded Daniel with so much force, a bone cracked. “You just don’t listen.” A strange energy emitted from William, almost a vibration. I guessed his patience with Daniel was used up. “You better pray you dosed her properly and she wakes up.”

  “She will. I only gave her a little bit.” Daniel rubbed his eyes with quivering hands.

  William released Daniel and he reeled backward, bouncing into the edge of the table. “You and your foolish vendetta. You will be punished for defying me.”

  “I have to see Autumn. Where is she?” Daniel extended his arms and groped sightlessly.

  William didn’t answer, backing away and sneering, like he enjoyed seeing Daniel suffer. Zack stuck out his leg and Daniel stumbled over it, his hands shooting out to break his fall.

  “You’ll never have a chance to get close to her again,” Zack said. “She’s mine. You got it?”

  Daniel growled and leaped up blindly, but Zack easily avoided him.

  William stepped in front of Zack, clamped a hand around his neck and raised his arm until Zack’s feet dangled. “You might be even stupider than Daniel. I could waste you in a second and you dare cross me by antagonizing my recruit?”

  Zack clutched at the hand clamping his throat.

  “One more stunt like that and I’ll kill you myself,” William hissed.

  The energy in the room seemed to change somehow, like the air became thicker. A pair of cowboy boots appeared in front of me.

  “That won’t be necessary,” Charles said. “Put him down.”

  William glared at the latest arrival, but complied. Zack rubbed his throat.

  Great. Now we had three werewolves to contend with. If Charles became hostile, Zack and I would never make it. I closed my eyes as Charles approached me.

  “Turning someone out of spite. That’s petty,
even for you, William,” Charles said.

  “I’m picking up a rogue wolf nearby,” William growled. “You were the only scout in the area, but you weren’t available. I needed help.”

  Charles gave him a low, gravelly laugh. “Or you turned him, because you thought you’d use Daniel to hijack my recruit. I already warned you to stay away from Zack.”

  “You must think I have nothing better to do.” William laughed, but there was no humor in it.

  “Don’t you?” As Charles bent closer to me, his earthy scent became stronger. “She’s a pretty little thing. Zack, if you decide to turn her, make sure you get approval beforehand. I’m sure you went through the proper channels to change Daniel. Right, William?”

  “Of course,” William answered in a voice slightly less steady than a moment ago.

  “And I’m sure if I called your supervisor, he’d assure me of that. Or would Kyle tell me that you haven’t applied for a permit since Colorado about two years ago? If he asked me why I was inquiring, I’d tell him I was checking on something, but would get back to him within twenty-four hours.” Charles sighed, sounding immensely pleased. “If I disappeared for any reason, I imagine he’d check into the matter.”

  I didn’t understand why a permit held such significance. But if it got William and Daniel out of the way, it was fine by me.

  “You will leave this city, this state and not return for a minimum of six months,” Charles ordered. “If you do, I’ll have that talk with Kyle. Come to think of it, there are a few other things I’ve been meaning to discuss with him.” The fabric of his clothes rustled as he moved away from me. “You and your pup will leave tonight as soon as his eyes are healed. Daniel’s proven to be quite resourceful. If he can procure chloroform, I’m sure he can handle the situation without raising suspicions from the mortals. See it through, William. And if you ever bother one of my recruits again, I will make sure that the entire werewolf community knows all your dirty little secrets, especially King Mortimer.”

  I heard William growl and drag Daniel away, then silence. One second… two seconds… three seconds.

  “He’s disgusting, even for a scout.” Charles made a low sound in his throat. “You’ll have to make something up to tell the girl, so she doesn’t involve the officials. They’d want to find out what she was given, which would involve blood tests and the pup will be their most promising suspect. We can’t have the mortals investigating one of our own.”

  “Yes, sir,” Zack answered.

  “Tell her she passed out. I’ll hang around a while to make sure William and his pup don’t come back or try anything else.”

  Zack lifted me up off the concrete. I heard the car door open as he gently laid me in the passenger seat.

  “Put the top up, so she isn’t noticed.”

  “Yes, sir.” Zack went to the driver’s side and did as he was told. I stayed in the car seat, my head leaning against the window, while he straightened the shop and cleaned up spilled blood.

  “If you need anything, call me. If you see William or Daniel again, I want to know right away.”

  † † †

  Zack and I didn’t speak a word on the way home as I pretended to be asleep. He cruised into the driveway of my house, parked and swiveled in his seat. If I carry you in, your neighbors might see and it would draw attention to us. It’s probably okay if our werewolf buddies see you awake now. Act weak. If we see Charles, he’ll assume you woke up during the drive.

  Racing around the car, he opened the door for me. Gingerly, as though I was still disoriented, I got out.

  Charles appeared out of nowhere, meeting us at the path to the front door. “Hello. I had no idea we were neighbors. Everything alright?”

  He seemed so nice. Not at all like my first impression at the dealership. Standing less than an inch shorter than Zack, he wore his long, brown hair loose. It framed brown eyes and lightly tanned skin.

  “Uhm, yeah. She fainted, but she’s okay now.” Zack draped an arm around my shoulders. You think we’re safe now? he asked Charles telepathically.

  Yes. They won’t bother you again.

  You’re sure? Zack asked.

  Positive. If I turn out to be wrong though, call me. I’ll be close by. He switched to talking aloud. “I’m glad you’re alright,” he told me, then turned to my escort again and tipped his hat. “You two have a nice evening.”

  Zack looked a little dazed. I probably did too.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  We went straight for the sofa without turning on a light, Zack on one end and me on the other.

  “I can’t believe you did that to his eyes. That was so disgusting.” A giggle slipped out, even though it wasn’t actually funny.

  “I didn’t gouge them out or anything. Just messed them up.” Zack half snorted, half laughed. “I wanted to kill him.”

  “Why didn’t you?” Not that I’d wanted him to, but I was curious.

  “I was hoping I wouldn’t have to. I figured since I know that shop inside and out, I had an edge on him. Planned on tying him up with duct tape so tight that even morphing into werewolf, he couldn’t get away. Stuff him in the trunk, drop you off, then call Charles. If things got ugly, I would’ve killed him to keep you safe, but it’s not something I was looking forward to. And there’d still be a werewolf inquisition and I’d have to prove it was self-defense.”

  I shuddered at the thought of Zack being jailed or worse for protecting me. “I’m glad it didn’t come to that.”

  “Once William showed up, I knew Charles would follow,” Zack said. “I’d given Charles the heads up earlier and suggested he keep an eye on William, which guaranteed that if William showed, I’d have help.”

  “You had everything all figured out and you didn’t think maybe you should clue me in?”

  Zack left the couch, then switched on a light and stood in front of me. “I didn’t want you to worry. At the same time, I didn’t want you getting your hopes up by thinking we were in the clear.”

  “You think it’s over?” I asked.

  “With Daniel, for now, yes.” He settled into the recliner. “But so long as I’m a werewolf under the king’s rule and you’re a potential slave, it will never be over for us.”

  “You put such a positive spin on things.” I sighed and relaxed my shoulders.

  “Sorry, I don’t mean to upset you, but you need to understand the situation.”

  “Trust me, I’m fully aware of the situation.” Part of me wished I wasn’t. “But Charles was surprisingly nice. Maybe he’s not so bad.”

  “He’s a werewolf and a scout, Autumn. You’re forgetting how creepy you thought he was. Besides, he wants the same thing William wants. The king’s best interest, not mine.”

  “Your father was both those. Don’t forget that. Most important, you’re a werewolf. We’re not even supposed to get along and yet we do.”

  “Don’t be so optimistic that you’re not prepared for the worst.” He pulled the lever and the footrest came out.

  “Well, that’s something you don’t have to concern yourself with, because I am prepared for the worst,” I said softly, taking a deep breath. “Now that Daniel’s gone, you don’t need to protect me. I’ve got my car now, so that frees up your afternoons and weekends.”

  Zack didn’t comment. Good. I didn’t want him to say something nice and give me false hope. I needed to cut him from my life as quickly and painlessly as possible. The sooner he left, the sooner the healing could begin. But I’d still see him at school and it would be excruciating. Monday seemed like a million years away though.

  “Imagine how glad your mom will be when you go home tonight and tell her Daniel is no longer harassing me,” I said, my chest tightening at the thought of Zack not staying the night.

  “Until I’m sure he’s gone, you’re not out of the woods. I’ll stay tonight. But tomorrow, you probably won’t need me anymore.”

  Oh, but he was so wrong.

  “In the morning, we’ll get
your car fixed and you can drop me off.”

  I’d forgotten about the car. “You don’t need to bother with that. I can take it in on Monday after school.”

  Zack growled, low and deep. “Autumn, we’ll fix it tomorrow. I’m not taking any chances.”

  “Fine.” I waved my hand in surrender and rose from the couch. “Goodnight.”

  “Autumn,” he groaned.

  A part of me hoped that at last, knowing that tomorrow we’d barely see each other, he’d finally realize what a mistake he was making by turning me away. “Yes?”

  His mouth thinned to a straight line. “I need to morph tonight.”

  “Right.” I turned away, my eyes misting. Stupid Autumn. “Sorry. Shouldn’t we stay in?”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay.” And like the night before, I closed the house up tight.

  † † †

  Sleep hadn’t come easy. In the morning, the sun filled the room and bright light shined through my eyelids. I turned over, hoping for a few more minutes of sleep. I didn’t want to face the hole in my heart and what my life had become. I wasn’t looking forward to anything in my future.

  When I opened my eyes, I saw my bedroom door standing wide open, which meant Zack had checked on me during the night. I wondered if he was still downstairs. Would he be anxious to get away from me? Or would he be as happy to continue as friends?

  He appeared in the doorway, his arms spread to embrace the doorframe as if it would fall any second. “Hey,” he said.

  I tried to smile, but couldn’t make my mouth do that particular function. Hopefully, he’d think my odd facial expression was because I wasn’t fully awake yet. “You were in my room again.”

  “Yeah, so? You’ve had a rough week. I was just checking on you.”

  I squinted, thinking his week had been twice as stressful. “Well, I didn’t have to stick a nozzle in Daniel’s sockets to destroy his eyeballs. I think you win.”

  “Yeah, I guess I do.” He didn’t smile, watching me another moment, then he disappeared.

  I didn’t want him to leave without saying goodbye and didn’t know how much more time I had with him. So I jumped out of bed and threw on some clothes. After racing down the stairs, I searched the house for Zack. He had the fridge open and glanced over when I entered the kitchen.