“He’s watching you a lot,” John said, his eyes darting toward Zack. “I think he’s regretting the breakup.”
I took a bite of my grilled cheese sandwich and shrugged, but my stomach dipped in excitement at getting back together — if we ever really talked it out, that is.
“You look better today. Alive, instead of one of the undead.” He snickered.
“Friday wasn’t my best day ever,” I said, tearing off another chunk from my sandwich.
“So, you want him back?” John eyed me as he sipped from his soda can.
“Honestly? Yes and no.” I dabbed the napkin at my mouth and pushed my tray away. If Zack was going to fix this, now was the time since lunch was just about over.
“Better decide fast ’cause he’s on his way over.” John looked up as a shadow fell over me.
Finally. And he’d brought Trevor and Maya with him. Okay…
Chapter Thirty-two
“Autumn,” Zack said as my eyes met his.
“What are you doing?” Maya asked him. She and Trevor flanked Zack, looking puzzled.
An eerie silence had settled over the room, as if everyone in the cafeteria were dying to see what would happen next.
“Sshh, Maya. Just listen.” Zack returned his attention to me. “I was thinking about the things you said before and you’re right. I’m sorry for being such an ass. You deserve better than that.”
My stomach spun again. I almost grinned, but then decided I shouldn’t give in too easily. “Oh, yeah?” I drew my brows together to appear skeptical.
“Checking out other girls wasn’t right and I can’t believe I was that stupid. I know I have no right to even ask you this, but… if you can forgive me, I promise I’ll work hard to try to be the guy you deserve.”
Wow. My eyes blurred immediately.
“Well…” I’d somehow lost perspective. I should forgive him now, right? Even though we hadn’t even talked? Wait, he was apologizing for what everyone thought he’d done, not for making out with Gina. But with the entire cafeteria watching, I had to say something. Rising, I set my drink on the table and spoke from my heart. “I’ve missed you.”
Carefully taking my face in his hands, Zack kissed me in front of everyone. It was slow and deep and my brain began to simmer. I contemplated skipping school and dragging him to my house where we could be alone. But that was out of the question. Instead of twining my arms around his neck and pulling him closer like I really wanted to do, I rested my hands on his hips, looping my thumbs in the waist of his jeans. A moment later, he released me and looked into my eyes.
I was breathless.
Zack kept his hands around my face, thumbs stroking my temple as he turned to John. “Do you mind if I steal her?”
“Please do.” John motioned us away, flashing a mischievous smile. “She’s been miserable company for days.”
Zack tugged on my hand and led me through the rows of packed lunch tables toward the back exit. Just before we reached the doorway to outside, we neared Cameron’s table. I glanced at Zack to see his gaze fixed on Cameron. Zack’s look said it all — She’s mine.
I almost told him that his territorial display of testosterone was unnecessary and that Cameron already knew, but then I glanced over at Gina and everything slipped my mind as a gust of hate blew my way.
Stopping outside in a long passageway between two buildings, Zack boxed me in with his arms on either side, his palms flattened against the wall.
“That was nice,” I breathed. “Perfect.”
“I’ve got my moments.” His eyes smoldered and he edged closer.
“Wait,” I said, holding my hands up so they met his chest. “You did an impressive job convincing everyone and that kiss was dreamy, but we still have to talk. You promised.”
The warning bell rang and he straightened. “After school, I need to go to work, but we’ll talk tonight, okay?”
The talk — finally.
† † †
Knowing my parents were shape-shifters, and most likely in danger, inspired me to work hard on sorting out the cheating situation, so the principal wouldn’t call them. Especially, since they’d worry over something I hadn’t done in the first place. The entire situation was wrong on so many levels.
Natalie wasn’t at last period, the scene of the crime. How was I supposed to trick her into confessing if she never showed up? I hated the idea of going to her house and luring her into a confession while I recorded it. But if I had to, then so be it. Time was running out.
After school, Zack waited for me outside, falling into step with me as I headed to my car. “You’re okay with driving me to work?”
I shook my head. “Just drop me off at your house, so you don’t have to worry about getting a ride home.”
He nodded, looking relieved. “I like that even better.”
Of course he would. If he had my car, I couldn’t go anywhere and get into trouble. Not that he’d have to worry about that. The thought of Charles hunting me down and catching me alone made my insides quake.
† † †
After dinner at Zack’s, he and I attacked the kitchen as usual. As I was finishing up the counters, I froze with the sponge in my hand. “Zack, I only have three outfits and they’re all dirty. Even if I do laundry here, I’ll still need more clothes. Whether we go to my house or go shopping and buy all new stuff, we’re still exposing ourselves to Charles.”
The silence stretched. Finally, he wiped his hand on the dish towel and turned to face me. “Right now, your house is the very worst place to be. We’re better off buying you all new stuff.”
“I don’t know.” I shook my head, thoughtful. “To me, the idea of walking into a store is just as terrifying. If Charles is old enough and can control someone’s thoughts, he could kill us publicly and there would be no one able to testify. He could get us in the parking lot or jump me in the dressing room.” I shuddered. “And it may not even be just him anymore. For all we know, he’s called in reinforcements.”
“You’re not helping.” A low growl began in Zack’s throat. “How about we don’t do any of the above?”
“Nothing’s going to get better until Charles is really dead.” I leaned on the counter, just inches from Zack. “In the meantime, the only way to avoid him is to stay here, not even go to school. How long can I keep that up? We have to go to my house sooner or later. I choose now, while we still have a chance he’s still too weak to hurt us.”
Zack shook his head. “No way.”
I wasn’t deterred. “If we go in through the front door where the neighbors might see, we’ll be able to sense him before we ever step inside. Once we know it’s safe, we lock the doors. Okay, it’s not one hundred percent safe, but then no place is safe. Not for us.”
I waited a beat. “If Charles is lurking, by the time he breaks down the door, the neighbors will probably call the cops. And it’s not like we won’t hear him or have some warning when he’s busting up the place to get to us. Wouldn’t we be out the back door by the time he’s inside?”
“I can tell you really want your stuff.” Zack pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “Fine. We’ll check for his scent before we step foot inside. We’ll go through the front, like you said. Keep in mind that if he really is alive and he wants us dead, he’ll be pissed off enough that he might not care about breaking werewolf law. Or any law.”
No matter how big I talked, terror practically immobilized me. And now that I’d worn down Zack’s resistance, I was rethinking my strategy. “Maybe I should call my parents for help,” I suggested halfheartedly.
“Might not be a bad idea.” He eyed me. “Except, if Charles attacked, they’d probably be willing to sacrifice themselves for you. Parents are like that.”
“But it’ll be four against one. Except if they knew I was in danger, no way would they let me stay.” I shook my head. “We should go to my house tonight, while there’s still a chance that Charles might not be strong enough to hurt us.”
Zack reached a hand behind my neck and pulled me close, his other hand fixing my hip against his. “Maybe you should fly to New Mexico and be with your parents. They’ve been running at least eighteen years, right? We know they’re good at it. You’d be safer with them.”
His words were telling me to go, but his hands were telling me to stay. I knew he was right and I belonged with my parents so long as Charles was around. But sadness washed over me at the thought of leaving Zack. And if I left, who would help and protect him? If I stayed, two were better than one, even if we were both newbies.
He yanked me up against him, his lips at my ear. “Call them. Find out where they are and then go. It’s the smart thing to do.”
My lungs felt heavy, maybe because Zack was all over me and I wanted him never to stop touching me. Or maybe it was the thought of never seeing him again.
I lifted my face to his. “I’m not going to leave you to deal with Charles on your own. I’d rather be right than smart.” Zack and I had never talked about the future other than the very real knowledge that he would run soon. Alone. We’d never made a commitment or voiced our desire to be together beyond graduation. “I want to be with you. As long as the ride lasts, I’ll be on it.”
He studied me, scanning every inch of my face. “Is there anything I can say to talk you out of staying?”
I brought up a hand to touch his cheek. “No.”
He turned his lips into my hand, closed his eyes and kissed my palm.
It didn’t matter that Zack never put his feelings into words. I knew he cared. I still wanted to talk about what happened with Gina and Cameron, so it would never come back to haunt us. But I wasn’t mad anymore. Zack didn’t like Gina — it was me he wanted.
I leaned into him and stretched up on my toes, watching as his soft full lips whispered my name.
“All right, you two.” Favianne stood in the kitchen doorway, hands on her hips. “As reluctant as I am to interrupt, I need some company.”
Zack released me and chuckled. “We have to go to Autumn’s for a few minutes and pick up some things, since she’s staying a while. You wanted to watch that movie later, right?”
“Yes. Unless you two want to be alone.”
“We have all night for that,” I said.
“Autumn, this is my mom you’re talking to.” He groaned. “Geez.”
My face heated up. “No! I just meant that she goes to bed early, so you and I can hang out later.”
She smiled and wagged a finger at Zack. “And now we know what’s on your mind, tesoro.”
Trying not to laugh, I steered him out of the kitchen and to the front door. “We’ll be back later.”
I hoped…
† † †
We ambled down the sidewalk, holding hands in silence, while I tried not to think about what might be waiting for us. I wanted to think about something else. “Tomorrow, I’ll figure out a way to make that whole cheating thing go away. It’ll be one less thing to worry about.”
Except I still had no idea how to prove my innocence. If I was still alive after tonight.
“I can’t think about that now.” He tugged on my arm and coaxed me to a stop, lowering his voice to a whisper. “Once you open the door, turn on the lights first thing, then go in slowly and open all the curtains. If he’s around, he’ll be less likely to do much if anyone can see from outside.” He released a breath ripe with frustration. “Maybe we should wait until dark.”
“And that would help how?” I just wanted to get it over with.
“I don’t know.” He took my hand again and we continued walking.
At the top of the front steps to my house, we stopped. Two seconds passed as we stared at the door, neither of us in a hurry to go inside.
“I meant to give you something before we left, but my mom distracted me.” He wrapped an arm around my shoulder and turned me toward the door. With his free hand, he reached into his waistband and brandished a knife, keeping it low so our bodies blocked anyone from seeing it. “I snagged one for each of us. But Aunt Cara will kill me if she doesn’t get these back. They’re her best ones. Very sharp.”
I stared at the knife, not wanting anything to do with it. “I wouldn’t even know how to use it.”
“You never know what you’re capable of. Survival instinct kicks in and you figure something out.” His lip curled up. “Just like last time.”
“I morphed into a bear. If I do that again, I can’t hold a knife.” I inhaled, trying to find Charles’s scent.
“I don’t pick up a thing. If he was around recently, we’d smell it.” His eyes cut to mine. “You ready?”
I nodded, my palms folding over the handle. My adrenaline spiked and my limbs trembled, my instinct screaming at me to run and find the safety of my parents’ protective bubble. But I squelched it. I wouldn’t leave Zack to battle Charles alone.
He reached for the doorknob and my hand gripped the handle of the knife. The light switch was just inches from the door that we left wide open. Careful to keep my back to the wall so I could see any movement in the house, I flipped the switch and parted the living room curtains.
“I still don’t smell anything,” I told Zack.
“Me neither.”
Setting my cell phone on the dining room table a few feet away, I freed my hands and returned to stand beside Zack. Together, we crept farther into the house. My lungs worked overtime to detect anything unusual.
Zack and I ascended the stairs together, on alert for the merest flicker of movement. Once inside my room, we paused and held perfectly still.
Do you feel that? Zack asked.
I’m not sure. As I scanned my room, I sensed an energy. But it wasn’t obvious like when we’d encountered Renzo or Alura. Faint, like a memory. Maybe Charles had been in my house days ago, before I’d left him for dead, and I just hadn’t noticed. If he was here, we’d know, right?
We should smell him. Zack nodded, his muscles taut as he surveyed the room. Let’s just do what we came here to do and get the hell out.
I found a suitcase on the top shelf of my closet and worked at breakneck speed to gather everything I could think of that I’d need. Moments later, Zack grabbed the overstuffed suitcase and we raced down the stairs. I flew out the door so fast that I almost forgot to lock it.
When we reached Zack’s front porch, luggage rolling behind us, my nerves were raw and my throat ached. As soon as I saw Zack’s mom waiting for us on the living room sofa with a ready smile, the tension in my muscles waned.
Favianne muted the TV. “Anything in particular you want to watch?”
After the stress of the last few minutes, I was dying to melt into the couch and think about absolutely nothing. Especially not Charles. “Whatever you want to watch is fine.”
“We’ll be right back.” Zack dragged my suitcase to my new room, which seemed smaller with him in it. The lack of space didn’t stop him from shutting the door and closing us inside. He wrapped me in a hug and my body melted against his. Let’s never go to your house again, he said.
Eventually, I’d have to go back, but not while Charles was on the loose. I nodded against Zack’s chest. He’d promised to talk about what was bothering him, but getting into a deep conversation was the last thing I wanted to do at that moment. If he didn’t plan to let me out of his sight for a while, there would be other opportunities.
† † †
When we arrived on campus the next morning, I spotted Natalie getting out of Gina’s car. Good, they were both there today. I vowed not to let sixth period pass without getting what I wanted. I just needed to figure out how to accomplish that.
Lunchtime rolled around and I sat next to Zack, slumping in my chair. If only I was an ancient werewolf and could plant an urge to confess in their heads. I glanced at Gina and Natalie for the hundredth time that day, trying to figure a way out of my mess.
What if my parents were ancient and that’s why I could keep up with Zack? But was being stronger than
your average newbie shape-shifter enough? Couldn’t hurt to try. If either of them would be susceptible to mind-shifting, it was Natalie. I’d start with her.
As she lifted a wrap sandwich to her mouth, I sent her a silent message. You have a burning desire to tell the truth. Speak up, Natalie. Tell everyone what you’ve done.
She stopped mid-chewing, waited a beat, then resumed. Had she paused as a result of my interference or had that been a coincidence? Wait… if I were going to put a thought in her head, shouldn’t it be in first person?
I can’t live with the lies. I must tell everyone the truth, starting with what I did to Autumn.
Natalie set her sandwich down and stared at her tray as she fidgeted with a napkin.
I think you’re actually getting to her, Zack said, gazing at me in awe. Amazing.
I hadn’t realized he was touching me and listening in.
My gaze went back to Natalie. As I mentally closed in on her, the people around me faded to the background. I focused on her, hard, until I could see the flecks of brown in her eyes and I could smell her sweet, floral perfume and the fruity scent of her dark, curly hair.
The entire student body should know what I did to Autumn, I pushed into her head. The whole truth. Right now, here in the lunchroom. The truth must be told.
Natalie flattened her palms on the table and moved to get up, her gaze flicking to me.
“Where are you going?” Gina asked.
“I’m going to talk to Autumn and tell her the truth.” Natalie stepped away and headed toward me.
A warm glow spread through my limbs. It was working! But would she really go through with it?
“What?” Gina shrieked, attracting the attention of most everyone in the lunchroom. She scrambled off her seat and groped for Natalie’s hand. “You can’t do that!”
Natalie sidestepped Gina and strode away, as if on a mission. Midway, she halted and frowned.
Were the affects fading? No more lies and scheming. I want to be a good person, I fed her again. Gina’s a liar. I won’t listen to her. I added for good measure.
Shapes of Autumn (Boxed set, books 1 - 5) Page 53