by Karen Lynch
I took it, and she left with Scott without giving me another look. Lex watched her go with a calculating gleam in her eyes.
“Don’t,” I warned as anger simmered in me. “You frighten her again and I’ll drag you to Maxwell myself.”
She pulled away to glare at me. “You are very defensive of the human. What is she to you?”
I crossed my arms. “First of all, that human is my friend. Second, I told you last time she is under my protection.”
“Why?” Her eyes widened. “Are you seeing her?”
“I told you we’re friends.” I stepped back to pull on my sweater and got a lungful of Emma’s alluring scent.
“I don’t believe you.”
My patience snapped. “I don’t care what you believe.”
I started toward the path, and she caught my sleeve, her voice soft and wheedling.
“I’m sorry. It’s just that I really like you, Roland, and I think we could have something special if you gave us a chance. You have to mate one of us, so why not make sure it’s someone you want?”
I almost laughed at her suggestion that I could want someone like her. I’d seen the real Lex, and she wasn’t fooling me or my wolf with her false sweetness. I couldn’t have Emma, but there was no way in hell this malicious female would ever have me.
“Stay away from Emma.”
I jerked out of her grasp and strode away from her, regretting my decision to come here tonight. The truth was that if I hadn’t known Emma would be here, I’d still be at the garage. And Emma wouldn’t be sucked into this mess.
At the top of the bluff, I spotted Emma and the others dancing. Emma’s face was flushed and she was laughing at Dell, who was doing his robot dance. She looked happy.
Instead of joining them, I walked toward a small utility shed at the edge of the woods. Leaning against the shed, I watched Emma and came to a decision. Being around her, feeling how I did, was not good for either of us, and it was in her best interest if I stayed away from her. She seemed to have no trouble making friends, so she wouldn’t be alone.
My wolf growled unhappily, but what other choice did I have? I was feeling things for Emma that I’d never felt for anyone else, and it was already hard to stay away from her. Better I ended this before it started and saved us both the pain that would come later. At least this way, I was the only one getting hurt.
The dance ended, and Emma, Shannon, and April started dancing together. I didn’t know where Lex and Julie were, and I didn’t care as long as they heeded my warning to stay away from Emma.
Paul walked over to join me. “Why are you off by yourself? I thought you used to be the life of the party.”
“Don’t feel much like partying these days.” I looked over at him. “What about you? I can’t remember the last time you went to a night club.”
He sighed and watched the dancing. “I’m twenty-five and unmated. If I’m going to find a mate, it won’t be under a car in my garage.”
I snorted. “You really want to imprint on someone like Lex?”
“No, but April is great and Julie’s nice when she’s not with Lex. Besides, I don’t think Lex will settle for anyone but you.”
“Then she’d better learn to like disappointment.” I’d tolerated her attentions until tonight, but no more. If my wolf truly knew my heart, he would not choose someone I could barely stand.
The music changed again, and I watched Dell take Emma by the hand and twirl her around. Normally, his goofy antics got a good laugh out of me, but not this time. When he pulled her close and leaned down to say something to her, my jaw clenched.
Lex and Julie joined the dancers, and I saw them send a few venomous looks at Emma, who seemed oblivious. My body tensed, expecting one of them to bump into her on purpose. Even in their human form, female wolves were stronger than human females, and they could easily hurt her. If they did, I’d –
“Damn, Roland, why didn’t you tell me?” Paul’s voice was full of shock.
I shot him a sideways look. “Tell you what?”
He backed away, rubbing his nose. “Phew, man, you reek of it.”
“What?”
“The bonding scent. I guess it’s true that you can’t smell your own.” He looked toward the lighthouse. “Which one is it?”
“Which one –?” My stomach lurched as the meaning of his words hit me.
No. No way! This is not happening.
But it was.
My wolf had imprinted.
Chapter 10
Roland
“Who is it?” Paul asked again. “I know it’s not Lex after what you just said. It’s April, isn’t it?”
“I…” My lungs squeezed, and I had trouble drawing a breath. I heard Paul say something, but it sounded muddled.
Next thing I knew, Paul was in my face, his eyes worried. “You okay, man? You look kind of out of it.”
“I-I’m fine,” I rasped, my mind still reeling. Imprinted. My wolf had imprinted. How could he have chosen one of these females? Two I couldn’t stand and two I barely knew. What had happened to him knowing my heart? My heart didn’t want any of them.
I couldn’t look at them. As soon as I saw her I’d know, and I wanted to delay the inevitable as long as possible. Mated males said that when you saw your mate for the first time after the imprint, she was more beautiful than anyone you’d ever seen, and you felt the irresistible urge to mark her. Everyone’s scent was unique, and it told all other males that she was yours.
“You sure?” Paul asked.
“Yeah. I…” Paul and I had always been close, and I could tell him anything. But I was finding it extremely hard to talk. “I don’t know.”
“Don’t know what?”
My eyes met his again. “I don’t know who.”
His mouth fell open, and his eyes grew round. “You mean it just happened and you have no idea who she is?”
I nodded helplessly.
“Ah, hell, man.” His eyes turned sympathetic, and he looked at the partiers. “You have to find out who it is. You know there’s no sense putting it off.”
“I know.” There were only four unmated females here. It wouldn’t take long to find her.
Dread twisted my gut as a new thought occurred to me. What if it was Shannon? Pete hadn’t imprinted on her yet, but he was crazy about her. It would kill him if my wolf chose the girl he wanted for his mate.
I turned slowly to face the party. Adrenaline coursed through my body, but it wasn’t from excitement. Life as I knew it was over, and I felt sick. The last time I was this miserable was when I thought Sara had died. She’d come back. There was no coming back from this for me.
The first one I saw was Julie, who danced with Pete. I held my breath as my eyes moved over her face. Nothing. I felt nothing for her. I let out my breath and moved on.
I located April and Shannon next, dancing together. My chest tightened as I looked at Shannon, expecting the worst. My relief when I knew it wasn’t her was so enormous that my legs felt weak. I liked Shannon, and if she wasn’t Pete’s girl, I’d rather it was her than any of the others. For both their sakes, I was happy it wasn’t her.
My gaze shifted to April. She was pretty and she seemed sweet, so I could make that work. But I felt nothing when I looked at her.
That left…Lex.
The bottom dropped from my stomach. God, no. You would not do that to me.
I searched the crowd for her, trying to understand how my wolf could have imprinted on her of all people. She was beautiful and sexy, yes, but she was also manipulative, power hungry, and a bully. I couldn’t see myself spending a whole day with her, let alone my whole life.
I found her near the lighthouse, talking to Dell, and I tried in vain to mentally prepare myself for what was about to happen. Taking a deep breath, I focused on her face and waited.
And waited.
And…nothing.
My heart raced as elation filled me. Thank you, Jesus.
The euphoria lasted
all of five seconds. If it wasn’t Lex, then who was it? Was there another female wolf here?
“It’s none of them. Are you sure you smelled bonding scent?” I asked hopefully.
“I have half a dozen friends who’ve bonded.” There was no mistaking the envy in his voice. “Trust me. I know a bonding scent when I smell it.”
“I don’t get it. I’m supposed to know who it is as soon as I look at her.” I scanned the crowd again. “Did anyone else come with you guys?”
“No, it was just the five of us. Look again. It has to be one of them.”
“What do you think I’m doing?” I said through gritted teeth.
I looked at Lex first this time, wanting to get it over with. I let out a deep breath when I still felt nothing for her. My gaze moved over Shannon, April, and Julie with the same result.
A couple walking toward the bluff drew my eye away from the main crowd. It was Emma and Scott. He said something, and they both laughed. A strong wind tossed her hair, and she reached up to grab it as she turned toward me.
Warmth infused my entire body, and I stared, transfixed, at her flawless skin and delicate features. How was it possible for her to grow more beautiful every time I saw her? She was perfect, and I couldn’t look away from her if I tried.
Scott reached up to brush her hair from her face, and a growl rumbled from my chest. How dare he touch her? Emma was mine.
Need coursed through me. Not desire, but something fierce and bestial that almost consumed me. It was my wolf, pushing to get out, wanting to go to Emma and cover her in his scent. To let the male beside her know she was ours.
Our mate.
“That’s not possible.” I staggered backward and almost tripped over my own feet.
Paul reached out to steady me. “What’s wrong?”
“It can’t be her.” I stared at Emma. Werewolves imprinted on other werewolves, not humans. I was into her, and the idea of imprinting on one of the female wolves freaked me out so much that I’d made myself believe my wolf had chosen her. I felt a sharp pang of disappointment as the hope of being with someone I actually wanted shattered.
“It’s Lex, isn’t it?” Paul asked sympathetically.
I looked at him, and the second my eyes left Emma, my wolf quieted and the warmth left my body, proof I’d been fooled by my own wishful thinking. If I’d really imprinted on Emma, I should still be overcome by the need to mark her with my scent.
“Roland?”
I shook my head to clear it. “This is messed up.”
“You still don’t know who you’ve imprinted on?” he asked incredulously.
“I looked at them twice, and I felt nothing. And then I looked at…”
“Looked at who?” He frowned. “You’re not making any sense, Cuz.”
I stepped around him and took a fortifying breath as my eyes found Shannon, April, Lex, and Julie, one more time. Again, I felt nothing and my wolf showed no interest in them.
My gaze went to Emma and Scott at the top of the path to the beach. I could only see her profile, but it was enough to send my wolf into a frenzy. My canines elongated, and my skin felt stretched too tight as heat spread through me again.
“Mate,” I growled as Emma disappeared from view.
“Jesus, Roland! You’re starting to shift.” Paul grabbed me by the arms. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
The alarm in his voice brought me back to my senses, and I stared at him in horror when I touched my face, which was partially covered in fur. I forced my body back to its human form and tried not to think of how close I’d come to exposing us to a bunch of humans.
Paul released me and let out a loud breath. “Well, that answers your question about whether or not you’ve imprinted. Your timing could have been a bit better, though.”
I rubbed my face with my hands, trying to process what my heart and wolf were telling me. How could my wolf have imprinted on a human? Without her own wolf, she could never be a true mate. Could she?
“Paul, this is going to sound crazy, but have you ever heard of a wolf choosing a human mate?”
He started to laugh but quieted when he realized I wasn’t laughing, too.
“Is that even possible?” he asked.
“It must be.” I met his confused stare. “Because I just imprinted on Emma Grey.”
He gawked at me. “You’re joking.”
“You really think I’d joke about something like this?” I let out a shuddering breath because I was still struggling with the need to go to her.
“Roland, think about it. Even if Emma was a wolf, you couldn’t imprint on her in human form. You would have had to be with her in your wolf form at least once for the imprint to take.”
“I have been. Twice,” I said hoarsely as it finally hit me why my wolf had been drawn to her. It wasn’t because she was Sara’s cousin. It was because he knew she was his mate.
Paul stared at me. “Holy fuck.”
I sagged against the shed. “Yeah, that about sums it up.”
Emma
“Are you sure you don’t want me to get a sweater for you?” Scott asked as we sat beside the fire again. “I should have told you it can get cool up here at night.”
“I’m good. It’s a lot warmer in this spot.”
We were sitting with our backs to the bluff and the fire in front of us. It was sheltered from the wind and quite cozy. I probably would have been too warm if I’d still been wearing Roland’s sweater.
I thought about Roland and his odd behavior tonight. He’d seemed okay when he got here. As soon as he’d given me his sweater, he’d left in a hurry and come back with all those other werewolves. He hadn’t looked happy to have them join us, and I could tell he’d been angry when his girlfriend asked me about his sweater.
And why had he never mentioned he had a girlfriend? It wasn’t like he and I were involved or anything, but you’d think a girlfriend would come up in conversation. She didn’t seem like his type, but then, what did I know about werewolf relationships?
And then, we’d all gone up to dance and Roland had disappeared again. No one else seemed to think anything of it, except Lex who’d looked angry. I caught her glaring at me a few times while we were all dancing, and I’d tried not to let her get to me. If she’d been human, I’d just ignore her. But an angry, jealous werewolf was another matter. I’d been ready to bow out and head home when Scott asked me to come back to the fire.
“You don’t have to sit with me all night, you know,” I said to him.
He smiled. “I like sitting with you.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yes, because I’m so exciting.”
“And pretty and mysterious. Hanging with you is good for my image.”
He laughed, and I poked him in the side. “Just for that, you can wash the pots by yourself tomorrow, Mr. Foley.”
“Washing pots. How the mighty have fallen,” joked a newcomer.
Scott jumped to his feet. “Ryan! What are you doing here, man? I thought you were staying in New York until the end of the month.”
The blond boy made a face. “The water main broke in our building, and it won’t be fixed until Tuesday. Uncle Jack told me to take a few days off and come home until then.”
Scott slapped his back. “Glad you’re here. I want you to meet Emma Grey. She moved here a few weeks ago, and she works with me at the diner. Emma, this is Ryan.”
Ryan smiled and held out his hand. “Hi. Are you any relation to Sara Grey?”
“She’s my cousin. I’m staying at her apartment.”
He smirked and pointed a thumb at Scott. “And the only person you could find to hang out with is this loser?”
I shrugged. “He has some redeeming qualities.”
“Some?” Scott shook his head. “Just for that, Miss Grey, I’m not letting you help me wash the pots tomorrow.”
“Ah, man, you have to work tomorrow?” Ryan’s smile fell away. “I was hoping we could take the boat out.”
“Some of us
don’t have fancy nine-to-five jobs for the summer,” Scott ribbed good-naturedly.
Ryan laughed. “Yeah, it’s real fancy working the mailroom and getting lunch for the execs.”
I felt bad that Scott couldn’t spend tomorrow with his friend, and if I hadn’t already been scheduled I would have offered to take his shift for him.
I stood and smiled at them. “I’ve been sitting down here most of the night. I’m going to walk around a bit.”
“You want me to come with you?” Scott asked.
“No. You stay and catch up with Ryan. I’m going to leave soon anyway. I’ll see you tomorrow.” I looked at Ryan. “It was nice to meet you.”
“You, too.”
I left them and went to stand by the lighthouse. Away from the fire, it was a lot cooler, and I shivered in my thin top, making a mental note to keep a sweater in the storage compartment on the Vespa.
I walked around the building until I was out of the wind. The only problem was it took me to the far side, away from everyone else. It was dark on this side, and I nearly tripped over some loose bricks on the ground. I smiled wryly. After three months as a human, I still felt clumsy in my own body sometimes. Vampires were agile, and they could see in the dark. But I’d take being a clumsy, flawed human over that any day.
I closed my eyes and listened to the waves, glad I’d come tonight. I’d spent every Saturday night since I moved here cooped up in the apartment, and I needed to get out more often. Although, I hadn’t been expecting all those werewolves or that I’d be agreeing to go for coffee with two of them. I smiled. I’d surprised myself with that one.
“Emma, are you alright?”
I gasped and opened my eyes to stare at Roland, who stood several feet away. I hadn’t even heard him arrive. “Roland, you scared me.”
“Sorry.” He stepped closer. “Why are you back here alone?”
His voice had a gruffness to it I hadn’t heard before, and I wondered if it had something to do with his girlfriend. They’d looked like they were about to argue the last time I saw them.
None of my business. The last thing I needed was to be meddling in a werewolf relationship.