Six Months

by Dark, Dannika

  Wheeler turned as bright red as the lipstick stain on his mouth. A few people nearby chuckled and went back to eating.

  “What did you do that for?” he asked in scattered words, his voice cracking mid-sentence.

  Naya’s full lips turned up in a smile and she snatched her shopping bag off the table, batting her curled lashes. “Because it’s the only time you’ll ever feel my lips on your body. I like my enemies to know two things about me: what they’re up against and what they’ll never have.” She winked at me and pulled the strap of her purse over her shoulder. “I’ll be sure to tell Lexi how you’re treating her friend.”

  “By all means.” He attempted to sound pissed off but failed miserably.

  “Yes. By all means,” she said with a purr, swinging her hips like a pendulum as she strutted off.

  Wheeler watched until she disappeared around the corner. He licked his lips and sliced me with his gaze as if he wanted to let me have it. Instead, he pivoted around and stalked off, leaving a one-footed trail of green juice. His exit wasn’t near as sultry as Naya’s because his hands were curled into tight fists, and he looked ready to pummel the stuffing out of a punching bag.

  I wanted to give that woman a high five for standing up to him. Wheeler had every right to be upset with me about the money, but my personal relationship with Reno was none of his business.

  Which also planted another seed in my head: Reno must have said something to give him the impression that we were an item.

  And that made my toes curl in my sneakers, just a little bit.

  Chapter 19

  “You’re talking nonsense, Reno.” Austin shifted on his barstool and rubbed his jaw pensively. “April is a human and our worlds collide. She doesn’t know anything about our lifestyle any more than you do about hers.”

  An hour ago, Reno had dropped April off at her trailer after a night of passion that had seared into him like a brand. When he arrived back home, he called the boys upstairs and broke the news to the pack that he was claiming April. That was a big fucking deal among Shifters. Human or not, he wanted every man in that house to know that April Frost was off-limits. When the discussion became heated, Austin told Lexi to take the women out of the house. Sometimes when arguments got out of hand, Shifters would change into their animal, and that could be problematic.

  Reno looked around their game room with distant eyes.

  “Mom, let’s go,” Lexi coaxed from the hall.

  “I don’t see why I can’t just stay in my room,” Lynn protested, their voices growing distant.

  Reno folded his arms and leaned against the pool table, his brothers scattered in various spots in the room.

  “That woman you want to claim is a thief,” Wheeler spat. “A conniving little human thief.”

  Reno unstrapped the gun from his holster and placed it on the pool table. “Say that again.”

  “Hold up,” Austin interjected, moving between them. “Reno, you’ve got an infatuation. I get it. But she’s a human. Think about it. No one here is saying you can’t have your fun, but at the end of the day, you can’t spend your life with one of them. Don’t claim something you can’t have.”

  Long term wasn’t exactly how Reno had presented his intentions, but that’s how they’d taken it. Maybe it was the dead-serious look in his eyes. “Who do you think we’ve got living under our roof, baby brother? Humans. We care for two human women.”

  “But not as mates,” Wheeler said, folding his arms and pushing out his tatted biceps. “Lexi’s mom and sister are a package deal, but that’s not what we’re talking about here, is it? You know public opinion about having pets.”

  Reno tensed. “Did I say anything about her being a pet?” he ground out slowly.

  All gazes darted between one another.

  Austin took a deep breath and sighed. “You’ll be targeted by a lot of assholes who want to give you their two cents on the matter. Are you up for that?”

  Reno lifted his chin and challenged him with silence.

  Austin centered his eyes on Reno and his voice became grave. “That also means no kids. And you’re going to watch her grow old and die.”

  “Only got a couple hundred years left on me if I’m lucky.”

  Reno’s comment was met with derision as Denver tilted his head and leaned against the bar. “Reno wants to have a sexy grandma in his bed.”

  He cut a sharp glare at Denver who immediately lowered his eyes. “I’m going to let that slide this once.” Reno lifted his index finger. “Once. If you ever disrespect her again, then you can tell my fist all about it.” He studied the stern faces in the room. “That goes for every one of you. A woman shouldn’t come between brothers. How I live my life is my choice, and I didn’t say anything here about mating, kids, or any of that. I’m simply laying down the fact that I’ve got claim on that woman and I want to know that you have my back. That means out of respect for the brotherhood, you don’t allow anyone to mess with her and you treat her with respect.”

  Wheeler stepped forward and his face tightened. He was lean muscle and could hold his own in a fight. They’d all seen him go at it and Wheeler was a man who didn’t hold back on his swing. Austin used to say anytime Wheeler was the underdog, he’d bet on him. “You’re not getting my support on this, Reno. You’ll never be able to trust her—she stole from the family.”

  Ben turned away with an apathetic expression and threw a dart at the board.

  Meanwhile, Jericho lounged at the bar, half turned around, smoking a cigarette and watching the whole affair. Austin had finally buried the hatchet and let him back in the house, so Jericho chose to keep his mouth shut on controversial matters and fly under the radar.

  “I already explained why she did it, and you’re forgetting she replaced the money so it’s more like an unauthorized loan. And you should be helping me find the sonofabitch who’s been threatening her,” Reno said in a gravelly voice.

  “Not my problem,” Wheeler countered, tilting his head defiantly.

  Reno stepped forward. “My problems should be your problems, brother.”

  Wheeler slimmed down his eyes. “Why don’t you take your problem somewhere else? We have enough of our own. ’Preciate ya.”

  A hard tap sounded to the right as Ben threw another dart at the board.

  “Since when do you give a damn about the business, Wheeler? Austin had to force you to help out his woman and now all this sudden interest.”

  “Lexi’s one of us,” he said. “Your bitch ain’t.”

  A hard crack sounded when Reno’s fist struck Wheeler in the eye. He spun around and staggered before catching himself on the bar.

  “How ’bout that?”

  Austin pushed Reno back by his shoulders. “That’s enough! I can see you’re not backing down on this one, so on my order as Packmaster,” he said loudly, “every man in this room will treat April with respect. Reno’s made his claim, and we’ll stand by his decision. But as long as she’s on the outs with Lexi, she’s not welcome in this house. Sorry, but that’s the way it goes, Reno. Regardless of motive, she stole from my woman’s pocket, and I have to respect Lexi’s feelings. My pack always comes first. If Lexi forgives her, then April is welcome in this house. But if not, then you see her on the outside. That’s a compromise and I think it’s fair to all parties present and not present.”

  Reno could agree to that. Austin had made the call and he had to abide by the rules. The second-in-command remained steadfast, supporting the decisions of the Packmaster. Friction between the two would inevitably break apart a loyal pack.

  “Agreed,” Reno said tersely. “But just so we can make this fair, I want the women to talk to each other and settle it. Women go on too long holding grudges.”

  “Amen,” Denver said as he plopped his ass in the beanbag chair.

  Reno ignored him. “April didn’t have a fair shot to explain her situation to Lexi. She should get that chance—then let your woman decide how she wants it to play out.”r />
  Austin curled in his bottom lip while scratching his chin. “Yeah, I’ll agree to that. Lexi’s been carrying around an attitude and it’s killing my action.”

  Denver barked out a laugh. “The bubonic plague couldn’t kill your action.” He tapped his bare feet on the floor when all the men turned to glare at him.

  “A horny plague couldn’t help yours,” Jericho said, taking a long drag of his smoke.

  “Shut it, dickhead,” Denver snapped. “I get enough action.”

  “Not much action going on at the library,” Jericho said matter-of-factly. “I’ve seen you go after those good girls, but you know what? They go for guys like me. Quit holding out for Miss Perfect.” He smashed out his cigarette and rose from the stool. “Good girls always have a dark secret. That secret is going to chew you up and spit you out once they realize they can do a lot better than you.”

  Denver rolled his eyes as Jericho headed out of the room. Jericho might have been the ladies’ man of the house, but he was the least likely of all the men to settle down. Aside from Wheeler, but that was a given. Denver talked a lot of game, but saw little action from what the guys noticed. His standards were too high, as if he were always looking for faults and no woman was good enough.

  That’s why when Denver hit on April during the party, Reno had felt his wolf trying to come out. April was a good girl and that was an attractive quality to Denver, even though he didn’t go out with humans.

  Reno thought about the trust she had given him in the bedroom the night before. She needed to get past some of the bullshit that had happened in her past. He’d lived a long life and figured out some hard lessons on his own, but April had shown him that it was okay to give up some of that control. He’d never had a woman who understood him or sought to please him in the way he needed in order to move past his own issues. After she fell asleep in his arms, he’d decided they weren’t using belts or ropes in the bedroom anymore. That was a one-time deal. Maybe kinky worked for some women, but for Reno, it had always been less of a game and more of a necessity. Next time he was going to be real sweet to April. A woman like her deserved more than the bondage and submission he had required of all his past lovers. She inspired him to be something he’d never been before.

  Romantic.

  Wheeler grabbed his wallet off the bar. “I’m heading out to the mall. I have to meet someone.”

  “Next time you see my girl, you treat her with respect,” Reno said.

  Wheeler shot him the middle finger as he walked out the door.

  ***

  When Trevor picked me up from the mall, I didn’t say boo about running into Wheeler and the drama that ensued. Naya slapping Wheeler and then delivering a smoldering kiss that left his knees shaking? It was the most incredible moment I’d ever witnessed.

  Aside from Reno turning into a wolf.

  Before going home, Trevor took me to a double feature at a movie theater across town. Afterward, we swung by a Mexican restaurant for dinner. I ordered the cheese enchiladas, and Trevor chowed down on tacos, chimichangas, flautas, and I don’t know what else. Our table transformed into a buffet and we shared food and a pitcher of cold beer. He was surprised to see me eating because I’d always had a fear of people spitting in my food. But because Trevor was super flirty with the waitress, I didn’t think we’d have to worry about that. He knew it was one of my quirky little hang-ups but had once told me that it’s what made me adorable. Nobody could have asked for a better friend than Trevor.

  We made up for lost time and he told me a few jokes that had me in stitches. One girl flirted with him shamelessly from a nearby table, and Trevor was just as shameless flirting back. He loved attention and didn’t care who it came from. But he still played for one team, and it was interesting to see how no one could figure it out.

  On the way home, we could barely buckle our seatbelts. “Babe, you can really put it away. I don’t think I’ve met another girl who can eat an entire serving of nachos before the meal arrives and then have room for dessert at the end,” he said as the car zoomed around a corner.

  “Thank God you had coupons for dinner or I would have been embarrassed to pay that bill, as much as we ate.”

  His contagious laugh filled the small space, and he flipped on the radio. “That was the most fun I’ve had in an eternity. We should call up some old acquaintances and get together one night. Maybe hang out at Lucky’s Bar or have a barbecue at the lake.”

  “Don’t count on anyone showing up. Most of our old friends are married or they can’t stay out late because they have to get up early and beat rush-hour traffic to their corporate job,” I said, ending my complaint in a mutter. Mostly a complaint, because I felt left in the dust while everyone else was getting their lives in order.

  We turned onto the road that led home and I shivered. My eyes went wide when I glanced around my lap. “Holy smokes, Trev. You’re going to kill me.” I reached in the floorboard and shot back up, looking at him apprehensively. “I think I left my purse at the restaurant.”

  “Oh, you’re kidding me,” he groaned. “Are you sure it’s not… Check by the door.”

  I stuffed my hand in the crevice and felt beneath the seat. “No, Trevor. I can’t find it. The last place I remember having it was in the bathroom… I think. You should have let me pay for everything. I would have noticed my purse was gone if I had to pick up the bill.”

  “If I had let you pay, we’d be in jail for skipping the damn check.”

  I snorted. That was probably true.

  Trevor fumbled with the keys and handed me the spare to the trailer. “Go inside. I’ll head over before they lock up.”

  “You sure?”

  “I’ll be back in fifteen. Just don’t leave me standing outside too long with that wolf running loose on the property.”

  “Sorry, Trev. I feel rotten about ending our night like this. Check in the booth, just in case it’s not in the bathroom. I can’t believe I did this,” I said, getting out and heading toward the trailer.

  Trevor volunteered to pick up a sack of bagels for breakfast on the way home, so I had a feeling he didn’t mind so much.

  I shut the door, flipped on the light, and tossed the key on the table.

  Just as I reached for the fish food, I heard a car pull in and the engine cut off.

  “Trev, did you find it?” I yelled out, opening the door.

  It swung open and the force pulled me off-balance as I was thrown back in a violent motion.

  I crashed against the table and hit my head on the wall. Dizzy, I rolled to the side and looked up from the floor. A sunburst of pain radiated at the back of my head, causing me to see tiny flickers of light.

  “How’s it going, Vanilla? Miss me?”

  Sanchez loomed in the doorway, dressed in all black. What scared me was the lighter fluid in his hand that he was spraying all over the floor, the curtains, and the table Reno had built for me. Hermie swam sporadically in his bowl.

  “Wait, wait,” I said. “What do you want? Please don’t.”

  “Ahh, too late, Vanilla. You want to sit and whine about it now? You think you can talk smack to me and I’ll let you get away with it? Bitch, you don’t know me.” He sprayed the sofa while holding a box of matches in his left hand. It rattled as he pooled up the fluid and finally threw down the empty can.

  “I’ll do what you want,” I said, hands shaking, voice wavering. The thought of burning alive terrified me to the core of my being. Thank God Trevor isn’t here, I thought. At least he’s safe.

  “Of course you’ll do whatever I want. You know what I want?” he said, backing up toward the door. Sanchez held up a match and a malevolent grin spread across his face. “I want you to scream.”

  The wooden stick scratching along the rough edge of the box sounded like an attack.

  And it was.

  I screamed before the flame hit the accelerant. Sanchez lunged forward and stomped on my foot. A feral scream poured from my mouth as pain exploded
up my leg. He closed the door behind him after he ran out, and the fire engulfed the sofa, floor, and doorway, forcing me to scramble into the back room. The pain in my head and foot became blinding and I fell on my knees and crawled through the noxious smoke that was quickly filling the room.

  Years ago when the riffraff had moved into our neighborhood, Grandma had sealed up the windows, afraid of someone trying to snatch one of us girls in our sleep. One of them she had completely covered. The searing heat reminded me it was the only way out. I needed to bust the back window with something and squeeze out.

  The pain and shock of what was happening consumed me. I was going to burn alive, and oh God, the dumbest things ran through my mind. Like poor little Hermie, and my dad’s snow globes. I managed to crawl on the bed and I struggled to breathe. Oxygen was running out and I began coughing as my chest tightened, which made me dizzy and nauseous. I knew I was in mortal danger, but between the pain and inability to breathe, I became disoriented. I pushed my face into the mattress—my eyes stinging, lungs burning.

  An explosion rocked the trailer and a force of energy burst into the room.

  “April, I’m coming!” Reno shouted.

  “No, no, no,” I murmured, not wanting him to be there. Not wanting him to get hurt.

  “Get up.” He yanked my arm and when the weight settled on my foot, I screamed so loud that I blacked out.

  Chapter 20

  After Reno had spoken with his pack about April, he let his wolf run on the property. After shifting back, he’d spent the rest of the afternoon thinking about her and then decided to head over to her house late that evening. His wolf demanded it. She had sent him a message on the phone that she was spending the day with Trevor and they were going out for some Mexican food before heading home. On the main street near the turnoff, he thought he saw Trevor’s car speeding away.