He hadn't asked me. He'd informed me of his plans. Whatever he was wrestling with, it had shifted somehow.
The way he'd been watching me the past few weeks… well, he scared me a little.
I didn't think he'd hurt me, but there was something dangerous about him now. Not just what had happened at the frat party either.
How could he have changed that quickly though? It didn't make any sense. Not logical sense anyway.
If you believed in magic though… well, it was more than possible.
For some reason, I still trusted him. I had immediately. Almost from the moment we’d met.
Well… dream-Krista had trusted dream-Dean.
Even if we hadn't spoken during the day, we’d been together almost every night this week. Lately, he'd been taking charge of our excursions… brimming with energy. Coming to my room. Taking me on long dreamwalks up the coast.
At some point in the dream, his eyes would change. And he would disappear, racing ahead of me. So far and so fast I could never hope to catch up.
He was trying to show me something, I just didn't quite know what it was yet.
All I knew was I didn’t want to lose him. I was painfully aware of his presence in the stadium, even 500 feet from the box. We were connected, for better or worse.
Maybe even forever.
I sighed, wishing my mother were here. Or even back home, where I could call her. I needed talk to her, badly.
Yeah, I wanted my mommy. Didn’t matter that she’d been gone for a decade. I needed her just as badly as I had when I was a little girl.
Maybe even more.
Nan didn't really understand modern boys, and there had never been anything to talk about. Not until Dean. I couldn't tell Charisse because of the unusual nature of my relationship with Dean, whatever it was.
This didn’t count as ordinary, everyday boy troubles, that was for sure.
Somehow though, I felt sure my mother would have understood. She’d dreamt too. Maybe it was even hereditary. Sometimes I thought… maybe she had left to protect me somehow.
It was probably just wishful thinking, but it felt right.
It felt true.
I served another gin and tonic and a plate of spicy wings, shifting my eyes to the screen as Dean threw the ball in a high arc. He was incredible. He even looked larger than usual on the tiny screen as the game progressed.
I watched in awe as his strides took him through the line of scrimmage and further than any other player on the field. He shouldered them out of his way without visible effort. I blinked and he was already running into the end zone.
My mouth opened in surprise. Goodness. He was phenomenal. Unbelievably strong, and yet somehow graceful and precise. As if he'd been born to do this.
I shouldn't have been surprised. I knew he was talented. I just hadn't expected him to dominate the field, making the other players seem like children playing vainly against a giant.
My giant.
I spent the rest of the game with my gaze trained on his broad back, barely able to tear my eyes away to serve drinks.
Chapter 31
Dean
Look out suckers, daddy’s home.
I ran past the former quarterback to take the starting position. Ryan glared at me, but even he had known it was inevitable. It was humiliating for a Senior to be replaced by a Freshman, but it didn’t matter. I could play circles around the guy in my sleep.
Inevitable, like I said.
It was unheard of, to have a Freshman take over for a seasoned Senior. But I had been unstoppable in practice, even singlehandedly winning last week's game, a lost cause at halftime when they put me in.
So this time, I was starting.
I smiled confidently, ready to go to war. I was making national news tonight. But none of it mattered. Nothing mattered.
I grit my teeth and got into position.
Don't think about it.
Don't think about her.
Two weeks ago, when I’d seen her at the party, I’d finally given in to the truth. Krista belonged to me. I was going to make her my girlfriend, officially.
More than that, I was going to keep her.
I’d never once been tempted to mess around with other girls, not since the moment I knew she was real. I preferred to take out my frustrated desires on the field.
Thanks to my elusive soon-to-be girlfriend, I had a lot of frustration. Some of it was the change, and some was her.
I was getting stronger by the day, more vicious, more alpha. Nobody argued with me, or even approached me anymore.
Now they just followed. Looked away. Did what they were told.
During the day, I was invincible. Unstoppable. Unbreakable.
But not at night. When I was alone and the dreams came, I was worse than weak. I was vulnerable. Utterly helpless.
I wondered if it would be different with her beside me, wrapped in my arms while we slept. It might help, it might not. Maybe she knew a way to control it, or at least who they were and what they wanted from me.
Either way, I was not going to let her go.
Even if being with her increased the torment, instead of ending it.
I leaned forward and got into position.
My mind cleared in an instant.
My vision focused to the point where I could see the sweat dripping down the faces of the opposing team. I could see every fan in the stadium. I could see every blade of grass on the field.
I inhaled and waited for the second whistle.
The game began again.
Chapter 32
Krista
I rolled the mop down the sloped hallway to the service closet. I couldn’t help but glance over my shoulder as I pushed the mop inside.
This place was creepy at night.
In fact, I had the distinct feeling I wasn’t alone.
I cleared my throat and pulled off the rubber gloves, wiping my hands down the front of my uniform. The gloves made my hands mega sweaty. It was pretty gross.
Come on Krista, it’s just an empty stadium.
I thought I might be feeling the energy of the place. So much happened here. The fans went through huge emotional swings.
Not to mention the three or four players that had been injured.
Yeah. Dean was kind of a steam roller out there tonight. He’d played well, but he was almost too rough.
Like he was enjoying hurting the opposing team.
And he had. There had been at least two stretchers carried off the field tonight. And that was just when I was looking.
I grabbed my bag from behind the bar and headed through the quiet hallways. I kept jumping, feeling like I was in danger. I brushed it off.
I was just nervous about seeing Dean tonight. That was it. There was no need to assume something bad was around every corner.
Try not to be a total freak for once, Krista.
I took the stairs down quickly, seeing no one. The cleanup crew must be in a different part of the stadium. As I got to the lower level, I realized I was completely alone.
This wasn’t where I was supposed to meet Dean, was it? I checked my phone. He’d said the front entrance. That was all the way around on the other side. I started walking fast, the feeling that I was being stalked only increasing.
I was practically running when I saw them.
“Hey sexy.”
I stopped, realizing I had been running towards danger. Not away.
A group of guys stepped out of the shadows and into my path. They had beers. One of them chucked his empty on the ground, the noise jarring me.
“You looking for me sweetheart?”
“No— I’m— meeting my boyfriend.”
“Too bad for him we found you first.”
“I have to go—”
I tried to brush past them but they blocked my way. I shook my head in fear, stepping back and away.
“Nuh uh uh. I think you should party with us. Do you like to party, cutie?”
Th
ey got closer, until I was backed against the wall.
An overhead light blew, the enormous bulb sending glass and sparks raining down on us.
I could barely think. I could maybe have defended myself against one assailant, but this many? I was screwed.
I closed my eyes and screamed. But inside my mind. I tried to reach him.
Dean! Help me!
Chapter 33
Dean
Dean
My blood was pumping, even more than it had during the game. The game I’d crushed, making my debut as starting quarterback more than memorable.
It was freaking epic.
But that was just the icing on the cake.
The main event was after the game. When I got to see my sweet girl. Tasty, young, tender Krista. I was going to see her now.
I was going to claim her.
I shook my head. I didn't know when I had started thinking about Krista as mine, but the feeling of possessiveness was overwhelming.
I knew I was thinking in archaic terms.
Like a knight. Or a caveman. Yeah that was it. I was turning into a full-blown Neanderthal.
No. Not even that advanced.
I was thinking like an animal.
Basically, I wanted to throw her up in a tower and piss in a circle around her. Then I would challenge anyone who came near her. I’d do more than that.
I would tear their freaking heads off.
That wasn't a normal way to feel about your girlfriend, was it?
And that's what she was. My girlfriend. Starting right now.
I’d tell her as soon as I saw her. I picked up the pace, jogging towards the front entrance of the stadium. It was quiet now, but I’d made sure she wouldn't be standing there alone for long.
I checked my phone again. Krista hadn't written me back but I knew she'd be waiting, exactly where I told her to. I could feel her nearby, sense her presence. I could practically smell her.
That’s when I heard it.
I felt it.
Krista was in danger. She needed me. Her fear was palpable.
Dean! Help me!
My head jerked up and I started running. Suddenly I could hear what was happening. The voices were far off, nearly halfway around the stadium from the players exit. But it sounded as if it were happening right beside me.
“Where do you think you’re going, cutie?”
I roared, running even faster. I scanned the darkened exterior of the stadium as I blazed ahead, knocking over a trash can as I took a corner.
There, I could see it. About a hundred feet away there was a small crowd. Guys in a semi-circle. Staring at something.
Krista.
I knew it.
I ran faster than I had ever run in my life.
I could see the fear radiating off of Krista, even from far away. She had her shoulders hunched forward and her back pressed up against the wall. There were seven or eight guys surrounding her. They were older. Not students. Local football fans. One of them reached out and touched her shoulder.
"Come on cutie, don't be shy."
The guy was wearing a red shirt.
Then I was there.
Without even breaking stride, my feet left the ground. A split second later my fist connected with the back of the guy’s head. All of the power and momentum I’d built up went into that punch. I hit the wall behind Krista and stopped, spinning around.
Red shirt down.
Krista's eyes widened as I stepped in front of her. But I didn’t stop to talk. I couldn’t do anything but follow my instincts.
Protect. Hurt. Maim.
"Leave her alone. She's mine."
Red shirt was moaning and holding his head but blue shirt and striped shirt cracked their knuckles.
"Yeah, says who?"
"Says freaking me."
Blue shirt drew back to throw a punch. To me it all looked slow motion. I was on the guy before he even started to swing, crushing his fist with one hand. A pathetic scream was the only sound as the guy crumpled, clutching his hand in agony.
Blue shirt down.
"I said leave her the hell alone."
I didn't recognize the voice that was coming out of my mouth. It was lower, more guttural. If I hadn't felt the rumble in my own chest, I would have thought it was someone else speaking.
But it was me. I was the monster now. And I was going to make them pay for touching what was mine.
I grabbed striped shirt and threw him across the causeway. He hit the ground and lay there, unmoving.
Striped shirt down.
"Hey man, that's Dean Westen."
“Let's get the hell out of here."
They took off at a run, the injured limping behind them.
"You'll regret this man!"
I growled, fighting the urge to finish them off. I turned to face Krista. She was breathing fast as she stared into my eyes.
I grabbed her shoulders and turned her into the light, inspecting her for injuries. Relief flooded my body as I realized she was unharmed.
My girl was okay. She was scared, but okay.
But something else was mixed with my relief. I was still angry. I still wanted to kill. But seeing her beauty up close like this was doing other things to me.
I growled and yanked her against me for a kiss.
Chapter 34
Krista
His eyes were gold.
I held my breath as Dean grabbed me and pulled me against him. This was not the same boy I’d met at the beginning of the semester. This was not the boy from my dreams.
This Dean was wild and untamed. He could have killed those men without breaking a sweat. And now he was focused on me.
But I wasn't afraid.
No, in that breathless moment that we stared at each other, I was not afraid at all. I felt myself opening up, accepting him.
All of him. The sweet and the rough. The polite and the untamed. Everything.
His lips came crashing down on mine a moment later.
My mouth opened in surprise. This was different from the other kisses we’d shared, in the dream and in real life. He wasn't just kissing me, he was kissing me.
It was epic. A kiss from the old movies. I could practically hear waves crash on the beach.
Yeah, except there was no beach.
My feet dangled helplessly as I struggled for breath, for equilibrium. But not against him. Never against him.
The ground could have been the sky for all I knew. The world felt upside down.
My skin tingled where he touched it. His body giving off waves of heat and I absorbed it all, taking it in. It felt like there was a pool of hot lava rolling around in my belly.
I felt so alive. My senses were suddenly heightened. I wanted him to keep kissing me at the same time that I wanted him to stop, to slow down.
Just a little. Just enough for the world to stop spinning.
I didn't even know what I wanted, or how to put it into words. I was probably in love with Dean. I knew that.
But…
It was happening too fast.
Too fast!
I wrenched away from him, breathing hard as we stared at each other. He could have held me easily but he didn't. He let me go, his breath as labored as mine.
I flinched at the heat in those strange golden eyes of his.
"What is it Krista? Don't tell me you don't want me to kiss you.”
I shook my head, trying to get my bearings.
"I won't. I mean, I do."
"Come here then."
He growled and reached for me again. He really did sound like an animal. But one I wanted to pet, not one I was afraid of.
"Just… can we slow down please?"
He didn't move. I could feel his control, his power. He was just waiting to unleash it. I stepped closer, touching my fingertips to his face.
"Dean… what's happening to you?"
His eyes pierced me, filled with torment.
"You did this to me."
"W
hat? What did I do?"
"You changed me. And now you are going to make me better."
"I don't understand Dean… What do you mean? How can I make you better?"
He smiled at me. It was not a nice smile.
“I don’t know. But being close to you— it helps.”
“It— what?”
“I want you with me. All the time.”
My eyes widened as he picked me up and threw me over his shoulder. I stopped the scream in my throat. I knew Dean wouldn't hurt me.
But he was freaking me out all the same. I wanted to be with him. I just didn’t like being manhandled.
“Where are you taking me?”
“Somewhere we can be alone.”
I was upside down for real now, the world turned over. Dean ran, but he barely jostled me. It was uncanny. His control was so great.
I held on tight, the ground was moving fast beneath his feet.
I had no idea where he was taking me. Or why. So I did the only thing I could do. I held onto his shoulders for dear life. I didn't need to though. His grip on me was strong but gentle. I knew without a doubt that he would not drop me.
It was kind of like an amusement park ride.
The trouble was, I hated roller coasters.
I didn't really appreciate being treated like a sack of potatoes and told him so. He growled again. That’s when I felt it.
His hands were covered in fur.
My vision was limited to the pavement of the walkway, then the asphalt of the stadium parking lot, then grass, and then the leaves and brush of the woods of the nature preserve behind campus.
I banged on his back to get his attention. He growled again and shifted me. Now, he carried me in front of his body.
It happened so fast I barely had time to blink. I wrapped my arms around his neck, closing my eyes as he ran so fast through the trees that it felt like we were flying.
Original Witch (Dreamshifters Book 1) Page 9