Instead, she giggled. “Hard work, isn’t it? Trying to keep this animal house clean,” she said, slightly smug.
I dropped my head back to the dog pillow. “You could fill the Grand Canyon with the amount of dirt I sucked out of that carpet. Don’t even get me started on the hair—did you shave Sasquatch, eat his carcass, and leave all his fur behind?”
She laughed. “There’s no Bigfoot in our part of the woods. That was all pack hair, my pet.” She paused, gaze lingering on my chest. “I see Aspen lent you some clothes.”
“I didn’t ask. He offered,” I replied, then stretched and sat up. The Element shirt was a perfect fit, although the shorts were a little baggy. My own clothes were wadded up by my feet, reeking of bleach and dish water. “He brought them to me after the vacuum exploded.”
She glanced toward the door. “Come on. We’ve got salmon for dinner tonight.”
“It’s dinner time already?”
“Come on.” She waved a hand, heading out to the staircase. I rolled to my feet and followed.
We were not alone in the kitchen tonight. As we made our way down the stairs, I saw Aspen moving behind the counter. Flirty voices drifted into my ears, falling silent when Ilume’s feet hit the carpet.
“Lume,” Aspen greeted as we crossed the living room.
A girl with edgy hair stood beside him, bent over the counter. A plate sat in front of her, bits of raw fish cut up in squares. She popped them in her mouth as if they were Cheez-Its, brown eyes scanning me.
“So this is your new pet,” she said to Ilume.
I said, “More like slave. Don’t pets get to lie around all day? Have people to pamper and clean up after them?”
Aspen chuckled. The girl narrowed her eyes at me. Her eyes were small, oval with pointy corners, her complexion bronze. She might have been Vietnamese, or some type of islander.
“Be grateful, human.” She said my species like it was a dirty word. “Your body would be floating down some river right now, cold and limbless if it weren’t for little Ms. Alpha here.”
“Alpha?” I spun to look at Ilume.
“Yeah. So?” She strode to the counter, sitting on a stool.
I sat next to her. “You didn’t tell me that part.”
“Well, you didn’t ask.” She shrugged.
My stomach tightened. I made an unpleasant link. “So then . . . are you Rex’s mate?” Malice had crept into my voice. I’m not sure why I felt so strongly about her being with Rex. The two were total opposites, a relationship doomed for disaster. Plus, he was a jackass.
Islander girl said, “Not yet.” She popped another fish square in her mouth, eyeing Ilume seductively.
Ilume’s face was blank, but a growl rumbled in her throat. She stood up and circled the counter, pulling out the frying pan.
I tapped the counter, thinking. “So then are you, like, dating him right now?” Finders didn’t know much about the love lives of werewolves. We didn’t know much about the species period. Specialists who went out to research them got mauled, never returning to report what they’d learned. Did wolves date before they took mates, or was it more like arranged marriages?
“No,” Ilume said in a stern tone, signaling the end of the conversation.
Islander girl jumped back in. “The alpha male chooses who will be alpha female,” she said. “While omegas choose their women based on looks and compatibility, alphas seek out the strongest young woman of the pack. Usually it’s a multi-tasker, someone who excels at hunting and can work a job and raise a pup. Ilume can do all three.”
“So he picked her.” It made sense. Ilume was not only, you know, attractive but had the skills to survive and defend her own. She could become a fanged, ferocious hunter or a moneymaker or a mother—any role Rex desired.
Ilume slammed a fish slab into the frying pan. I jumped at the sound. “Can we change subjects now, please, Holly?”
Aspen stiffened, head snapping toward the window. His nostrils flared. “Would you like to talk about the fact that the hunters are home early?”
“What?” Ilume’s face drained of color. Leaving the stove, she and Holly moved to peer out the kitchen window.
Leaning back on my stool, I glanced out the screen door.
An array of dark figures appeared at the forest’s edge, spread out like a swarm. Although in human form, something about their fluid, stalking movements whispered of the animals they’d once been.
They were closing in on the house. Fast.
Chapter Fourteen
Fear nipped at my insides, turning my stomach. Ilume wasn’t helping my nerves. She was pale as a banshee, eyes glued to the approaching pack members.
“Oh, my.” Holly moved, leaning against Aspen. She sipped Aspen’s Gatorade, trying to hide a half smile.
Ilume left the window, drifting back to the stove. She took a deep breath. “Jared, can I ask you a favor?”
I hesitated. “Yeah?”
“Don’t do or say anything stupid.”
The voices grew louder. A pair of girls came prancing through the doorway, red hair waving like flames. They were well-toned, their faces all sharp angles. I guessed they were sisters, possibly twins.
“No, so I chased him off after the whole valley incident,” babbled the girl with longer hair, “and no sooner does he come back when a grizzly bear comes walking out of the trees!”
“Oh, my goodness.” The taller sister rolled her eyes, just like one of the girls from Hunters High would’ve. “I would’ve given a paw and some toes to see that. Seriously, Daisy, did he run away with his tail between his legs? I saw him handle that crazy ground squirrel the other day. Can you say, sad? Oh!”
The sisters stopped as they realized they had an audience. “Well, well, well.” Daisy smiled, revealing her white teeth and two sharp fangs. “Look who finally came out of the dog house, Althea.”
“Hey.” I leaned away as Althea came forward, getting in my face. She sniffed me, nose just inches from mine.
Her pupils dilated. “Wow. He smells really good.”
Heat filled my cheeks. “Um. Thanks?”
A loud bark sent her leaping away. “Don’t, Althea,” Ilume ordered, jamming a spatula under my fish and turning it over. “He’s not on the dinner menu. Not tonight.”
Hunger raged through Althea’s eyes. Her lip twitched, and for a moment I was sure she was going to snarl at Ilume. I remained still on my stool, back pressed against the counter’s edge.
The screen door opened again. “Hey, hey.” A boy with mousy hair came in. A diamond stud glittered in his left ear, a scar down his ribcage. “What’s with all the aggression, ladies? Are we fighting over who’s going to eat Snoop Dogg again?”
“No.” Althea’s pupils returned to proper size. “The alpha doesn’t want to share her new toy. Fair enough.” She shot me a look that could freeze lava. “You’ll be dead soon anyway. No human has ever left the Rooks alive.”
Ilume scowled. “Get out.”
“Humph.” Sticking her tongue out, Althea strutted toward the stairs, Daisy glaring backward as she followed.
The shaggy-haired kid rolled his eyes, heading to the fridge. “Omegas.”
A gang of Latinos came into the house next. They were all shorter than me and older, with sideburns or five o’clock shadows. A narrow-framed girl moved among them, her hair gnarled with brambles. They spared me a glance as they passed by, and then muttered to each other in Spanish.
Several men came in, ranging from age twenty to fifty. No greetings, just glances. Among them I recognized Fox, and I flinched as he walked by particularly close to my seat.
Last came Rex gliding through the door. He was running around shirtless again, a gleaming layer of sweat on his chest. His hair was all jagged and messed up in that women
-think-it’s-sexy way, and he was chewing on some thin white stick. No, wait; it wasn’t a stick it was—
I cringed. It was a small bone, probably from a rabbit.
The whole kitchen creaked as he set foot on the tile. He spat the bone toothpick into the sink before quietly sliding up behind Ilume. Aspen gave Holly a gentle push, and the two vacated, going up the stairs.
Ilume didn’t turn or acknowledge his presence, but her shoulders tensed. “Rex,” she said, suddenly very focused on cooking.
He smiled that creepy, cynical smile of his. “Lume.”
“How was hunting?”
“Pleasant, although we didn’t bring anything back like this morning. We’ll go again tomorrow evening.”
“Hmm. Good.” Flicking the burner off, she turned to move to the cupboard. Rex didn’t budge as her chest hit his. “Um. Can I help you?” she said.
Rex’s eyes flicked in my direction. Suddenly he leaned in and kissed her. Shock registered on Ilume’s face, and I inhaled sharply. This wasn’t one of those honey-I’m-home kisses. Oh no. This one was deep, hungry.
The kind that says she belongs to me.
“Rex,” Ilume sputtered, tearing away.
My hands curled into fists below the table. What an arrogant ass wipe, smothering her like that. My moral compass didn’t always point north, but I would never corner a girl and jam my tongue down her throat. Not unless she told me to.
“Ah, come on, Lume,” Rex chuckled as she shoved her way around him. “What’s wrong with two mates showing each other some love, huh?”
I’ll tell you what’s wrong, mumbo, I thought to myself, your head is jammed up your werewolf ass.
“That wasn’t a kiss asking for love, Rex,” Ilume spoke my unsaid words. Snatching a plate out of the top cupboard, she threw my piece of fish on it. “Not my idea of love, at least. Jared,”—she turned toward me—“do you want to eat upstairs?”
Rex’s smug expression morphed. The alpha male gave me the glare of all glares. A chill went down my back, but I held his gaze, trying to return the look.
“Wipe that glare off your face, scum,” he sneered.
My temper reared up. “I will when you get your head out of your ass—”
The kitchen shuddered. Rex spun my way, fangs flashing, a snarl ripping through his teeth. He strode away from the oven, gliding around the counter. I braced myself, nearly falling off my chair.
Fear streaked Ilume’s face. Dropping the plate, she swung herself over the countertop, landing in front of me before Rex could grab my throat. “Stop it, Rex, he’s just a human! And I’ve had enough crap tonight!”
Rex growled at her, snapped his jaws. When she didn’t back down, he finally took a step away. “Fine, Ilume,” he said, then jammed a finger over her shoulder. “But you teach that little shit a lesson in respecting his superiors, or I’m getting him a leash and a shock collar—”
I interrupted. “Oh, go muzzle yourself!”
“Jared!”
Rex snorted, moving away. Sliding back in the kitchen, he picked up my plate and smashed it into the sink. I jumped as bits of porcelain shot into the air. The salmon squished apart.
“No dinner for him tonight,” Rex declared.
Ilume’s nails raked her skull, probably two seconds from gouging someone’s eyes out. “What is wrong with you?” she bellowed.
“Nothing.” Rex brushed pieces of porcelain off his hands, not even bleeding. “Food is a privilege in this household. We earn what we eat. When he learns to appreciate that fact—”
“Good God! You’re a real piece of work, you know that—”
“Ilume,” I butted in. “Don’t worry about it. I’m not hungry anyway.”
Rex huffed. Ilume stared at me, fury written on her face. Collecting herself, she motioned toward the stairs. “Go,” she said, like I was her pet. “Now. I’ll be there in a minute.”
“Fine.” I stood up.
Rex hawk-eyed me. The way he fidgeted as I went by, I knew his claws were itching to come out and slice me open. I didn’t look at him because, seriously, another word out of that waste of fur and somebody was meeting God tonight.
I slammed Ilume’s bedroom door shut, giving my bed a good kick. The dog pads spun across the floor. I was sick of this place and the freak that owned it. It might’ve been day one, but I was ready to go home.
Time and place. I slumped against the wall. You’ve got to wait. Wait for this weekend when the workers come home. During my cleaning spree in the bathroom, I had discovered the roof outside the window was flat. I’d go to the bathroom in the night and slide outside.
Soon. I picked up the dog pads, pushing them back against the wall. Soon you’ll be home.
Swift footsteps moved down the hall. I lay sprawled on the floor as Ilume came swarming in like a pissed off queen bee. Slamming the door, she marched to her bed, not sparing me a glance. I stared at the ceiling. Two could play at the silent-treatment game. I would’ve won, too.
If she hadn’t have started tearing her clothes off.
What the—? Ilume stood by her bed, yanking her jean shorts off. Her t-shirt lay crumpled on the mattress, splattered with grease and cooking stains.
I stared. I couldn’t help it. The girl had more curves than a coke bottle, only slimmer, like the girls who are modeled beside the Hollister boys. No wonder Rex picked her. Her underwear only covered half her behind, with a matching bra that gave her the boobs of a Victoria Secret model.
Seeing my eyes glued to her, Ilume bared her teeth and snarled. Wadding her shorts up, she launched them through the air. They slapped me in the face. “You are such an idiot!” she raged. “Ugh! Do you realize how much crap I’m taking for protecting you?”
“You know,” I started, pulling the shorts off my face. I looked at them, her otherworldly smell clinging to every thread. “Rex aside, can I say something?”
Her nostrils flared as she strode to the dresser. Pulling on a tank top dress, she dared, “Go ahead. Be my guest.”
“Okay. Well, if I didn’t know you could turn into a ravenous animal and tear my intestines out with your teeth,” I paused, suppressing a smirk, “your temper would be totally kinky right now.”
I imagined her in a pool of Jell-O. Strawberry Jell-O, my favorite.
She blinked at me.
The last thing I remember was getting booted into the hall, all thoughts of Jell-O and lingerie shoveled from my mind.
“Ah, Ilume, come on!” I called, banging on the door. I twisted the knob. It was locked. “Seriously, how am I supposed to argue with you when you’re trotting around in lace and push-up pads? That’s not fair!”
No answer.
I groaned. Sliding down against the wall, I wondered which bedroom belonged to Rex. Stupid, stupid, Jared. So what if she had looked utterly delicious? My lack of self-control had just cost me my protection. I was open prey, a rabbit out of its hole. Rex would kill me for sure if I stayed out here.
“Ilume,” I called again, tone softer. “I’m sorry, okay? Will you open the door?”
“Go away, Jared.” Her voice sounded muffled, far away.
I tried to talk her into at least letting me grab my stuff. It was a lost cause—the lock never clicked, and the door never opened. I wondered if the house roof came close to her balcony. I could test my bathroom window theory and make sure the roof was safe to climb on in the first place. Maybe her French doors were open.
A shadow appeared in my peripheral vision. Aspen was shaking his head. “Man,” he said, laughing. “You have got to be the stupidest human I’ve ever met.”
“Thank you.” I grimaced. How many more reminders did I need?
He leaned against the wall, turning serious as he whispered, “You’re also the gutsiest. Nobody messes with
Rex—we just do what we’re told.” He threw a glance around the hall. “Come on. When Ilume kicks someone out, she kicks them out. You can stay in my room tonight.”
I sat up. “Really?”
“Yeah, but let’s go before the demon sees you.” He flicked a finger, starting back toward the staircase. “Or anyone else for that matter.”
Chapter Fifteen
Aspen’s room was on the first floor at the very end of the hall. At the opposite end, a grand ballroom was hidden away. Well, it had been a ballroom. Now it was the headquarters for a werewolf slumber party. Howls and barks resonated off the faded wallpaper, mirrors reflecting pack members as they lounged on dog beds like mine.
“Don’t worry about them,” Aspen said, opening his door. “Rex is the only person you really have to worry about . . . and maybe Althea. The others won’t harm you unless Ilume orders it.”
“I guess that’s good to know.” Here I’d thought they’d rip my limbs off should Ilume take even a step away. I wondered what would happen now with her cold-shouldering me.
Aspen’s room was small and square, only a bed and dresser occupied the space. Claw marks marked the wood of the closet doors, the edges jagged, frayed—someone’s scratching posts.
“Here.” Aspen tossed me a pillow. “There’s an extra blanket in the closet.”
“Thanks, man.” Reluctantly, I approached the scratching posts. Below the hanging shirts and shorts, a heavy, fleecy blanket lay folded on the floor.
“Aspen,” I asked him. “Why are you being—uh—nice to me?”
I wasn’t sure nice was the right word. Nice is your friends buying you lunch, not a werewolf that keeps taking pity on you.
Aspen’s features tightened. He sat down on the edge of his mattress, staring at the carpet. “Because,” he answered. “I, um . . . I used to be one of you.”
I about dropped my pillow. “What do you mean?”
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