It wasn’t a question. I knew my sister well enough to know that she had betrayed me.
“Penny,” she said, “I had to. You’re going to get yourself killed. You won’t stop on your own. And you’re not thinking clear—”
“Get out,” I said, turning to meet my sister’s gaze.
Tears welled in her eyes, like she was the victim, when she had been the one who had turned on me.
“You think it’s okay to do whatever you want,” she said, “but it’s not. The rules are there for a reason. And every time you go out, you hurt the ones that care about you. You hurt me.”
“It’s my life,” I said, anger renewed and thrumming through my voice. “It’s not about you.”
“It’s not all about you, either,” she said. Tears streamed down her red cheeks. “If you just tried—”
“Tried to be more like you?” I asked. “I can’t play happy, trapped in this place, forced to mate someone I don’t even like.”
“I don’t pretend to be happy.” Her voice was soft, and she looked down at her feet. I hadn’t meant it like that. I knew she didn’t feel the way I did. But I was too mad to apologize. I needed space.
“Clearly,” I replied. “I’m glad you’re happy. But I’m not. Get over it. And get out.” My words sounded harsher than I’d intended.
Kaylee did as I asked without another word. Left with the solitude I’d wanted, the room felt colder than it had before. I knew she had only wanted to help me. She always tried to help me. But this wasn’t help. And it wasn’t fair. I knew I had every right to be mad, and I was. But still, I regretted what I’d said, and I regretted sending her away before she’d even shut the door.
With a click, I locked the bathroom door. My clothes fell to the floor as I stripped, leaving only the amulet around my neck. I grabbed my favorite soap from the cabinet, lingering a moment longer than I should have. Next to mine was Danny’s favorite orange and mint soap. I couldn't get myself to throw the bottle away. And in a way, I was glad no one else had either. Maybe it would have been easier if they had. But having his belongings around made it feel like part of him was still here.
I stepped over the lip to the deep, white tub, and let the warm water rain down over my face. The heat washed the tension from my shoulders, the regret from my bones. And if only for a moment, everything was okay.
I listened to the patter of water droplets, stared at the black of my eyelids, and drifted away. Kaylee would be fine. I’d apologize later. I’d be fine too. I just had to keep moving forward. I would find Danny’s murderer. There was still a lead I hadn’t followed. I needed to go to the animal shelter, like Corey had said. And there was one person who wouldn’t judge where I went, only one man that I could go to when I left the constable. Axel.
After my shower I returned to my room. I scanned the space that had always been mine, always been home, and gathered what little I needed. It amounted to less than I’d expected.
Danny’s jacket, an album of family photos, my mother’s necklace, a few toiletries and clothes, and the cash I’d stashed away for the future. My whole life had led me to this moment. I’d always known I’d leave the constable one day, but now that it was time, I was nervous.
What would happen to Kaylee after I was gone? Would she follow me? I hoped not. Austin was here for her. They had a future together, here. I’d miss her as much as she’d miss me, but we’d be okay. We could visit each other, and talk on the phone. We’d figure it out.
I debated how to say goodbye. It would be harder than apologizing, which I also owed to her. If I walked into her room and told her everything, she’d try to get me to stay. I couldn’t. So I took the easy way out. I wrote her a note.
* * *
Kaylee,
* * *
I’m sorry for what I said. I love you, and know that you meant well. I wish you all the good things in life, and with Austin. You two are meant to be together.
Now I’ve found that too. Just not here. It’s time for me to go, and find my own way, start my own life. I hope you understand. I promise to call.
* * *
Penny
* * *
It was short and to the point. She’d find it on my pillow when she came to my room looking for me. By then, I’d be gone.
With my backpack, and a twisted gut of nerves, I walked down the stairs. It was the last time I’d call this place home.
“Where do you think you’re going?” My father’s voice was cold and harsh.
“I’m leaving,” I replied.
“You don’t get to live under this roof and ignore the rules,” he said. His fists were balled, and his shoulders were stiff.
I looked him square in the eye. His face was firm, but I wasn’t about to back down. Not this time. “I’m nineteen years old,” I said. “And I’m leaving.”
“If you walk out that door,” he said, “don’t bother coming back.”
“Thanks,” I said, “I love you, too, Dad.” The door felt heavier than it ever had as I pulled it shut. And as tears soaked my cheeks, I knew it was really true—there was no turning back.
Chapter Ten
Axel
I’d spent the morning and afternoon chasing leads and digging through death certificates. I’d found nothing of value. After a long day, I returned to my motel room.
Gaping, jagged, and coated in drywall dust—I stared at the hole where the radiator had been. It was difficult to imagine what could turn a man into the monster I’d witnessed the night before. As if a wound still remained, a twinge of pain stabbed the scar where Seth had bitten me. It took a mirror to see it, but the bite mark stretched across the center of my back, elongated from what it had been in wolf form. That got me thinking.
Maybe I was looking at the whole situation the wrong way. Maybe it wasn’t the morgue that I should have been investigating, but the doctor upstairs. Any sane human who was bit by a ravenous, yellow-eyed zombie would make his or her way to the hospital. They had to have sought medical attention. Well, unless they turned into a zombie before they had the chance.
Sweet and smooth, morning dew in an early spring—the scent told me it was her before she knocked. On my feet, I opened the door, eager to see her once again.
Penny—small, fierce, and gorgeous. Her eyes were on fire, a passion I’d grown accustomed to.
“Hey, Penny,” I said. “Is everything—”
Her fists squeezed around my collar, as she pulled my neck down. Her lips pressed against mine, hard, and urgent. Shocked, I just stood there, hard cock held down by the fly of my jeans. I reached for her, to pull her close, to feel the curves of her body, to taste her deep. But she let go, and took a step back before I could touch her.
“Hey,” she said, as her moist lips sparkled and enticed me. “Can I come in?”
“Yeah.” I gestured for her to enter, still swept up in the whirlwind of her kiss. Was it meant as an expression of friendship, or something more?
“I’ve been thinking,” she said, as she laid down on my bed. She folded her hands behind her head and stared up at the ceiling. The sides of the big, leather jacket pulled away from her body. The fabric of her oversized shirt clung to her form, revealing the shape of her round breasts and small waist. I wasn’t quite sure what to think about the kiss, about her, or what the right thing was to do. But I was sure as hell glad she was there.
“I got a tip,” Penny said.
I watched the way her lips moved as she spoke, and imagined kissing them once again. But what good was I for her? I was a mess, and unfit to care for her in the way that she deserved. She was lost, but she could find her way. I couldn't help her. She deserved better.
She continued, “A zombie’s been seen wandering around the animal shelter.”
“Today?” I asked.
“No,” she said, and sat up. The cheap mattress creaked as she moved. “I heard last night.”
“We should check it out,” I said.
“That’s exactly what I w
as thinking,” she said with a smile that lit up her copper eyes. That adorable dimple formed on her cheek, and I wanted nothing more than to touch her face. I was hopeless.
A lock of raven-black hair fell over her nose when she stood. With a puff, Penny blew it back to the side. “Let’s ride.”
She didn’t have to tell me twice. I locked the door behind us as we walked out onto the small, dark lot. This time there was no hesitation when we climbed on my Harley. Penny leaned in close and wrapped her arms around me. I could feel her heat, the softness of her breasts against my back, and again I wondered how the hell I was going to manage this. She felt so good, so right, riding behind me. I couldn’t imagine what it would be like after I left town, alone.
Cold. Without her smile, I’d be cold.
The wind died as we pulled into the lot. Penny’s grip loosened, and she hopped off.
As soon as I cut the engine, I could hear the barking of dogs from inside the building. One of the less central buildings in Corbeau, the animal shelter was surrounded by manicured grass and towering trees in every direction. The building was small against the landscape, modest and wooden. Some boards were old and faded, others newly replaced. With no sign of civilization in sight, it seemed a likely target for zombies, easy to snatch a meal unnoticed. If that was the case…dark alleys, poorly populated areas, did that imply some kind of reasoning ability?
“Any idea why they don’t wander down Main Street?” I asked.
“Who?” Penny asked. “Zombies?”
“Yeah,” I said. “If they’re just brainless monsters, wouldn’t it make more sense that it'd be like the movies? They’d be drawn to sound, gatherings of people, like rounding up cattle for slaughter. Right?”
“Don’t tell me you’re back to thinking you can save them,” she said, putting her hands on her hips. “Not after last night.”
“No,” I said. “It’s not that. But it seems like there is some kind of strategy to their attacks.”
“Maybe,” Penny said. “The whole nocturnal thing isn’t very classic zombie, either.”
I nodded. “And if it’s a virus, why hasn’t the entire town been turned?”
“I wish I had more answers,” Penny said.
Metal clanged, something from the back of the building, and set off a chain of barking dogs, large and small.
“Let’s see if we can find some of those answers,” I said, and smiled at Penny.
She took off first, fearless as she raced around the dark building.
It was different this time. There was no stink of rot, no sickening feeling in the air. What was that scent? Dogs, trees, wood, and something different. Similar to Penny, though not quite the same.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Penny’s voice was acid. Was she talking to me? I stopped five feet away. She didn’t turn. It was someone else.
Penny stared at the back of the building, to a younger version of herself. The raven shifter looked a hell of a lot like Penny, but younger, and with longer hair.
“You don’t own the woods,” the teen said.
“You can’t be out this late, Kaylee,” Penny said. “It’s not safe.”
“Oh, but it’s safe for you?” the girl snapped.
“I know how to protect myself,” Penny said. “You’re going to get yourself hurt. That’s what curfew’s for.”
“Hypocrite.”
“Sure,” Penny said. “And if you don’t get your ass back to the manor right now, I’m dragging you there.”
“You write me this note and just disappear?” She held up a folded piece of paper in her hand. “You should have talked to me. And you don’t seem sorry. Come home, or I’ll tell Dad about your dog,” the girl said, and glanced at me. A jab, it seemed. Was this girl Penny’s sister? Did their father have some issue with wolves?
“I am sorry,” Penny said. “And you can tell him anything you want. But you go. Right. Now.”
The girl scowled and stood her ground. Until Penny took a step in her direction. Just like that, Kaylee shifted like Penny had when I first met her, clothes and all. In a flutter of black feathers, the girl was gone, and a small black bird soared high above the trees.
Penny watched longer than I could see the distinction between bird and sky. I walked up to her side and waited for her to be the first to speak.
“I’m sorry about that,” she said, turning to me.
“You have nothing to be sorry about.”
“It’s my sister,” she said. “She shouldn’t have said that. She shouldn’t have been out. I swear, she’s pushed just about as much as I can handle for one day.”
She sounded pissed, but her eyes betrayed her sadness.
“I’ve been called worse,” I said with a smile, and pulled her in for the hug she looked like she needed.
Penny’s arms wrapped around my back and she pressed her face against my chest. She felt small and perfect in my arms.
“I can’t go back,” she said. “I can’t be me and go back home.”
“Then don’t,” I said. Maybe it was the wrong thing. Maybe I should have pushed her to make up with her family, but that wasn’t what I felt. It wasn’t what I had done. How could I tell her to?
“I don’t know what to do,” she whispered. “I have to find him. I can’t stop.” It wasn’t the time to ask who she searched for, though I did want to know. Because I cared.
“I’ll help you,” I said.
“I’ve been searching so long,” Penny said. “I don’t know if it’s ever going to end.”
My shirt grew damp where her cheek touched my chest.
“We’ll look as long as it takes,” I said.
Penny turned her chin up to me, and I saw her—not her anger, not her frustration or sadness, but the beautiful soul that hid beneath. I saw my mate.
“And you can stay with me,” I said.
She stood on tiptoes, pulling my jacket down for the second time in one night. Her lips were soft and tender. She tasted sweet and minty, and I kissed her deep, exploring the way she moved her tongue, the feel of her lips on mine.
I lost myself in her. Penny. My mate. There was no way I could force distance between us. Not anymore.
I was screwed.
Chapter Eleven
Penny
Every morning I had opened my eyes and seen my bedroom’s vaulted ceiling. There had never been a night where I’d slept in someone else’s bed. So when I looked up and found poo-stained popcorn instead of pristine white plaster, it took a minute to realize where I was.
The mattress was hard, when I was used to soft. The comforter was scratchy compared to mine at home. Instead of the inviting aroma of bacon and pancakes, the room smelled vaguely of mildew.
Though I knew I had done what I had needed to do, I couldn’t help but feel guilt for not returning home. I knew my father and my sister would worry. And sleeping somewhere else felt like I’d crossed a line. I wasn’t pushing the limits of curfew. I was deciding my own fate. It was what I really wanted. It was what I needed to do. And I was living it.
The room felt quieter than it should have. I distinctly remembered Axel sleeping by the edge of the bed, even after I’d told him it was okay to sleep beside me. He was as stubborn as me.
Looking at the t-shirt and jeans that I still wore, I remembered laying down to sleep without bothering to change. Clean clothes were the least of my problems.
“Axel?” I said, wondering where he’d gone.
No answer. There was only the hum of the bathroom fan, and the muffled sounds of shuffling feet and distant voices from other rooms.
I climbed out of bed, and rinsed my face in the sink. Water spurted, then drizzled from the faucet, as steady as my life at this point.
My stomach rumbled, an empty pit reminding me that I hadn’t eaten in a day. Right about now the constable was chowing down on the usual morning spread. What I wouldn’t give for a slice of crisp, center-cut bacon.
Metal jostled on metal, clinking in
the room behind me. I walked out to find my favorite wolf shifter closing the door and smelling even more tempting than usual.
“Good morning,” he said. “I brought breakfast.” He held out a white paper bag that smelled like eggs, and bacon, butter, and some kind of yeasty bread. My mouth watered.
“Did I mention how thankful I am that you’re letting me stay with you?” I asked, with a smile.
“You may have,” he replied.
“Well I am,” I said. “I’ll have to make this up to you somehow.”
“It’s just a shitty motel room.”
“And breakfast,” I said. “Please tell me you’re sharing that, too.”
“Of course,” he said, dumping the contents of the bag onto the mattress. “You think I’d just eat in front of you?”
I climbed up onto the bed, and looked over the four balls wrapped in yellow waxed paper. “We are just getting to know each other,” I said, and grinned at him.
Axel climbed up next to me. “So we are,” he said, then slid two sandwiches in my direction.
“So, you’re the giving type,” I said, while unwrapping the first paper in my hands. “Also a little dark and mysterious, not from around here, and strangely nonviolent.”
Axel swallowed hard and laughed.
“What?” I asked.
“No one has ever described me quite like that,” he said.
“Which part?”
“All of it, maybe,” he said.
“You don’t sound like you’re from Louisiana,” I said.
“Neither do you,” he replied.
“My community is pretty closed off from the rest of the world,” I said. “They’re paranoid.”
“About the zombies?” he asked.
“About everything,” I replied. “Ravens in our constable don’t want to be known to others—humans or shifters. They all just hide out in their big house, pretending the rest of the world doesn’t exist. Well, except for the shop. But that’s only to have a non-cultish way to order mass amounts of supplies.”
Revenge: A Shifter Paranormal Romance Page 5