by Anna Santos
When the interview ended, James and Shane walked down the corridor, having a friendly conversation. Shane’s hand didn’t leave mine, which rendered me more confused and distracted than ever before. We looked so much like a couple that I didn’t even recognize myself or my behavior. I was not the type of girl to give her hand to a boy and be all mushy and silly, but it felt nice and normal.
I was losing it. I needed to ditch him and start thinking straight!
“You better stop doing that, or I can’t be held responsible by what I’ll do next.”
“Doing what?” I asked, confused by Shane’s words.
We were outside the school entry. James had said his goodbyes and disappeared around the corner. Meanwhile, I was trying to find an excuse to be left alone for a while. At least time enough time to call Jason and explain to him my lack of success in finding clues to the vampire’s domain.
“Biting your lip.”
“I’m not―” I broke off, catching myself biting down again as I thought over his answer. There it was: my teeth on my bottom lip, wreaking havoc on it in response to my frayed nerves.
“Is something wrong?” he asked, obviously puzzled by my hesitation. Normally I was alone and, in turn, didn’t speak much. I really only had Jason to talk to, and that was just on the phone. In my line of work, I couldn’t make new friends. I also had Jessica, who was a witch and supernatural hunter like me. I was naturally quiet and didn’t have the social skills necessary to make small talk or even make up a good excuse as to why I needed to be left alone for at least a minute.
“Nothing’s wrong,” I said, but I made a mistake. I didn’t look him in the eye to reassure him, so he didn’t believe me. Instead, he put his hands on my arms, making me face him and lose my senses again.
He had really beautiful, concerned blue eyes. I couldn’t help it, so I kissed him as I fell into his arms. That’s right. I kissed him. I couldn’t get the kiss from the motel room out of my mind, not since we’d left for my interview. I just had to kiss him again. Everything seemed to fall into place when I kissed him; it even explained why I’d been reacting so senselessly to him since the first minute we’d met.
“Let’s go to my place,” he whispered, his voice sending shivers of lust down my spine.
“Yes,” I gasped. Kissing him was a rush of adrenaline that had the power to make me forget everything and want to, instead, strip my clothes and jump right in bed with him. “I mean…” I was able to clear my head and pull back. “I need to go to the bank and find a phone to call my cousin.”
“Don’t you have a cell phone?”
“It’s in my bike.” I gave him a look that said “it’s-all-your-fault.” Then I asked, “Don’t you have to be at the police station?”
“I already called ahead to warn them that I wasn’t going to be in today.”
I stared at him, feeling puzzled. He had taken the day off to be with me. If I was a normal person, that would’ve been very sweet. He was so breathtaking that I had to silence my thoughts for a moment and try to be reasonable. I had to prioritize.
“I really need to call my cousin, Jason. He must be worried sick,” I mumbled, trying to be left alone, at least for a few minutes, so I could collect my thoughts and stop acting so irrationally when this man was around. I had to admit that he was hot, but I also had very important things to solve. My life was already too complicated as it was. It would be too much to let him haunt my mind with sexual desires.
“Why would your cousin be worried?” he asked, frowning as if he didn’t believe what I was saying.
I folded my arms across my chest and eyed him. “I’m not going to call up a boyfriend or a long lost lover or whatever it is you think I have, because all I have is my cousin. He is my only family since…”
“Since?” he asked with curiosity.
I instantly regretted explaining myself to him. He had nothing to do with my life, and I really didn’t want to explain this very personal matter to him. But, amazingly, I did.
“Since my parents died.” I almost choked and broke into tears just by admitting it out loud. It was still painful after all those years. He noticed my pain, and he reached out, bringing me into his arms, caressing my hair. I felt safe, warm, but also like a scared little girl.
Damn! I had probably hit my head somewhere and didn’t remember that I had, because I was not normally fragile and needy; I usually didn’t feel safe in a man’s arms. I rarely let them get that close in the first place. There was definitely something wrong with the way I’d reacted to Shane.
“Do you normally take stray orphan girls home?” I asked as he clutched me to his chest, feeling too mystified to keep my thoughts quiet but thankful for his attention.
“No, you were the first,” he answered. Shane kissed me so sweetly that my legs turned to jelly.
“Only hot girls in leather suits who faint after being attacked by vampires?”
“No. You were also my first. I normally don’t pick up girls at bars.”
“They pick you up instead?” I dared to ask.
“Sometimes,” he answered in an amused tone. “Are you trying to ask me if I’m single?”
“Yes,” I confirmed, looking him in the eyes and noticing his cocky smile. Damn, he was just so gorgeous, and he knew it!
“I was single…” he began to say, which made me start to pull away from him, my heart in my mouth. “But now, I think I’m taken. She’s accepted a date with me tonight and hasn’t turned down any of my kisses yet.”
Cocky without a doubt; charming and entirely too persistent. “Slow down, cowboy. It’s just a date,” I said, not sure whether to laugh or feel concerned about the road Shane wanted to take with our relationship. He couldn’t be serious. Men weren’t usually that keen on jumping into a relationship.
“I regret to inform you, but, judging by the number of people who’ve passed here in the last ten minutes, I’m confident in saying that the whole town believes that we are a couple,” he said with a smile and an easy tone that made me freeze in panic.
There went my purpose to pass through the town without bringing attention to myself. In a small town like that one, this kind of news was probably worthy of a newspaper article.
“You look like you are going to run and never come back,” Shane said, but this time he wasn’t smiling. He seemed concerned. He couldn’t be more right! Was he a mind reader now?
I just stared at him and bluntly asked, “Are you some kind of stalker?”
“No!”
“Are you sure? I just met you―last night.”
“I like you.”
Just like that, I was left with nothing to say to that revelation. Direct and persistent: those were two must-haves on my “perfect man” list. Intelligent and breathtaking were also included. I should’ve just written Shane; it would’ve saved me some time.
I was really losing it. Because, even while I was thinking he was perfect, I knew he had to have some kind of flaw!
“And I want to know you better,” he added, noticing my absorbed face.
Still nothing to say. My head was spinning. He had come into my life at such a bad time. But, then again, when would it ever be a good time for me?
“After we know each other better, you can decide if you want me in your life or not. If you don’t want me, I’ll just go back to my boring life and never bother you again.”
“Okay.” I shrugged my shoulders, and he smiled and let out what sounded like a relieved sigh.
His interest in me was flattering enough, so I decided I was just going to let things happen. Besides, we had already kissed, and it was kind of perfect. I couldn’t help but want to kiss him again. He wouldn’t leave me alone anyway, and I was… enjoying the company. It hit me then that I didn’t want to be left alone. It would hurt physically. It was strange, but the idea of being apart from him made my heart hurt inside my chest.
I sighed and looked around, taking note of all of the people who were staring at us as if w
e were a pair of tigers in a circus act. And that was when it hit me like a ton of bricks. The whole town was crawling with werewolves and vampires. They were in couples, walking around like mere mortals. I couldn’t even imagine that kind of thing existed. My God! They were pretending to be humans in a town of supernatural beings, living in supposed harmony. Vampires greeting werewolves when passing by on the street. Little kids playing with each other and laughing: kids who were werewolf cubs and some who were probably even hybrids, like me.
“What’s wrong?” Shane asked, noticing how my eyes studied the citizens of the village.
“Nothing.” I shrugged and stared at him, trying to cope with the fact that Shane himself was a werewolf. I couldn’t deny myself that crucial fact anymore.
Werewolves and my kind didn’t mingle. Werewolves were territorial and protective of their pack. Hybrids weren’t normally welcomed in their groups. His having a sheriff’s position in a town like that meant that the others respected Shane. Why would he want to socialize with me? He didn’t know what I was, but then again, why would he even want to be seen with a supposed human in a town of supernatural beings?
I pleased him. That was clear every time he kissed me. But still, would he talk to me if he knew what I really was?
I had nothing against his kind. They were loyal, and most of them just wanted to be left alone, living in harmony in some countryside community. He seemed like a nice guy. I should tell him what I was―but then again, for what reason? Did it even matter?
Chapter Five
Anna
“So―vampires?” Shane asked while we were walking down the street on our way for a late lunch at the local diner.
“What?” I was completely spacing out.
“You think you were attacked by vampires. That was what you said back there, anyway, before I almost made you think I was crazy.”
“So what were they, if they weren’t vampires? They simply disappeared when you shot them.”
“They ran. I gave a warning shot and they ran.”
“And the dust?”
Now I was just being mean, in order to see what excuse he was going to give me. He wasn’t going to tell me what he was, or what the people in this town were. He wouldn’t tell their secrets to a human. And he had no idea that I wasn’t a human. Hybrids smell like humans; it’s our way of staying safe from human hunters and supernatural radicals who want our heads. It’s not easy to be a hybrid. At least we can hide among humans and decide to tell only the ones we trust exactly what we are. Shane could be hot and apparently harmless, but he hadn’t yet earned my trust. I hadn’t survived for so long by willingly trusting someone who I’d just met.
“It was dry last night. Sometimes the wind blows and carries dust along with it.”
“Hmm.”
“Vampires don’t exist,” Shane said, grinning as he reached to hold my hand. “You must have bumped your head when you fainted.”
“Probably,” I replied, knowing perfectly well that he took me in his arms long before I could fall to the floor with my fake faint. I stared at our hands together and felt warm inside. My muscles relaxed, and I looked around at the seemingly friendly community with its cozy little shops and charming buildings.
“You can’t actually believe that I killed vampires,” Shane said after a while, trying to figure out if I was convinced by his explanation.
“You did save me from those guys. Vampires or not,” I replied. Playing the damsel in distress was a funny thing for me, and I almost chuckled, but I didn’t want to hurt his feelings. Even though I could protect myself, it was nice to be saved for once. He cared enough to come outside and protect a stranger from vampires.
“We don’t like those types of people in this town. I didn’t like the way they were looking at you,” he confessed, making my heart speed up. He was, without a doubt, a good guy. “Besides, they were warned to behave when they came a few days before―but seemed to forget about that.”
“So they weren’t from this town?” I asked, gathering information.
“No, they were outsiders. We don’t mind outsiders, as long as they play by our rules,” Shane said, and I stared at him, intrigued. “What were you doing in the bar that late?”
“That was kind of a sexist question. Can’t a girl go out for a late drink?”
“I didn’t mean to sound sexist.” His face became pale at my accusation. Apparently, he didn’t want to seem judgmental. It was interesting how much he wanted to please me.
“I can take care of myself,” I said, smiling so I wouldn’t hurt his feelings. “But I appreciate you coming out to check on me, even if I think you were hitting on me in the bar.”
“I was definitely hitting on you,” he said, making my silly heart jump inside my chest. “And I’m very interested in knowing how you are planning to thank me,” he added in a relaxed tone, throwing in a naughty smile that made me laugh.
“I’ll let you pay for my lunch, since my wallet is in my bike.”
“Yes, I’m kind of guilty for that situation, but I’ll gladly pay for your lunch and drive you over to Sam’s Bar so you can get your bike back. I just couldn’t leave you in a faint outside the bar.”
“You are quite the gentleman―even if you took me to your home and took my clothes off.”
“I tried to wake you up,” he explained. “I wanted to make you feel comfortable, and the leather didn’t look comfortable for sleeping in. I didn’t take advantage of you. I just took it off and covered you up.”
“I believe you,” I said to reassure him. His eyes beamed once more, and I felt warm inside.
“So―is the bike actually yours? Or did you steal it from a former boyfriend?”
“Do you like it?” I asked, fully aware that he was trying to gather information about my life.
“Yes, it’s gorgeous and expensive,” he added.
“Don’t worry, I didn’t steal it. It was my brother’s.”
“You said you had no family besides your cousin,” he reminded me.
“I don’t. He’s…” I lost my voice before I could finish that sentence. I didn’t like to talk about it. Why did he have to be so nosy about my life? It wasn’t his fault, though. My life was just messed up. I stopped walking and stared at the ground to conceal my emotions.
Shane drew near me. “I swear that I’m not trying to make you sad, but we should talk about that another day.”
“About what?”
“About what happened to your family.”
“I don’t like to talk about it.”
“You can tell me when you’re ready,” he whispered, voice laced with honey.
In any other occasion, his tender voice and closeness would have made me feel good, but I was reinforcing my defenses, and I had no intention of telling him anything else about me.
“I don’t like to talk about it,” I repeated, pursing my lips so he would just leave me alone. I let go of his hand and started to walk away. He followed me.
“Annabel,” he called, and I knew he wasn’t going to let it go. “You will eventually have to trust someone.”
I stopped walking, turned around, and stared at him, annoyed by his words and perplexed by the way he could read me so well. Was my inability to trust that clear? The real question, though, was why in the hell did he care about that? What could my life, my past, my feelings and dreams possibly mean to him? We had just met; we weren’t friends, just acquaintances with a good steamy dose of sexual attraction.
“Shane, do you want to take me to bed or cure my trust issues?”
“Both,” he answered, not shocked at all by my bluntness. “Besides, we must talk about ourselves and our lives if we want to get to know each other.”
“That is such―”
“What?” He dared me to end that sentence.
“Bullshit,” I finished, letting the word roll out of my mouth with full force.
“I guess we should work on a way for you to trust me first,” he said. He didn’t se
em angered by my words, just concerned about changing my mind. He puzzled me. He should be running away from me right now. Most guys would.
“Whatever,” I replied, trying to seem emotionally unattached by his words, even though they had me wishing that they could come true.
He looked saddened by my chilly answer. Making him sad was something that I realized I didn’t like to do. It physically hurt, and not only in my heart. My stomach felt cramped; crazy butterflies ricocheted off the sides. I was definitely falling for him in just the few hours I’d been with him. That could not be good… And then I said what I had promised myself never to tell a man, just because I knew it would make him feel happier—or at least I expected it to.
“Shane… I like you, too.”
“I know,” he answered, grinning, obviously pleased by my words. “Your heart beats faster when we get closer, and when we kiss…”
“What?” I dared him to finish his sentence with my arms folded and narrowed eyes. I felt irritated at him for being so cocky about my feelings for him.
“Nothing.” He ran a hand through his hair in the very first nervous impulse I’d caught him doing. I laughed. I was probably losing my mind, but I felt like a teenager with her first crush.
“What?” he asked, furrowing his eyebrows. I stopped laughing, shrugged my shoulders, and gazed at the floor, watching the pavement. A disturbing thought caught my attention.
“You probably have a lot of girls in town chasing you around,” I said out loud.
“Not all,” he replied.
He was definitely cocky and not reassuring at all! Panic washed over me. He must have read my mind.
“But I only have eyes for you,” he said, holding my hands before I could run away.
“You are probably just tired of the girls here.” I immediately regretted saying that and bit my lip.
“You are so cute, being so jealous for nothing!” he replied with a grin that made me shiver with lust and fury. Damn it, I shouldn’t be reacting like a silly girl, but I couldn’t help it.