by Cheree Alsop
“Does that work?” Alex asked curiously.
Tanner’s gaze flitted to the street. “Sarah got hit once.” His clenched jaw said how much that affected him. “She was so scared that she was crying, and then he hit her. It left a bruise that took forever to go away.”
Alex’s voice was quiet when he said, “I can teach you how to defend them.”
Tanner looked at him, really looked at him, his green gaze searching as he took in Alex’s lack of jacket and his clenched fists. Alex couldn’t help the frustration that rose in him at the thought of his friends living lives of fear that could be stopped.
“Let me see your hand,” Tanner said.
Alex opened his fist. Dried blood showed where the knife had cut his palm. When he wiped it on his pants, he held out his hand again to reveal only a shallow mark where the wound had been.
“That’s amazing.” Tanner shook his head, his gaze darkening. “I can’t do what you do.”
“You don’t have to,” Alex told him. “And you don’t have to be helpless against these guys.”
Tanner walked slowly toward his building a block away. Alex followed quietly, checking with all of his senses for any danger by habit. His ears strained for the sound of feet while each breath was colored with scents of rubber and asphalt, the sour-sweet smell of fermenting garbage, and the merest whisper of rain that wafted with the evening breeze.
A candy wrapper swirled on the sidewalk. Tanner stepped on it without noticing. He reached the apartment building, and then hesitated at the steps.
“It would be nice not to be afraid,” Tanner finally said in a voice so quiet another human wouldn’t have heard it.
“Let me know when you’re ready,” Alex told him. “I can teach you, and you could teach them.”
“I’ll let you know,” Tanner replied. He jogged up the steps and put his hand on the door.
Alex turned away.
“Hey, Alex?”
When the werewolf glanced back, Tanner said, “Thanks again.”
“Anytime,” Alex replied with a wave.
Tanner smiled and ducked inside his apartment building.
Nobody bothered Alex on his way back to Cherish’s apartment. Whether they heard of him beating the two men or just had a shred of common sense, Alex didn’t know, but the darkness didn’t bother him any more than the shadows in the alleys and the voices that grew hushed when he passed by.
“You’re okay?” Cherish asked. Before Alex could say a word, she yelled over her shoulder. “He’s okay!”
“Of course he’s okay,” Mrs. Summers replied from the kitchen. “I told you not to worry.”
Alex fought back a smile. “You were worried about me?”
Cherish chuckled. “I guess I shouldn’t have been. Did everyone make it home safe?”
Alex nodded.
“Cocoa’s ready,” Mrs. Summers called. “Come get it while it’s hot.”
Alex followed Cherish into the kitchen. Mrs. Summers sat with them for a few minutes drinking the much smaller portion of hot chocolate she had poured for herself.
“Sounds like things are rough living here,” Alex said after a few minutes of silence.
Cherish nodded. She held the cup of cocoa with both hands as though trying to absorb all of the warmth. Both she and Mrs. Summers had blankets around their shoulders. Alex wondered why they didn’t just turn up the heat.
“It’s what it is,” Mrs. Summers replied. She smiled at her daughter. “We make due, and we’re comfortable enough for now.”
“For now?” Alex asked, picking up on the woman’s lingering tone.
“I’m going to be a doctor,” Cherish said with a determined expression. “Then I can get us somewhere better and save lives at the same time. That’s why I don’t have time for boys. I don’t need them interfering in my plans.”
“What if you interfere with theirs?” Alex asked.
Cherish’s eyes widened. “Whoa, now, wolfie boy. Just because you’re cute in a rugged you-don’t-know-how-attractive-you-are kind-of way, doesn’t mean that I—”
Alex almost held up both hands, which would have meant throwing his hot chocolate across the room. He stopped himself just in time. “It’s not like that at all!”
Cherish lifted her eyebrows in a pointed look of disbelief.
“My cocoa’s gone,” Mrs. Summers said, rising from the table and giving them both a warm smile. “Have a good night you two.”
Cherish shook her head after her mother set her empty mug in the sink and left the room.
“She’s about a subtle as a hammer.”
Alex laughed. “She means well.”
Cherish rolled her eyes. “She’s determined for me to have a boyfriend, and I think she finds you suitable for the job.”
“You don’t think she cares that I’m a werewolf?” Alex asked in surprise.
“No offense,” Cherish replied. “But I think she’d be thrilled if I fell for anything on two legs by this point. I’m just not in that mindset right now.”
“You don’t have to worry.” Alex sat back in his chair. “I have a gir...well, I have someone.”
One corner of Cherish’s mouth lifted in a half smile. “You just about said girlfriend.”
“Yeah.” Alex set his half-empty mug on the table. “I guess we haven’t exactly had a normal conversation, so I don’t know what you’d call it.”
“Then why did you say it?” Cherish’s voice was soft as if she guessed there was more to the story than Alex let on.
Alex debated whether to tell her. He was used to being closed in when it came to Siale. Tensions at the Academy with Kalia didn’t exactly leave room to discuss matters of the heart, and werewolves didn’t bring into the open anything that might be used against them as a weakness. Yet instinct bade him to trust Cherish, and his instincts had served him well so far.
He studied a drop of cocoa that was making its way slowly down the outside of his mug to join the small ring on the table.
“I saved her life and fell in love with her.” He glanced up at Cherish. “I really haven’t been able to think of much else since.”
Cherish’s mouth opened slightly as though she had expected anything but that. “I think if I found a boy who would say stuff like that to me, my mom could relax.”
Alex grinned, feeling foolish. “It’s not exactly a normal situation.”
Cherish took a sip of her hot chocolate, then said, “Which part? You saving lives or that a girl taking up all of your thoughts?”
“Uh, both, actually,” Alex replied. He quickly amended, “I do help Jaze save werewolves, but she was the first one I actually saved myself. I mean, without me, she wouldn’t have made it.” Thoughts of that night stormed his mind, the body pit, the darkness, feeling Siale’s life slip between his fingers with each heartbeat.
“Alex?”
Cherish’s voice was hesitant.
He looked up at her, shaken from his thoughts.
“Where did you go?” she asked gently. “You looked so...lost.”
Alex took a shuddering breath. “It wasn’t easy.” He sat up straighter, pushing the memories away. “And in answer to your second question, no, I don’t usually have a girl take up all of my thoughts. It’s confusing.”
Cherish smiled. “Sounds like it. That’s why I avoid relationships.”
Alex ran his fingers along the rough line on his palm that was all that was left of the knife wound. “It’s different for werewolves; at least, that’s what I’ve been told. We form a bond of sorts. It’s strong, so strong, and we both feel it. We’re pulled together.” He blew out a small breath. “I worry about her and can’t stop thinking of her, and I know it’s not going to go away until I know she’s safe beside me.”
“Beside you,” Cherish said with a smile. “That’s fast.”
Alex shook his head with an answering smile. “I’m not going to propose to her the next time I see her or anything, but I worry they’ll find her.” He smile slipped.
“I can’t let the General hurt her again.”
Cherish stared at him. “You rescued her from General Carso?”
Alex nodded. “What do you know about him?”
She sat back in her chair and pulled her knees up under her chin. “They don’t let much information through. If you search on the Internet, it’s like the stories are being erased as quickly as they’re put up.” Her eyebrows drew together. “But from what I’ve seen, he’s done some very horrible things.” She tipped her head to look at him. “Like kill your brother.”
“And his son killed my parents.” Alex leaned his elbow on the table. “They’re not a very nice family.” His heart clenched at the thought that he was a part of that family.
“What is it?” Cherish asked. “You’re holding something in.”
Alex studied her. “Are you sure you don’t want to be a psychiatrist?”
Cherish gave a soft laugh in reply. “Let’s just say I’m a pretty good judge of people.”
Alex nodded. “I’ll give you that.”
She crossed her arms around her knees. “So you’re not going to tell me?”
Alex hesitated, then shook his head. “I think I’ve told you more tonight than any of my friends know. I don’t know why I did that.”
Cherish shrugged. “I’m a good listener?”
Alex smiled. “Yes, you are. Thank you.”
“Any time,” Cherish replied. She tried to stifle a yawn, but it escaped. “Sorry,” she said. “I guess it’s late.”
Alex rose. “I should get going. We both have school tomorrow.”
“Yeah,” Cherish said, standing up. “I don’t want to keep you from your ninja combat classes.”
Alex laughed. “That’s not all we learn.” He grinned at her. “We have poetry classes as well.”
Cherish opened the door with a shake of her head. “I’d love to see werewolves reciting poetry.”
Alex grimaced. “It’s not always good poetry. Trust me. Torin, one of the Alphas, once wrote a poem about a shoe.”
“That doesn’t sound so bad.”
“He rhymed sole with potato.”
It was Cherish’s turn to grimace. “That is bad.”
Alex stepped out into the hallway. “Thanks again,” he told her. “This was nice. Really nice.”
“Come back soon,” she told him. “Our house is open to everyone for Sunday dinner.” She gave a teasing smile. “Maybe you could bring your girlfriend when you finally get to telling her how you feel.”
“If it was that simple,” Alex replied with a dramatic shake of his head.
Cherish laughed. “Goodnight, Alex.”
“Goodnight, Cherish.”
Chapter Five
Alex pushed the receiver button near the shield on his helmet as he climbed onto the motorcycle. “Trent?”
“Finally,” Trent replied immediately.
“Have you been waiting all day?” Alex asked.
“Well, yeah.” Trent’s dismay was obvious. “Your mother insisted, and she calls down every five minutes to see if I’ve heard from you. She’s convinced the humans have eaten you for dinner or something.” His voice lowered. “It’s late enough that I was getting concerned, too.”
Alex smiled. “You know I can handle myself.”
“I don’t know how many there are, if they’ve contacted the General, if they know about silver, if they—”
“Okay, okay, I get the point,” Alex said, his tone gentle despite the sarcasm of his words. “I think my mom’s gotten to you.”
“I do, too,” Trent said with a half-laugh.
Alex cleared the last building. The dark horizon swept away, rolling hills scattered with small towns where lights only showed in a few windows at the late hour. “I’m already clear of Greyton and on my way home. That should give both of you some relief.”
“I already knew that,” Trent replied, reminding him of the tracking device beneath the motorcycle’s gas cap.
Alex had debated removing the device, but he knew the freedom the dean gave him was bought with trust, even if Trent was on the tracking end of that trust. He would leave the chip unless he had a real need to take it out.
“Will you put me through to Siale?”
“Alex, it’s two in the morning. I don’t think she’ll be awake.”
“Just humor me,” Alex said.
“Fine,” Trent replied, but there was long-suffering in his dramatic sigh that told Alex he actually enjoyed doing the werewolf’s bidding.
Alex didn’t know what he had done to deserve such a friend, but knowing that Trent was always at the other end of the line keeping an eye on him made him feel better rather than trapped. Wolves were meant to be pack animals. It was good to know that his pack always had his back.
“Alex?”
The sound of Siale’s voice sent a rush of warmth through him. A smile spread across his face even though she couldn’t see it. “Hi, Siale. Sorry to wake you.”
“I wasn’t asleep,” she said.
“Liar,” he replied at the grogginess in her voice.
She laughed. “Yeah, well, decent werewolves go to bed at a decent hour.”
“Is that a quote from your dad?”
“How’d you guess?” Siale asked wryly.
Alex’s smile refused to go away. Just hearing her voice put him in an extremely good mood. “It just seems like something Red would say; although that really doesn’t apply on full moons.”
“No,” she said. “It really doesn’t. I’ll have to ask him how he feels about that.”
Alex laughed. “I’m sure he’ll have an answer.” He weaved the motorcycle around a patch of snow that had been blown into the road.
“What are you doing out so late?”
“I had dinner with some human friends,” Alex replied. While everyone else might only know pieces of his life, he had decided from the moment he met Siale that she would know everything she wanted to. That way, it was up to her to decide whether she truly wanted to be a part of his life.
“That’s a new one,” Siale said with a hint of surprise. “Do you have dinner with humans often?”
“Tonight was the first time, actually,” Alex admitted. “And it was nice.”
“No silver daggers?”
Alex laughed. “Now you sound like Trent.”
“I don’t want that to happen,” Siale replied in a tone of mock worry.
“I’ll introduce you when you get to the Academy,” Alex promised. “He and his sister are great.”
“I’m looking forward to it,” Siale replied sincerely.
The thought of Siale coming to the Academy filled Alex with hope that things would look up. It was going to be difficult with Kalia, he had no doubt about that, but having Siale close by was more than he had dared to hope when he watched her be lifted out of the body pit. How she had survived the entire night let alone make it through her recovery as well as she had still amazed him.
“Dad’s been insisting that he and I need to watch old movies together,” Siale said. She sighed. “He has a whole collection. I guess he and Mom used to watch them together all the time, so I really can’t say no.”
“Have you seen anything good?”
“He showed me ‘My Fair Lady.’ It made me cry.”
The thought of Siale crying made Alex’s hands clench. He had to force himself to relax his grip on the gas. “Is that a good thing?” he asked carefully.
“Yes,” Siale replied. “It’s a beautiful movie.”
Alex let out a slow breath.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“Yeah,” Alex told her honestly. “I just don’t like to hear about you crying. It makes me want to hit something.”
The laugh Siale gave was warm as though his words touched her. “You don’t have to worry about me, Alex. It’s okay if I cry once in a while.”
“I’m not so sure about that,” Alex replied quietly.
“You worry too much. Now who’s sounding like Tre
nt?” she asked.
Alex snorted. “I just don’t know if you need other things to make you cry after what you’ve been through.”
“We were there together,” Siale reminded him, her voice gentle. “You’re the one who pulled us both through. If it wasn’t for you...”
“I would do it again a million times,” Alex told her truthfully.
“I don’t think I could.”
“I’ll make sure you never have to,” Alex vowed.
Silence filled the space between them. The hum of the tires on the frozen asphalt filled Alex with peace. “It’s beautiful tonight,” he told her, glancing up at the stars. “You should see the sky.”
“Light pollution out here’s kind-of killed that for me,” Siale replied. “I don’t remember the last time I actually saw more than two or three stars at a time.” She paused, then said, “Describe what you see.”
Alex smiled at the request. He pushed back the shield on his helmet and looked up as he drove. “The sky’s so dark it looks like someone’s wrapped the world in black velvet, and the stars shine through bright and clear as though the same person poked a hole in the velvet in a million places and is shining a light through.” He paused. “I’m not a poet,” he said, embarrassed.
“It sounds beautiful,” Siale replied with a hint of longing.
“It is.” Alex looked back at the road with just enough time to register the deer standing in his lane, its eyes reflecting the light of his headlight. “Crap.”
Even his werewolf skills didn’t give him enough time to react. He slammed into the deer so hard he flew over the top of the motorcycle. He managed to pull his arms in before he hit the road on his side. He slid along the asphalt, hearing the scrape of the gravel tear his shirt and the skin of his shoulder.
Alex stopped in the middle of the road. He glanced over his aching shoulder far enough to confirm that he wasn’t about to be run over. At the sight of the unbroken expanse of black road trailing like a ribbon into the night, Alex let his head fall back to the pavement.
“Alex, are you okay?” Siale asked in panic.
Alex gave a short, painful chuckle. “Yes, just stupid.”
“What happened?” Relief filled her words at the sound of his voice.