I stepped inside. Hard to back out because the guy who answered the door was too friendly. “Thanks. My name is Gemma. Obviously, I guess.”
He only nodded and stuck out a hand. “William. Are you from the Bristol Pack?”
Perplexed, I shook my head. “No, I’m Heath’s cousin.”
He looked me over, but not in a critical way. “I see. How’s ol’ Millie and Dick?”
I giggled nervously. “Fine. Should I..?” I pointed at the chairs and sofas just behind him. There were a lot of them. Chocolate brown and yellow were the dominant colors in the room, and enough seating to comfortably hold a dozen people.
He gestured expansively with one arm to the room, and followed me as I plopped down in an especially squishy cushioned sofa.
“Can I get you anything to drink?”
It was strange to see such a casually unkempt bloke politely offering to fetch me a drink.
“Tea, if you have any already made.”
He smiled as if that was funny, and started toward the back. “Do you take any milk or sugar?
“Plain is fine. Seriously, please don’t go to any trouble!” I called as he disappeared, but just got a laugh for a response.
So I sat and cooled my heels for what seemed like an eternity before William showed back up with a small plate and a steaming cuppa balanced in the middle. “Thank you. I really hope you didn’t make a pot just for me.”
A difference voice responded from my right. “He doesn’t mind.”
Even if I didn’t somehow recognize that deep voice, my skin did as it rose in goosebumps. I looked up at him. “I didn’t even hear you come in.”
“That’s all we need, Will,” he said in aside, turning his light green eyes back toward me. He was just as casually dressed as before, a soft blue shirt and jeans that moulded to his legs just right.
William threw a wide smile my way and went up the stairs jauntily. Kurt waited until the other man was gone before leaning toward me.
I flinched back from his fingers, but all he did was pluck a small blond hair off my shoulder.
“I didn’t spend the night.” I repeated, blushing.
He took one look at my pink cheeks, which I couldn’t help, and flicked the hair toward the carpet. “You’ve met Will. There’s Alec and Clover, but they’re at work.”
“Oh.”
“You’ll sleep in Clover’s room, she’s got two twin beds. Her sister moved out recently.”
“Problems?”
“Marriage.”
“Same thing then.”
He cracked a smile, one of the first I’d seen since I met him. “Right. Feel free to grab whatever you want out of the fridge. We’re on low capacity at the moment, but we stock enough for a small army.”
I thought about that. “Capacity?”
“Most of the Pack moves through here during transition, like college or moving out from the parents’.”
I wondered if Heath had lived here, and why he moved out. When the most likely answer hit me I must have looked somewhat startled, because Kurt nodded.
“We think it’s been going on for a lot longer than a few days. I can’t even imagine…” He shook his head, looking away.
“There’s nothing wrong with falling in love,” I defended, not liking the implied criticism toward Heath.
“It’s doubtful he loves her.” He waved a hand. “She’s a damsel in distress. A non-shifter of their kind is going to be mistreated.”
“So he can’t love her because she’s a non-shifter?” I scoffed, annoyed at his--his speciesism.
“It’s not that,” he said gruffly. “Drink your tea. I’ll be around.”
I didn’t protest when he left, thoroughly annoyed. Why wouldn’t anyone tell me anything?
His words also turned out to be untrue, I didn’t see him once for the rest of the day.
After finding the only room that could possibly belong to a girl, I dumped my bag on the neatly made bed and ventured back downstairs to finish my homework on the utterly comfortable gold chair I claimed as my own.
William came in a few times and shamelessly stole a few pieces of the sandwich I was making, but that was all.
I went upstairs early in the evening to get into pajamas and hope someone told Clover she had a bunkmate for the night. I don’t know how many times I could be leapt on without developing anxiety.
I woke up in the dark, momentarily thrown off not so much by the new location, but the lack of light streaming in. Waking up early was not a problem I suffered.
Groping around for my mobile, I blurrily squinted against the light as I checked the time.
One o’clock in the morning?!
I shoved it back under the pillow and tried to pretend I hadn’t woken up. The sound of deep and even breathing was soothing.
Propping myself up on my elbows, I tried to make out the shape on the bed across the small room. It looked rather tiny.
But now I was awake. I quietly peeled back the covers and rested my feet on the carpet. Clover didn’t stir, so I stood up and shuffled toward the door. It was closed, but I had plenty of experience in avoiding the telltale click of a door opening.
Her room was on the top floor, so after a quick trip to the loo I went down to the kitchen. I was a night eater. It was a flaw, but one I happily embraced.
I wasn’t the only one in the kitchen. I must have been suitably stealthy, because his posture didn’t change as I stood in the doorway.
“You don’t have to keep me entertained,” I started, watching his shoulders stiffen, “but it seems like you’re avoiding me. Is it about Heath?”
His shoulders relaxed minutely as he looked over his shoulder. “I’ve just been busy.”
“Ah.” I took a seat across from him, innocently folding my hands on the table. “What’s your e-poison then? Kitten videos, gambling, trolling, porn?”
Kurt didn’t seem to think I was funny. “Just busy. I’ve been keeping in touch with the people who might have seen him. He has to have gone somewhere.”
I dropped the too-serious tone and inclined a shoulder. “Alright then. You’re not avoiding me.”
“No.” He looked around the kitchen, at everything but me.
Certainly not avoiding me then, I thought sarcastically. “I appreciate the bed, but if I’m making you uncomfortable, I can go back to--to where I was sleeping.”
He looked annoyed, clearly thinking I meant Ry and not my car. “You’re a bit pushy, aren’t you?”
I smiled. “It’s the only way I find out about anything. Where do you work?”
“A warehouse throwing boxes. I only work two shifts a week.”
“How do you get out of working when there’s a full moon?”
“I have ‘sick parents’.”
“Do you get grumpy when it’s that time of the month, or is it all the time?”
He pulled a face. “When do you sleep?”
“All the time then. I sleep at night usually. When do you sleep?”
He shifted in his seat, putting an elbow up and then back down. Why, he looked discomfited. “Most nights.”
“Want some tea?”
“Fine.”
I got up and filled the kettle with water. I already snooped around the kitchen earlier, so I had a little tray set up by the time the water was ready.
“Milk?”
“A little,” he confirmed grudgingly.
I dribbled milk into his cup and added a touch of sugar. I took it to him and took the seat across again. It was soothing, puttering around a kitchen with company. Even if the company was rather churlish.
He took a sip, eyebrows climbing high. “It’s sweet.”
“For your disposition.” I smiled sweetly.
I’m glad to see you’re taking all this so well,” he said dryly. Normally he didn’t prescribe to using humour to mask his unease. By all accounts he seemed to wear it grudgingly.
“Not at all. This hour should be illegal.”
He di
dn’t respond to that, but just drank his sweetened tea.
After nearly ten minutes of silence, I had an empty cup and a whole lot of awkward mouth poses. Mine, not his.
“He may think he loves her, but there’s no future for them,” he finally said stiffly.
I tilted my head a bit, going through the possibilities in my head. “Because he’s a werewolf and she’s related to panthers?”
“No.”
“He wouldn’t have to keeps any secrets, that’s positive.”
“Yes.”
“Does he have to be in wolf form to shag?”
He started, looking rather scandalized. It was humanizing. “That’s horrible, and also no.”
I threw my hands up. “You’re not giving me anything here to work with. Do your bits not line up with a human's?”
He nearly spit out his tea, and shot me a disgruntled look as he wiped his mouth.
I took that as a no. “Is it emotional, physical, what? Why can’t he love her?”
He toyed around with his cup, looking utterly irritated. “He’d hurt her. In a physical sense.”
“During the full moon?” I did wonder how they managed to keep that under wraps. I slept in the same house as two werewolves as a child, for goodness sake.
“In general.” He was still keeping his gaze trained elsewhere.
“Oh? Oh. OH.” I usually wasn’t so verbose during epiphanies, but that was properly scandalous. “He’d crush her while having it off then?”
He was quite aggrieved, finally glancing at me for just a breath. “I shouldn’t be telling you this.”
That was a problem for my cousin. As it was, I had the perfect solution. I wondered why he hadn’t thought of it. “He could just Turn her into a werewolf then. Ry said Rose was a mundane, and she was Turned.”
Kurt sighed. “It’s not that simple to change someone, and it shouldn’t ever be done just so two people can…”
“Shag?” I helpfully supplied.
He cleared his throat. “Right. And it’s dangerous. I’ve never heard of changing someone to a different animal. At least not willingly.”
That took a morbid turn. “What happened?”
“Dead. Though I’ve only heard rumours of the panthers trying it, so I don’t know if it was just another torture. The whole process is dangerous anyway, that’s why you don’t Turn children or old people.”
“Like a vampire.” My parents couldn’t shelter me from the school library.
Kurt snorted, rolling his eyes and draining his cup dry. “Sure. Except everything else about us.”
I smirked, but I didn’t tease him any farther. “You can only be with another werewolf then? Are there enough to go around?” William had mentioned a Bristol Pack, and London was quite large.
“There are plenty,” he said blandly, eyeing me. “Lots of pretty ones who get lonely.” He stood up, placing the cup in the sink and leaving me to figure out if that was a dig at me.
I rinsed and washed both of our cups, and made sure everything was neat before I head back upstairs. Clover was still asleep, so I crawled under the covers and stared at the ceiling.
Perhaps he thought I was flirting and was trying to discourage me. Which I wasn’t, but a guy like that, with his sexy raspy voice and muscular arms might be used to girls taking a fancy to him. Some birds went for that ‘only I can melt your heart’ type, but not me.
Definitely not me.
Chapter 8
My first thought upon waking was that these were really warm blankets. I was on my side, all snuggled up with a pillow, and the covers pressed against my back heavily.
I definitely should have realized what the problem was before I sat up, but I’d never had anyone sleeping next to me before.
My memory didn’t stretch back far enough to a time when I might have been allowed to sleep with my parents, if ever a time existed.
I first saw a small and delicate hand right by my shoulder. Then I saw the rest of her - choppy dark red hair, petite frame under bright blue pajamas - and scooted away uneasily. She was lying on top of the blankets, but it was still alarming.
She stirred as I moved further from her, one eye barely opening. I was relieved to see they were brown and not green. I couldn’t say why.
She cleared her throat groggily. “You’re not Gracie.”
Ah. Wait, didn’t Kurt say Clover’s roommate went off and got married? “No. Just Gemma.”
Instead of getting embarrassed, she tucked the extra pillow under her head and smiled. “Sorry. My name’s Clover. Are you staying here?”
“No. I don’t think so.” I moved further away, all but on the edge of the bed. I never had so many people invade my personal space as the last three days.
“Just visiting then. William, or Alec?”
“Kurt, kinda.”
Her eyes got big, pink mouth making a silent ooh. Then she seemed to remember I was sleeping here and not in his room. “Are you two dating then?”
“No. Just needed a place to sleep.”
“Oh, I’d heard the Bristol Pack was in town. Or was it Manchester?” She counted silently on her fingers, face scrunched up as she thought.
“Bristol. I’ll be right back.” I slid my legs over the side and felt under the bed for my bag. I didn’t want to be rude, but a short top and jammy shorts weren’t comfortable for chatting. I always had to be fully clothed when leaving my room, even if it was just to come down for breakfast.
“Kurt never has new guests over. It’s always just Heath.”
I stopped, fingers just brushing the latch. “Were they close?” I glanced at her over my shoulder.
“Oh very.” She grinned, wiggling her eyebrows.
I escaped then, taking a left turn to the large bathroom I used the night before. It had two sinks and two doors, the second probably conjoined to a bedroom.
I blew out a long breath, splashing water on my face. So that was why he was so sure that it was just a case of rescuing someone in need and not love. He could have just said it, I was open minded.
That put a whole new spin on him banging on the door and warning off who he thought was Pandorea.
Pulling on clothes and brushing my teeth in record time, I went back to the room and tucked my bag half under the bed again.
Clover was still wearing her cute blue nightshirt, but she was sitting on her own bed with knees tucked under the blanket. “So how do you know Kurt?” she asked chirpily.
“I’m Heath’s cousin.”
Her smile faded. “Oh, I’m sorry. Has there been any word from him?”
I shook my head, pulling out a textbook from the shelf closest to the bed. I could hear her moving around and getting dressed as I tried to focus enough to read.
“I’m going to make myself a sandwich. Want one?”
I looked up. She had changed into an off shoulder white blouse with a poofy yellow skirt above her knees, The bright colors looked good with her auburn hair. “That’d be nice, thanks.”
After she left I gave up pretending to read and just rested my head against the headboard. Nobody else commented on this special something about me. I figured it was just a line, but...
But I had to know.
I slid my mobile from under my head and stared at the screen. I shouldn’t call. Not that I thought he was as bad as his family, but the close encounter had startled me badly.
However, since Rose practically ambushed me at Uni, what did it matter? Without overthinking it, I hit dial.
It rang a few times before going to voicemail. Before I could even put the phone back down, his name popped up at the top in a return call.
“Hello?” It was a habit to ask, as if I had no idea who was on the other line.
“Hey there.” He sounded pleased. “How’ve you been?”
“Just waking up.”
“I’ve been up for a while.”
I wound a curly lock around my fingers, sinking further against the pillow. “Missing my breakfast?”
/>
“You do have a way with meat.”
Blushing once again, I trailed my fingers along the cover. He was much better at flirting than me. “So...how am I special?”
I waited for some quip, but he didn’t say anything. I bit my lip. “You still there?” I ventured.
“I’m still here. It’s just so hard to pick out of such a long list.” His voice was slowly warming from serious to teasing, but why was it so serious in the first place?
“You can start with the way you and Rose mentioned.”
“Rose?”
“She came to my school.”
He fell silent again, and I debated how long I should wait before prompting him.
“What did she say?” he finally asked.
I promptly answered. “That Pandorea betrayed her family, and Heath would do the same to me. She said if I went with her, she would tell me how I was different.”
“She didn’t hurt you?” Instead of surprised, he sounded resigned.
“Not physically,” I said dryly. Holding my towel away and calling me friendless were mean, but it seemed it could have been much worse.
“I wish I could make you feel better.”
“I like chocolate.” It was a valid suggestion.
He chuckled, low and warm. “I have an idea. Are you alone right now?”
“Mostly, yes.”
“No one can see or hear youyou?”
I shook my head. “No one. Why?” I couldn’t tell if I should be concerned or intrigued.
His voice dropped a husky drawl. “I want you to close your eyes. Now, I want you to move how I tell you to move.”
“Alright,” I whispered.
“Place one hand on your knee, and the other on your stomach. But picture my hands there, can you do that?”
I nodded again, forgetting all about responding aloud.
“Good girl. I’m imagining...running my fingers from up your thigh, slowly. I’m moving them back up to your knee, and using my nails to lightly scratch along the skin as it moves back…”
The door opened suddenly and I fumbled, dropping the phone on the bed.
Chosen: Shifters of London Page 5