by B. L. Dawn
They all chuckled. James had always loved books, and there were many times she had wanted to talk with him but hadn’t wanted to interrupt him while he had been reading. Tatum stood up and stretched her legs. “Let’s head back and get ready for your graduation.”
The day moved as if in a whirlwind. They had to help James pack his belongings into his SUV, get into their hotel room, and make their way to the Colosseum.
The minute they heard James’s name, Eli and Tatum jumped out of their seats and screamed at the top of their lungs, causing a big scene. Her heart was ready to burst at hearing Eli’s voice and seeing James hold up his two diplomas over his head with a smile that lightened her soul.
After graduation, they headed to the hotel to discuss what to do next. Eli wanted to go swimming after seeing a couple of females in the pool, and Grandpa wanted to sleep, but James decided to take Tatum to a dance club for the first time. She had seen dance clubs in movies before, so she kind of knew what to expect. James wanted her to unwind and party it up.
Chapter 3
Music pushed vibrations into Tatum’s chest, making it hard to breathe. The floor was pounding under her feet. Black walls and high ceiling tiles helped showcase the glowing bar and the laser lights moving over the crowd. “Gigantic” was an understatement when it came to Rabble Roads. It went on as far as she could see.
People moved in waves, holding drinks with their hands swaying in the air. The humans were grinding on each other. A glowing white bar ran from one end of the building to the other. James led her to the bar, flagged down one of the bartenders, and ordered drinks for them both. The bartender sat down two shot glasses filled with a red-tinted liquid. James picked them up.
Leaning in close, he yelled, “Aftershock!”
Nodding his head, James raised his glass in the air. Tatum took her shot glass from him with her eyes wide in anticipation. Smiling slyly, James tipped the glass back, drinking all the Aftershock in one gulp. Tatum did the same. Her eyes watered as she gagged, sending some of the liquid into her nose. Everything burned.
Tossing his head back, James roared with laughter.
“Asshole, that felt like nails going down my throat.” Tatum coughed, holding her burning throat.
Still chuckling, James handed her a frozen pink drink. She shook her head. Hell no. I’m not going to fall for that shit again.
“It’s good. I promise. No more tricks.” He pushed the drink toward her hand.
Tatum grabbed the drink out of his hand, took the straw, and sucked in a small amount. The sweet strawberry flavor was so much better than the cinnamon one. She pointed to the frozen drink and gave him a thumbs up.
Smiling, he grabbed his beer and pulled her into the crowd. She bobbed around, trying to mimic his movements. He flowed much better than she did and jerked in different directions with the beat. It was like she was a student learning how to be cool. Pretty soon, she got the hang of it. James took her empty drink. Did I finish that drink already?
James disappeared for a moment, but Tatum kept dancing. He placed another frozen drink in her hand, and she sucked down the icy concoction.
As Tatum danced and laughed in front of James, huge arms slid around her waist. She looked over her shoulder to get a better look. The dark male was taller than her and had a wicked smile. Tatum looked at James, who was backtracking through the gyrating crowd, with a knowing smile until he was out of view.
Tatum turned her whole body around to get a better look at the hulking male while trying to dance seductively. He kept one strong arm around her back, moving with her, pulling her body close to his. Against his dark skin, he had bright green eyes that were full of life. He had lickable lips that looked more serious than playful.
If he hadn’t been moving like he was sexually interested in her, she would have thought he looked a little angry. But it made him look dangerous and strong. Her body heated as his intense stare devoured her.
She wanted to feel his large hands all over her body. Could this be the night that she mated for the first time? Could someone finally be interested in her?
Tatum danced with the male. His hands were moving all over her body, down her back, over her bottom, and up her hips. It was driving her sexual side crazy. It was awesome that he sexually craved her.
She didn’t even know who this male was, but at this moment, she didn’t care. Tatum wanted to explore this further. What would mating for the first time feel like? Would it feel good or would it hurt? She moved in closer, pressing her lips into his. Was he as interested as she was? He returned her kiss roughly while gripping her arms in a tight squeeze.
Well, hell yeah he wanted her.
He grabbed her hand, pulling her through the crowd of people. They headed toward the back of the club while her core turned to liquid.
They walked down a dark hallway where doors lined the wall. People were standing in the hall waiting to use the restrooms. Tatum peeked through one door. There was a large empty area with a toilet and sink in the far-right corner. He pulled her into the room, locked the door, and in one swift motion, pressed his lips against hers. The kiss was so hard it stung, but she craved his attention. He pulled up her lavender dress, ripping a small hole in the material. He cupped the mound between her legs and squeezed it hard.
It hurt a little, but it also turned her on. Her legs became wobbly, and her panties were more than wet. Her stomach rolled. What? Wait! Oh no! Tatum jumped away, flinging herself over the toilet just in time to vomit red liquid everywhere. She was finally going to do the deed.
Puke had splashed on the toilet seat and spotted her dress. She shook her head in disgust. “Sorry,” Tatum gagged out while the red liquid ran over her lips.
“Disgusting.” The male adjusted himself and walked out the door.
“I’m such a loser.” Tatum spit into the toilet.
The door kept opening, but no one entered. The putrid, sickly-sweet air in the bathroom was enough to make anyone sick. Could she get any more embarrassed? She had ruined her night and the handsome male’s night as well. Now she was stopping other people from mating.
“Shit.” Tatum groaned as her head swam.
Just as she was about to puke again, the door opened. Maybe it was her brother? Clicking heels on the concrete floor came closer, indicating it wasn’t James. If it was, then he had some serious explaining to do.
A figure hovered over her, sniffing the air. “Not holding up too good, huh?” A female’s voice rang through the small room.
Tatum turned her head, moving her hair out of her face. She tried to get a better look at the mystery voice.
Beside her was a skinny, redheaded female whom she’d never seen before. She was standing with all the authority of a lion in her black high-heeled boots and black skin-tight ensemble. A lipstick-wearing, Grecian goddess. Why me?
Tatum pulled herself up into a sitting position on the toilet and tried to straighten her body out. She tried to stand on her feet, which were feeling boneless at the moment. “Sorry for taking so long. I’m leaving now.” Tatum slurred out the words.
“Have you lost your sense of smell or something?” The redhead’s lip curled.
“Huh? I can’t smell anything other than cinnamon and strawberries.” Tatum hiccupped. “I’ve burned my nose hairs.” Tatum pointed to her nose, then stared at her finger. How did her finger get there?
“I’ve never seen another wolf in the city before,” the female said.
Tatum’s head jerked up as she lowered her finger. She decided that it was a bad idea to talk right now. Did she just hear this female correctly?
“What pack are you from?” The female moved her hand in front of Tatum’s face as if she were trying to see if her patient was dead or alive.
“Pack? What Roloff Pack?” It wasn’t an answer. It was more like a question. Tatum laughed uncontrollably, but she wasn’t sure what was so funny.
The female moved in front of Tatum, s
liding her hand into Tatum’s bra and pulling out Tatum’s phone. Tatum tried to swat the redhead’s hand away but failed miserably. The mysterious female held the phone in front of Tatum’s face to activate the facial ID scan. The female went through her phone, clicking around on the screen and answering her phone’s dings.
After what felt like ten years later, the door cracked open, and James’s head poked through. Tatum tossed her hand up to wave hello but slapped herself in the face.
James saw the redheaded female and glanced over to Tatum. He did a double-take, looking at the female from top to bottom.
“Damn! You’re…damn!” He stumbled through the door, but it had nothing to do with being drunk.
The redhead stared at James with her arms crossed. She stood for a few seconds, just glaring at him with no emotions showing on her face. Putting her weight on one hip, she spoke with a twang, “My name’s Natalie Greer. And for some reason, neither one of you have figured out what I am. But I’m a wolf like you.”
James’s head jerked back. “You’re a shifter?”
“If that’s what you call it. What pack are you guys from? The puking girl said it’s called the Roloff Pack. Is that the name of your pack?”
In truth, it was their pack’s name, but it wasn’t the answer she wanted.
“Sort of, but it’s hard to explain.” James’s expression turned serious. “What about you? Do you have a pack? Is it a good pack?”
“That’s a lot of questions.” Natalie paced inside the little room, clicking her high-heeled boots as she went. Her hands pulled hard on her face, streaking her makeup and giving her the appearance of having cat eyes.
James adjusted himself, and Tatum chuckled like a cracked-out schoolgirl. He shot her an evil look. She gave him an “Oh no, I’m so scared” face and laughed again.
He cleared his throat. “I can see this is stressful for you. I’ve never run into a shifter before. It appears that you haven’t either. Why don’t we meet in the morning? We’ll discuss this when my sister isn’t so drunk.”
Tatum placed her cheek on the wall, but her body was at a weird angle. It was pushing her butt out into the room. “I’m fine.” She waved her hand through the air as if to shoo away pesky words like “drunk.”
Natalie stopped pacing. “I can’t do that. I’m about to head home. Mother’s expecting me.” Natalie’s eyes widened like she was in shock that she had divulged that information.
“Your number! I need your number. We can talk about it.” James stepped closer to her.
Someone pounded on the door.
“Just a minute,” James and Natalie yelled.
Tatum pointed at both of them. “I’m giving you guys all the time you need. Stop screaming at me.”
Natalie’s brows furrowed. “Fine then; give me your arm.” Natalie pulled a marker out of her boot.
James didn’t like how Natalie was ready to give her number out so quickly. A low growl rumbled in his throat.
Natalie pulled the lid off the marker. “Are you doing alright?”
James cleared his throat and nodded.
He rolled up a sleeve and couldn’t stop staring at Natalie. He stretched out his arm, and her hand went to grab it. There was a magnetic pull between them. It was like they were being sucked together with no visible force, but it was there. When they touched, boiling blood ran through his veins. They fused together.
Jumping back, Natalie looked at James with a strange expression. She looked scared.
She shook her hand like it stung her. “Make sure you call.” Her voice was soft and nervous.
“You can bet your life on it,” James said in a raspy voice.
Tatum slid down the wall. “Okay, somebody get this wall off me and take the car to me.”
As Natalie and James pulled her along, Tatum’s eyes lost focus.
Chapter 4
In wolf form, Tatum was running through the woods. Her four legs were bounding along, and the horizon was bouncing in the distance. She made her way through branches, over rocks, and under fallen trees, with the sun’s rays blinking as she passed. The light was blinding her. She needed to stop, slow down, catch her breath. Her wolf halted, but the sun’s rays still blinked, as if she were moving past them. She was also still bobbing up and down. She was going to puke.
Tatum woke up, her eyes flew open, and her hand covered her heaving mouth. There was a large bowl lying on the floor of her SUV. She bent over and spewed liquid into it.
“Tatum. Are you okay?” Grandpa turned around and patted her on the back.
Tatum’s brain banged in her skull. She tried to breathe in and out in long, calming breaths. She pushed herself up into a sitting position. “Yeah, I’m peachy.” Tatum looked behind her and saw James in his SUV following them. “Did James get Natalie’s number?”
Eli groaned. “Hey, are you going to start talking about Natalie too? If you do, I’m pulling over and buying earplugs for the rest of the trip. James hasn’t stopped talking about her.”
“No, I’m not going to talk about her.”
After they got home, Tatum showered and grabbed James’s gift. The males were sitting around the table, waiting for her. As Tatum sat down, James got up and made her some oatmeal.
He set the bowl in front of her. “Take small bites. You may not want to eat it all.”
Tatum scooped the cream-colored goop with bits of strawberry flakes into her spoon. The strawberry smell reminded her of the puke in the small bathroom, making her feel sick again. She blew on it, feeling everyone staring at her. Tatum rolled her eyes, and lowered her spoon. If they wanted to have a meeting, they should just start one. After all, they were the males of the household.
Tatum ignored her males and scooted James’s gift across the table. “We got you a graduation gift.”
James ripped into the wrapping paper. “You bought me a satellite laptop?”
“Mm-hmm. You can use it anywhere.”
“Thank you.” James opened the box and looked over the manuals. As he casually flipped through the pages, he said, “Eli told me that you’re going to help him find a pack.”
Tatum shrugged. “Actually, I said you can help us find a pack, and I’m pretty sure that new gift can help you out. And anyway, Eli, you can talk now. We’re a pack somehow. So, doesn’t that fix our problem?” Tatum moved her spoon in circles through her oatmeal.
Eli straightened in his seat. “You said that you would see what you could do. You’ve never broken a promise to me and you’re not going to start now.”
Tatum let her spoon clank on the bowl. “In my defense, you couldn’t talk then, and you didn’t belong to a pack.”
“Are you kidding me?” Eli yelled. He jumped up, his chair flying across the room, his chest pumping up and down. His eyes were glowing a bright blue.
James’s eyes widened as he scooted away from the table. Grandpa hunkered down.
Tatum stood up, growling. “Calm down and sit.”
Eli’s back stiffened at her command, he stomped over to the chair, bringing it back to the table, and he sat with a grunt. He crossed his arms over his chest and refused to make eye contact with her.
Tatum’s eyes narrowed on him. “I didn’t say I wouldn’t help. I was just making an observation and asking a question. I guess it’s time to talk about our future. I’ll start by saying that I was worried we wouldn’t know how to find a pack, but after running into Natalie, I suppose we can start there. If her pack doesn’t accept us, Eli, we’ll move on and figure out another strategy to find other packs. I have a large amount of money in savings and more vacation time. So, whatever James decides, I’m willing to go along for the ride. The rest of you don’t have anything holding you back, except martial arts and therapy for Eli. However, I’m going to cancel those. That will free him up.”
Eli spoke up. “Go ahead. Cancel them. I want to be fully engaged in the search for our new pack.”
Tatum nodded. “
Consider them canceled. You also need a way to get around. I’ll buy you a used motorcycle.”
Eli’s eyes darted to her. “Hell yes!” A smile spread across his face.
Tatum knew that would cheer him up. “If we find a pack, obvious things will have to happen. We’ll have to leave the human world behind. Well, for the most part. Perhaps phone calls to friends, maybe short visits at the most. James, I know you have thrived in the human world. Is this something you would want to do?”
James loved his family, but he wanted to be successful in the human world. But if Natalie were in the pack, maybe he would stay. What was wrong with him? He had just spent years working for these degrees, and for what? Was he willing to throw it all away for a female? No way would he admit his thoughts to his family. “I understand what you’re saying. It’s a tough choice to make, but you’re my family. I’m going to go where you go. If for some reason it’s not working out for me, I’ll come back to the human world.”
Tatum shuffled in her seat and stirred her oatmeal. “Let’s get Natalie on the speakerphone and see what we can find out.”
James opened his cellphone. He couldn’t wait to hear Natalie’s sweet, twangy voice. He dialed her number, turned on the speakers, and laid the phone in the center of the table.
After three rings, Natalie answered her phone.
“Hey, Natalie? It’s James from last night.”
“Yeah, I remember. Back to my original question: What pack are you guys from?”
James looked around the table. His family nodded at him, which told him to tell her the truth.
“The truth is, we don’t have a big pack. There are four of us. We live in the human world.”
“Four?”
“Yes, my great-grandfather, my little brother, and my sister. We were hoping we could join your pack. If that’s possible?”
“Um…no.” Her voice sounded scared and apologetic.