Beast melded into the room’s fixtures. Only his eyes shifted as he absorbed my life’s history. The minutes ticked by until, finally, I couldn’t handle the silence anymore.
“You locked my van, right?” My throat was dry. I wrung my hands as a wave of heat flushed my cheeks. Could I have said anything more stupid?
He turned. Had he been that tall the whole time? His height wasn’t so menacing when we were outside. But it was now, staring at him as the ceiling fan tousled his wild hair with its spinning blades. I never considered myself short at five foot seven, but he still towered over me by a full head. This was insane. How was I going to fall asleep with him here?
“If anyone is desperate enough to steal that decrepit old thing, you should consider it a blessing.” His deep voice vibrated through the room, sending my arm hairs standing.
“You wouldn’t say that if it was the only vehicle you had.” I was slightly disgruntled that he picked on my van, even if it was true. Somewhere along the way I’d become fond of the battered thing.
His caramel eyes warmed, and his voice flowed like bubbling liquid. “Then I’ll hunt down the person who’s stupid enough to steal it and deliver it safely back to you.”
My insides twitched like a bad itch. Was he flirting? My mind swam at his abrupt mood swings. Maybe he was schizophrenic, or didn’t know what a turn-off that was.
A knock on the door made me jump so high that if I’d had claws I’d have stuck to the ceiling. But my heart stopped cold at Aunt Lily’s voice. “Are you okay, TayTay? I thought I heard a bang.”
“Yeah. I just tripped over my shoes.” My voice came out strained and harsh. I cleared it.
“Can I come in?”
I could hear the suspicion in her voice, and panic took control of my voice. “No,” I shouted. Beast looked amused. “I mean yes, just hold on a sec.”
Thinking fast, I stalked over to my closet, swung it open, and pushed Beast toward it. He allowed a few steps, but stopped at the doorframe. His muscles were hard under my hands, but he wouldn’t budge another inch. He flashed a grin over his shoulder at me, as if reminding me who was in control.
“Oh, come on. Please?” I whispered with large puppy-dog eyes.
He frowned at the closet and gave a heavy sigh, but reluctantly crouched inside, flashing me a look that said I’d be repaying him later.
With Beast snugly hidden in my closet, I opened the door. “See, I’m fine.”
Aunt Lily’s hand pushed on the door, stopping it from closing. “I’m glad, but I also need your laundry basket.”
“I don’t have much. I can do it tomorrow, but thanks for the offer.” I pushed on the door again, willing her to leave.
“Tay, get me your clothes.” She used her don’t-argue-with-me voice, and I knew she wouldn’t leave until I did.
I stomped to the laundry basket, yanking it from the corner, and turned to face her. She’d moved further into my room, fingering the foam board that was my extra credit project for anatomy.
Catching my eyes, she said, “Still working on this? I thought it was due last week.”
“Yeah, well, I got a little carried away with the details of the brain.” The hard, defensive tone in my voice slashed through the air between us. I took the diagram off my chair and put it on the floor away from her curious fingers. “If you’re done nosing around, I’d like to get some sleep.”
Her eyes went wide. “Whoa, you can’t be PMSing already? Guess it’s a good thing I restocked the supplies early this month.”
A deep chuckle rumbled in the closet, and I choked loudly, covering up the noise with my own dismay. But nothing could keep my cheeks from heating with embarrassment. Aunt Lily must have taken my reaction as encouragement to continue teasing me.
“Having two menstruating females in the house is bad enough. Can you imagine how crazy it will be when Sarah starts? I’ll have to get a second job just to pay for all the tampons.” She smiled, as if she’d been terribly funny.
“Geeze. Do you have to be in nurse mode all the time?” Before she could humiliate me further, I shoved the laundry basket into her hands and prodded her out the door, shutting it on her amused chuckle. I was obviously the only one who did not find it funny.
I leaned hard against the door with my back, mortified, but glad Aunt Lily was in higher spirits than this morning. Listening to her feet padding back to her room, I waited for the click of her door before I took a deep breath and opened the closet.
The smirk on Beast’s face matched his wickedly amused eyes. “Well, that was informative. I’m glad to know you aren’t always this snappy.”
A fresh wave of humiliation burned my cheeks.
“At least I don’t lick my—”
“Ah, ah. Temper, temper, Tayla.” He held up a hairy finger, interrupting my snide reply and grinning wide enough to display all of his pointed teeth.
I growled in reply, stomping to the hallway for some blankets. Could this night get any worse?
Returning to the room with a sleeping bag and the two largest blankets I could find, I found Beast leaning on the window frame looking up at the rapidly filling moon. At the sound of my entrance, he turned his despondent eyes on me.
“I’ll just make your bed over here.” I went to work laying out my armful of blankets.
“No way am I sleeping on that,” he said. I looked over my shoulder at him. His hair-matted face was twisted in disgust.
“I already told you, we don’t have a bed for you.” I stood, finished with my task.
“But you do.”
I arched my eyebrow, and he gestured to my bed.
“But that’s mine,” I exclaimed, shocked he would even suggest it.
He raised his hairy eyebrow in a ‘so what’ motion.
“You’re kidding right? What kind of guy asks a girl to sleep on the floor while he gets the bed?” My hands found my hips.
“A gentleman who’s a werewolf,” he responded, giving me a lopsided grin.
Was this some sort of game to him? Well, two could play at that. I crossed the room, passing him.
“No, Wolf Boy, you get the floor.” I stood in front of my bed—a direct challenge.
“Wolf Boy? Now I’m not only a wolf, but a boy. Your insults are finally improving.” His eyes shifted with amusement and a hint of irritation.
“Well, if you stopped acting like one you wouldn’t be insulted,” I snapped back.
“I am not sleeping on the floor, Tayla.” His voice was a low rumble. He stepped forward, looming over me with hard eyes.
It was suddenly hard to breathe, and my heart pounded erratically. My eyes flitted from the wall behind him to his face. I didn’t dare look directly into his eyes, unwilling to reveal how frightened I truly was.
I nervously licked my lips.
Abruptly, his expression shifted and a mischievous glint entered his eyes. “You know, there’s room on there for two. I can keep you nice and warm.” He gave me a coy smile and a small wink. “I don’t mind sharing.”
I gasped as horror washed through me. “Never.”
I sat on my bed with splayed arms and fingers, claiming my territory even if it was a losing battle. Silence fell between us, and I dared a small glance up at him. The moment our eyes met silver coated his eyes, and the familiar image of the wolf entered my mind for the third time tonight. The wolf was sporting a goofy grin. Were these images going to plague me forever as some weird side-effect from the bond?
Unexpectedly, the wolf’s image exploded into a million bright specks, making my mind feel like it was an egg beaten on high. I didn’t know what just happened, but it had hurt—a lot. Thankfully, the pain hadn’t lasted more than a few seconds, like the quick sting of a wasp.
“Fine!” Beast’s exasperated voice growled as he glared through me. I couldn’t tell if he was directing it at me or at the wall behind me.
Without warning, Beast shrugged out of his black shirt and tossed it on my carpeted floor. His forearms were c
overed with a thick forest of dark hair. A large patch clung to his well-defined chest, but it was thin enough to clearly see the fair skin below it. His torso looked very human, and was more distracting than I wanted to admit. Pulling my eyes from his chest, I let them travel up his body, shivering when I reached his neck and face. The transition from alluring human physique to hideous beast left my emotions in a jumbled heap.
Well-sculpted muscles flexed as he went to shrug out of his pants.
“What are you doing!” My checks burned, and my heart skipped as I realized he was one tug away from naked. He paused, hands on the waistband of his jeans.
“If I have to sleep on that,” he jutted a finger at the makeshift bed on the floor, “then I’m not doing it as a human.”
“But…”
“I’m no pet, Tayla. No one steals my time as a human from me. I’ll tolerate it tonight. But you had better have a solution by tomorrow or we’re doing it my way.” The authority in his voice was absolute.
Stubbornly, I set my jaw. A low growl seethed through his clenched teeth, and his eyes flickered with promise. “Even if I have to drag you kicking and screaming.”
I gulped. I had reclaimed my bed. Maybe that was enough for tonight. I’d figure something out for tomorrow. Grandma would know what to do. She always thought of things from unique angles. Plus, she loved werewolf lore. While I was distracted in thought, he’d finished undressing. When I realized I was still staring, I blushed and quickly found the wall next to me very interesting.
Then the noises started, churning my stomach: bones snapping, flesh tearing. I shrunk from the sickening sounds of a body being broken. My skin itched like I’d rolled in poison ivy. I gasped and squeezed my eyes shut, praying it would stop, but the sounds continued. I covered my ears to drown out the horrific sounds.
Sweet relief came seconds later as the sounds stopped and my skin ceased to itch. Whatever just happened, I had no desire to ever experience it again! The soft flesh of a wet nose nudged my arm. Cautiously, I opened my eyes, afraid it would start all over again. When the pain didn’t come, I unraveled myself from the fetal position I’d assumed on my bed.
Meeting the silver eyes of a magnificent wolf, I yelped in surprise, momentarily shrinking from him. The brief visions I had of his wolf-self were nothing compared to the real thing. The wolf was as tall as my bed. His silver eyes contained tiny flecks of caramel that stubbornly held onto its human form, but the color was vanishing quickly. White fur played haphazardly around his muzzle before continuing down his neck to his belly. Black and tan streaks, dusted with silver, covered his back and face.
Beautiful!
It was the only word I could conjure. He was beautiful. His fur looked so soft, so inviting. Without conscious thought, my hand stretched toward him. I wanted to feel it between my fingers. When my mind caught up to my actions, my hand froze. I inhaled a shaky breath before exhaling my request.
“Can I touch you?” My voice was almost reverent, embarrassing me. It was so easy to forget that the wolf was a man. Then again, if I didn’t know the wolf was a man, I’d be screaming and half way down the street right now. Or, I thought more grimly, I’d already be dead.
He leaned into my hovering hand, answering my impulsive question. My fingers curled deep into his velvety coat along his shoulders, sending tingles up my arms. Before I realized what I was doing, my other hand curled around his neck, absentmindedly stroking his fur.
A low thrum vibrated from the wolf’s chest, and I jerked my hands away. It wasn’t a ferocious sound, but a sweet, calming hum of contentment that scared me. I looked at my off-white dresser and mumbled, “Um…thanks.”
Unable to look at the wolf, I quickly got up and dug my flannel pajamas out of the bottom drawer, foregoing my usual tank top and shorts, before escaping to the bathroom. The weirdness finally caught up to me once I closed the bathroom door. My emotions were too taut to make sense of anything: the tingles, the nervousness, the buzz of happiness that resonated through my body. I needed sleep, but first I needed a shower. Even the wolf would attest to that.
The hot water pounded the tension from my taut muscles as my mind flashed through images of Beast like a rapid slide-show. There were so many personas to Beast, the shadowed stranger, the hairy beast, and the wolf, that it left my head and emotions spinning in confusion. Unable to sort through the tangled mess inside me, I knew it was time to face Beast. Walking quietly back to my room, I paused outside the door. I couldn’t hear any movement on the other side. Maybe he was already asleep? I turned the knob and slipped inside.
The light was still on, and I could clearly see the giant wolf lying on the blankets arranged on the floor. I stifled a chuckle, noticing that the top blanket was Sarah’s old, fluffy, pink comforter. The contrast of the mighty werewolf curled up on a girly blanket was instantly disarming. He looked so cute that it was hard to remember that only a few hours ago he had towered threateningly over me in the shadows of City Park. With eyes closed, he didn’t move except for a twitch of one ear registering my presence and possibly my muffled amusement. Flipping the lights off, I dove under the blankets and prayed that sheer exhaustion would carry me quickly into sleep.
CHAPTER 15—Hungry and Ticked
Tuesday, April 3
The shrieking of my alarm clock filtered into my dreams, but I ignored it, flipping my comforter over my head. Suddenly, my warm bedding was wrenched from my sleepy body, and a low, threatening growl sent me bolt upright.
“What the—” I mumbled while my eyes adjusted to the faint light of dawn.
The wolf lay on the floor atop my striped grape-purple and violet comforter, burying his ears with his massive paws. His eyes glared at me and then at the clock. I scrambled for it and slammed my palm on the off button. The moment the annoying screeching ended, Beast was up on all fours, shaking out his fur that had formed a spiked ridge down his back. His eyes seethed with loathing.
“Geeze! Sorry, it’s not like I meant to torture you.” I yawned. “How else am I going to know when to get up?”
His silvery-blue eyes blazed, and I was suddenly very grateful he was in wolf form and not human. It was definitely too early in the morning to be chewed out by a mythical creature. A glance at the clock confirmed my statement, 7:19. Sheesh, I must’ve been out of it. My alarm rang for four minutes. No wonder he was ticked.
Swinging my legs over the side of the bed, my bare feet found the fuzzy carpet. Grabbing a long turquoise t-shirt and a pair of blue-jeans from my dresser, I opened the bedroom door to the smell of bacon and eggs. Aunt Lily must be on day-shifts again. The smell made my stomach twist with hunger from skipping dinner last night. I was so hungry even the bacon smelled good. But a scene from the documentary flashed in my mind of a pig slaughtered which quickly morphed the tempting smell into a repulsive one. I shook my head. I never liked the smell of bacon, even before my vegetarian pact with Chel, so what was the deal today? A loud whine sounded behind me.
“Shh! Do you want her to hear you?”
Looking into his pleading silver eyes, my irritation loosened. I guess I wasn’t the only hungry one.
“Wait here and I’ll bring you some.” I guess feeding him the bacon and eggs would save me from frying up a raw steak later. With that, I was out the door, shutting it on his ravenous eyes.
Dumping my clothes off at the bathroom, I continued down the hall and through the living room to enter the pungent aroma of the kitchen. There were two massive piles of eggs and bacon in the center of the table. The longer I stood there the more enticing the bacon smelled. I clenched my jaw. Why is this bond messing with my eating habits? Is nothing sacred? Curse him!
“The eggs smell wonderful, Mom.” I wasn’t going to acknowledge my wayward body. Pain zapped through my abdomen as if payback for my defiance.
It wasn’t until her head lifted from her trance that I notice something was wrong. Her sky-blue eyes were red and swollen, and her hands gripped her morning teacup like a buoy.
I walked to her side. “What’s wrong?”
“Oh, it’s nothing.” She waved her hand in a dismissive gesture and kept stirring her tea, but I didn’t buy it. Suddenly, last night flashed in my mind, and I was acutely aware of every word I’d said that could’ve cause this bout of depression. Even though she’d played my grumpiness off with humor, maybe a sleepless night had changed things. Guilt squeezed my lungs, and I mentally kicked myself for not apologizing.
I made circular patterns on the back of her lilac scrubs, feeling like a completely lousy daughter. “I’m sorry about last night.”
“It’s not that.” She sighed, wearily. I waited for her to explain, but the silence stretched on. Suddenly, my unruly stomach spoke up.
Aunt Lily gave a half-hearted chuckle, breaking the awkward silence. “I’m glad someone’s hungry. Sit. I’ll get you a plate.” Her mom-mode had snapped back into focus. I took advantage of the moment and slid a squeaky chair from the table, perched on the edge, unable to deny the intense pain in my abdomen any longer.
I licked my lips as I stared at the scrambled eggs. I’d never felt so hungry. And the smell was intoxicating! I drew the lemon yellow plate of eggs in front of me. The ache of my empty stomach exploded, and I spooned slippery bite after bite of egg into my mouth. My mind was in a daze. All I could think of was shoveling more into my bottomless stomach, like the food couldn’t reach it fast enough.
Aunt Lily reclaimed her seat across the table. Her eyes brightened a little as she watched me eat.
“Bacon?” She pushed the loaded plate toward me.
The crisp bacon taunted me, and saliva pooled in my mouth. I gritted my teeth as a wave of nausea gurgled in my stomach. I pushed the plate away. Usually I could handle Aunt Lily’s subtle reminders of her disproval of my choice. “You know I don’t eat meat.”
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