A twinkle of mischief danced in her eyes. “My offer still stands. Just say the word and the rumors will spread like wildfire.”
It was tempting, but it wouldn’t work. Not with Kyle. He’d probably like it. He was too revered and loved at the school, even by the teachers, to make a rumor like that useful. It was sickening how he could schmooze his way through life. “I don’t think that’ll be enough.”
“What if you provoked him to do something stupid in front of the whole school? Then you’d have solid evidence to slap a restraining order on the perv,” Chel said excitedly, apparently imagining the mayhem a restraining order would create. “Or better yet, plant some steroids on him and get him kicked off the football team.”
I shook my head. “And what happens if we get caught? Kyle’s family has real power to ruin not just our lives, but our families’ as well. This isn’t like one of your plays, Chel. This is real.”
She deflated like a popped balloon. I almost regretted dousing her fantasy. It wasn’t like he didn’t deserve it.
The five minute bell rang.
“Whatever. You coming?” Chel asked, flicking her head in the direction of the school entrance.
“You go in without me. I forgot my lunch in the van,” I lied. Really, I was waiting for Beast to streak across the street. At least he could run fast. I had to give him that.
It wasn’t long before Chel was swallowed in a crowd of students entering the school.
Eyes followed me everywhere I went during school, causing ripples of conversation to ensue in my wake. Even at lunch, I couldn’t relax as I slyly slipped the steaks into the large bush Beast crouched behind. People kept invading my solitude with blunt questions about the mysterious guy, hoping to get some of Kyle’s money. I just wanted to cry. And I would, as soon as I escaped their prying eyes.
A dark cloud of anger wrapped around me in a thick coat of despair. I felt like I was suffocating under my inability to make people leave me alone. Was it too much to ask not to be probed with personal questions like some circus sideshow?
The last bell rang and I sprang from my chair, taking the nearest exit at a run. The cool air and open sky helped relieve some of my suffocating feelings. I continued to make my way to the park. I didn’t care that most of my homework was in my locker.
Rounding the park’s small amphitheater, I could see large splotches of white through the pine branches. A low rustle sounded behind me. I didn’t turn. I wasn’t going to stop. If Beast didn’t want to run the whole way home, he’d have to keep up.
“Tayla.”
I froze. My blood turned cold and my heart pounded in my ears at the sound of Kyle’s voice. He circled around until he stood between me and my escape vehicle. A spark of anger ignited in my chest when I noted the pleasure of capturing prey in his eyes. And finally, I had a worthy person to lash out at.
“Go stalk someone else.” My voice billowed with anger. He smiled like he had me right where he wanted me and my heart raced with adrenaline.
“Who’s this guy you’re seeing?” He demanded, scanning my sky-blue ski jacket and striped tee with eager eyes.
“It’s none of your business.” I glared.
“Not my business? You’re my girl!” He sounded desperate, pathetic really, grasping at the fleeting kite string of a runaway idea. Then his voice dropped, seething. “And I’m not going to let anyone take you from me.”
“I was never yours in the first place,” I snapped.
“Give me a second chance,” he pleaded, his mannerisms flipping a 180, like Dr. Jekyll. “I’ll take you anywhere you want. We can go back to my place. I know you’ll love my 72 inch 3D HDTV with surround sound. I’ll even let you pick the movie.” He flashed me his sexy smile and gave a flirtatious wink. “Then, Ian can style your hair, and we can go to that fancy restaurant that just opened on Main Street.”
A bad taste filled my mouth as he rattled off what he thought I’d love. Obviously, he didn’t know me at all. I wasn’t a Barbie his stylist could dress up for Kyle to parade around town.
“No,” I said, firmly.
“Come on, Tayla. I know you’ll love it.”
“No, Kyle. Not now, not ever.” I punctuated each word with meaning. I stepped around him, but Kyle’s hand clasped my upper arm, whipping me around.
“You can’t just leave me for some strange—”
Kyle choked on his words as a snarling mass of fur tackled him to the ground, yanking me with him. I hit the earth with bone-jarring force as hot needles of pain shot through me. Beast had Kyle pinned to the ground, jagged teeth bared over Kyle’s neck. I scrambled back. Kyle struggled under his weight, trying to roll the wolf off, panting with panic, but Beast didn’t budge, answering the failed escape with a snarl of dripping saliva on Kyle’s horrified face.
Beast’s fierceness sent ripples of fear down my spine. Our conversation last night came sharply into focus. I had to stop him before he ripped out Kyle’s throat.
“Beast,” I pleaded, pain lacing my voice. Beast’s eyes flicked to me. Trembling inside, I came to my feet, staring down at Beast with more confidence than I felt. “Come, Beast. It’s time to go home.”
Praying Beast would follow, I turned and walked slowly toward the van. My head pounded and my hip screamed profanities, but thankfully, Beast’s warm fur tickled my hand moments later.
“You shouldn’t have done that. I was holding my own,” I whispered.
His ear flicked, and I swore I heard him snort. My lips curled in a grateful smile, and I scratched the black fur between his ears. He leaned into my touch, sending feelings of rightness through my fingertips. That was as close as I could come to deciphering the oddly overpowering feeling of gratitude swimming through me like warm honey.
“Keep that dog away from me, or next time, I’ll shoot it myself!” Kyle roared from a safe distance behind us.
I didn’t turn around. I didn’t yell back. I just kept walking, ignoring Kyle’s rant, and happily climbed into the safety of my van.
CHAPTER 20—Confused and Bound
Sitting on my grandma’s suede sofa, I stared out the sliding door displaying the naked trees in the backyard. When spring came, this view would explode with cherry blossoms, making it the best seat in the house. But it wasn’t spring yet, and the barren cold landscape felt like an empty shell.
I was tired, confused and scared. My life was spiraling out of control, leaving me helpless to pull it back together. Even school wasn’t the comfort it once was, and it left me feeling vulnerable and unsure of the future I had never doubted, until now.
Needing to talk to someone, I called Chel.
Ring…Ring…Ring…
The phone continued to ring, and I despaired. Maybe she was too mad at me to answer.
My finger hovered over the end button.
“Hello?”
I sighed, relieved to hear her distracted voice. Chel obviously didn’t look to see who was calling.
“Hey, Chel. It’s me.”
“Tay,” she exclaimed, like she was surprised to hear my voice. “Hey, what’s up?” Her voice was hard to hear through the blaring music in the background.
“Think you can turn the music down?”
“Oh, right.” She killed the music. “Sorry, I was painting when you called.”
Chel’s passion for the arts nearly matched Grandma’s. When they got together I typically sat myself down for a good movie. By the end of it, they’d usually gotten their painting jargon out of the way, and I could join them in a normal conversation.
I quickly unloaded my story of the hoard of people asking questions and how Beast had attacked Kyle.
“You’re joking. Man, he’s such a creep. I’m glad your dog was there. It must be nice to have something protecting you.” The tone of her voice got all dreamy, and I was pretty sure she was inventing some fantasy that involved a totally hot guy rescuing her from some unknown danger.
“Focus, Chel. I need help.”
“Huh
? Oh, yeah, let me think on that for a while.”
I rolled my eyes. I knew an empty canvas was calling her name, and her hands itched to paint her new fantasy.
“Go paint your guy.”
“What guy? Oh, ha—ha.” She hesitated for a moment. “Are you sure?”
“I know when I’ve lost you for the night,” I said.
“You’re the best,” she exclaimed.
I chuckled. There was only one Chel. At least the brief call had lifted my spirits some. Looking at the screen, I clicked on a new text I’d missed from Aunt Lily: How r u? Half day tomorrow. Swing over n c me?
Along with Chel, I had been neglecting my routine check-in calls with my aunt. She was probably thinking I was avoiding her.
I texted her back: I M fine. C U 4 lunch @ house. Love u. Night.
Darkness fell and Beast slunk into his room to change. I thought maybe if I was prepared for the pain it wouldn’t hurt as bad, but then the wave came. Pain laced through my flesh like it was flayed from my skeleton. Searing tendrils ripped through the marrow of my bones as they shattered and reformed. Tears poured down my face and I gritted my teeth against the scream building in my throat. I crumbled to the ground, unable to contain the scream any longer. But as suddenly as the attack happened, it subsided into sweet relief. My body thrummed with aches, but it was still whole. I took several deep breaths trying to expel the remnants of pain from my body.
Was the bond getting stronger? A quiet sob escaped my lips. I wasn’t sure I could handle pain more intense than that. What if it continued to escalate until it finally killed me? Beast rushed into the living room with a bang. He dove at me like a hawk, swooping me off the floor. I squeaked in surprise. He held me tight against his taut, naked chest, his gaze darting around the room as if bound to discover an intruder. I struggled against his grip that squeezed the air from my lungs.
He jerked a stony glare at me. I wheezed. His eyes widened and his arms loosened. “Tayla, I’m sorry—”
I pushed from him, finding my feet. “What is wrong with you!”
“You screamed.” He looked puzzled.
“Yeah, because of your stupid wolf/human change thing. Then you squeeze me to death!” Anger rolled through me as sore spots from his death grip revealed themselves.
He sagged to the couch. “No—no. This is all wrong.” He held his head in both hands.
“Ya’ think?” I folded my arms. The look of agony softened my anger. I’d lashed out at him when all he’d done was come to my rescue.
“Can’t you stop it?” I asked in a softer tone.
With white knuckles, he grabbed fists of his hair. I watched, unable to take my eyes from him.
“No,” he growled and slapped his legs as he stood. The floor creaked under Beast’s weight as he walked over to the black lump in the hallway. Had that been the bang I’d heard? Without a glance toward me, he tugged on his shirt and overcoat to finish dressing—the same clothes he’d worn since I’d first met him. I briefly wondered if I should have offered to wash them.
The thought exited my mind as fast as it had come. I rubbed my eyes. I had to be seeing things. He stood with my overstuffed night bag slung over one shoulder. The caramel of his eyes was hardened with determination.
“We’re leaving,” he commanded, beckoning me with a flick of his fingers. I shrank away, my calves bumping against the couch.
“What? Wait, I’m not ready. We can work this—”
I never finished my sentence. He slung my uncooperative body over his hard shoulder, knocking the wind from my lungs, and swiftly carried me to the front door. I struggled to get off, but his grip was final. After my fall in the park, my bruised body didn’t need any more purple spots decorating my skin so I stopped moving. What was the use anyway? The cursed cord had anchored so completely inside me that I had a hard time discerning his feelings from mine.
“You’re right,” I said, deflating my resistance like a broken wild animal.
Beast stopped dead in his tracks, his hand frozen on the doorknob. “Excuse me?” Disbelief colored his words.
“I’m tired of fighting, and today almost ended…badly.” I ended lamely, because I couldn’t bring myself to say “in Kyle’s death.”
Kyle was cocky and annoying, but I didn’t want him dead, or anyone else for that matter.
A shiver ran through my body anyway. I couldn’t let him get that close again. He was just trying to protect me, but my beast wasn’t going to be a murderer.
My beast.
Panic zinged up my spine. This was all wrong. He was my captor, the person ripping my life to shreds. I shouldn’t feel friendship or…I gulped. I didn’t dare explore any deeper. But I couldn’t deny the comfort I felt knowing I wasn’t the only one cursed. Beast was bound to me like I was to him. The warmth of this realization burned low in my chest.
During my contemplations, Beast slid me off his shoulders and wrapped his massive arms around my waist, in case I tried to bolt. But I wasn’t moving. A musky, wood scent plumed around me as if I was deep in the forest lying on the mossy ground. My hands lay limp against his well-defined chest, covered in a long-sleeved cotton t-shirt. He didn’t let go. I knew I should pull away, but my muscles wouldn’t respond. Something inside me sighed at the feeling of his body against mine. I stared at my cream-colored hands, unable to look into his eyes.
After the last two horrible days, I hadn’t realized how badly I needed someone to hold me. It was ironic that the very person who’d caused such disaster in my life was the one who wrapped me in comfort. I took the comfort selfishly, throwing caution to the wind, not caring what he might read into my actions or the consequences. I wrapped my arms around his thick torso and breathed in his scent.
Beast slid his hand up my back, triggering a memory of Kyle doing the very same thing the night he beat up Todd. Kyle’s memory tainted the moment and brought our earlier conversation to mind. I would leave with Beast, but I wanted a chance to ease Aunt Lily’s worries first. Hopefully I’d come back. If I was going to keep my family and others safe, I had to understand what made Beast do the things he did.
“Beast—”
I stopped speaking as his chest vibrated, sending dangerously pleasant tingles down my arms. Suddenly, I was acutely aware of how hot his skin temperature was. Trying to distract myself from his chiseled body, I realized something bothered me about last night’s conversation. I stumbled over my words as I continued my sentence, trying to act as if I wasn’t distracted by his nearness.
“Last night you said something about needing to return to your pack by the full moon. Why?” I spoke into his warm chest.
I looked up to find his caramel eyes gazing at me, shifting like golden sand blown by a turbulent wind. I lost myself in his endless eyes, so intense I found it hard to breathe. He blinked and his eyes solidified, breaking the connection.
“My pack is restless,” he stated matter-of-factly.
He was dancing around the truth, but I didn’t know how to pry it out of him. Instead, I used the opening in the conversation to voice my request. “Then we have time to see my aunt before we leave. Tomorrow’s her half day at work.”
He released me and took a step back. It felt as if I’d been blasted with an arctic wind, and I ached for his closeness.
“Fine,” Beast consented. “We leave tomorrow. But Tayla you know you can’t explain what I am to her.”
Beast stood only an arm’s length away but the distance stung.
What is wrong with me? He’s a beast, a werewolf.
“I didn’t think you’d let me. But I’ll get to come back and visit, right?” I had to make sure he wasn’t going to lock me in some dungeon, or something.
He didn’t answer. There was no warmth left in his once mesmerizing eyes. Sadness swelling in my heart. Tomorrow would be my last chance to see my family. How could I say goodbye?
I blinked hard against the tears threatening to roll down my cheeks, but I wouldn’t give up hope, not yet. I
would find a way to break the bond and return.
I remembered the painting of him and hope began to burn dimly in my chest. Maybe I could eventually get a message to my family asking them to come close enough to Beast’s home so we could talk. If my grandmother had seen him before, she might already know of a good camping spot. Just because I had to stay with Beast didn’t mean I wouldn’t try to see my family again.
“You said you could tutor me,” I said, trying to take my mind off of tomorrow.
He arched his brow. “Tayla, homeschooling won’t be a problem. I have a huge collection of books.”
“What?” I sputtered. “Really?”
I felt my face light with excitement. I loved books and the stories hidden in their pages. Electronic books were fine, but nothing beat the smell of old leather and glue, or the crack of the binding on a new book.
“Yes.” He smiled, obviously fond of his collection. “I’m somewhat of a world scholar.”
He was awfully young to be a scholar. Was he some genius in his early twenties? He was a mythical creature after all.
“But you can’t be more than twenty,” I blurted.
Beast chuckled.
“You think I’m that young?” His voice held a smile.
“At first,” I said honestly. “But now I’m not so sure.”
Silence fell between us, but I couldn’t stop staring, searching for answers. Looking into his caramel eyes, I felt lost in the depth I found there. How could someone so young have such eyes? He broke our gaze to study the wall.
“I don’t think you’re ready for that answer.” His tone conveyed an end to the subject, but his refusal to answer the question confirmed my suspicion. “We need to move my truck,” he said. “I left it at the museum, and I don’t need the headache of getting it from the tow yard.”
The abrupt change in subjects left me one step behind. “Your truck?”
He looked at me. “I wasn’t going to make you run the whole way to my house, or have you forgotten that my purpose for coming here was to take you home with me?”
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