by Cecy Robson
Her nails slowly withdraw. “You want me to sleep in your bed?”
“Yes.”
“By myself?” she clarifies.
Because I haven’t looked like enough of an idiot, I click my tongue and make a little shooting motion with my fingers. “You got it.”
She watches me for a beat, then another, her nails protruding and withdrawing again as if unsure whether to believe me or leave me a eunuch. “Where are you going to sleep?”
“I figured I’d sleep in the guestroom.”
“You have a guestroom?” she asks.
“Yeah, a couple of them,” I admit.
“But you want me in your room?”
“Ah, yeah.”
Her claws are only a few inches out. This could be a good thing or a bad thing. She tilts her head. “Why shouldn’t I take the guestroom? Or the couch? Or even the barn?”
How can I explain that I need her surrounded by my things, my scent? That only then will my wolf and I will feel she’s safe. It’s the same reason I gave her the shirt I was wearing earlier, instead of the clean one, and the reason my parents hold each other as much as they do. Our scents assure anyone who approaches that the other is spoken for and protected. I’m not saying Celia is spoken for by me, but maybe I’m saying I want her to be.
“My room has a full bathroom.” I sigh. “And it looks like you really could use a shower.”
Cue her blush.
And mine.
So help me, I wish I could kick my own ass.
I pinch the bridge of my nose. “I just figured you’ll be more comfortable there. I’ll just get my clothes out.”
I can’t get out of the kitchen fast enough. I race up the stairs and straight into my room. I pick up the dirty clothes on the floor and dump them in the second-floor laundry room. I hurry back and make my king-sized bed, turning the pillows this way and that until I’m sure I’m going insane.
With the exception of the stone brick wall where my headboard rests, my room is painted a slate blue. The floor has the same multi-colored wide wood planks in shades of gray, white, and brown as the rest of the house. Gray and rust-colored curtains hang over my large picture window, and a large gray comforter covers my bed. Aside from that, I have a desk, a dresser, and a nightstand.
I pick up the dark red pillows and switch them around again, placing them between the gray and blue ones.
“Do you need help?”
I grimace, wondering how long Celia has been watching me and praying it hasn’t been long.
“You seem to be struggling with the pillows,” she says, smiling. “Is this your first time making a bed?”
Great. She’s been there a while. My only saving grace is that her claws aren’t out, yet.
“It’s just, you know,” I mutter.
She crosses her arms and leans against the door frame. “No, I don’t know. Please, enlighten me.”
I toss the pillow I’m holding onto the bed and busy myself cranking the side window closed. It beats standing there like an imbecile waiting to make another dumb remark. “I just wanted things to be perfect, so you’ll be comfortable.”
“Oh,” she says, no longer smiling.
Celia walks in slowly, passing her fingertips along the shelf that holds a few of my trophies. She pauses in front of the trophy I received for tracking, and the one beside it for wrestling. “These are nice,” she says, smiling. “I’m very impressed by you.”
She’s impressed.
By me.
Yes!
I give my wolf a mental fist bump. “What about you? Do you play sports?”
Celia shakes her head. “No. I’m athletic, but I’m not really one to be a part of a team.”
“Why? Too busy being homecoming queen or something?”
My grin fades at her frown. “Are you making fun of me?”
“Ah, no. I just figured someone like you would’ve been crowned prom princess or something.”
“Someone like me?” she asks.
“Yeah. I mean you’re pretty, have a great bod—personality, and you’re nice. Real nice,” I add when she just looks at me.
Celia steps away, appearing guarded. “Why don’t you believe me?” I ask. “Can’t you scent that I’m telling the truth?”
“Scent?” Her brows knit. “I don’t understand what you mean.”
I move closer, immediately stopping when she tenses. “Can’t you smell a lie?”
“No,” she replies. “Can you?”
“Yes,” I tell her. “It’s one of the first things we learn as weres.”
“You forget, I wasn’t raised around weres,” she reminds me.
“It’s not that,” I say. “I just forget that your beast is different from mine.”
Celia edges away when I approach, giving me plenty of space when I open my drawer. I pull out a T-shirt and a pair of cotton shorts and leave them folded on top of the dresser. I disappear into the bathroom and turn on the water. When I step back into my bedroom, I realize Celia hasn’t moved.
“We have a tankless water heater,” I explain, hooking my thumb in the direction of the bathroom. “It takes a moment for the water to heat, but once it does, you won’t run out. I left you some towels, a toothbrush and everything you might need.” I sigh, not wanting to leave her, but recognizing she needs privacy. “If you need anything, I’ll be in the room next door.”
I grab a pair of shorts and shoot out of the room, shutting the door behind me.
It takes all I have not to swear out loud. I wish I could have said more, or at least said enough to console her. Celia is a stranger in my house and in this state. There are scary monsters lurking around, and earthquakes and tornados striking without warning.
I press my forehead against the door, speaking low. “Goodnight, Celia.”
I don’t think she hears me, until her sweet voice whispers against the door. “Goodnight, Aric.”
Chapter Seven
I moan, the soft cotton sheets sliding between my legs as I wrap my arms tighter around Celia.
Celia?
Oh, no.
We leap out of bed. The force she uses slamming her back against the wall. In my haste, I tangle the sheet around my ankle and fall on my ass.
“What are you doing in here?” she demands.
“Ah,” is my response.
“Is that all you have to say for yourself?” she screeches.
My eyes widen when I realize she’s not dressed. She’s standing there, holding my comforter pressed against her barely covered breasts as her bed-tousled curls fall around her face. “I don’t know.”
“That’s not much better,” she snaps.
I yank my ankle free and stand. “I meant I don’t know how I got here.”
She looks to the window, then to the open bedroom door, then at me. “How did you get in here?”
“I have no idea,” I reply. “I went to bed, I fell asleep, and that’s all I remember.”
My mouth stops moving when she bends to retrieve the clothes I gave her. They’re torn as if ripped from her body. She lifts the pieces carefully and takes a sniff.
Anger darkens my tone. “I did not do that.”
She lowers the torn fabric away from her nose, her expression pained. “I know.”
“You do?”
“I did this to myself.” Her gaze drifts to the opened door. “I think my tigress let you in.”
I stare at the door, as if it can somehow clue me in to what happened.
“Aric, last night, after you left, I locked the door and shoved your dresser in front of it.”
“Why?” It’s stupid question, seeing how I woke up in bed next to her, but here I am, asking it anyway.
Her breathing slows, becoming more purposeful. “I was scared what you might do.”
I’m already to her, clasping her bare shoulders gently. “I would never hurt you.”
She nods like she believes
me, despite the tears brimming in her eyes. I hold her carefully, trying to comfort her.
“No, way.”
Liam’s voice booms into the room. I whip around, growling and shielding Celia with my body.
“What?” Liam says, his elated smile immediately fading.
Koda stands behind him, his eyebrows practically to his hairline, while Gemini gapes back at me, shock and disappointment marching across his features.
“What are you doing here?” I snarl, menace stabbing each word.
Liam frowns. “We came by to help.” He hops on top of my dresser and sits, swinging his legs like a little kid. “I was wracking my brain all night trying to figure out how to help Celia.”
“And?” I ask.
“I’ve got nothin’.’” He shrugs. “I stopped at Koda’s and Gem’s on my way here to see if they had any ideas, but they don’t have nothin’, either. Hey, you have any food?”
“We should give Aric and Celia some space,” Gemini says. He backs out of the room when he sees what’s left of Celia’s clothes. “We’ll wait for you downstairs.”
Koda follows without a word. Liam continues to sit there like he’s waiting on the Tooth Fairy.
“Liam?” I say.
“Yeah?”
“Go.” Do I have to spell it out for him?
“Huh?” he asks. “Okay. I guess I can do that.”
“And shut the door,” I say, when he doesn’t.
He jogs back to the door and shuts it, but not before giving us a big thumbs up.
Celia is officially the color of fire. “They think we . . .”
“Oh, yeah,” I agree, pulling on a T-shirt. “I’ll grab you something from my Mom’s closet. She’s bigger than you, but a lot smaller than me.”
“Aric?” Celia’s soft tone holds me in place. “You don’t think we . . .”
My gaze melds with hers. “Trust me when I say I would have remembered that.”
Her mouth pops open and she says nothing more. I head toward the door, my face growing hotter with each step. “I’ll leave the clothes by the door. Come down when you’re ready.”
I pick out a blue cotton dress my mom gardens in for Celia. It’s the one thing Mom wears that Celia won’t have to roll up or risk tripping over. I leave it and the pack of Wonder Woman underwear I find, just outside my bedroom door.
Mom’s always buying packs of socks and underwear to donate to women’s shelters. I hope Celia doesn’t take offense to it. I’d never want her to feel disrespected or uncomfortable.
I rub my face, trying to clear my head. I don’t know how I ended up in Celia’s bed or why her tigress allowed me in. It says a lot that her greatest protector would trust me and my wolf. Still, it scares the blazes out of me, too—no matter how much I loved waking up beside her.
Love?
Whoa.
I hop down the steps and into my family room. Koda is already going to town in the kitchen, making breakfast. It’s the one meal we can all sort of cook.
Liam perks up when he sees me, lifting his hand in a high-five. “My man.”
“Ouch,” he says, when I smack him upside the head.
“Not another word, Liam,” I warn.
I throw open the door to the fridge and reach for the orange juice. Like everything else, it’s still cold.
If Mom were home, she’d set the table all pretty and pour the juice into one of her flowery pitchers. I slam the plastic gallon of juice in the center of the table and place the plates, utensils, and a stack of napkins in a pile.
Gemini places five glasses on the table, his solemn expression snagging my attention.
“Can I talk to you outside?”
His voice is gruff, serious, bordering on melancholy. I shouldn’t feel as guilty as I do, especially since I met Celia first. But Gem’s been my best friend since we started grade school. He and his family had just moved here from Japan. Gemini didn’t speak a word of English. But he knew how to play and that was good enough for me.
We walk out to the terrace in silence, but not before Koda shoots us a sharp look. He thinks we’re about to throw down. I hope he’s wrong.
I slam the door in Liam’s face when he tries to follow. “You’re only going to talk about this with Gemini?” he asks.
I almost answer yes. But I’m not sure I’m ready to tell Gemini what happened. He leans his back against the railing and crosses his arms. I assume the same pose I did last night when I stepped out here with Celia, leaning heavily on my forearms and looking out across the wooded property.
“Did you hurt her?” Gemini asks.
Fury should blind me. It doesn’t. Not when his tone is this sad and quiet. “No.”
“You were both ready and willing?” He shakes his head slowly when I don’t answer. “You’re young, Aric. For all we’ve talked about females and when we might pursue them, this seems too soon.”
“That’s ’cause it is,” I agree. I’m not ready to have sex with anyone. Not even Celia.
He turns to face me. “We didn’t do anything, Gemini. She locked the door to my bedroom, barricaded it to keep me out, and went to bed.”
“Then why did we find you like we did?”
I shrug. “She thinks her tigress let me in.”
“Let you in?” he asks. “Or your wolf?”
“That’s a good question,” I mumble, flicking an acorn from the railing. “I don’t have to change to better connect with my wolf. Celia does.” I crack my knuckles. “And from what she said, she can’t maintain her tigress form while she sleeps.”
“Then it was your beasts who connected. On a spiritual level,” he clarifies when my eyes all but bulge from my head.
Gemini doesn’t laugh much, but he does then. As our chuckles fade, his more serious persona returns. “I didn’t really think you’d hurt her.”
I smile without humor. “Then why’d you ask?”
“It didn’t look good,” he admits, brushing the brittle pine needles that litter the terrace with his foot. “I could sense her sadness long before we entered the room. And when I saw her clothes…” He sighs. “I can’t let anything happen to her.”
My spine stiffens and my wolf comes to full attention. “Look, I know you like her, but I won’t hurt her or allow anyone else to.”
The barest hint of a smile tugs at his lips. “It’s not like that, Aric.”
“Could have fooled me,” I mutter.
He rubs his jaw, appearing to choose his words carefully. “This isn’t going to make sense to you. I can barely make sense of it myself. But since I met Celia, I’ve been attracted to her.”
“I’ve noticed,” I reply, my tone sharper than I intend.
“Not like you are,” he says, surprising me by staying relaxed. “I’m attracted to her, because of you.”
“What does that even mean?”
“I’m not sure myself,” he says, maintaining his composure. “It’s as if my wolves and I have to keep her safe for you.”
Now, I’m just confused. “You don’t want her for yourself?” I ask.
“Like you do?” he asks, smiling. “No. And I think anyone who does would be foolish to try to take her from you.”
I bow my head, ashamed of the way I treated my friend. “I’m not even sure Celia likes me.”
“Trust me, Aric, she does.” He clasps my shoulder. “Let’s go inside and talk about what’s next.” His expression grows grim. “My parents left this morning to join the hunt. I didn’t tell them about Celia.”
I’m not surprised Gem kept quiet about Celia. He never runs his mouth about anything. And then there’s Liam.
I think we’re done until I catch his darkening expression. “Is there something you’re not telling me?” I ask.
Gemini releases a weary breath. “The pack’s been instructed to capture anything unusual and kill it if it fights back.”
“They’re assuming whatever they find might be the c
ause of the dark magic,” I guess. Gem nods. “But Celia didn’t cause any of it.”
“I’m not saying she did. But darkness did accompany Celia’s arrival. With skinwalkers and other malevolent entities rising, people and weres alike are scared. We need to be careful. When fear brews, wrong assumptions are made about those who are different.”
And Celia is different.
We step inside. Liam and Celia stand quietly beside each other as Koda robotically serves eggs and leftover steak. They heard the last bit of our conversation, at least where Celia is concerned.
Mom’s dress is too big on her, but the color brightens her skin and eyes. She looks feminine, beautiful, and more vulnerable than I wish she was.
“We’ll fix it,” I say, not bothering to sugarcoat what we talked about.
“Yeah, we will,” Liam agrees.
“Let’s have breakfast first,” Koda says, his shoulders strained.
We eat in silence. Aside from a few glances she shoots my way, Celia keeps her head down. She doesn’t strike me as a shrinking violet, but I think if she had the choice, she’d leave now and not look back.
“I think I should leave.”
I was right.
“No,” we reply at once. Well, except for Liam, who is on his fourth round of eggs.
“Celia, we’re young and strong,” Koda says. “We’ve been trained to hunt and kill and bring our opponent down.” He pauses. “We had our asses handed to us yesterday. Five of us plus Gemini’s wolf and we barely made it out alive. From what I heard in town this morning, these things are everywhere.” He stabs a piece of steak and lifts it to his mouth. “No way would you stand a chance on your own.”
Liam jumps to his feet, the motion so fast his chair topples over and slams onto the floor. “Magic,” he says. “This whole thing is about magic.” He points at Celia. “I say we take her to Mimi.”
The wolves and I toss our forks, groaning, Gemini going as far as covering his face.
Celia blinks back at our sour expressions. “Who’s Mimi?”
“Only the greatest hag you’ll ever find,” Liam says over Koda’s, “Liam’s nutso aunt,” explanation.
“She’s not nutso,” Liam fires back. “She’s just a little eccentric.”