Beautifully Unnatural: A Young Adult Paranormal Boxed Set

by Amy Miles

  Bastard. “Fine. After dinner, we’re done.”

  He gave me his lopsided grin, displaying the lone dimple. “Are you ready?”

  “Yeah.” I grabbed my purse and we jumped into his car. “What’s with the shovel on the back of the Jeep?”

  “Never know when you’ll need to bury a body.”

  I stared at him.

  “I’m teasing, Autumn.” He gave a quick laugh. “These vehicles are made for off-roading. Sometimes you need to dig yourself out of a ditch.”

  I could totally picture Zack doing something like that, all rugged and manly. “Doesn’t seem to be helping you dig yourself out of the pile of crap you fell in last night.”

  “If you’d let me explain—”

  I held up a hand. “Not necessary. Really.”

  At a stop sign, he held up a piece of paper, then set it on the dashboard and drove again.

  “What’s that?”

  “The address to a car I thought we’d check out. It’s close by.”

  “What kind?”

  “Mustang.”

  I made a face. “A muscle car.”

  “I guess so. They’re not known for being great on gas, but they’re not too bad and the miles on this one are low.” Checking to make sure the road was clear, he switched lanes. “Give it a chance. You never know what you’ll like unless you try.”

  Several minutes later, we pulled up to a curb. A small yard artfully crowded with lush shrubbery and colorful blooms surrounded a little brick house. I’d been uneasy about buying a car from a private party, feeling safer getting something from a dealership that checked and rechecked their cars for quality. In theory anyway. My worries dissipated as I inhaled the fragrance of the flowers. Anyone who put this much care into their garden wouldn’t neglect a car, would they?

  We knocked and moments later, a gray-haired man opened the door. He was so old that you could no longer tell his age. Seventy? Ninety?

  “Mr. Peters?” When the man nodded, Zack continued. “Hi, I’m Zack. We spoke on the phone earlier this morning?”

  Wow. Zack must have called before he came to my house. Calling that early on a Sunday? Impressive.

  “This is Autumn. She’s the one looking for a car.”

  The man smiled, but his eyes seemed sad. “Hang on. Let me get the key.”

  Mr. Peters returned and took his time leading us to the side of the house. He held out a remote and the garage door slowly opened.

  I couldn’t see what was under the cover. The old man shuffled over to the rear of the garage and lifted a corner of the giant stretch of gray cloth.

  “Let me help.” Zack hurried over to the other side and, inch by inch, they unveiled a silver convertible Mustang.

  There had to be something really wrong with it, because it was too pretty to be within my budget. Freakishly high miles or a missing engine?

  Mr. Peters popped the hood and disappeared behind it with Zack, who fired off questions. I had no idea what they were talking about, so I amused myself by examining the body. The top was already down and I could readily see the interior, which appeared clean. Circling the car, I noted the shiny rims and glossy paint. In the bright morning sunshine, I saw a sprinkling of chips in the paint. My Taurus was riddled with that sort of thing, most likely caused by spraying gravel. You couldn’t miss them. On the Mustang though, it wasn’t noticeable unless you examined it closely.

  “What year is this?” I asked.

  Zack peeked out from behind the hood. “It’s five-years-old.” He vanished again.

  I slid behind the driver’s seat and poked around. It had forty-two thousand miles on it. Working my way back to the front and under the hood, I listened as Zack asked about the engine modifications and horsepower. Mr. Peters replied, but his words meant nothing to me. Zack seemed impressed, nodding and raising his brows.

  “Can we take it out? We’d like to drive it to make sure she likes it. Then me, to see if it’s sound.” He gazed down at the engine. “Although I don’t think that’s going to be a problem.”

  “Why are you selling it?” I asked.

  “It was my son’s. He loved this car.” The man’s eyes moistened, his gaze dropping to the concrete floor of the garage, chin quivering. “He doesn’t need it anymore.”

  Zack just stared without speaking.

  His son must have died. Or something else terrible. How awful.

  “No need to look at me like that, young lady. It’s not all bad. My son left me two wonderful grandchildren.” Mr. Peters patted my hand, then slowly moved several feet to the passenger side and got in. “C’mon. Let’s take this baby for a spin.”

  I lagged behind, tugging on Zack’s arm. “How much is this thing?” I hissed.

  “You’d been saving up for a car before your parents chipped in, right? Use some of that.”

  I gasped. “What? You dragged me out here for a car over fifteen?”

  “Sshh. He’s selling it for exactly fifteen, but I know some of your money is going to the shop. I was hoping to negotiate, but now I know something happened to his son, it would feel wrong.” He nodded toward the driver’s side. “Come on. You’re up first.”

  Damn. Even if I liked it, I couldn’t buy it. Unable to resist, I climbed in anyway.

  The car rode like a dream and the longer I drove it, the easier I imagined owning it. My hair whipping around and tickling my face didn’t bother me at all, like I’d thought it would. In fact, it made me feel free, like I was running through the woods.

  I slowed to a stop at a red light, noting the smooth braking. When it was green, I gunned the engine and watched in the rearview mirror as Zack’s head snapped back. “Sorry,” I told Mr. Peters who sat to my right.

  He chuckled. “You like it?”

  “Yeah, I do.” I sighed and pulled over, then switched places with Zack.

  His test drive was shorter than mine, maybe because he’d worked on and driven enough cars to know what to be wary of. He gingerly backed into the old man’s garage and we got out.

  At the front steps of the house, Zack asked Mr. Peters, “Do you mind if we consult for a minute?”

  “No problem. Holler when you’re ready.” He leisurely made his way back to the car, opened the passenger side and got in.

  “Seems like a fair deal considering its condition and low mileage. What do you think?” Zack whispered when we’d gotten a few feet away, his expression guarded.

  I glanced over at the silver beauty and gnawed on my thumb nail. “I’m a little nervous about going over my budget. My parents made me promise not to tap into my savings. I can’t break my word.” This was so wrong. I finally found a car I wanted and it wasn’t buyable.

  Mr. Peters climbed out of the Mustang and walked the few feet to stand in front of us. “When you get older, things start to go. Eyesight’s not so good anymore. Don’t have the stamina I had at Zack’s age.” He glanced at Zack, then me. “But my hearing’s good. What’s your budget, dear?”

  My eyes shot to Zack. Something felt so immoral about making this nice man bring the price down. I had a feeling it was already too low. “About fourteen-five.”

  Mr. Peters took my hand, covering it in both of his. “Sold for fourteen. Use the leftover to take this nice young man out to a proper dinner.”

  “But—”

  “No buts.” He shook his head quickly and decisively. “I’d rather sell it for less and know it’s going to a good home. My son would’ve liked that.”

  I swallowed, my lashes suddenly wet. “Thank you.”

  “Sir,” Zack began. “It’s Sunday and the banks aren’t open. Will you hold it for us until after school tomorrow when we can make it to the bank?”

  “We can give you a good faith deposit,” I offered.

  The man waved a hand. “Not necessary. I’ll hold it for you, but if you change your mind, call me.”

  We shook his hand and said our goodbyes, promising to be there the next day.

  I hopped in the Jeep
and nearly squealed. That beautiful machine was going to be mine. I flashed Zack a grin. “That was amazing.”

  He chuckled.

  My stomach growled. Guess the cereal I’d eaten for breakfast had been amazingly inadequate. Maybe my body needed more fuel for its mysterious new abilities — which I was no closer to finding the reason for. “Early lunch? It’s on me.”

  “I can always eat. If we get burgers though, we’re not eating in public.” Zack suppressed a smile.

  I felt my face flush. “Thanks for finding that car. I love it. It’s perfect.”

  He turned toward me and grinned knowingly. “I had a feeling.”

  The ride to the burger place was spent listening to Zack explain in the most painful detail each modification that had been done to the car. After he’d found it for me though, I was big on forgiveness.

  Zack pulled up to the drive-thru. “Double cheeseburger with everything?”

  I nodded, handing him some cash. He put in our order and as soon as the bag of food passed through the window, my mouth watered. My driving need for meat raged through every cell in my body.

  “There’s a park close by. We might find a spot in the shade.” By the time he finished the sentence, I’d already taken my first bite. He laughed and pulled over.

  We ate in silence. I held myself in check, but devoured the last morsel and licked my fingers, vowing to eat my next burger in private where I could be as uninhibited as I wanted.

  Once he’d dropped me off at my house, I called Maya to tell her about my new-to-me car.

  She went on a roll about Trevor. “I was about to go inside when he kissed me again. He’s an amazing kisser, by the way.” I heard her breathy sigh. “Anyway, I was reaching for the doorknob to go inside when he asked for exclusivity. I can’t date anyone else and neither can he. I feel like I’m in a dream and I have you to thank for that. If you hadn’t pushed, I’d still be a stalker.”

  I laughed. “I’m sure you two would have gotten together eventually.”

  “Maybe. We’re going bowling tonight. You and Zack should come.”

  “Oh, I don’t know, Maya.”

  Zack had been so nice all morning, I’d forgotten what a jerk he’d been the night before. When he was pleasant, we got along quite well. That was dangerous because I liked him. Too much. I’d been insulted enough and didn’t want rejection on top of it. I desperately searched my mind for a valid excuse to get out of bowling.

  “Come on, Autumn. I want to see your new car,” Maya said, distracting me from creating a good fib.

  Whew. Now I didn’t have to make up anything. “I’m not picking it up until tomorrow.”

  “Then I want to see you.”

  Other than my parents, Maya was the only other person I’d gotten to know well enough to truly love. Saying no was nearly impossible. “Okay.”

  Since Zack had found me a car, his services were no longer needed. He could go back to being his grumpy self. Hopefully, he wouldn’t be too annoyed when he realized he’d be hanging out with me again after dinner.

  He might even say no to bowling. A part of me felt empty at the thought.

  † † †

  Either Zack had lied about what Cara planned to make for dinner or she changed her mind. Meatballs seemed too similar to hamburger, so it was probably for the best. Regardless, the food was fabulous — chicken marinated in lemon and rosemary with scalloped potatoes and steamed asparagus. After a couple bites of chicken and coming close to sensory overload, I opted to resist the meat and stick to veggies.

  I decided I loved Zack’s family almost as much as my own. I liked that they used ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ liberally while passing food around the table. I loved how they waited to eat until everyone had food. Good manners were appealing. Not that we were Neanderthals at my house, but Zack’s family made etiquette an art. Best of all, they treated me like I belonged there.

  Much to my relief and surprise, Zack went bowling with us. We teamed against Maya and Trevor, winning the only two games — probably because their minds weren’t on bowling. I wondered why they invited us when they could’ve spent time alone.

  At my house, Zack tossed his keys to Trevor. I walked to my front door, Zack shadowing me. At the top of the steps, he held out his hand for my keys. I gave them up, but hoped we weren’t going to have a repeat of last time he walked me to my door.

  Zack turned the key in the lock and swung around to face me. In order for me to enter my house, he needed to move out of my way. Instead, he raised a hand to lift a lock of hair, rubbing it between his fingers.

  “Soft. I like your hair like this.”

  I gave a shaky laugh, thankful I’d taken the extra time to curl the ends of my hair before dinner instead of pulling it into a ponytail like I’d been tempted to do. “It’s a ton of work to make it wave like this.”

  His hand slipped over my shoulder, his thumb catching on my tank strap. “You should wear a top like this every day.”

  He inched closer. Though he barely touched me, my entire body sizzled in anticipation.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Zack’s eyes fixed on my mouth and a wave of heat coursed through me.

  I shifted forward just a hair and tilted up my chin to meet his lips. “Maybe I’ll wear it tomorrow.”

  “No. Don’t wear it to school,” he said, his gaze roaming my face. “It’s not safe.”

  A tiny part of me couldn’t help asking, “What’s not safe?”

  Zack blinked, shook his head and took a step back, signaling the end of our moment. Damn. “Well, you know what they say about guys,” he said. “They only want one thing.”

  “You’re a guy.” A hot guy, I wanted to add. “Does that rule apply to you?”

  “It applies to Daniel, who’s already proved himself very annoying. And you weren’t showing nearly this much skin.” He swung around and sprinted down the steps. At the sidewalk, he stopped and pointed at my house. “Go inside.”

  My stomach sank, but I managed a nod before closing the door and locking it.

  If that had been about to turn into a kiss, why did I have to ruin it by talking? Deep down, I knew if Zack genuinely liked me, there would be other opportunities. Still, I took little comfort in having blown a perfect one.

  † † †

  The black wolf met me in the meadow and ran with me. I didn’t run at full speed, because I didn’t think he could keep up. He moved pretty damn fast though. Maybe because of his size, his long legs covered ground more quickly. Whatever the reason, having his company was comforting — it felt right.

  Once I’d gotten the run out of my system, I slowed and he lagged behind, nipping at my calves and ankles.

  “Stop it, Wolfie.” I laughed and kept going, but he did it again. This time, he playfully snapped at my shoe. His teeth hooked on the heel of my sneaker and I stumbled. Trying to regain my balance, I twisted and fell backward. The wolf leaped on top of me, his paw on my shoulder, his muzzle edging toward me. The weight of him pressed me against the dirt and compelled me to stay down, but I didn’t feel in the least bit threatened.

  My fingers ran through his soft, silky fur. “You’re so sweet,” I said, offering him a small smile. “Want to spend the night at my house? I’d love your company.”

  He froze, his eyes meeting mine and I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something he wanted to tell me. His eyes… they reminded me of Zack’s. Clearly I had too much of Zack on my brain because this was a wolf, not a human.

  Without warning, he vaulted off me, ran toward the trees and disappeared.

  † † †

  My mom emailed me what they’d been up to and the nice time they’d been having. I replied, telling her about the Mustang. Then I deleted it. What if they told me not to buy the car? I’d have to start the search all over again. Instead, I told them about the promising lead to pursue tomorrow after school. All true.

  Ten minutes before I planned to leave for school the next morning, there wa
s a knock at the door. Zack, looking as delicious as always. “Oh, hi.” My stomach dipped. “What brings you by?”

  “It seemed smarter to drive together. After school, we can go directly to your new car. Otherwise, we’ll end up with an extra vehicle.”

  Couldn’t he have said he needed more time with me? That an entire night away was more than he could bear? Was that really too much to ask?

  I sighed and motioned him inside. “Great idea. I’ll be ready in a few minutes. You can wait here or I can go to your house.”

  “I’ll wait here.” He’d already turned his attention to some family pictures on the wall. I dashed upstairs to get pretty.

  When we pulled into the student parking lot twenty minutes later, I noticed Daniel right away. He sat on the wall, extremely alive — not eaten by giant wolf — where he used to wait for me. Even though I didn’t like him, not even a little bit, it was good to know Jeff had imagined things after all. Daniel’s eyes shot to mine as I jumped out of Zack’s Jeep and closed the door. Zack and I exchanged glances as we met at the bumper of his car.

  “You were right,” I said. “He’s just fine.”

  “Yep. Definitely not dead.” Zack squinted as he studied Daniel. “Not so sure about the fine part though.”

  Yeah, there was something different about Daniel. An energy. I felt a tingling in my toes, but not the good kind. The kind that told me to steer clear. Zack’s comment made me think he sensed it too, that Daniel was even less balanced than before.

  “If I walk you to class, he’ll be less likely to bother you.”

  “Thanks.” I was pretty sure I could take Daniel down, but I didn’t need the hassle. Besides, no way would I refuse Zack if it meant more time with him. Being around him felt safe. And kind of like I was his girlfriend. Not a bad thing, except I knew the truth.

  Zack escorted me to class and when it was over, he was waiting outside to take me to my next class. He showed up after that class too and the next one. We silently walked side-by-side, his eyes alert, body tense as he moved. How he knew my classes, I didn’t know or care.

  He’d stopped making idle chitchat the moment he’d seen Daniel that morning, like he was saving his energy and attention for something bigger. As the day progressed, I became more convinced that Zack sensed the change in Daniel too. Did other people also sense it? If only Zack and I could tell, that might mean Zack was like me, maybe not-quite human.