I just sat and waited for him to continue.
“When I saw you were with Will I was confused. I figured he had to know what you were. When I questioned him about it, though. He acted like I was crazy.”
“So he doesn’t know?”
“I don’t think so,” Aric shrugged. “It’s not exactly like he confides in me.”
“Then what does he think?”
“He thinks you’re his high school girlfriend,” Aric said. “You have to remember, he’s not a born werewolf. He was made. Even though we’re different, some things are the same.”
“So, you’re saying that after he was made a werewolf, he was drawn to me like you were?”
“That would be my guess,” Aric said.
“Only he doesn’t understand it now?”
“No. He probably just thinks it’s because the two of you were together for so long.”
“So why don’t you tell him?”
“It’s none of his business.”
“Is it the rest of your pack’s business?”
Aric frowned at the question. “What are you asking?”
“I’m asking what your pack knows about me? What have you told them?”
“I’ve told them that I care about you a great deal and that you’re my girlfriend.”
“That’s all?”
“That’s all.”
“I find that hard to believe given that every other supernatural being on this campus seems to think they know something about me – something that I don’t know about myself.”
Aric sat back down on the couch and put his hand over mine. I didn’t pull away, but I didn’t lean into him either. “I don’t know what to tell you to ease your mind,” Aric said. “I’ve been trying to do some research, find something that can help you.”
“You have?” His admission surprised me.
“Of course,” Aric said, fixing his incredulous eyes on me. “I don’t want you in the dark. I don’t want me in the dark. If I know what’s going on I can protect you better.”
“I don’t need your protection,” I protested.
Aric ignored the statement. “I keep running into brick walls, though.”
“How so?”
“I looked at your family tree,” Aric started. “It looks normal, though. If you were born into something, it was so long ago that it predates any sort of state record keeping.”
“State record keeping? You’re not saying that the state catalogs the supernatural population are you?”
“Kind of,” Aric shrugged.
“Why?”
“Know your enemy, know your allies.”
“That’s creepy.”
“Hey, I’m not doing it. Take it up with my dad and my grandfather before him.”
“No thanks. I’ll pass. So you’re saying you honestly have no idea what I am?”
“I don’t,” Aric answered forcefully. “If I knew, I would tell you.”
“You still haven’t told me what you suspect I am,” I pointed out.
Aric shifted beside me. He looked as though he was ready to jump up out of his seat again. He was a terrible liar. “I don’t have enough information to hazard a guess.”
“Whatever,” I groaned, climbing up from the couch angrily.
Aric reached for me and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me back down to his lap. “I’m sorry.”
I struggled against him, but it was a losing fight. He was just too strong. “I know you’re keeping something from me.”
Aric let me up, but he was standing next to me before I could blink. “Here’s what I know,” he growled, his hand on my arm to keep me from moving away from him. “I know that you have some sort of energy field around you that calls to me. I know that you are the single most infuriating person I’ve ever met. I know that sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night in a panic until I realize that you’re still there, sleeping next to me, snoring like a buzz saw.”
“I do not snore!”
He ignored me. “I know that every supernatural on this campus is keyed in to whatever you’re doing at any given moment. I know that I’m terrified that something is going to happen to you. I know that you’re a magnet for trouble and you act before you think. And I know that I’m at a loss as to how to help you.”
It was a nice speech. Parts of it made my heart pound painfully in my chest. It was also not an answer.
“You’re still hiding something,” I whispered.
Aric looked caught. “I’m not purposely hiding anything from you.”
He had to throw in that caveat, didn’t he? “Purposely? But the things your pack wants to hide from me are out of your control, aren’t they?”
Aric spread his hands out, palms up, and shrugged helplessly. “You know I can’t talk to you about pack stuff.”
“You did before,” I reminded him.
“And I’ve had to pay for that. Trust me,” Aric mumbled.
What did that mean? “I don’t know what to do,” I said tiredly, running a hand through my hair.
“Let it go,” Aric pleaded.
“I can’t.” I glanced out his living room window, at the snow on the ground that matched the ice growing in my heart, and then I blew out a sigh. “I need some time to think.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means that it’s a good thing that Christmas break is here,” I answered. “I think I need a break.”
“A break from us?”
“Maybe.”
“You’re breaking up with me?” Aric’s voice hitched and his face flooded with color.
“I’m not saying that,” I said hurriedly. “I just need some time to think. We’ve got two weeks apart. Maybe we should both take some time to think.”
“I don’t need any time to think,” Aric shot back angrily.
“Well, I do.”
I waited until I had shut the apartment door behind me before I dissolved into tears. I didn’t’ want him to see me weak, but I felt my whole world was crumbling. Again. I missed him already.
Twenty
Christmas break was exactly what I needed. No school. No roommates. No boyfriend. Okay, that last one was still a small dagger in my heart no matter how hard I tried to convince myself the opposite was true.
Time really did make the heart grow fonder. I missed Aric so much that I was having trouble remembering why I was so angry in the first place. My pathetic yearning for him was only making me angry with myself, though. I wanted to forgive him and go back to the way things were, but every time I did that I couldn’t help but hate myself a little bit for being so weak.
The problem was, I knew – deep down in my heart, I knew – that Aric wasn’t hiding things to hurt me. He was stuck. I was stuck. Everyone was stuck.
Tired of my pouting around the house, my mom suggested that an outing with my high school friends was just the thing to bring me out of my doldrums. I initially balked at her suggestion, but a few hours of skiing and laughing with a few people I hadn’t seen since the summer actually rejuvenated me.
“So, how is college?”
A small group of us had broken off and gone inside the resort’s lobby and restaurant for something hot to drink. We’d settled around a table in the lobby and had been gossiping for the past hour.
“It’s pretty good,” I said, glancing at my friend Cathy as she warmed herself by the fire. The truth was, I didn’t feel a very strong connection with my high school friends. That didn’t mean I didn’t like them. I didn’t love them, don’t get me wrong, but things were so much more relaxed when they were around. “You know the drill. Classes during the week and partying on the weekends.”
“Aren’t you dating that really hot guy, though?” Cathy asked.
“How do you know about him?” I asked suspiciously.
Cathy looked taken aback by my sudden vehemence. “I ... everyone saw you two together around town all summer.”
Right. I had to remind myself that not everything was a bi
g conspiracy against me.
“Oh, yeah. I forgot.”
“Are you still with him?”
That was a really good question. “I don’t know,” I admitted.
“You don’t know?” Cathy looked confused.
“We had a fight right before break,” I said. “We’re kind of on the outs right now.”
“Does he live around here?” Cathy asked, puzzled.
“No, he lives down state,” I said. “He went home for Christmas.”
“Then why is he here?”
“What?” Now I was confused.
Cathy didn’t answer; she just pointed to a spot over my shoulder. I swung around and saw Aric standing next to the concierge’s desk. His back was to me, but it was definitely him. I’d recognize that body anywhere.
Aric must have felt my eyes burning into his back, because he turned around slowly and searched the room. When his eyes fell on me they softened and a timid smile crossed his face.
“Good grief,” Cathy exclaimed. “Could he be any hotter?”
I didn’t think so, but I might have been a little biased. “He’s got a certain something,” I agreed.
“It’s called hotness,” Cathy giggled. “I don’t see how you could fight with him. I’d just sit there and stare at him every chance I got.”
I did that sometimes.
Aric turned back to the concierge, taking something from her before grabbing a bag from the floor and making his way across the room. “Hey,” he greeted me quietly.
“Hey,” I said. Suddenly I felt really dumb.
“Hey,” Cathy smiled at him warmly.
“Hey.
“I’m Cathy,” she introduced herself.
“I’m Aric.”
“It’s nice to meet you. Zoe and I were just talking about you and then there you were. It’s kind of funny.”
“You were talking about me, huh?” Aric shifted his dark eyes over to me and then sat down in one of the empty chairs to my right. “What were you saying?”
If Cathy caught on to the tenseness of the situation, she didn’t let on. “I was just asking her if you two were still together.”
“Oh, yeah? What did she say?” Aric seemed genuinely curious.
“She said you got into a fight and she wasn’t sure what was going on,” Cathy said guilelessly.
Aric turned to me questioningly. “I guess I’m in the same boat.”
We both sat there in awkward silence. Cathy must have finally picked up on our need for privacy, because she suddenly jumped to her feet and began plodding toward the rest of our friends by the bar. “Um, I’ll leave you two alone. Do you want us to bring your skis up to you?”
“No, I’ll get them,” I said. “Cathy?”
“Yeah,” she turned back around.
“Thanks.”
“Of course,” she smiled. “That’s what friends are for.” She started to move away again and then stopped one more time. “I wasn’t joking when I told you that he’s too good looking to stay mad at.”
Aric chuckled. “Is that the reason you’re going to forgive me?”
“What makes you think I’m going to forgive you?” I asked pointedly, although I had already decided I was ready to make up.
“Because,” Aric said knowingly. “I drove all the way up here, even though my mom was bitching and complaining and threatening to cut me off, all because I couldn’t stand another day without seeing you.”
“Really?” I eyed him dubiously. “That’s your story?”
“It’s not a story,” Aric said, smiling wide enough for his dimples to come out and play. “It’s the truth.”
I pursed my lips to keep from returning the smile. I wanted him to grovel a little before I gave in entirely. “I don’t know,” I teased. “I still might have some thinking to do.”
Aric reached over and grabbed my hand, pulling me from my chair all the way over into his lap, and wrapped his arms around me. He buried his face in my hair and inhaled deeply, as though he couldn’t get enough of my scent. Maybe that was a werewolf thing? “I need you to not be angry at me anymore,” he murmured.
“I need you to be honest with me,” I answered slowly.
“I know. I’m not trying to be dishonest with you.”
“I know.”
“This is a learning experience for us both,” Aric said, tightening his arms around me.
“I’m doing the best that I can.”
“I know,” I sighed. “It’s frustrating, though.”
“I know,” Aric laughed, his lips brushing my ear. “I’ve been feeling a lot of frustration this week.”
“God, is that all you think about?” It was all I was thinking about right now, truth be told.
“Actually, that’s not what I was thinking about at all,” Aric said, shifting beneath me slightly. “Until now.”
“What were you talking about?”
Aric sighed. “I was frustrated because I picked up my phone to call you ten times a day, every day, for the past week and every time I chickened out.”
“I did the same thing,” I admitted.
“Really?” There was relief in his tone.
“Really,” I said. “I’ve missed you. A lot.”
“Good,” Aric growled into my ear. “Because if you do this again I’m going to have to tie you up and lock you in my closet until you get over it. I can’t go through this again.”
“That sounds freaky.”
“Freaky in a good way?”
“No. Freaky in a freaky way.”
Aric considered the situation for a second and then laughed. It was a welcome sound. “Yeah, that might be pushing things a little too far.”
“I’m not a Fifty Shades of Grey fan,” I replied.
“What’s Fifty Shades of Grey?”
“Never mind. How did you even know I was here?”
“I didn’t,” he replied. “I was just checking into my room. I wasn’t planning on tracking you down until tomorrow. It must be fate or something.”
“Must be,” I mused.
Aric leaned back in his chair, snuggling me into his lap, and brushing a kiss against my forehead. “God, I feel so relaxed now. It’s like everything is just so much better now that you’re here.”
“You do? Feel relaxed, I mean.”
“I’ve been really tense,” Aric admitted. “My mom was pretty sick of me. She said she couldn’t take me brooding anymore. That’s why she ultimately told me to go ahead and leave.”
“You told her why you were upset?”
“Didn’t you tell your parents?”
“No. I told them I had PMS.”
“And they believed that?”
“They had no reason not to.”
“You don’t, do you?”
“What?”
“Have PMS?”
“No,” I shook my head, laughing at the look of relief that washed over his handsome face. “You missed that little Christmas treat.”
“Good, because I have plans for you,” Aric teased, catching my face with his hands and pressing his lips to mine.
When we came up for air a few minutes later, I fixed Aric with a hard look. “What would you have done if I did have PMS?”
“Cried,” he answered simply.
“Nice.”
“What can I say? I missed you. All of you.”
“I still have to get my skis,” I reminded him. “And my parents are expecting me to come home tonight.”
“Can’t you just tell them you’re staying at your friend’s house?”
“Maybe.”
“Maybe? Don’t tease me. My poor heart can’t take it.” Aric smiled, lifting me up to my feet as he stood behind me.
“You’re anxious to get in the room, huh?”
“Let’s go get those skis before someone steals them. I have a present for you, too.”
“You do?”
“Of course I do,” Aric smiled. “It’s Christmas.”
“I wasn’t sure, afte
r the fight and all,” I hedged.
“I’ve had your Christmas present for weeks,” Aric admitted.
“You have?”
“I have. I want to see you open it.”
“And then what?” I asked curiously.
“And then we’ll order room service.”
“And then?”
Aric smiled wolfishly. “And maybe then I’ll get a good night’s sleep tonight.” His eyes softened. “And a night without nightmares sounds nice.”
“You had nightmares?”
“The whole last week was a nightmare.”
I couldn’t keep the foolish smile from washing over my face. “I couldn’t agree more. Your present is at my house, though.”
“It can wait,” Aric said, linking his fingers through mine. “You’re all the present I need right now.”
I really had missed him. The fact that nothing had been fixed between the two of us was an afterthought right now – one I couldn’t push out of my mind fast enough.
I was ready to open my Christmas present – and the gift from Aric.
January
Twenty-One
Once we got back to school, things were better. Mostly. Laura and Matilda were practically floating they were so happy to be active members of Delta Omicron. Kelsey was excited about new classes -- and acing her finals the previous semester. And Aric and I were back in a good place. Sure, I had a few lingering doubts about our relationship, but I figured that was normal for most couples. Or maybe I was just hoping that was the case.
“So why are we going to the bookstore?”
I glanced over at Aric as he parked behind the university center. He had agreed to act as chauffeur this afternoon – the Sunday before classes started up again -- mostly because it was so cold out that none of us wanted to walk anywhere. I had spent the past half hour complaining to him on the phone until I wore him down and he volunteered his services. I might have promised him a massage, too. Given how he looked naked, though, that wasn’t exactly a hardship.
“We need books,” I replied simply.
“Aren’t most of your books available on your tablet?”
“Not my books,” Kelsey said. “Math books don’t translate to electronic devices very well.”
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