I let what Kaleb had said sink in. Did Uncle Henry know about this ability with the bloodlines? He believed the Norwood wolves were telepathic. Maybe the Elders hadn’t told him. Or had he lied to keep me away from the wolves? “So the shapeshifters can only use transference with those in the same bloodline and with their alpha pack leader? The link is one way with humans, but two ways with shapeshifters.”
“Yes, but it also happens when a wolf chooses his mate. A transference bond is formed between them forever, and it can’t be broken. That’s why we mate for life.”
I studied his face as he looked up at the night sky. He’d never said anything about having a mate, but it made sense. He needed someone to help lead the Norwood pack and carry on the bloodline. “Have you chosen your mate?”
“Of course not.” His head jerked back. “I wouldn’t be here if I did. What about you? What about you? Any fiancés I should know about?”
“I’m not getting married until after college.”
His eyebrows lifted. “You’re going to college?”
“Well, I need to finish high school first.” I sighed, not wanting to think about the future. Mom had promised I’d go to college, but if her health didn’t improve, I’d have to put college on hold. No way could I leave her. “How many wolves are in the Norwood pack?”
“We have over forty wolves.”
More than forty shapeshifters on Norwood Isle? That sounded like an army of wolves. “Is the Kingsley pack large?”
“They only have ten wolves. My uncle likes to keep their bloodline pure. You have to marry a Kingsley if you want to be in their pack.” He looked over his shoulder. “Norwood’s a large pack because we take in lone wolves. Not too many packs do that.”
“How many packs are out there?”
“The Town Council members represent five different wolf packs, but the other packs stay away from Woodlake. Sacred ground makes them uneasy.”
“Because this is where the curse happened,” I mumbled. “Only oldens can shapeshift whenever they want?”
He nodded. “The mongrels only shift at night.”
“Mongrels?” Uncle Henry hadn’t said anything about mongrels, but they sounded like the werewolves in movies. They only shifted at certain times. “What’s that?”
“Mongrels are the offspring of a shapeshifter and a human. All shapeshifters are born human, and they gain the ability to shapeshift into wolves when puberty starts. It’s different for the mongrels because they’re half-wolf. Some never shapeshift, and some only shapeshift at night. They’re weaker than oldens and never become pack alphas. That’s why you rarely see a wolf choosing a human as their mate.”
“But it does happen?” Could Kaleb and I be together? It sounded like no law existed to stop us dating.
“Yes, but the packs don’t allow mongrels to mate with humans. Our law requires mongrels that can shapeshift to mate with other wolves. Preferably, within their bloodline.”
“And you’re an olden?” I glanced at Kaleb when he nodded. He kept his gaze on the lake. “Uncle Henry said you’re forbidden to shift on sacred ground, but you shifted at the bonfire party.”
He grinned. “I don’t like rules.”
“How does shifting work?” I bit my lower lip, not sure how to ask the next question. “Do you take your clothes off?”
“We get undressed and stash our clothes.” He nudged my leg with his hand. “This is a lot to take in. Most Romanies grow up knowing about us. Are you okay?”
I nodded. I’d known about the shapeshifters for several days. At first, I hadn’t wanted to believe what Uncle Henry said, but everything made sense now.
“Did Henry say anything else?” Kaleb asked.
“He told me about the agreement between the Romanies and the Norwood wolves. You’re not allowed on Romani ground, and we’re not allowed on Norwood Isle.” I looked around. “Does that mean you shouldn’t be here?”
“Willow’s Point isn’t Romani ground, but you’re right. We shouldn’t be here. If someone saw us together, it wouldn’t be good.”
“I heard the Elders demanded your punishment for coming to the tent.” I placed my hand on his leg. “I hope you didn’t get into trouble.”
“Nothing I can’t handle.” He looked at my hand. “It’s getting late. Do you have any more questions?”
I nodded. “Are vampires real?”
“Yes. The wolves aren’t friendly toward vampires. We usually kill first and ask questions later. Which is why vampires don’t enter our territory, and we stay away from their cities.”
“What about the witches?”
“You can never trust a witch. They’re worse than vampires.” He clenched his jaw and stood. “I better walk you home.”
We followed the trail, without speaking. Since Kaleb didn’t want me to turn the flashlight on, he led the way and had to slow his pace several times so I could keep up. When I stumbled for the second time, he reached for my hand, and we continued walking.
His hand felt warm, rough, and protective. I tried not to freak out, but holding hands felt natural. It was as if we belonged together.
As the back porch light came into view, we stopped about ten feet from the backyard. The kitchen light was on while the rest of the house was dark.
“I don’t think anyone’s home.” I squeezed his hand, wanting him to stay. “We could sit in the gazebo.”
“You should get inside.” He pulled his hand away from mine.
“You’re right.” I sighed, wishing I could see his face in the darkness. It seemed he had no intention of kissing me goodbye. “When will I see you again?”
His eyes flickered bright yellow. “You know what I am now. It changes everything between us.”
“It changes nothing.” I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him close, flutters erupting in my stomach. What did he expect me to do? Walk away and act as if he meant nothing? I couldn’t do that. Not when my entire body ached for him to kiss me again. “I still like you.”
“That’s not a good idea,” he murmured under his breath, before pressing his lips against mine.
Chapter 18
“Have a great day.” I closed the cash register and handed the man his change. It was Friday afternoon, and a busload of senior citizens had overwhelmed the café. Bill had even called Jenny to come in and help for a few hours.
Earlier Lexi had stopped by looking for Kaleb. Of course, she didn’t ask me about him, and even if she had, I hadn’t seen him for a week. It had been seven whole days. He hadn’t called or stopped by the café. We hadn’t made plans—but after our make-out session in Uncle Henry’s backyard, I’d expected at least a friendly hello.
“It’s been a good day.” Wendy shook the tip jar and smiled.
I hadn’t told her about Kaleb and me kissing. What if someone from Norwood Isle heard our conversation? I couldn’t risk it.
An hour later, no customers loitered in the café, and dirty dishes cluttered the tables in the outdoor seating area. Wendy and Jenny headed outside with bus bins while I wiped the tables inside. When they returned, I followed them into the kitchen.
“I’ll clean the tables outside.” Wendy placed the bin on the counter and winked at me.
I smiled as she left the kitchen. Cole must be stopping by the café for dinner, like he had two nights ago. He and Wendy had shared a plate of mozzarella sticks and talked for an hour.
“Bill only asked me to wait on tables for a few hours.” Jenny leaned against the counter, obviously with no intention of helping me.
I opened the dishwasher, feeling more tired than I thought possible. Loading dirty dishes was the one thing I disliked about this job. Usually, Wendy and I took turns loading the dishwasher, but Jenny always found a way to avoid it, like most of her duties.
“Why don’t you go home?” I placed two cups on the top rack. “Wendy and I can clean up and take care of dinner.”
“Well, I do need to finish packing.” Jenny glanced at the kitchen doorw
ay as the café’s front door chimed. “I’ll get that.”
After scrubbing my hands with soap and hot water, I entered the café’s dining area and found Kaleb sitting at the front counter. He glanced at me but said nothing. His eyes drifted to Jenny, who stood next to him.
“Say yes.” Jenny rested a hand on his arm. “It’ll be fun. The two of us alone in the woods, with nothing to do but explore each other.”
My stomach twisted in knots when her hand glided up his arm and stopped near the sleeve of his blue polo shirt. She leaned toward him, her breasts touching his arm as she whispered in his ear.
I turned away. I didn’t want Kaleb to see how upset I was, but what if he was here to see me? Maybe he’d been out of town all week. I filled a cup with water and placed it on the counter.
“Are you hungry?” I asked.
“No.” He shook his head and avoided eye contact. “Do you know if Bill’s coming in tonight?”
My heart dropped. He’d come to see Bill, and he was obviously enjoying Jenny hanging on his arm. He didn’t even push her away. “I’ll check the schedule.”
“Good idea.” Jenny whispered in his ear again. Whatever she said made him laugh.
I hurried past the bathrooms and straight to Bill’s office, not waiting to see if he said yes. What had I expected from that jerk? But Wendy had said he didn’t date local girls. He kept his relationships short, and only with tourists. Had Kaleb changed his mind?
I glanced at the schedule and sat at Bill’s desk, hoping Kaleb had other business in town. He needed to leave and come back tomorrow when I didn’t work. After thumbing through a camping magazine, I finally got up and made sure everything was back in its place. Bill didn’t mind us hanging out in his office, but he didn’t like it if we messed with his stuff.
“Are you mad at me?” Kaleb asked, leaning against the doorframe.
“Of course not.” I forced a smile. I needed to find something physically wrong with him. Something I could focus on so his muscles and that sexy grin on his face didn’t make my heart race.
“I can sense you’re upset. What’s wrong?”
“Everything’s fine.” I rolled my eyes and glanced over his shoulder, surprised to see the hallway empty. “Where’s Jenny?”
“She went home. Wendy’s outside talking to the cook.”
“I should get back to the café.” I tried to get past him, but he blocked the doorway. “If a customer comes—”
“I’ll hear if a customer comes.” He reached for me, but I moved away, not wanting to give in to his charming smile.
“Bill’s not working tonight, but I can call him. Tell him you’re here and need to talk.” I looked at the employee contact sheet hanging on the wall as I grabbed the phone off the desk. “Wait. Can’t you use transference on him?”
“I didn’t come to see Bill.” He took the phone out of my hand and placed it on the desk. “Jenny knows I only come into the café to talk to Bill. I couldn’t tell her I came to see you.”
“Like you couldn’t tell Jenny to get her hands off you?” I snapped. Then immediately regretted what I’d said. Having feelings for him turned me into that girl. That jealous girl, who didn’t like anyone near her boyfriend.
But Kaleb wasn’t my boyfriend.
“You’re cute when you’re jealous.” He grinned and ran a hand down my back.
I pulled away, glaring. “You can’t treat me this way. I’m not some tourist in town for a few days. If you’re looking for sex, then—”
“Who said anything about sex?” His tone went cold. “I don’t have time for games. If you’ve changed your mind, say so. Don’t kiss me and tell me nothing’s changed between us, and then act like you don’t want me touching you.”
“This isn’t a game to me.” I shifted my weight to one side and placed my hands on my hips. “You can’t ignore me for seven days and then show up like everything’s okay. Boyfriends don’t—”
“Boyfriend?” His head jerked back.
My eyes widened. “That’s not what I meant. I didn’t—”
“You said boyfriend.” He folded his arms.
“The word slipped out.” I took a deep breath and steadied my nerves. “I get it now. I can’t expect anything from you. You like to keep it casual. No big deal. I was silly to think a few kisses meant anything. If you say yes to Jenny, I need to be okay with that because we’re friends. You’re a wolf and I’m half-Romani. I can’t expect—”
“I don’t care you’re half-Romani.” He ran a hand through his hair. “What do you want from me?”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“Everybody wants something from me.” He sat in one of the chairs in front of Bill’s desk. “My dad, the Norwood pack, the Town Council, the Romanies, and the tourists. It’s the way my life is, and I accept it. What do you want?”
I wasn’t sure how to respond even though I knew what I wanted. I wanted the whole I’m-your-boyfriend package, but Kaleb had never asked me out. Girls like Jenny could invade his personal space, and I had no right to get upset. Why hadn’t I listened to Wendy? She warned me not to get too close to him. “It doesn’t matter what I want.”
“It matters to me.”
“You know what I want.” My heartbeat pounded in my ears.
“I’m not good at relationships. That’s why I’ve stayed away.” He let out a deep breath and scratched his chin. “Well, I tried to stay away.”
“What about you?” I sat on the edge of Bill’s desk and faced Kaleb. “What do you want?”
“Me?” He glanced up, surprised.
“Yes. There must be something you want.”
He grinned, pulled me into his lap, and kissed me. As his tongue slipped into my mouth, I pulled away.
“I can’t do this.” I tried to get out of his lap, but his arms wouldn’t budge.
“Do what?”
“I don’t do the casual thing.”
“It’s not like that with you.” He cleared his throat. “You asked me what I wanted. I want you, Sienna. And I’m not talking about sex or something casual. I want you to be my girl.”
I suddenly felt hot all over. He wanted me to be his girl. “Are you sure? Because that sounds like that would make you my boyfriend.”
“Yes, but I’m not some guy asking you out. I’m a wolf.” He sighed. “I hate that I can’t bring you home or take you out on a real dinner date. I can’t even hold your hand in public.”
“You’re forgetting who you’re talking to. I’m breaking a rule just by being alone with you. If Uncle Henry found out I’ve been talking to you . . .” I shook my head. “I agree. No one can know.”
He kissed my neck again as the café’s door chimed.
“You were supposed to tell me if someone was coming.” I nudged his arm and jumped up.
“It’s just some old guy,” he said, following me out of Bill’s office. As we got closer to the end of the hallway, he pulled me aside and kissed my forehead. “I’ll be back to see you. I promise.”
I greeted the customer and grabbed a menu as Kaleb left through the side door. He pulled his shirt off and entered the woods, disappearing.
I replayed our conversation in my head, not quite believing we’d agreed to secretly date. What did that mean? He’d come by whenever he wanted to? That didn’t sound like a real relationship. How could this possibly work out?
Chapter 19
Kaleb kept his promise and stopped by the café the next day, and the day after that. For two weeks, he showed up when I worked, and on my days off, we met at Willow’s Point. We talked for hours in between kisses, and he even took me on a boat ride one night.
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me.” Wendy pulled me into one of her happy dances and twirled me around the café. The café didn’t close for another two hours, and we’d already cleaned up after the dinner customers left.
“Shh, someone might hear you.” I looked around the empty café and glanced outside; nervous someone from Nor
wood Isle might be listening. With Kaleb coming to the café a lot, Wendy had figured out we were seeing each other.
At first, I denied dating Kaleb, but she wouldn’t let up. Every chance she got, she asked questions about kissing him, touching his muscles; she wanted me to share every little detail. Eventually I realized it was better to admit the truth than risk someone overhearing all her questions.
“No one can know, especially Cole,” I said. “Promise me you won’t say anything.”
“I promise. I bet he’s a great kisser.” She giggled.
I smiled, thinking of my last kiss with Kaleb. I could kiss him all day and never get tired. But I loved our conversations as much as our make-out sessions. We talked about everything: books we’d read, the latest television shows, world affairs, and so much more.
“Hello, earth to Sienna.” Wendy snapped her fingers in front of me. “Did you hear what I said?”
“No,” I replied, hoping we’d moved on to another subject.
“Are you sure your uncle won’t change his mind?” She sat at the front counter and gave me half the tips from the jar. “Tell him you’ll learn more about the wolves. He might say yes.”
“No chaperones and a weekend alone with boys?” I tucked the tip money into my pocket. “He’ll never say yes.”
Wendy’s trip to Norwood Isle with her friends was this weekend. Since Kaleb had promised they’d be safe, I wasn’t worried. Despite what I’d said, I’d never ask Uncle Henry’s permission to go. What was the point? If I explained why I couldn’t go to Norwood Isle, I’d have to tell her about the shapeshifters.
She glanced over her shoulder at the empty café. “Hey, are you guys okay? He hasn’t been here for a few days.”
“We’re fine. He’s busy with those camp kids.” My daily romance with Kaleb had come to an abrupt stop on Sunday when Markus came by the café with a message. Kaleb’s father needed him to run errands, which meant Kaleb couldn’t see me until Thursday. “Are you set for your hike?”
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