“Parker!” a high-pitched female voice calls from the opposite end of the room. Our heads turn to a blonde woman beelining for our location. It takes me a second to remember her name. Ashley. She chose a scary movie to watch for our date and talked the entire time. “You’re looking great! I can’t believe we haven’t seen each other in, what has it been, a couple of weeks?”
The last time I saw Ashley was the night I met Tess who has gone still beside me. “How are you doing?” Ashley questions, touching my arm and shooting Tess a snide look. My primal instinct is to protect Tess from Ashley, but Tess surprises me by laughing out loud and returning to her conversation with her friend.
Extricating myself from the baby blue nails threatening to dig into my skin from Tess’s blasé attitude toward Ashley’s female alpha challenge, I take a step back which also puts Tess in line of sight. Her eyes crinkle in silent amusement as her friend leaves.
“It’s been a busy time,” I say, hoping it will be enough to satisfy her desire to talk. Grabbing Tess’s hand would probably keep her from saying anything else, and I seriously contemplate it.
“There’s a party tomorrow night out at White Ranch Park. I’d love to see you there.” The invitation was directed solely at me though I’m obviously standing with another person. Her eyes jet back to Tess. “Your friend can come too if she would like.”
“No, thank you,” Tess replies, that mischievous smile still present.
Ashley stands straighter with the erroneous belief that she’s somehow won. “So, what do you say? Meet me there?”
I look to Tess while thinking how to let Ashley down gently. “I’m sorry, but I’m currently seeing someone.”
Tess’s cheeks go pink before she can turn away fast enough and I want to kick myself. I’m trying to stay detached from the bond between us but am struggling. Ashley notices the exchange and tries one more tactic, probably hoping to get me alone tomorrow to change my mind.
“You two could come together,” her bright voice states too cheerily.
Tess looks at Ashley who stands a couple of inches taller than her. “Watching a group of twenty-something-year-olds get drunk and puke everywhere is not my idea of a good time. I would rather listen to nails claw a chalkboard.”
With the final nail hammered into the coffin, Ashley shoots me one last look before turning on her heel. With how quickly Tess was able to deflate Ashley I wonder if it would possible to remain just friends. But no. The attraction would continue to grow.
“You’re seeing someone?” Tess asks once we’ve cleared the building.
“Well, I was looking at you while I said it, so it was truthful.”
“That’s a lie of omission.”
“And yet my problem is solved.”
She looks at me until I start to get uncomfortable. “You should have just been truthful.”
I breathe out heavily through my nose. It irks me that she’s right. A strong moral compass is another tick in her attraction column. Maybe I should have agreed to go with Ashley to get my mind off Tess. Except hers is the only face that is constantly on my mind.
“Thanks for the dating advice,” I reply abruptly, the words harsher than I intended them to sound. Softening my tone, I try to fight my growing attachment for her while still remaining civil. Unfortunately, the resulting mood swings makes me look unbalanced. “However, you are right. Next time I will be more conscientious.”
I can’t tell whether the answer appeased her, but a wide beam crosses her face. “I just realized it’s Friday!”
“Yes,” I say slowly, enjoying her enthusiasm.
“Friday night, movie night.”
“It’s your week to choose the movie.” I was originally planning to skip out in an effort to minimalize one-on-one time since Caleb and Leo will both be absent, but the excitement on her face is too cute. I can’t bring myself to curb her enthusiasm.
“That’s dangerous. What if I choose a rom-com?”
“What’s a rom-com?”
“A romantic-comedy.”
“If you make me sit through one of those at least make me popcorn.”
Her laugh carries in my mind until we’re seated in the family room, the promised popcorn in hand.
“Are you actually going to make me watch a romantic-comedy?”
“It could teach you a thing or two. And I’ve already made the popcorn.” Her grin lights up her face, increasing the beat of my heart as she stretches out on the couch.
Settling deeper into my recliner I fake grumble, “Fine. But don’t expect me to enjoy it.”
“Ha. As pleasant as watching you be tortured by a mere movie would be, I prefer to watch those by myself. Or with Eliza.”
“Is it because you cry?”
“Yup. And I can tell you, I’m not a pretty crier.”
I hardly believe that.
“So, it’s better to keep the embarrassing spectacle to a tight knit group,” she finishes, her eyes glued to the T.V. searching for her pick.
Settling on some gritty detective movie, she covers herself with a blanket she nabbed from her room. Taking time to get comfortable, she props a pillow against the side of the armrest before nuzzling her head against it like a cat. The smallest sigh escapes her lips and I forcefully look toward the T.V., kicking myself for getting in this situation. I should be working. Or upstairs. Anything besides sitting in the dark with this girl.
By eight minutes into the movie her eyes are closed and her breathing evens out. I try to focus on the action occurring on the television but my attention keeps wandering back to the person consuming all my thoughts. Tess’s lips are slightly parted, her breath blowing a strand of hair in rhythm. I wonder if her hair feels as silky as it looks.
No. Telling myself to get a grip, I turn off the movie, plunging the room into complete darkness. The sooner we separate the better it will be for me. Putting the bowl of untouched popcorn to the side, I rise from the recliner with the intention of going straight to my room. Her soft breathing fills the space and I find myself standing in front of her. She would sleep more comfortably in her bed.
Before I can think too hard about it, I lift her still form into my arms where she curls into my body. The delicate scent of rose suffuses the air around me. It’s her scent.
“Crap.”
Filling my head with random trivia knowledge during the walk to her room seems to help. I picked this spare room specifically because it was the farthest from mine at the back of the house. But now whenever I get in or out of my car, my eyes automatically trail up to her window. Setting her on the bed, I readjust the blanket to cover her better and add an extra one. It’s becoming harder and harder to think of her in a platonic way, especially with the word mate floating around my head. Maybe it’s time to take a vacation.
My phone rings and I answer it before the noise wakes her, leaving the room before speaking.
“Parker, it’s Gabe. Listen, I found something that might interest you.”
I sent Gabe what little information I found out about the Bulgarian vampires, wanting to know anything and everything he could find.
“It looks like there has been increased activity from Istanbul all the way over to Sarajevo and everything in-between. I’m still waiting for some reports coming from Romania, but if it’s anything like what I’m currently seeing, they’ll be the same.”
“Is that unusual?” I ask, closing the door to the office.
“For that area, yes. The vampires who occupy Eastern Europe are old and well established. There hasn’t been a shift in powers for hundreds of years.”
“Then what would be valuable enough to branch out?”
“When looking at patterns of vampires, the only thing they are constantly in the market for is power. So, whatever the reason for this movement, you can be sure it involves a power grab.”
Jumping on my computer I pinpoint various locations of vampires Gabe’s intel has discovered in a two-hundred-mile radius. I’ll need to do more diggi
ng to see if they’re the vampires I’m looking for. After talking for several more minutes about work and the new office in Maine I end the call.
Bulgarian vampires are on the hunt for power and have an interest in Tess. What exactly are they looking for?
CHAPTER 5
HER
“Everyone this is Lorelai,” Caleb introduces, holding the hand of a pretty brunette with a wide grin. Her thick curly hair frames her heart shaped face and I don’t miss the shy glances thrown Caleb’s way.
Cutting up avocadoes for the salad, I offer the girl a friendly smile. Parker often forgets that people need reassurance with pleasantness instead of surly grimaces and Leo can be a little overexuberant. Not the best impression for Caleb’s girlfriend.
“Mom and Dad send their regards,” Caleb tells his brothers as he slips his hands around Lorelai’s waist. She blushes profusely before offering to help make dinner. Parker has the two lovebirds set the table while he makes a pesto.
“Went to visit your parents and comes home with a girlfriend,” I whisper loud enough for Parker to hear, moving on to the lettuce. “Guess that means he had a good trip.”
He replies noncommittally so I wait for him to notice my look of exasperation. “Huh? Yeah, he got more than he bargained for.”
“That’s an odd way to put it,” I comment. “Finding someone you like and have a connection with is a good thing.”
“You’re right. It is. She seems very nice.”
Not buying the nonchalance act I shoo him away to finish the pasta. I watch Caleb and Lorelai’s relationship, her quiet giggles and his dry chuckles accompanied by a touch, a caress, here and there. Well I’m happy for Caleb, no matter what his moody brother thinks.
“Thanks for making dinner,” Lorelai says once we’re all seated at the table. The aromatic scent of basil pesto and garlic bread mingles in the air teasing my appetite.
“I’m glad you came back,” Leo says to Caleb. “So where are you guys planning on living? With the rest of the pack?”
“That’s up to Lorelai,” Caleb states, taking her hand on the table. “We definitely want to be near the pack but haven’t decided if we want to live there or on some land outside of town.”
My eyes must be the size of saucers. They’re planning on living together? But they just met!
Leo notices my growing alarm because he says nonplussed, “Caleb and Lorelai bonded.” At my open confusion he continues, “It’s a wolf thing.”
“Basically, it’s when you find your mate,” Caleb explains. Kudos to this bond thing or whatever. No way would I have ever expected Caleb, the hard no-nonsense don’t have time for your ignorance Caleb, to take the time to clarify something.
“Your mate?”
“The person you would be most compatible with. Or one option anyway. You can only discover your mate while in wolf form, and from what I’m told, when you see the right person everything else melts away.” Leo’s description almost makes it sound like he’s yearning to bond with someone.
“What do you mean one option anyway?” I question.
“Everything is about a choice,” Parker states, taking a generous helping of linguini. “If you don’t like a potential mate then you can move on.”
I take a moment to consider this. “What about the other person? Do they have a say?”
“Of course they do!” Lorelai laughs, squeezing Caleb’s hand. “There still has to be some element of courting, even if that courting is brief.” They share a secret smile and I wonder just how brief their “courting” was.
“Is it common? What if two people are happily married but then years later he finds his mate?”
“Again, choice,” Caleb says. “Many try to find their mate before marrying to avoid that scenario. And since there are multiple potential mates it is pretty common to find at least one.”
I wonder if many wolves return to the main pack to find a mate, or how often it happens by accident. It must not be too common an accident since they have to be in their wolf form. A smile goes to my lips when I think of someone like Ashley facing down Parker when he’s shifted. No way that girl would stick around for long after such an experience.
“Find something amusing?” Parker asks. When I tell him what I had been thinking about a shifter scaring the daylights out of a girl, without using names of course, Lorelai laughs but the other three look surly.
“However rare, it has happened,” Parker grits. “And causes serious heartache to the one who bonded, and therefore the whole neighboring pack. When shifted we can feel each other’s emotions. So yes, it is better that the woman is more interested in running into his arms than the opposite direction.”
“Well whatever happens I’m sure it would all work out in the end,” I pacify after a bite of bread. “How else would the pack still be functioning without the serious effects of inbreeding?”
Leo sprays the table from the drink of water he had just taken and I can’t tell whether Parker’s purple face is from him about to explode or severe embarrassment.
Lorelai’s small grin and wink lets me know at least someone appreciates my concern for the wolf pack, since, after all, it was a legitimate inquiry.
After sputtering on the last of the water, Leo pats a towel over the worst of the table before abruptly changing the topic.
***
“I saw someone outside, if you know what I mean.” Nathan shifts uncomfortably from one foot to the other, this being the first thing he has said to me since our disastrous date. I look up from fastening my shoes. Dark circles sit under his eyes and I wonder how he’s sleeping; and whether his nightmares are because of me. Nodding his head like he delivered the message he escapes quickly down the aisle, back toward his group of friends.
Curious about the cryptic message, I finish putting on my dancing shoes. The scuffed and worn toe highlight the hours upon hours I’ve spent wearing them, a trophy of my dedication. Adjusting my bra strap beneath the leotard, I bring my foot up to stretch the back of my thigh. Music blares through the speakers as a couple of students practicing their dance on stage utilize their time efficiently. Unfortunately, that means the rest of the class, while supposed to be practicing forms, uses time to gossip.
Professor Dache left us at the beginning of class for some kind of emergency with the wardrobe department. If he returns to juniors and seniors standing around, he’ll flip his lid. Especially with the showcase next week. We’re to practice our routines in case we make the cut. I switch legs to loosen my left.
“Hello? Earth to Samantha?” a hand waves in front of my face, breaking me from my reverie. Emily stands with her dancing shoes in one hand, the other now falling limply by her side. “I asked if you had a good extended weekend?”
“Oh, yeah, it was fine.”
“Just fine? Come on! You’re holding out on me. I saw that hunky guy drop you off this morning, and he picks you up all the time. Are you telling me there’s nothing going on?”
I open my mouth to steer her away from the dangerous topic of my feelings, but her face looks so hopeful that I can’t just change the subject. Of course I’m attracted to the guy. Parker is an incredibly good looking individual. Plus, he’s funny, when he wants to be. But he invited me to stay for the sole purpose of my protection. Nothing more. “Sorry to disappoint, but no. Nothing is going on.”
A sickly-sweet scent mingles with Emily’s fresh lilacs and I turn around to see Dmitri with his arm draped across the shoulder of Cece, the red-head determined to make me partnerless. Her cocky grin runs my blood cold and I heighten all my senses, prepared if Dmitri makes a move against me, or, annoyingly, Cece.
“And who is this?” Dmirtri asks, playing with Cece’s hair.
“Don’t worry about her,” she pouts, looking more like a seven-year-old who doesn’t get her way instead of the twenty something year old she is. “Let’s go grab a bite to eat.”
“Tempting proposal,” he replies, now moving the hair away from her neck. His eyes fli
cker to me, gauging my reaction. “Be careful out there tonight, I hear there are dangerous criminals about.”
Cece giggles gratingly, the high-pitched noise reverberating off the walls. “You’ll keep me safe, right?” she says, nestling closer to Dmitri. Nathan’s pale face hangs over Cece’s shoulder on the other side of the room, his message now making sense. Before Dmitri can follow my line of sight, I look back to the couple standing before me.
“Are you sure you don’t want to stay here and practice?” Dmitri purrs. “I’d sure love to see how you dance.”
“If Dache comes back and notices you’re gone then all of your chances for performing in the final showcase goes with you.” I hope my words are enough to tempt her to stay. Nathan may not have gone to the police after being persuaded about the monsters in the night, but I don’t think Cece will have the same common sense. I would rather not have to decapitate her date in front of her.
The snide look she gives me is nothing less than what I have been graced with all year. “But then dinner after,” she sways, running a finger up his chest. I have to swallow the bile rising in my throat. She seats him close to the front of the stage for the best viewpoint but his eyes never leave mine as he walks away.
“Do you know him?” Emily asks softly as she peeks around me.
“Yes. Stay away from him.”
About to send a text to Leo, I remember Parker’s vehemency in contacting him if anything is wrong. The internal debate doesn’t last too long since I’ve been getting to know Parker more, or I’m simply allowing myself an excuse to message him. Shooting off the text, I grit my teeth for what I’m about to do. Keeping Dmitri in my line of sight at all times, I go up to Cece who stretches prolifically, showing off all her advantages.
“So,” I say in my most gossipy voice. “You two seem cozy. How did you meet?”
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