Beautifully Unnatural: A Young Adult Paranormal Boxed Set (86 page)

A chill ran up my spine, imagining one of those guys taking me prisoner. “They’re creepy. I’d avoid them anyway, even if you didn’t say a thing.”

“Good. Your scent will probably get more noticeable as you get older and stronger. So long as you keep your distance, you’ll be fine. I think. If Daniel figures it out and tells the scouts about you—”

“Scouts?” So much to learn.

“Both those men were scouts.” He rose to sit on the arm of the recliner, probably so he didn’t have to crane his neck to see me. “They search for new blood, more men for King Mortimer’s army. Young werewolves like me aren’t allowed to be on their own. We’re either part of a pack where we can be observed or we become scouts and do the king’s bidding. He runs a tight ship. Do you have anything to drink?”

“Yeah, sorry.” I jumped up and made a dash into the kitchen. “Why such control over everyone?” I asked as I disappeared behind the fridge door.

“I guess any stray wolf is seen as a potential threat who could start his own pack and rise up against him one day.”

“Root beer?” I asked.

“Sure.”

I didn’t like where this conversation was going. “So they’re going to take you away to be part of a pack?” After snagging a can from the fridge door, I headed back to Zack.

“That’s the plan. I’m eighteen, which means I’m under the king’s rule now.”

I handed him the soda and began to pace. “Sounds like werewolves aren’t free either. We’re
all
subject to the werewolf king, right? Except some are treated better than others.”

He popped the can and took a sip. “True, but at least I have
some
rights and privileges. You’ll have none. For instance, as far as I know, there’s no werewolf law preventing Daniel from hurting a shape-shifter. It’s totally legal for him to kill you.”

I swallowed. “Thank God for human law and that he thinks I’m human, huh?”

“Yep.” He pushed himself off the recliner arm and relocated at the fireplace. “Let’s keep it that way.”

I’d been so pissed at my parents for carting me from city to city, but that seemed so trivial now. Potential slavery was a much bigger problem. My eyes stung and I averted my gaze. “So if they knew about me, I’d be taken from my family and forced to work all hours and live in squalor?”

He nodded, his expression gave. “Best-case scenario, yeah.”

I wanted to weep at what the worst-case scenario might be. I couldn’t think about that though. I had to learn everything I could in order to survive. For that, I needed to know everything about werewolves. “So what now? You’re eighteen. Why haven’t they taken you already?”

“We’re allowed to finish school and I’ll be able to spend some time with my mom after that. But once she…” He trailed off, leaving the sentence unfinished.

I chewed my lip. I wouldn’t want to be in Zack’s predicament, about to lose another parent. “You handle the situation with your mom well.”

“What choice do I have?” He stared down at his feet a moment, then back at me, his eyes red-rimmed. “Charles — the cowboy you met — wasn’t too bad. He said I could stay until my mom’s gone, hang around a few days after the memorial service. The other guy, William, wanted to take me now.”

“Leave a mother without a son during her last days? That’s disgusting,” I said, anger rising on Zack’s behalf. I flopped back onto the sofa.

“I told him to talk to Charles. I don’t think he appreciated that. I’m pretty sure he’s the one who bit Daniel so he’d have someone here on his side. Someone at school to spy on me.”

Right. They could multiply anytime they wanted. Just great. “To spy?”

“Yeah.” Zack’s eyes darkened as he picked up a vase from the mantle, then set it down. “Or to steal me from Charles and take credit for me as a new recruit. I don’t know. Werewolves have anger issues and they’re prone to fighting, but they still have laws they have to follow. The more likely theory is that William’s planning something and didn’t want to get his hands dirty. An experienced scout can’t break the law, but the king is more lenient on new wolves.”

“So turning Daniel gives William someone to do his dirty work?” I asked.

“Exactly.” He returned to the recliner and sat on the edge of the seat.

“And he turned Daniel of all people,” I said. “Anyone else wouldn’t be obsessing on me and I wouldn’t have to worry about being discovered.” It felt like the walls were closing in on me. The more I learned, the less room I had to live any kind of a normal life. I clenched a fist, my jaw tight. “Is there anything good about being a shape-shifter? Anything at all?”

Zack shook his head. “Other than versatility in shape, no.”

I glared at him. “Seriously? That’s all you got? Could you make this anymore depressing or harder for me?”

“I’m trying to help.” He crushed the now empty can of root beer. “Don’t kill the messenger.”

“Sorry.” I pressed my fingertips to my temples in hopes of holding off the threatening headache. “I know you didn’t.” There had to be a way for me to get out of this mess alive. My thoughts drifted to the first time I’d seen that man at the dealership.

“Can you guys talk telepathically?” I asked. “Is that why you and Cowboy Hat just stared at each other?”

“Yeah. We had an entire conversation right there.”

“I knew something was up.” While I was immensely relieved Zack hadn’t gotten involved with drug dealers, the scouts didn’t seem any nicer. “Could you talk telepathically with me?”

“Most likely.”

As much as I would’ve loved to try it out with Zack right then, there were more important things on my mind and I didn’t want to be distracted. I waved a hand to dismiss the subject. “Let’s do that later. I’m more concerned with the scouts and you.”

If they were all like Charles and William, we didn’t stand a chance. My stomach sank.

“I’m okay for right now. You, on the other hand...” He pressed his lips together for a moment. “We need to get you figured out. See if you really are a shape-shifter. If so, you need to get used to morphing. If someone comes at you, you’ll need to be a bear or something to fight. That ability is probably the only thing that will save you.”

“I just change into a bear and that’s it?” Could it be that easy?

He lifted a shoulder and shook his head. “I don’t know. We have all the other superhuman abilities you have, except we’re stronger. At least as a bear, you stand a chance. Maybe. In your human form, Daniel will easily overtake you. From now on, you go nowhere without me. Understand?”

“Okay.” But what would I do once Zack left town? Maybe the other werewolves would leave too. Maybe they’d take Daniel with them.

“You can’t sleep here alone. Either you spend the night at my house or I stay here.” He groaned. “I’ll have to explain it to my mom in such a way that she doesn’t start making wedding plans.”

I gave him a dirty look. “Because being stuck to me is so terrible?”

“No.” Zack shook his head. “I just don’t want to lie to her.”

“Then tell her the truth.”

“What?” His eyes bulged.

After dealing with my parents’ paranoia for so many years, I’d become the expert on spinning the truth. “Tell her my parents are out-of-town and my ex-boyfriend is stalking me. It’s all true.”

“And what are we going to do with you when I’m at work?”

I mulled that over a moment, tapping my lip with my index finger. “If your mom knows my situation, maybe she’ll be okay with me hanging out at your house. After I finish my homework, I can help Cara and your mom with whatever they need.”

“When your parents come back, you’ll stay with them. You’d be safer among humans. We tend to avoid anything that might bring in the police and expose us.”

“Wait. Why do you assume my parents are human?” I tried to think how that could be possible. “If I was born this way, wouldn’t they be shape-shifters too?”

“Well, my mom is human. My dad was a werewolf and kept it from my mom. It’s possible your mom is human and your
real
dad is a shape-shifter.” He hesitated and watched me warily like I was a corn kernel about to pop. “If she had no clue, then this man you think is your father wouldn’t know either.”

“What?” I rose from the sofa, my gaze riveted to his. “My dad is my dad.” He had to be. “I don’t have a
real
one too.” I knew that as well as I knew my favorite color.

“Relax.” Zack stood too, holding up his palms in surrender.

“Don’t tell me to relax.” My hands balled into fists at my side. “You just told me he’s not my real dad.”

“Autumn. I’m just throwing out theories. I’m not God and I’m not the werewolf king. I didn’t create the universe or turn shape-shifters into slaves. Don’t get mad at
me
. I’m telling you what I know. That’s what you wanted, right?”

I fell back onto the sofa, staring at the wall ahead of me.

“If your parents were anything, I would’ve smelled it on their belongings, the photographs, his jacket hanging in the closet and anything else they’ve touched here. Which means you can never tell them. Autumn?”

Right, because revealing myself to a mortal carries the penalty of death. “I’m tired,” I said quietly, still focusing straight ahead.

“We have to go to my house, so I can talk to my mom and pick up some things. Then you can go to bed.”

“I want to be alone,” I said in soft voice. “Go home, Zack.”

He stood in front of me and held out his hand. “I’m not leaving you. But once we get back and I’ve made sure your bedroom windows are secure, you can do whatever you want.”

“If my window is locked, you think that’ll stop a werewolf?” I asked doubtfully.

“No. It’ll slow things down and they’d make noise. I’d be upstairs before Daniel got to you.” He stuck a hand in his pocket and pulled out his cell to eye the screen. “It’s getting late. I’d like to get home before my mom falls asleep.”

It wouldn’t be right to make him miss a visit with his mom because I insisted on being a big baby. Though Zack had to be wrong about my parents, he was trying to help me. So I sucked it up and gave him a smile. It was a weak one, but the best I could muster.

Zack found my keys, ushered me out and locked the door behind us.

“So you realized only yesterday that I wasn’t human?” I got in the passenger side of Zack’s Jeep and closed the door.

“Around then, yes. I would’ve found out sooner, but I was too busy not liking you.” He started up his car and glanced my way. “After our first dinner and movie with Maya and Trevor, I suspected I’d judged you too quickly.”

“What you really mean is you realized what a dumb-ass you’d been.” Teasing him helped pull me out of my funk.

“That’s one way of looking at it.” He snorted. “Anyway, after our trip to Bigger Burgers and you ate meat the same way I ate it when I hit maturity, I was almost positive. You confirmed it when you raced around the meadow that night.”

At Zack’s house seconds later, we hurried inside to see his mom. “Hi, Mrs. De Luca,” I said, shadowing Zack into her room.

“Hello, sweetheart.” She gave me a sleepy smile. “And how are you enjoying your new car?”

“Love it. Although by the time we picked it up and had dinner, I didn’t have much time to play with it.”

“Mom,” Zack said. “Autumn has a situation. Her ex-boyfriend is harassing her and her parents are out-of-town. She shouldn’t be alone in that house. I’m going to grab a few things and spend the night there.”

“To protect her?” Mrs. De Luca’s looked doubtful. “Shouldn’t you report this to the police?” she asked.

“They can’t act on anything unless he does something, right?” I asked.

“True. Using
your
reasoning, Autumn’s even safer with us, because there are more people here.” She smiled and patted his hand. “She’ll take your room and you can sleep on the couch.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He looked at me pleadingly as if I could figure a way out.

“My parents are out-of-town the rest of the week. I’ve already imposed on your hospitality enough.” It was all I could come up with.

His mom glanced from me to him. “Are you sure this isn’t an excuse so you two can have some
privacy
?”

Zack gaped, his eyes huge.

CHAPTER TWENTY

“Mom, her ex
really is
harassing her. He cornered her today at school. And it’s not a matter of
privacy
,” Zack said. “I’m eighteen now and it would be nice if you didn’t treat me like a child.”

“Fine.” She smiled at him, a smile full of a mother’s love. “I trust you. Sleep at Autumn’s, but call me in the morning.”

“I will.”

“So how was your day?” she asked him as though he wasn’t about to go spend the night alone with a girl.

Zack answered, but I itched for a run in the woods and wished we’d taken advantage while we were in the forest earlier. I hoped the chitchat ended soon.

A chorus rang out as Favianne’s bedroom door opened. “Happy birthday to you,” they sang. Cara, Mac, Trevor and the two boys each held up a cupcake with a candle, their lips moving in unison.