I'll Be Damned (Anna Wolfe Series) (28 page)

I grab my belongings and walk out the back door. Getting into my car, my foot slams on the gas pedal as my engine whines in a valiant effort to keep up with my demands. I drive home in limbo, not really concentrating on anything. I just want to arrive at an empty house. My hope deflates when I see both Martello’s and Valen’s cars parked in my driveway. I pull in, cursing under my breath as I stomp towards the front door. I have no reason to be annoyed, but I am. I grasp the handle, hesitating.
Come on, Anna, one quick turn
. I’m fully aware I’ll have to face the music sometime. I continue twisting, as a boisterous unlatching noise echoes through the house. Since I prefer to go unnoticed, every task and thought seems amplified. I gently close the door behind me, tiptoeing into the foyer. Other than the television, the house is devoid of voices. I shoot upstairs, changing into running clothes in under five minutes. Sneakers, a sports bra and black capris don’t require much effort. 

I creep out the back door undetected, lightly jogging towards the edge of my tree line. It’s approaching dusk, but I’m not worried. There are a few hours of daylight left. I jog through the woods, mindful of the thick undergrowth I’m flattening under each foot. One misplaced step could cost me a broken ankle.

I scan the woods, hoping to follow the path I took the other night that led me to Janie. Overgrown bushes and weeds mask the ground beneath them. It's an impossible game of Where's Waldo, not to mention the night was pitch-black when I ran after her. I slow my pace, leisurely inspecting the trees surrounding me. None of them have the massive trunk I disappeared into. I wonder if it even existed. I don’t know much about portals, but I’m sure they disappear after a certain amount of time. A permanent entrance would make them too vulnerable. He can find me, but I can’t find him. Figures. I lean against the tattered gray bark of a white ash tree, gazing upward. The top branches bend and stretch in the rush of the wind, arching over one another. Strands of buttery sunlight shoot through the opening, illuminating the ground's carpet of leaves, soil and shrubbery. It’s remarkable any light finds its way down here at all. I exhale, trying to find more motivation for running.

Before peeling myself off the trunk, a threatening growl sounds from the trees behind me. Judging by its growl, it must be a gigantic dog. My heart thuds in my chest, asking me what I got myself into now. I wipe the cold sweat beads off my forehead. Frozen, I flip through my miniscule list of options. Scaling a tree is out of the question, considering I can barely climb. Outrunning anything on four legs is a guaranteed race I'll lose. I can attempt to fight it off. It allegedly works on bears and mountain lions so it’s worth a shot, never mind it’s my only option. With a snicker, I quickly start praying. I gulp a few deep breaths before jumping out from my hiding spot. I raise my arms, confronting the overgrown wolf standing before me. Out of all the wolves in the world, I have to come across the one on steroids. Its shiny, black coat sparkles under the faint luminance like it took a bath in a tub of glitter. It’s five feet high and wider than a pickup truck. Fighting it off is out of the question; one lash from its paw and I’m a goner. It snarls, exposing its pointy canine teeth.

Sweat escapes from every pore in my body, covering my skin in a thin sheen. Without warning, it lunges at me, missing me by a few inches on purpose. I smile uneasily, trying to conceal my fear. It paws around me in a circle, growling. In a flash, it leaps at me and I’m instantly on my back, gazing into the wolf’s rosy mouth. Drool dangles off its sharp front teeth lining the bottom of its jaw, and pools onto my chest. I wrinkle my face in disgust. My arms and legs are pinned to the ground by its overgrown furry paws. I exhale fiercely under the immense burden of this thing that weighs more than an elephant. Hot, sticky breath bounces off my cheek like a ball hitting the ground. Fear fills my mind. I try wiggling out from its hold, but to no avail. I stare into the wolf’s bright blue eyes, and glimpse the depth in them, seeing something familiar. The wolf vanishes and Valen now pins me down. Warmth cascades through my body, but is rapidly subdued by my rage.

“What the hell are you doing?” I yell, trying to shake him off me.

I notice he isn’t wearing clothes. Makes sense, considering moments ago he was covered in fur. My cheeks grow hot as I’m unexpectedly mortified as usual, even though he’s the one who’s naked. I focus my attention back to his sharp features, feeling his eyes blazing into mine. They're shining like jewels, making it impossible for me to turn away. He drops his head right next to my ear.

“Relax,” is all he whispers. He breathes the word on my neck, triggering chills all over my body.

He grins, rolling his naked body off me. Grabbing his jeans from the ground, he slides them on. I try not to gawk at his flawlessly sculpted abs that flex in response to each movement. A stab of disappointment - from what, I don’t know - settles over me. I sit up, inspecting my arms for signs of blood or bruises. Only minor indentations from where his paws stood are visible. I rub my arms, trying to scrub away any leftover wolf, when I hear him lightly snicker.

“You think this is funny?” I roar, anger spewing from my mouth. Who does he think he is? I glare at him, narrowing my eyes into daggers. He stares back, challenging me. His thick jaw twitches with irritation. My God, he's unreasonably sexy.

“I find it extremely amusing actually,” he answers, with a shit-eating grin on his face.

He stands and struts over to me, extending his arm to help me up. I remind myself,
arm’s length
and slap his hand away, choosing to stand up on my own. Disappointment settles on his face, but I quickly turn away.

“Anna, relax. It was harmless fun. I didn’t realize you were out here until I smelled you,” he says in a small voice.

“Harmless for you maybe. What are you doing here anyway?”

“I should ask you the same thing,” he answers back, raking his hand through his disorderly hair.

“I was going for a run." Clearly, my sneakers and workout pants aren’t obvious enough.

He inhales sharply. “When I'm highly emotional for a long period of time, I need to release it. It helps me refrain from hurting someone unintentionally. I came out here to burn it off,” he finishes, shrugging his shoulders.

“So you really can change whenever you feel like it?” I inquire suspiciously.

The woods are getting darker, making it harder to see in front of me. I turn around and begin trudging towards the house with Valen close behind. Being stuck in the woods at nighttime with an irritable wolfman doesn’t sound like the best of ideas. The underbrush seems thicker in the muted light of dusk. My foot presses into the soggy ground like a sponge as it squishes and releases water under each step.

“Yes and no. If I let my emotions take over, it’s hard to control my shift, and that’s when someone gets hurt. The emotional buildup is amplified when I’m in wolf form, but other than that, I can change whenever I want to.”

I let his information mix around in my brain for a second. I saw him as a wolf, a majestic one at that, so I know what he says is true. What I don't know is his true ability to control it.

“Why didn’t you shift in front of Micah?” I stammer, my curiosity getting the better of me. After all, he seemed pretty mad last night.

“He wasn’t a physical threat. Plus, I can’t shift in the Netherworld since I’m not bound by a demon,” he replies.

“What do you mean bound?”

He sighs. “In order for me to have full rein of my powers here and in the Netherworld, I would have to be their slave, or sired, and I haven’t been either for centuries,” he answers with a blank expression.

“Oh,” was the only reply I could manage. I’m in way over my head and becoming more frustrated with every passing second.

“Why did you think it was necessary to pull that stunt?”

“I wanted to give you an idea of how I felt last night,” he admits.

I whip around, startling him with my reaction. I march right up to his face, poking him in his rock hard chest with my finger. “Do you think you have the right to act like a passive-aggressive child? How can I possibly trust you? You may be upset or hurt with my actions last night, but at least, mine weren’t intentional!” I yell, my voice cracking on the last word.

Anger blazes through my body at warp speed, leaving a tingling sensation in its wake. Valen grabs my wrist, pulling me closer to him in one swift motion. My breath catches in my throat when my lips make contact with his warm skin. He slides his other arm around my lower back, squeezing me. I inhale, catching his aroma in my nose, which intoxicates me. Every cell in my body gravitates towards him like he’s always been mine. I close my eyes, allowing myself to enjoy this unfamiliar responsiveness. He rests his chin gently on my head in place of a verbal apology. His jaw shifts to say something, when I hear Martello screaming my name.

Valen releases me. “Martello must be worried,” he states.

I stand motionless. “I guess we should let him know I’m okay,” I utter with displeasure. My eyes linger on Valen as he passes by me in the direction of the house. My heart sits heavy in my chest and I have to thank my frustration and torment for weighing it down.
Arm’s length
I chant repeatedly, hoping it will stop my feelings from rooting themselves any further into my heart. Martello’s standing on the deck with one hand on his hip and the other holding a full glass of clear liquid. Looks like water or vodka. My bet is on the latter.

“Girl, you needs to stop with the disappearing acts,” he stammers, pointing his damn diva finger at me. Without another word, his eyes rest on Valen’s shirtless, statuesque upper body. He takes a long, hard swig from his glass, removing his hand from his hip so he can fan himself. He is so obvious sometimes. I watch Valen shake his head with a tiny smile. He knows Martello has a sinful crush on him.

“Relax, I’m fine. I went for a run and nearly got killed,” I respond, turning to Valen with a sarcastic smile. He returns it with narrowed eyes and constricted jaw.

“What is you talkin’ about, woman?” Martello asks, still dazed at Valen’s presence.

“Valen, why don’t you explain?” I answer, challenging him again.

Valen clears his throat and informs Martello of our informal meeting in the woods. He stares at me the entire time to prove a point. When he finishes, they both chuckle. I frown. Apparently, I'm missing the joke since I'm the brunt of it. I storm inside, slamming the kitchen door. I puff an annoyed breath from my lungs before scavenging the fridge for anything edible. I settle on milk and cereal. A short time passes before they walk in with smirks plastered on their faces. I'm not amused. I turn my attention to the flakes bobbing in my cereal like buoys, hoping to be left alone. No such luck.

“Anna, lighten up,” Valen says coolly.

“Yeah, girl, no harm, no foul. Valen was teachin’ you a lesson, that’s all. I’m not sayin’ he's entirely correct in how he did it, but..." Martello trails off casually.

I should have known he’d take the side of a good-looking man. I shove the bowl away from me and lean back in my chair, folding my arms across my chest defensively. They're both sitting at the table, staring like two disgruntled parents who just caught their child sneaking out. I know I have no right to be mad at Valen, considering my mishap last night. Maybe he's jealous? No, he knows there was nothing I could do against Micah. Besides, Valen does his best to stay away from me at all costs. I sigh, hating to admit they're both right.

“All right, I know," I respond rolling my eyes like a brat. "I was scared and had no idea what to do. I thought I was going to be dinner,” I finish in a small voice.

“Good, I am glad. Now you might take your situation more seriously,” Valen says, his icy-blue eyes stabbing me.

Martello inspects his nails, pretending he doesn't notice the tension filling up the room. I don’t have anything to say to Valen. I'm angry and hurt, more so by our strange situation than anything else. His eyes study me, causing me to shift uncomfortably. Thankfully, the thick air is shattered by the ringing of my cell phone. I stand up, following the sound into the foyer. I fish between a wallet, lipsticks and keys before finally pulling my phone from the wreckage I call my purse. My parents’ number scrolls across the screen like the banners on the back of airplanes you see at the beach. I really don't want to talk to them right now.