Wolves at the Door (13 page)

Maya laughed. “I hope so. Right about when Zack keels over at the sight of you in that lacy cream number you’ll be wearing.”

“Oh, I traded that in a few days ago. Forgot to tell you.”

She gave me a startled look. “Why’d you get rid of it?”

“Because I bought it to wear to prom with Daniel. I don’t want to think of him while I’m with Zack. Ew.”

“I don’t blame you.” She jumped onto my bed and grinned. “Let’s see the new one.”

I disappeared into my closet and reappeared a moment later. After unzipping the bag, I pulled out the dress and held it in front of me.

“I liked that cream dress, but blue will go much better against your olive skin.” Maya fingered the shimmering fabric. “Love that it’s strapless.
Super
sexy.”

“My thoughts exactly.” I smiled.

“Try it on,” Maya demanded. “Maybe it will give me some inspiration for what to do with your hair.”

Humoring her, I let the robe drop to floor. I stepped into the dress and faced the mirror while Maya zipped me up. No bows, ruffles, layers or folds. Just elegant simplicity that gently molded to my waist and thighs before draping luxuriously around my ankles. Faint slashes of silver covered the length of the gown like silver rays of sunshine and a sprinkling of darker blue sequins made the fabric come alive.

“Totally classy,” she said when I twirled for her. “And really shows off your smokin’ bod. Zack won’t even be able to stutter like when you wore that purple dress on our double date. He’ll go straight into a heart attack.”

I giggled. “It has matching gloves that go to my elbows.”

“Zack’s a dead man.”

† † †

I’d been saving pictures of hair and makeup for the last few months, just waiting for the day when we would put those ideas to use. Other girls paid professionals to pamper them before prom, but Maya and I enjoyed doing our own hair and makeup. As particular as we were, we’d probably backseat drive the professional and drive her crazy anyway.

After setting Maya’s hair in hot rollers and finger brushing it out — which was a laborious task considering all that thick, blond hair — I gathered a section from her crown and temple, then pinned it up. Soft, wavy locks cascaded strategically over her shoulders and down her back.

I grabbed the makeup box and chose a smoky blue eye shadow for her eyes, going a little heavier on her lids than I normally would. Some mascara, just a little bronzer, then a soft pink lipstick that matched her dress.

She grinned at her reflection. “Wow.”

“I’m going to dump Zack and go to the prom with
you
,” I said.

“No offense, but I prefer Trevor for that sort of thing. Okay, your turn. Sit.” Maya spent a moment running her fingers through my hair as she studied it. “Definitely an updo… maybe let it go a little messy. If it’s up and out of Zack’s way, he has easy access to all that incredible skin. What’s up with it anyway? You have this glow about you.”

I shrugged.

Her eyes popped. “Are you… oh, my God, are you pregnant?”

Heat crept into my cheeks and my mouth fell open. The most embarrassing assumption ever, twice in one day. I hated having to convince everyone that Zack and I did little more than cuddle. And that when we
slept
together, we really were sleeping. “No, I’m absolutely positive that I’m not. I swear.”

“Pregnancy tests aren’t one hundred percent accurate, you know.” She gave me a doubtful look.

Sure, I was about to waste my breath, but I couldn’t tell her that as a shape-shifter my body always strived for its optimum state and the glow stemmed from being so healthy. “Maya, Zack and I haven’t gone that far.”

She gathered my hair and studied my reflection in the mirror. “Maybe it’s from being in love.”

Zack and I were in love? Yeah, right. And that’s why we were about to have a fight later tonight at prom. This was a perfect opportunity to plant the seed, so they would buy our breakup later. My stomach tightened at the thought. I knew it wasn’t real, but still…

“Too bad he doesn’t return my feelings.”

“You’re blind. That boy is crazy for you.” She scoffed and let my hair drop. “Maybe most of your hair should be down with just enough held back to show off your shoulders and all that glorious skin in between. The bangs should be straight and parted at the side and the long sections in the back wavy.”

She go
t busy creating her masterpiece. When she finished nearly forty-five minutes later, I looked in the mirror. “I don’t know what to say, Maya. You really outdid yourself.”

“I know.” She beamed. “Zack can thank me later. And now for your makeup. We want soft yet sophisticated.” She tapped her chin, then plucked a charcoal shadow with a hint of silver from the box, highlighted my brow bones with a lighter shade and defined my brows. “Just a smidge of bronzer then lip gloss. No color on those lips.”

I nodded.

She rolled it on then handed it to me. “Put this in your purse. I have a feeling it’s not going to last long once Zack sees you.” Maya chuckled. “I can’t wait to see his reaction. Don’t forget, we have to stop at my house so my mom can take pictures.”

A cloud of loneliness for my parents wafted over me and I wondered if my mom felt like she was missing out on this big day. My parents had chilled a lot these past weeks but not seeing me off to prom? I was sure they would be here if they had a choice — which only made me more certain that something was definitely up. Tomorrow, I would begin the search for clues into their past.

“Geez, what planet did you fly off to?” Maya asked, jolting me.

“Just missing my mom,” I answered with a sad smile.

She rested a hand on my arm. “We’ll take lots of pictures for her. C’mon, let’s get into our dresses. The guys will be here soon.”

We helped each other into our gowns and, right on time, the doorbell rang. I slipped on my gloves and we grabbed our purses. Maya and I answered the door together, not knowing which date would be there at the door.

Both. And they stood locked in place with their mouths open.

“Maya, will you marry me?” Trevor blurted out.

She laughed. “Let’s see if you feel the same later when I’m no longer wearing this dress.”

“If I got you out of that dress, I’d be even more positive that I want to marry you.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Maya giggled, thumping his chest playfully.

I watched Zack and waited for a response, wondering if he had any other reaction than catching flies. I reached out and applied a gentle pressure under his chin, coaxing him to close his mouth.

“Let them go.” Zack’s eyes smoldered. “You and I can stay here all night.”

“In my house? Alone?” Obviously, he wasn’t in his right head.

Zack stepped up onto the threshold, put his hands at my hips, and steered me away from the front door. “
Good-bye Maya, Trevor.” Without taking his eyes off me, his foot shot out and kicked the door. Just before it closed on Maya’s face, she jumped back with wide eyes.

“Zack, what’s going on?”

“I just want to be alone with you.” He growled low in his throat. “Let’s find out if it’s true or just a myth.”

I took a step back, my brows flying
up. “Whatever you’re thinking, stop. What about staying strong to survive?”

“
Don’t care anymore,” he rasped, stalking toward me.

“We can’t risk losing our powers.”

His eyes devoured the length of me as he reached for my waist and dragged me against his chest.

Oh, my God, he hadn’t heard a word I’d said.
Or he really didn’t care. As our mouths fused together and heat shot through my veins, I wasn’t sure I cared either.

No wonder Hannah and Eli were willing to die as humans.

According to werewolf legend, Hannah was a werewolf betrothed to the king. She’d fallen in love with Eli, a shape-shifter, and ran away with him. Despite being the most hunted werewolf and shape-shifter in history, they were never found or heard from again. The entire werewolf community believed they’d grown so weak from mixing species that they eventually became human and died of old age.

It sounded tempting to grow old with Zack. But first we had to worry about the next few weeks.

I pushed against his chest and when I’d gained a few inches, I raised my voice. “Zack, we can’t.”

He blinked and a moment later, grabbed my hand and tugged me toward the door. “We have to get out of here.”

“Exactly.” I breathed a huge sigh of relief. As much as I wanted him, now was not the time.

Thankfully, Trevor and Maya hadn’t left yet and we climbed into the limo with them.

I don’t know what I was thinking
, he told me silently. Then he said aloud, “You can’t blame me for losing it. You’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen in my life.” 

It wasn’t as good as saying he loved me, but his words made me
quiver inside. I leaned toward Zack and kissed him on the cheek. “Then we’re perfect for each other, aren’t we?” 

† † †

Getting pictures taken at Maya’s turned out to be a pretty big production. Her mother flitted around her daughter with watery eyes, cooing phrases like, “My baby’s all grown up,” and “I can’t believe how beautiful you look!”

By the time we made it to the front door, I couldn’t handle another second of her gushing. It reminded me how much my own parents used to hover over me. But as we made our way to Trevor’s for another round of pictures, I wished my own parents were around to gush. My chest tightened every time I thought of them.

At Zack’s, Aunt Cara and Mac double-teamed us — one camera getting shots for Zack’s mom and the other camera for them. Favianne had ventured out of her room for the occasion, resting on the living room sofa and choreographing our poses.

“Make sure to get some pictures of only Autumn,” Favianne told her sister.

Zack left my side to stand beside Cara. Before tonight, I’d only seen him in casual clothes and I’d been so sure it couldn’t get any better.

I’d been dead wrong.

As my gaze lingered on Zack in his classic black tux and bow tie, he grinned and my heart fluttered. It wasn’t his movie star looks or his musky scent that made me quiver. It was the way he looked at me, like I was the only one in the room.

At that moment, I knew with utter certainty that I’d never love anyone else the way I loved him. If he could return even a fraction of my feelings for him… well, it would be epic. My heart soared at the thought. An instant later, it plummeted to a crash landing when I remembered he wasn’t mine to keep. Soon, Zack would be gone forever.

~~~

Chapter Twelve

Not
every
one gawked at us as we passed through the doorway of the school gymnasium — a few of the guests had their backs to us. Since Zack and I had a squabble planned, an attentive audience was convenient. But a ball of dread formed in the pit of my stomach just thinking about what we were about to do.

The gym was decorated in an Egyptian theme. Giant palm trees lined the entryway and gold lamé strips of fabric draped the tops of the walls along the ceiling. Busts of Pharaohs stood in the corners interspersed with mummies and fake sarcophaguses. A sphinx sat by a table covered in linens decorated with hieroglyphics.

The center of the huge room was packed with people thumping and gyrating to the beats of a rap song. It boomed through the speakers and vibrated into my toes. So much for anyone overhearing our fight. We claimed a table in the corner where we could watch the action. Just as I settled into my seat, the DJ switched to a slow song.

Zack offered me his hand. “Will you dance with me?”

I slipped my hand into his. “Absolutely.”

Leaving Maya and Trevor to hold our place, I let him lead me to the dance floor. Thinking he’d go slow like everyone else, I slid my arms around his neck. With one hand flattened against my lower back, he held out his other hand for mine. I frowned, wondering what he was doing. Before I knew it, we’d slid effortlessly across the room. With his thumb at my waist, he coaxed me away and raised his arm, compelling me to twirl. Then suddenly, I was pressed against him.