Wolves at the Door (16 page)

~~~

Chapter Fourteen

Our palms locked against each other, elbows braced on the table as we mentally prepared ourselves for battle.

“One…,” Zack said. “Two… three.”

I drove my hand toward his. As if frozen in time, neither arm moved. He put more force behind his push, nudging my arm backward and I matched it.

“Are you going to cry uncle?” he asked, after several moments of a standstill.

“Ha! You’re just trying to distract me so you can avoid a beating.”

Zack chuckled, which opened the door for me to gain on him. My arm budged an inch in my favor. “It was nice seeing Alura last night,” he said. “And Gina.”

I lost my inch of momentum and ended up at our starting point. “You’re a shark, just like your mom.”

“Yep.” His muscles strained against my arm. “I don’t think either of us will win this one.”

Though my energy waned, more power simmered just below the surface. Maybe he’d give up before I did. Or not. “Shall we call it a draw?”

Zack nodded and released his grip. “The older we get, the stronger we are.”

“Yeah. So?”  I tilted my head, wondering where he was going with it.

“I wonder if we inherit our parents’ strength. You know, if the parents were ancient, would you be stronger than a shape-shifter with younger, weaker parents?”

That made sense. Food for thought anyway. “You never read anything about that in your books?”

He shook his head. “No.”

I mashed my lips together as I contemplated this new theory. Abruptly, he stood and tugged on my hand, one side of his mouth curving up mischievously. He slowly brought my arm up to drape over his shoulder then clamped onto my hips and yanked me against him.

Uh-oh.

He bent toward me but instead of kissing me, he nuzzled my neck. A web of tingles swept over my skin and I shivered. I dragged his mouth to mine and opened. His hand slipped under my shirt and his hot fingers on my bare skin woke me up from my Zack-induced haze. Obviously, Zack’s will power had completely deserted him. If he went any further, I wasn’t sure I could stop either.

I flattened my palms against his rock hard stomach. “As tempting as this is… no. We need to go.” I backed away, turned and snatched up my purse before darting outside.

He joined me on the front porch, grinning. “Once again, you saved me from myself.”

I groaned. “Yes, well, it’s not easy. What are we doing today?”

“I was thinking of a museum. There’s an arboretum just a few minutes from here, if you’d prefer that.”

“The arboretum sounds good.” I beamed.

† † †

We held hands, ambling through the narrow paths past the exotic plants and the scents of fragrant blooms wafting up to invade my senses.

“What exactly does your mom have?” I asked.

“Autoimmune disorder.” He glanced at me, then faced ahead again, veering around a boulder. “Her body attacks itself. She takes suppressants to calm her immune system, but they leave her open to getting sick easily.”

“That’s why she’s weak and stays in bed?”

“She’s weak because over the years, the various illnesses have damaged her heart and lungs.”

“I feel so bad for her.” I stared at the sidewalk as the cracks in the concrete passed under my feet.

“Me, too.” He stopped, interlocking his fingers with mine and bringing the back of my hand to his lips. “She’s doing better, even up and around, since the antibiotics.”

“That’s great. So much improvement in just a couple days.”

“The last few weeks have been rough, but she’s not usually in bed all the time. It’ll be a while before I lose her.”

“Which means you’ll stay here as long as she’s alive.” I gazed into his deep green eyes and wrapped my arms around his neck. When a couple and two children squeezed by us, I was vaguely aware we were blocking the trail.

Zack averted his eyes. “Charles talked to the king’s people, which means it’s too late. I’m already on their radar. They’ll send someone else for me, Autumn. I’ll still have to leave when school is over.”

“Yeah.” I dropped my arms and turned.

He followed my lead, continuing our walk through the rows of plants. “I wish I had better news, but we need to be realistic.”

“Let’s get something to eat,” I said, changing the subject.

† † †

When we’d seen everything at the arboretum, we walked the nearby streets of the quaint little town of Montrose, occasionally poking our heads into gift shops. Zack asked me about the places I’d visited and I regaled him with the stories of all the states I’d lived in — all but Hawaii, Alaska, and a handful of others.

“It’s strange how much your parents move around. Almost as if they’re running from something,” he said.

“Avoiding werewolves maybe?” I raised a brow.

He shrugged. “You’ll never know until you find out. After today, we won’t be spending as much time together. You’ll have a chance to snoop around.”

“Yeah… I guess we won’t be hanging out together if we’re broken up.” I stopped
and stared unseeing through the window of a novelty item store. It wasn’t just about pretending we were only friends — we’d actually have to stay away from each other in public.

“I can still hang out with my cousin and you’d hang out with Maya. So at school, for instance, we can sit at the same table. If our break
-up fight isn’t too ugly, no one would think it was strange, right? If anyone asks, we could say we get along better as friends.”

My chest pinched and I forced a smile. “It’s a great plan.”

“It’s a terrible plan,” he said. “But we don’t have a choice.”

“Yes, we do. Let’s just skip the breakup
and take our chances.”

“And if we get caught
by Alura and her uncle, then what?” he asked, his voice low. “You think we’d be as lucky next time? At least this way, we still have our nights. That’s better than death.”

“Yeah, a lesser of two evils,” I whispered, a dull ache taking up residency in my chest.

We sensed a presence at the same time and looked discreetly toward the end of the block. Alura headed our way with her uncle Renzo. As usual, she looked stunning, the skirt of her white sundress swishing around her thighs. He didn’t exactly look like a hobo either in his snug T-shirt and black jeans.

Zack nodded toward the door of the store. I smiled and wav
ed to Alura, then went inside. Moments later, the door creaked open, then shut. They’d followed us. Knowing Renzo would talk telepathically to Zack, I looped one arm through his and picked up a purple glass paperweight with my free hand.

You seem to be missing a supervisor
, Renzo said silently.

Zack pretended to examine a picture frame.
What makes you think Charles is missing?

He hasn’t checked in with his supervisor for a couple days. Scouts don’t leave their recruit, especially without informing anyone. Something’s up
.

Charles and I spoke on Friday, but not since
. Zack set the frame down and meandered down the aisle. I stuck close, wanting in on every silent word.

Let’s assume the worst, that he’s dead,
Renzo said.
His absence would be noticed and there would be an inquiry into his death. And he’d be replaced by at least one more
.

That’s up to King Mortimer. I’ll just do whatever I’m supposed to
, Zack said.

And that’s what you want?
Renzo asked. I would’ve loved to see his expression. But since I wasn’t supposed to be aware of their conversation, I let my gaze wander the shelves and pretended to be oblivious.

Of course. My life is about joining a pack. Why wouldn’t I want that, to be with my own kind?
Zack paused to pick up a figurine. “See anything you like?” he asked me.

“Not so far,” I answered.

“Me neither. Let’s check out the next shop.”

We left and Renzo stayed behind with Alura.

Do you think Renzo’s an ally or setting a trap?
I asked as soon as we we’d passed a couple buildings.

I’m not sure, but dropping my guard would be too risky
, Zack said.

Let’s get out of here
, I said.
He makes me nervous.

Hopefully, we’ll see them tonight at Bill’s Bean and Brew though, so they can witness our breakup
. He steered me to my car.

† † †

That evening, as Zack and I cruised through the driveway of Bill’s Bean and Brew, I caught a glimpse of Renzo and Alura already seated at one of the wrought-iron tables. After parking, we picked a table where we’d be easily seen. Zack didn’t want the werewolves to miss the show. Moments later, Maya and Trevor arrived.

“Hey, Alura.” Maya flashed her a smile. “Did you have a good time last night?”

“Sure, after I dumped my date.” Alura grinned, then took a sip of the steaming liquid from the paper cup. “It was a nice crowd.”

“Did you find anything you liked in any of the shops today?” I asked, trying to keep a slight distance so she couldn’t catch my scent as easily.
With my increase in strength, in theory my scent should follow.

“No,” Alura answered. “It’s a great little street though. I’d love to come back around Christmas. You all know my uncle Renzo?”

“Nice to meet you,” Maya said. “I’m Maya.”

“Hey.” Trevor gave him a man nod. “Trevor.”

“A pleasure to meet you. Thanks for taking such good care of Alura last night.” He took a sip of his coffee and switched to silent communication.
Any sign of Charles?

No
, Zack answered.

Renzo observed us while Zack pretended not to notice. Maya made small talk with Alura while I eyed Zack from under my lashes. He met my gaze, lifted one brow a fraction of an inch, and I remembered why we were there. I dreaded Maya’s disappointment to our breakup. Worse, I wasn’t looking forward to the wer
ewolves witnessing my humiliation. Most of all, I knew I was losing Zack in some small way.

Remember, anything I say means nothing
. He rested a hand on my thigh and squeezed.
Do it
.

“I know she’s pretty Zack,” I raised my voice slightly. “But you think you can stop staring for just a few minutes?”

Zack glanced at me. “What do you mean?”

“First you dance with Gina, then you stare at the new girl.” My voice grew louder. “I’m not enough for you?”

We had Maya and Trevor’s attention, the werewolves riveted.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about
.” Zack narrowed his eyes.

“Zack, of all the things you could have done, dancing and flirting with Gina was the worst. And if you could take your eyes off Alura for just a minute, you’d see what a jerk you are! I mean, did you think I wouldn’t notice? Or did you think I’d be totally fine with it?”

“Autumn, you’re paranoid. I’m not interested in either of them.” Zack slammed his cup down and caramel liquid sloshed over the rim.

“Yeah.” I stood, reaching for my purse. “That’s what Daniel used to say. At least if you admitted you were staring, maybe I could get over it. But the fact that you’re denying it only makes me lose faith in everything else you say.”

Zack rose too, grabbing my wrists. “Autumn, don’t do this. Sit down and we’ll talk about it.”

“I can’t
be with a guy I don’t trust.” I shook my head. “I’m not mad, Zack. I just think maybe this was a mistake and we’re better off as friends.” I switched to Trevor. “You’ll drive him home?”

Trevor nodded, stunned into silence. Maya stared at me, eyes wide and mouth slightly parted.

“I’ll see you guys at school tomorrow.” Spinning away, I bolted toward my car without looking back at Zack, my friends or the werewolves. I hit the clicker before I passed through the parking lot. When I reached for the door handle, Alura had moved in front of the door, blocking me from getting inside.

“Autumn, I—”