“I have proof.”
“What proof?”
Miki handed her the book she’d thrown on the coffee table earlier that morning. Sara read the title out loud. “The Truth About Werewolves?”
“Really good book. Factual. It’s all in there.”
“That’s your proof?” Sara threw the book down, “All right No more reading for you.”
Sara went into the kitchen. She grabbed several more pieces of bacon and hopped on to the counter, again using only her legs. Angelina looked at her from the corner of her eye, “That’s new.”
“Cool, huh? Must be my new super powers.”
“You keep joking, stretch. But wait until the next full moon.”
Sara looked at Angelina, “Full moon?”
“Don’t worry.” Angelina pulled coffee mugs out of the cabinet, “You’ve got a good three weeks before that happens.”
“Okay, when your body starts morphing at the full of the moon. Don’t call me.” Miki disappeared into her bathroom.
“We’ve got to get her out of that bookstore.”
“Wouldn’t help.” Angelina pulled milk from the refrigerator and set everything up on the counter beside Sara. They both waited for the coffee like it was elixir from the gods. “Are you still going to work today?”
“Yeah. Why?” Sara knew where this conversation was going.
“Just wondering…” Sara waited for it. She wasn’t disappointed, “…if you’ll be seeing Zach.”
“I don’t know. I doubt it. I don’t know.” Christ, she sounded like an idiot.
Angelina smiled softly, “He loves you, you know.” That wasn’t what Sara expected. Not by a long shot.
She burst out laughing, “Oh, my god. You’re crazier than Miki is.”
“But you know I’m right.” Angelina pulled the glass pot out of the coffee maker and poured two mugs full of the steaming brew. She handed one to Sara.
“Look. He came over, he fucked me. I’m pretty confident that’s the extent of our relationship.”
Angelina shook her head, “He didn’t ‘come over.’ Skelly told us everything. He came there to get you. He was looking for you, he heard that blond guy on the phone with him. And he protected you from that girl Casey. He fought for you, Sara.”
Sara stared down at her mug of coffee. “I can’t believe that right now.” She put the untouched coffee down on the counter and slipped off.
“Why not?”
Sara headed to the front door, snatching up her backpack on the way, “Because when he leaves, it’ll kill me.” She opened the door, but looked back once at her friend, “And you said it yourself. He will leave.”
Sara had gotten down the stairs of the apartment complex when she heard Angelina’s voice from above her. “Sara.” Sara stopped at the foot of the stairs and turned to look back at her friend, “You’re right. He’s going to leave. But whoever said he’d leave without you?”
Without waiting for Sara to answer, Angelina turned and went back into Miki’s apartment.
Chapter Eleven
TOC
Her conversation with Angelina just kept replaying through her mind. He couldn’t love her. Not somebody like him. And she absolutely refused to love him. It didn’t matter how gorgeous he was. Or how well he fucked. What did matter was that she just didn’t have any faith in love or lovers or people who said they were in love or any of it. So, she wasn’t about to be led down that path. Not for anything or anybody. Not for Zach. Never for Zach.
“Hi.”
“Nothing!” She snapped, for no reason in particular.
She saw Conall standing there, staring at her. Looking a little concerned.
“Everything okay?”
Sara took a breath. “Just fine.”
“Good. Where’s Marrec?”
Sara motioned to the back room with a nod of her head. Conall moved that way. “So, is it just you today,” he asked. Almost innocently.
Sara bit the inside of her lip to stop from smiling, “Yeah. Just me.”
He shrugged and disappeared in the back. Sara broke into a smile. That boy had it bad for her brutally honest friend. Poor thing. Miki would eat him for breakfast.
“What a beautiful smile you have.”
Again Sara was startled out of her thoughts, but she had no idea who this was. He was handsome enough. Tall. Powerfully built. Golden blond hair. Green eyes. Clothes straight out of GQ.
She should call Angelina, because he wasn’t doing a thing for her.
“Thanks.” Sara went back to her magazine. She figured the guy was just there to look around to say he had. He didn’t exactly seem like the Harley-Davidson type.
“I smell him all over you,” she heard him whisper across the counter from her. “Did he fuck you well, little girl?”
Sara felt her mouth go dry and a jolt of fear go down her spine. But she controlled it. And slowly, oh so slowly, she looked up into those beautiful, cold green eyes. Smiled. And punched the prick in his face. The man’s head snapped back, but he looked more surprised than hurt. Then he looked pissed. He grabbed Sara by the throat and hissed, “Dog’s whore,” which seemed an odd turn of phrase. But before Sara could react to it or this stranger’s hand on her throat, she heard a growl coming from behind her.
It was Conall. The big, sweet bear chasing after her friend a few minutes ago was gone, and in his place was a man that on a dark night she’d cross the street to avoid. Behind him was Marrec, and Sara couldn’t remember ever seeing him so angry or dangerous looking. But it was the growl that came from the front door that completely shocked her.
He stood there. Beautiful as ever, frothing with rage. His hazel eyes were almost black. His lips curled back as he snarled his obvious displeasure. Sara was torn between being scared to death and wanting to fuck his brains out.
The stranger looked back at her and their eyes locked. His hand tightened on her throat ever so slightly. “I do hope he’s not too attached to you,” was all he said. He pulled her close and forced his mouth on hers. Sara screamed and grabbed his face, digging her nails into the tanned flesh, trying to hurt him enough so that he’d release her. But the kiss lasted only a few seconds, then he was gone. Over the bikes and out the side door. Zach and Conall went after him while Marrec came to stand beside her.
“Who the fuck was that?!” Sara screamed as she wiped her hand over her mouth several times.
“A problem,” Marrec answered. Then he did something that was going to freak Sara out for the rest of the night. He sniffed her. “Oh, boy,” he sighed. “Zach’s gonna kill him.” With that he turned and disappeared back into his workshop.
At that moment, things just got too weird for her. What did Miki say? “Werewolf.” She grabbed her backpack and left.
They tracked him to the forest. Then, once safely protected by the trees, Zach and Conall ripped off their clothes, shifted, and tore after the beast they were tracking. They caught sight of him heading through the trees and up an embankment. He too had shifted, and was moving fast. Zach circled around while Conall went straight for him.
The little prick charged up one of the old trees, but the branch he jumped on wasn’t sturdy. It broke and he fell. Landing on his feet, he took off again, but he’d lost precious seconds. Zach latched on to his leg. Conall went for his neck. But the big cat wasn’t going down without a fight. He slashed at Conall, ripping into his muzzle before he could get to the soft flesh of his throat. But Conall kept coming. So he spun on Zach. But Zach wouldn’t let go. He still smelled Sara on him. He was going to kill him. But they were near the edge of the embankment. When Conall tackled him to get at his throat, Zach was pushed back to the edge. He saw Conall snap the cat’s neck just as he lost his footing. The ground gave way, and he felt his body slide down the hillside.