For the good of everyone, she was careful to keep Aden and the wolf apart. But it was costing her bits and pieces of her sanity. She had to talk with Aden soon. How was he doing in his classes? Was he adjusting? Had he made friends? Where did he go at lunch?
What other abilities did he have?
That was the question that plagued her most.
Soon, either before or after school, she would have to shoo the wolf away so that she and Aden could have a moment of privacy. Not that she wanted to shoo him away. She was beyond curious about him. She kept expecting him to reveal his human form—today’s the day, she’d think every morning, followed by any moment now every afternoon—and tell her what was going on. But he’d maintained radio silence since that first day.
She sighed. Today the sun was high and hot, the shadows provided by the trees only slightly cooling. Any second now and her new friend would—
He jumped out at her.
—show up.
This time, she didn’t blink, didn’t stumble, too used to his presence. He kept pace beside her, his claws scraping against the occasional stone. The first few days, he’d limped. Now, his gait was smooth and easy. She’d asked him what had happened but, of course, he hadn’t answered.
It amazed her that she’d once felt threatened by him. Now, she felt safe, like nothing bad could happen to her. Like he would protect her with his life. Silly of her, she knew. But after only a week, there was nothing left of her former self. Her rigid study schedule had been upended, and for once she hadn’t worked all possible hours during the weekend. She spent every spare minute thinking about Aden and this wolf.
“I still haven’t decided what to do about Tucker,” she said, knowing the wolf wouldn’t answer but needing someone to talk to. “He’s my boyfriend and I like him, for the most part, but…I don’t know. Being with him just doesn’t feel right anymore. He’s leaving Aden and Shannon alone, at least, so I guess I shouldn’t complain too much.”
The wolf growled.
For Tucker’s benefit or for hers? “I wish I knew your name. I hate thinking of you as ‘the wolf.’”
Silence.
“Fine. I’ll just call you Wolfie and you can deal with it whether you like it or not.”
Silence.
“Why won’t you show me your human form? You know I want to see, so it’s just plain rude to keep it hidden from me.”
Again, silence.
“Are you someone I know? Are you hideously scarred?”
His black fur gleamed like polished ebony as he flicked her a glance. His eyes were as pale a green as ever. “Can you not switch? Are you stuck that way?”
A shake of his head. Which meant, she assumed, that he wasn’t stuck.
She grinned. “Miracle of miracles, we’re communicating! Do you see how easy it is? I ask a question and you answer it.”
He rolled his eyes.
“So why won’t you show me?”
Silence.
This was getting her nowhere. “Let’s try something else.” She maneuvered around a fallen branch. “Do you go to my school?”
A shake. Then, a nod.
She frowned. Which was it? “You can talk inside my head to answer. I don’t mind.”
A shake.
“Why not?”
Silence.
Frustrated, she tried a little reverse psychology. “Fine. Don’t tell me. I’m glad you’re not talking in my head. You probably can’t do it anymore, anyway.”
Of course I can! Silly human, he muttered.
Success, even with animals. She barely managed to hide her grin. Clearly she was going into the right field. “Then why haven’t you been?”
Another round of silence ensued.
“Mangy mutt,” she grumbled.
His lip pulled back from his teeth, but the expression appeared more amused than angry.
“Let’s try this again. Do you have plans to hurt Aden?”
Rather than ignore her as he had every other time she’d asked this, he gave her a definite, assured nod.
One thing she knew, she didn’t want a fight to erupt between the two of them. No telling who would win. Someone would be hurt, though. That much she knew. “If Aden hadn’t possessed your body, you would have ripped him to shreds. What he did after that, whatever he did—” neither one had told her “—was not done to hurt you but to protect himself. You can’t blame him for that. I’m sure you would have done the same thing.”
Again, silence.
“Aden’s a really great guy, you know.”
That earned her another growl.
They broke through the forest and the high brick wall surrounding her neighborhood came into view. “If you hurt him, I won’t be able to hang out with you anymore. Not that you probably care, but I’ve grown to like you. A little. I mean, you’re tolerable. Stubborn, but tolerable. And you know things about the world that I’ve only just discovered. I have so many questions.” Questions he could have answered already, the jerk.
Rather than circle around the wall, Mary Ann climbed the side closest to the forest. Wolf preferred this route, she’d learned that first walk home when he’d nudged her with his nose until she complied. This way, he could remain in the shadows rather than out in the open for anyone driving by to see.
“We keep this up, and I’m going to develop ginormous biceps,” she muttered when she finally reached the top. “That’s not very flattering for a girl, so don’t think I’m going to thank you.”
Wolf simply bent his back legs and jumped, a blur of motion. A second later, he was perched beside her.
Resigned, she peered down at the ground. There was a bed of flowers and two rows of mulch, both of which she’d accidentally rolled around in more than once. “Here goes.” She dropped, landing with a heavy thwack and stumbling forward.
The moment she straightened, Wolf was beside her, his gait easy.
“Not fair,” she grumbled, kicking into motion. Because they were in a populated area, people driving home from work, he remained close to the houses, part of his body hidden by bushes. Big as he was, she was surprised someone hadn’t already called the pound to come out and hunt him down. A week ago, she would have.
Mary Ann spotted her two-story house in the distance. It resembled an old train station—all the houses in this neighborhood did. The roofs rose to high points on the sides, yet had flat middles. The homes themselves were long rather than tall, with red brick and shuttered windows. She slowed her steps. All too soon, though, they reached her front yard.
This was the part of her day that she’d grown to hate: her last few minutes with Wolf before he took off for God knew where, not to be seen again until morning. Yes, his silence irritated her. And yes, he was keeping her from Aden. But neither lessened the thrill of being with him.
When she snaked around the large maple, she skidded to a stop, her eyes widening. “Tucker?”
Tucker unfolded from the porch swing and stood. He shoved his hands into his pockets, his shoulders a little hunched. Lines of tension branched from his mouth. “Hey, Mary Ann.”
“What are you doing here?” He should be at practice.
“I just wanted to—”
Wolf moved to her side, his large body stiff.
Tucker saw him and scrambled backward until he hit the door. “What the hell is that thing?”
“He’s my…” For a moment, her mind blanked and she couldn’t think up a single answer. Then, a somewhat rational reply slid into place. “He’s my pet.”
At least Wolf didn’t growl at her for claiming he belonged to her. His attention remained utterly focused on Tucker.
“You hate animals,” Tucker gasped out.
“What are you doing here?” she repeated. One, two, three, she pounded up the steps. Wolf followed, remaining close. Did he think to protect her, as she’d imagined earlier?
“I wanted to talk to you.” As Tucker spoke, his gaze traveled from her to the wolf, the wolf to her. “In private.”
“Okay. Talk.”
“Let’s go inside.”
“No. Here’s fine.” Last time they’d been alone inside her house, all he’d wanted to do was make out.
He cast another glance at the wolf, gulped. “All right. Well, you’ve been so distant lately, you know? And I don’t like it. I want to go back to the way we were. Where you smile at me every time you see me and answer my calls every night.”
She felt a twinge of guilt. She had been avoiding his calls.
“I think I know what this is about,” he said. “Penny, right?” The last was sneered.
Wait. What? “I don’t understand. Penny?”
Some of the scorn drained from him, and his shoulders sagged. “I knew you were too smart to believe her.”
“Believe her about what?” Seriously. She was more confused by the second.
“She told me she told you,” he said, then shook his head, as if he didn’t understand the direction of this conversation. “Never mind. It doesn’t matter, right? Me and you, that’s all that matters.”
Me and you. Her stomach twisted.
“Let’s go out tonight. Talk. Please,” he added beseechingly.
Stomach. Twisting. Again. “Look, Tucker. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings by ignoring your calls, you have to believe that, but my life is in turmoil right now. Maybe we should, I don’t know, take a break or something.” Yes, a break. How perfect. That would give her time to figure some things out.
“No. We don’t need a break.” He shook his head violently, his eyes pleading with her. “I can’t lose you.”
Her life’s goal was to solve problems, not cause them, so his sudden tortured expression made her want to apologize rather than continue. Still. She forged ahead. “Why? What can you possibly see in me? I’m not as pretty or popular as Christy Hayes, who would cut off her leg to date you. I hate football and know nothing about it. I choose to read textbooks over spending time with you.”
