“Nailed it!”she crows before glancing back at me and noticing my reach, still there if she becomes unsteady again.
A delighted smile cracks across Zoey’s face.
“Trust fall!”And then she’s toppling over once more, this time on purpose, and I lunge forward to make sure she ends up in my arms rather than sprawled on the ground.She lands with a gasp, then chuckles.“Guess I have to trust you now, Biker Boy.”
She’s soft against me and smells like every delicious dessert I’ve ever consumed.I want to curl my arms around her.Hold her to my chest.
Instead, I make a joke.
“Can’t I at least be BikerMan?”
“Aww.”She reaches up to pat my cheek.“Not when you’re so cute.”
“Careful, Zoey.”Juliet takes another swig from her can before continuing in a mock whisper.“All that cutesy talk might scare these big, tough Dark Moon Riders.Roderick won’t even come out of the woods!”She snorts out a giggle.
Zoey trains her curious gaze on me.“Who’s Roderick?”
I affect a rueful grimace.“My older brother.He’s a little antisocial.”
“That’s okay.I am too.”Zoey gives me a sweet smile.Then, she boops me on my nose with her forefinger.
“Not tonight!”Juliet climbs up on top of a large rock, holding her beer up to the sky, as if toasting the world.“Tonight, we christen our friendship!Two outsiders, taking over Pine Falls.To hell with the bikers!This town will be run by women!”
“You’re right!”In the way that drunk people do, Zoey’s response to me flips on a switch.She springs from my arms, shoving at my chest.“This is a friend date!No boys allowed!No boys allowed!”
Juliet joins in the chant, and soon, the trees are ringing with the sound, each exclamation point emphasized with another push.
Another guy might be annoyed by the manhandling, but I’m having trouble stifling my laughter.She’s so fucking adorable with her cheeks ruddy from the alcohol.The heat spills down to her neck and supercharges her scent.
I wish I could bury my nose there, breathe in the sweet earthiness.Then lick her.
Instead, I stumble backward as if I don’t have the strength to battle her assault.
“All right!No boys allowed.I’ll leave you to your camping.And your conquering.”
“To conquering!”Zoey climbs up on her own rock, arms held high.
“To conquering!”Juliet thrusts her beer up, then chugs the whole of it down in an impressive display.
I let the shadows of the trees envelop me, shaking my head and chuckling all the while.
“They’re ridiculous.”It’s the first thing Roderick says since we followed the women’s trail.
“They’re drunk.”I shrug.
“It’s not safe,” he mutters.
“Well, yeah.That’s why I’m not actually leaving.”
Roderick raises one eyebrow at me, but then lets me lead the way again.I move deeper into the woods.When the sound of the girls’ laughter has almost faded, I pause by a tree with low, thick limbs.There, I strip off my clothes, folding them neatly before setting them up in the tree.I hope no curious critters decide to claim them.I’d have a hard time explaining to highway patrol why I’m riding my bike home naked.
Make for a good story though.
Once I’m completely bare, I coax my wolf forward, letting the form envelop my body.The change is slower.If my wolf sensed danger or responded to the call of the full moon, then I’d be able to switch to four legs in a matter of seconds.But pulling the change out without the aid of adrenaline or lunar magic means I’m struggling for a minute or two, grimacing at the pain of my bones snapping and reshaping.
Eventually, I’m in my wolf form, panting and shaking off the last lingering bit of discomfort.When I turn back toward the campsite, I see Roderick’s wolf sitting calmly, waiting for me.
Another perk of being the pack leader: more magic means a faster change.
