“Never said I was.”
Ava cranks up the music, obviously done trying to make conversation. I stare out the window as we drive. It’s weird to be in a car. Honestly, it’s weird to be doing anything remotely...human. When we get close to our destination, I take in the people just living their lives. Moms and dads, high school students, grandparents, businessmen, and women. All of them go about their business without a clue of the dangers all around them. I watch them and remember that I used to be like that, a long time ago. Iwasthem. I lived a carefree life, unaware of the dangers. Now, Iamthat danger. Unease slides through me as Ava parks. She turns to me, excitement on her face. “Ready?”
“I think I might just wait here for you to—”
“Nope.” She interrupts me. “You’re coming with. Don’t even try to get out of it.”
“Come on, Vamp,” Hunter says as he opens his door. “Let’s go.”
I open my door and step out. I stride past Hunter to catch up with Ava. “Where’s the fire?”
She doesn’t answer, and I have to walk fast to keep up with her. Only when we’re inside does she slow down. “All right. Where to first?” She glances at me. “Never mind. I’ve got some ideas.” I don’t answer; I’m too busy taking everything in. It’s been over seven years since I’ve been in any public place. I thought it would make me nervous or fearful, but knowing what I am now takes that fear away. Instead, I just feel happy. It feels good to be here right now. The only thing that would make this better would be to have a coffee in hand, but I’m just happy to be here right now. Ava stops suddenly, and I almost plow into her. “What’s she doing here?”
I look over and see the tall woman from Bryce’s pack with the long dark hair and curves for days.Alicia.She always walks like she’s on a red carpet. “Ava,” she says, nodding at her. She looks right past me. “Hunter.” Her voice is practically a purr, and it grates on my nerves. I knew he was behind us, but he hasn’t said anything since we entered the mall. “Where are we going first?” She asks the question of Hunter, like he’s the one choosing what stores we’re shopping in.
“Why are you here?” my blunt friend asks.
Alicia turns to look at her. Even if I didn’t know she was a wolf, I would know there was something about her. She just moves too gracefully for a human. “I’m here for added security.” Her eyes flit over me at her words.
“Did Bryce send you?” Ava demands.
“Yes.”
I can tell Ava’s not happy, but she continues on. I keep stride easily with her, and Alicia falls into step next to Hunter. They stay back a little way, but I can hear her annoying voice continue. We head into one of the department stores, and Ava grins up at me. “Ready to do some damage?”
“How do I already know I’m going to regret this?”
“Come on, Sherese. Find your adventurous side, and let’s get you something to wear besides those atrocious clothes.” We end up in the clothes section, and she starts looking through racks of clothes. I finger a few items here and there. “What are you thinking?” she asks after a little bit.
“It’s just weird being here,” I admit.
“I get it. If it’s any help, it took me a really long time to get out after everything that happened to me.” She meets my eyes. “An embarrassingly long time. All right. Let’s find you some clothes. What do you like to wear?”
She turns to me, and that uncomfortable feeling settles in my stomach. “Let’s just find you some clothes; I’m good.”
Ava rolls her eyes. “You are not good.” She turns away from me. “Okay.” She mutters to herself for a little bit and then starts moving around the store like a woman on a mission. Minutes later, she has a pile of clothes. I reach out and take them from her. When she finally has everything she wants, she heads to the dressing room. “In you go.”
I eye the dressing room and then my friend. With a sigh, I step inside. She’s got her mind made up; there’s no changing it at this point. “I want to see every piece. Well, unless it’s terrible.”
I eye the stack of clothes. A pair of jeans stands out, and I finger them. Something so simple—a pair of jeans. They’re the first thing I try on. I pair them with a soft blue sweater and stare at myself in the mirror because this is something the old me would wear. I quickly take off the sweater and search through the pile. I find a white V-neck t-shirt and a black leather jacket. I slip both of those on and stare at myself in the mirror.That’s more like me now.
“Anything yet?” Ava asks from outside my dressing room. I open the door so she can see. “Look at you in jeans. Look at those long legs. Man, I’m jealous! We’ll have to find some cute boots to go with those.”
“I’m not acuteboot kind of person.”
Ava rolls her eyes. “Okay, we’ll find some black ones with leather or metal chains on them.”
I almost laugh at both her words and her expression, but I manage not to. “Sounds perfect.”
“Youwouldwear something like,” she mutters under her breath, but there’s a smile on her face. I try on a black shirt with the jeans and show her. “Okay. We already know you can wear black. Can we try something else? Never mind. Step aside. I’m coming in.”
She starts handing me things to try on. The first is a pair of black pants. “I thought we weren’t doing black.”
“Just do it,” she says, shaking the pants at me. I change into them, and she hands me a thick gray sweater to try on. “I like that. Add that to the keep pile.”
“Didn’t realize there was a keep pile.”
She ignores me and goes through the clothes. “Oh, I’m super excited about this one. I could never pull this off, but you totally can.” She hands me a black jumpsuit. “I know. It’s black. Put it on anyway.” I manage to get it on. It’s definitely dressy. The pants are wide-leg, and there’s a gold belt for show right above the stomach. The sleeves are sheer, and it looks really classy. “I love that one.”
