I ran faster, my feet flying over sidewalks I used to ride my bike down as a kid. For the first time in my life, someone was waiting for me. And hewantedme. That knowledge was like an oasis shimmering in the distance—and I was so fucking parched for it.
My lungs burned, but I relished the feeling. I had Jesse, and I finally had my freedom. Things could only get easier from here.
A siren split the air, the sound like stakes driving into my skull. I stumbled and then lurched around, my chest heaving. Blue and red lights flashed as a police cruiser rounded the corner at the end of the street.
It had to be for me. Undoubtedly, my parents had called the cops. My mother had pretty much tried to kill me, but it didn’t matter. Who were the police more likely to believe: the problem child with a documented history of “mental health intervention,” or Michael and Natalie Lawson, respectable churchgoers?
I spun and sprinted toward the woods behind the nearest houses. The whole neighborhood was bordered by trees. I reached them within seconds and plunged into the greenery. My heart raced, and a cold sweat broke out over my body. As I moved deeper into the woods, the memory of Jesse’s voice rang in my head.You could lose control and expose us to the human world.
It didn’t take a genius to understand why that could never happen. Werewolves weren’t supposed to exist. My wrists had healed almost instantly after he released me from those handcuffs. My face still smarted from my mother’s frying pan, but the pain was fading rapidly. I’d lived most of my life being different from the majority of people, and it fucking sucked. How would people treat me if they knew I was an actual monster?
The night sky was overcast, the forest a maze of shadows and skeletal branches. Patches of dirty, melting snow huddled at the base of the trees. Roots and fallen trunks tangled with my feet, impeding my progress. After a minute, I slowed to a walk to avoid falling on my face. My breath puffed in white clouds around my head, and I shivered as the promise of winter nipped at my nose and ears. The wail of the police siren faded, but I didn’t turn back. The woods connected to the forest behind campus. If I kept going, I’d eventually hit a trail that looped back to my parents’ neighborhood. Then it was just a matter of waiting out the cops and finding Jesse.
The wind picked up. I stopped, a tingling awareness sliding down my spine. Suddenly, my heart pumped faster. I gazed around, the awareness shifting into something more urgent.
A warning.
It whispered through the trees, making the bare branches dance and shiver. All at once, I was a kid in my parents’basement, my eyes watering as the feeling of being watched pressed against me from all sides. Something was coming.
I broke into a run, adrenaline like gasoline in my veins. My duffel thumped against my side. Cold air seared my lungs. The ground had lost the hard, compact crunch of fall. Now, it was wet and soggy, the terrain treacherous. I knew the forest. Had spent countless scouting weekends learning how to navigate and identify different types of trees. But nothing was familiar now. Shadows loomed. Branches reached out and slapped my face. Something seized my duffel, pulling me to an abrupt halt, and I released a short, startled shout as I whirled and fought to untangle my shoulder strap from a dead branch. Rustling ahead of me had me whipping back around, another shout lodging in my throat.
“Caleb!” Jesse appeared out of the gloom. He was dressed in dark joggers and a white, long-sleeve T-shirt that molded to his chest. His eyes glowed, the irises like chips of amber. And he was such a welcome sight that I yanked myself free of the branch and rushed into his arms.
“I’m sorry I’m late,” I said, my heart tripping over itself. “I was going to meet you like you said, but I saw a cop car.”
He held me, his thick arms around my shoulders and his heart a strong, steady beat against my chest. “You missed two check-ins. I came looking.” He tightened his arms. “It’s all right. Breathe, okay? I’ve got you.”
The odd, panicky awareness faded. Slowly, my heartbeat synced to his. Another werewolf thing, probably, but I was too damn tired to question it. Unable to stop myself, I buried my face in the dip where his neck met his shoulder. I dragged in his scent—laundry detergent, forest, and that spicy undercurrent that smelled like money and…him. Later, I’d undoubtedly regret throwing myself at him like a toddler. But right now, his arms around me felt too damn good to give up.
After a second, he eased me away from him, and his golden eyes narrowed as he reached up and angled my face to the side. “What happened?”
“Silver frying pan.”
He turned my gaze back to his. “Your parents?” At my nod, his eyes lightened several more shades. “Come on,” he said, taking my arm. “You can tell me everything in the car.”
Chapter
Nine
JESSE
The highway lights flicked rhythmically over my windshield as I sped away from Hale Valley.
Caleb didn’t ask where we were going. He’d been quiet in my SUV’s passenger seat since we left his neighborhood. But he wasn’t still. He bounced one knee up and down as if he needed to channel his nervous energy somewhere. Every few seconds, he checked his side mirror.
“Did something happen in the forest?” I asked.
His shoulders tensed, and the scent of fear rolled off him.
I reached over and placed a hand on his knee, halting his frantic bouncing. For a second, I thought about pulling over so I could look at him when I spoke, but I quickly dismissed the idea. He needed distance from his parents before he could process any of this. And I had other, more important reasons for getting him out of town.
“You’re safe, all right?” I squeezed his knee as I injected humor into my tone. “You missed those check-ins, but I’ll let it slide this time.”
He shifted in his seat. A sideways glance confirmed he’d locked his gaze on my fingers curled around his kneecap. Abruptly, the heady scent of his desire filled the cabin.
I rubbed my thumb over the denim. “Next time, though…” I trailed off deliberately, letting him fill in the blanks. If I was honest, I’dhopedhe’d turn up late. The paddle had been fun, but I wanted to put him over my knee and use my hand on him. Feel him squirm on my lap as I heated his ass.
And I needed to stop thinking about it before my dick got so hard that I couldn’t focus on the road.
