Back to You (40 page)

“How about next week?”

“Great! We’ll go after class.” She begins to squirm a little out of agitation. “You know, Bryan asked to see me again.”

“You’re kidding? What did you say?”

“I said yes. That I had a good time. He seemed pleased,” she replies, grinning.

“You have to tell me everything that was said, word for word!” I exclaim.

We spend the rest of the lunch hour deconstructing every word uttered that night. But as we get up to leave, my haste in leaping from my chair and slinging my bag over my shoulder arouses Jamie’s suspicions.

“Aren’t you coming to professor Keynes’ class?” she asks.

“I don’t know.” I’m pretty sure that my disappointment would only be intensified.

On our way out, she describes the minute details of Bryan’s expressions and gestures. I wouldn’t be giving her the third degree if it weren’t a tactic to avoid having to talk about my Saturday night with Donn. My eyes search for that familiar face as we reach the exit of the building. There is hardly anyone milling about and I ready myself for the worst. But, waiting for me outside, leaning against the wall is the closest thing to a Greek god I have seen today. Vuk.

Jamie looks at me then rolls her eyes, shaking her head as she walks off.

“See you, Stella,” she calls out over her shoulder.

Vuk seems amused but annoyed at the same time. He tries to stay calm and collected, but it’s obvious that he’s on his way back to the library. I’m not swallowing this act. Only one person in the world manages to rile him this way––Donn Brooks.

“Hey there.” I eyeball him, fearing that his plans for the day involve something inexorable. His constant absences from school mean he is hiding something from me. Fear? I sense a touch of impatience too. He seems to want to say something, but I speak up first.

“We should go or we’ll be late.”

“I’m not coming to class today,” he says, a veil of arrogance in his tone.

“Why not?”

“Skipping a few lessons is good for your health,” he smiles, but anxiety flashes in his eyes. “Professor Keynes won’t mind.”

“Well, I’m going,” I reply. “I’ve struggled too hard to catch up to let myself fall behind now.”

“See you later then,” he calls out as I head toward my class. I look back at him; he’s still standing there, immobile, a dark look on his sculpted face, his body almost slumped. I feel a wave of compassion wash over me. I know I’ll spend the whole class brooding over his expression.

“Oh no, economics,” I groan.

“Just follow me and chill, little girl.” I didn’t realize that Vuk had caught up with me until he was whispering in my ear. I do as I’m told and follow him out to the car lot. Walking with Vuk in the middle of the lunchtime crowd takes me back to my first day on campus here. Once again I’m the center of attention.

He doesn’t say another word, but keeps glancing at me pensively. I fiddle nervously with the zipper of my jacket. He slows down to my snail’s pace, the short walk and the bright sunshine seeming to wash away his nerves. If the forecast predicts no rain soon, we could organize another visit to Wolfeboro. I try to show some enthusiasm about a trip there, a kind of payback for the disappointment of my visit last Thursday. I didn’t even manage to set foot inside the house. But rain or no rain, we won’t be going swimming in the lake. The highest temperature we can expect is still 50 degrees.

We lean against the side of the pickup, parked next to my car to have a little chat.

“Are you heading off?” I ask.

“Drake has just finished patrolling, he’ll be expecting me to take over so that he can have a rest.” He starts to walk off toward the driver’s door of his vehicle. Then he stops.

“Why don’t you come to Wolfeboro? We could go for a walk, build a fire in the hearth, stuff like that.”

“I don’t know, Vuk. This is a weird time for me right now.”

“Come on, do you think anyone could take on me and Drake together? Or are you worried about your guardian?” He’s referring to Donn. But that little dig is enough to convince me, so I wordlessly climb into the passenger seat, relax, and close my eyes.

I hear Vuk getting into the driver’s seat and starting the engine. He pulls me closer toward him, close enough to slip an arm around me. The feeling of warmth is nice, comforting, and familiar. I feel protected, safe somehow. I rest my head against his chest.

“I’m not sure that this is a good idea,” I suggest doubtfully.

He just laughs his angelic laugh and revs the engine, speeding off northwards. His big green eyes search my face.

“The house is by a huge forest, we could take a nice walk. But not before warming ourselves up in front of the fireplace, though.”

I nod. I like the sound of that.

“You’re free all afternoon, right? Jeff won’t be home for a while.” He relaxes into his seat, his body giving in to the exhaustion of a few days of keeping a close watch on the borders. I wonder if his frequent trips to the library have anything to do with it.

“Yep, I’ve got the whole day free,” I say stiffly. “But Vuk…”

He holds his hands up in that disarming way of his. “Don’t worry about Drake. So what do you want to do today?”

“Let’s just go to your house and chill out there for a bit,” I suggest. He doesn’t really look like he’s capable of doing much else. The black rings around his eyes contrast sharply with the emerald green of his eyes. Plus, I like just hanging out with him; he’s my port in a storm. I remember wishing he was my brother when I was listening to his music pouring out of my speakers.

Now I can’t imagine life without him. It doesn’t even bear thinking about. But some of the hugs we exchange seem to go beyond brotherly. And I know that what I really want to do, need to do, is mark out the boundaries between us clearly. Just as I’m thinking that, Vuk’s hand searches for mine and clutches it tight.

“Jeez, you’re so hot!” I exclaim. “You could almost melt a person.”

Vuk laughs, pleasantly taken aback.

“Yeah, I never feel the cold, not even in a snow storm. We wolves are… warmer than you humans. But our body temperature never goes above 50 degrees.”

“And you get over your injuries pretty damn quick, too.”

He tilts his head to one side to think about it.

“Yeah, that’s helpful when you’re hunting or in battle.”

“And you can see things far away, hear noises, and smell traces of things like vampires, right?”

“Right,” he replies patiently. “And we have super-human strength, agility and speed too––even faster than the pickup. Those bloodsuckers have got nothing on us,” he says proudly. “I guess you can understand that better than most.”

“I do,” I murmur. “When you guys run, you become almost invisible, you go so fast!”

He ponders something for an instant. Maybe it’s best if I don’t ask what. Then he finally speaks up.

“Come on, tell me something about vampires that I don’t know. Something about Donn. Doesn’t he scare you?”

“No,” I reply laconically.

“How can you stand to be with a whole family of vampires?”

“Actually, I wonder how they managed to accept my presence.”

As we approach the Wolf house, he presses his cheek onto the top of my head. The house again seems strangely empty and devoid of life, just like last time. Vuk and Drake are probably the only ones to live here, or maybe the others are all out patrolling the borders.

The truck comes to sharp halt, skidding on the gravel, right next to the brown porch, which is already starting to look homely to me. I look around at the clearing, which, just a week earlier, had been the Coliseum of Wolfeboro, and a knot forms in my throat.

“Are you ready? I can hear him,” he says as a kind of warning that Drake is present.

I nod nervously, trying fruitlessly to feign enthusiasm and fearlessness.

The engine is still running when I spot Drake, who has suddenly appeared at the doorway. He looks at me in silence, a triumphant gleam in his eyes. Vuk turns off the engine and we start to climb out.

“And being stubborn. Is that another wolf thing?”

“No, that’s just the way Drake is,” Vuk replies.

I hear Drake snort.

“That’s just the way the Wolves are,” he corrects him. “It’s a family thing,” he says pointing to his bare shoulder and the ‘W’ tattoo. Then he looks at me, a crooked grin on his lips. “Stella!” he cries. “I can’t believe you’re here. It must’ve taken a lot for Vuk to convince you to come.”

“Hey, Drake,” I shrug.

Vuk is lost in thought, then he suddenly seems to shake out of it.

“Can’t you put on a shirt or something?” he asks his brother irritably. He must just have come out of a transformation, as he’s wearing only the essential pair of Bermuda shorts, with no top or shoes.

“You know, my body temperature is between 43 and 45 degrees today. I feel like a walking heat wave, I can hardly even breathe.”

Vuk shakes his head.

“Yuk!” exclaims Drake looking at me. “You stink more than me, and I’ve been out hunting since six o’clock this morning.”

“Sorry,” I mumble, turning bright red. “Kind of you to mention it.”

Vuk throws daggers at him.

“You’re the only one who stinks around here, Drake.” The he turns to me, a cheeky grin on his face.

“That’s one of the many downsides of hanging out with vampires. Their smell rubs off on you,” Drake sneers. “A pretty minor risk considering.”

“Don’t pay any attention to Drake,” interrupts Vuk, opening the door. “Just leave it to me, I’ll keep him off your back.”

“Yeah, lately we’ve all been a bit obsessed with vampires…” I add. We start to walk inside, Vuk’s protective hand around my waist.

“Yeah, and for good reason this time,” murmurs Drake, overtaking us.

Now that we have crossed the dark wooden threshold of the house, Drake looks at me more sympathetically, as if my being here means that I simply want to spend a day with my best pal, nothing more complicated than that. He even manages a smile that seems genuine enough.

Suddenly Vuk spins me around and takes me in a bear hug.

“It’s so great to see you here, at my house!” He seems thrilled to have me here.

“I can’t breathe,” I stammer, smiling.

He laughs and releases me. I feel a deep sense of belonging and wellbeing flowing through me.

“Ready then?”

“Mind if I tag along?” asks Drake. He must know what our plans for the day are, I guess Vuk must have run it by him before inviting me.

“Hold on. You’ve just finished your patrol shift, you must be beat,” he says to Drake, feigning concern.

“Don’t worry about me, I’m not tired at all.”

Vuk turns to me, his eyes trying to gauge my reaction. A new road is opening up ahead of us, and he clearly wants to take it, but not if it means upsetting me.

“Can he hang out with us?” he asks me. His voice is calm, but with an underlying hint of repulsion.

I frown, not quite sure what to think, what to say.

Drake rolls his eyes.

“Stop playing the little girl,” he drawls.

We both look questioningly at Vuk, his face the picture of serenity.

“Ok, Drake,” I sigh. “You’re right.”

“Sorry I called you a little girl.”

“Sorry if I said you were stubborn.”

He laughs a contagious laugh, and Vuk and I join in.

“Right, I’ll go prepare us a snack,” says Vuk. “Why don’t you two get to know each other better in the meantime?”

I nod slowly.

“How nice,” comments Drake. “It’ll be nice to eat in front of the fire.”

“Right. All the warmth and comfort of a campfire without the effort of building it in the woods.” Something springs to my mind. I wonder if there’s something behind his request to spend some time with me. I search his face.

“What are you plotting, Drake?”

He just shakes his head laughing.

“I don’t want to see you hurt, I’m not sure it’s a good idea.”

I notice that his skin smells woody, mossy; not surprising considering we’re in the heart of the forest. It smells good. Donn and Vuk are always complaining about how the others smell bad, but I think it’s all bull. They all smell delicious to me.

“Anyway,” Drake says. “You coming here on Thursday gave me an idea. And I think it could really work!”

He flies down the porch steps, grabbing my hand and pulling me along. We head toward the dense vegetation that surrounds the house and come to a stop by a fallen tree trunk. I sit down on it, he settles down on the damp, stony earth by my feet. He takes hold of my hand, his face suddenly turning serious, anxious. He’s bursting to tell me his idea, and I can tell by his expression that he’s certain it will work out for the best.

“So what’s this genius plan of yours,” I eventually ask to break the silence.

“Well, it’s complicated, so pay attention.”

A light bulb suddenly goes off in my head, and I interrupt him. “You know why Vuk has been missing classes and going into the library so often recently, don’t you?” I try to say it doggedly, the kind of tone that demands a swift, concise answer, but it comes out a bit feebly. “I’m worried about him. He’s hiding something from me, I can see it in his eyes. He’s having a bad time, something’s troubling him, but he won’t talk to me about it. I know that behind his bad moods and his sarcasm, he’s suffering.”

And that’s why I came, that’s why I was prepared to face any kind of welcome Drake had in store for me.

“What?” says Drake, taken aback. He pulls his head back to get a better overall view of me, confusion etched on his face. Then he smiles and rolls his eyes.

“That Vuk…” he sighs, shaking his head.

“So is it what I think? Vuk has joined the Council. Why?”

He glances at me out of the corner of his eye.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbles. “I thought he was acting on his own. That’s what the whole plan was about, even though I wasn’t a hundred percent sure.”

“Oh no, poor Vuk,” I sigh, squeezing Drake’s hand.

To my surprise, he grunts and pulls his hand away.

“Don’t talk to him like that.”

“What do you mean?”

“Vuk’s not looking for pity or your permission. When he’s determined to do something, that’s that. It drives him on, gives him a shot in the arm.”