Beautifully Unnatural: A Young Adult Paranormal Boxed Set (89 page)

I approached them at the curb. “Is something wrong?”

“Why would you ask that?” She smiled in that way that told me I was her everything.

Suddenly, it all seemed right again. “I don’t know. Just checking.”

“Don’t worry. We’ll have a productive trip and be back soon,” my dad assured me.

They finished loading and closed the trunk while I hovered. We did a three-way hug and they drove away. I waved until I couldn’t see their car anymore.

Alone again.

Finding my phone, I texted Zack and gave him the all clear. He replied right away telling me to stay put, make sure the doors were locked and he’d be there in a few minutes. But I was fine. It was still light outside. Daniel wouldn’t make an appearance knowing I had protection. Would he?

While I waited for Zack, I checked my email, then scribbled out a check for the bill Timothy had emailed for Zack’s time.

True to his word, Zack drove up moments later and honked. I ran outside and he flicked a thumb toward the passenger side. “Get in,” he said. “We’re going to my house for dinner.”

“And we can’t walk one block?” I raised one brow.

“While we’re there, I can pick up more of my things. Easier to drive my stuff back than carry it.”

I hopped in. “Fine, but on the way back, I get to drive. Tomorrow too.”

“Sure, it’s your car. What’s the deal with your parents?”

“Just stopping by between jobs. Dad thinks it’ll take two weeks, then they’ll be back. I don’t know whether to be relieved or concerned. It’s so unlike them not to drag me along.”

“From what you say, they’ve never had any real time alone together. Maybe they realize it’s not such a bad thing.”

“You’re probably right,” I said.

At Zack’s house, the smell of garlic and basil and other spices greeted me. I wondered what surprises waited for me in that casserole I’d peeked at earlier. “What’s for dinner?”

“Smells like baked ziti. You’re in for a treat. God, I love my Aunt Cara.” He grinned.

Zack was right. It was delicious. After we ate and I helped him clean up, we did our homework. When we’d finished, we visited his mom. A few minutes later, he left me alone with her while he gathered more of his things.

“How are you and Zack getting along?” she asked.

“Fine. But—” I held her hand between mine, about to tell her that we didn’t want to start something we weren’t going to finish. But I couldn’t do it. “We’re taking things slow.”

“You’re such a nice girl. I’m glad he found you.” She smiled sweetly and I ached for Zack, because this beautiful, wonderful woman would be leaving him soon. I barely knew her and my heart felt heavy as I contemplated her fate. Zack’s fate too. He had to feel a hundred times worse than me and would miss her a thousand times more.

He came in, kissed her on the cheek and tucked the blanket around her. “Goodnight, Mom.”

When I got into the driver’s side of the Mustang, I saw a duffle bag and a box filled with tattered books and yellowed papers. “What’s that stuff?”

He threw a quick glance into the back seat. “The books my dad left for me. You need to read them. They’ll explain things a lot better than I could.”

Good. It would occupy my mind. Then maybe I wouldn’t notice I was alone in a house with a gorgeous guy who’d already demonstrated his attraction for me, in the yummiest possible way. Was there anything in the world more tempting than that? I didn’t think so.

Back home, I curled up on the sofa with a blanket wrapped around me to ward off the frigid temperature of the living room. I’d turned down the air conditioner earlier, so Zack wouldn’t sweat on the furniture. I didn’t want any more of his scent permeating the house in case my parents returned unexpectedly, as they were prone to do.

But it might be a good idea to turn it back up before I went to bed or my room might be too cold for me to sleep. The last thing I needed was to be up all night, with nothing to think about but the scantily dressed boy on my sofa.

Zack sat in the recliner rereading one of his dad’s books. I’d snagged an old, crinkled letter that his dad had written to him years ago. I unfolded the yellowing papers and turned toward the light of the lamp.

Lucio Gavino De Luca told how he’d grown up human, his lack of propriety and complete disregard for others, how he’d been turned into a werewolf and eventually worked for the king as a scout. But the indulgence and decadence had grown old. The abundance of willing women became meaningless and he wanted more from life.

He fell in love with Favianne and had planned to turn her so they could always be together, but then she’d become ill. He resigned himself to having her only a few more years when he learned she was pregnant.

I finished the letter, then read the ending once more.

This, Zack, and the other books your mother gave you, is all you have left of me. Use the knowledge wisely. More importantly, stay free. Value your right to create your own path and not be a part of a pack. Don’t make the same choices I made. Don’t join the king and don’t become a scout. Run, if you must. And above all else, never trust a werewolf. No matter how nice they seem, how convincing they are or what they promise you — it’s a lie. Never trust another werewolf.

Know that I am there with you in spirit and remember I loved you more than I could say.

Lucio Gavino De Luca

“Wow. I’m sorry.” Tears pricked my eyes. I didn’t know what else to say and couldn’t decide whether Zack’s father should be vilified or praised. Perhaps a little of both. “Your mom must’ve read this and thought it was pretty weird.”

Zack abandoned the book in his hand and moved over to sit with me on the sofa. “She thought he was quite creative for making up such wild stories for me.”

“He had a tragic life, trapped for centuries on a path he shouldn’t have chosen.” I snuggled closer in the blanket, thinking if I should adjust the thermostat now. Before I froze to death. “No wonder you’ve decided to run.”

“Which I think is why he told the story the way he did. He wanted me to know the ugly truth, so I wouldn’t make the same choices. My mom describes him very differently. The way she tells it, he was an honorable man who loved life and was always happy to spend every waking moment home with us. She was madly in love with him. Still is.” He smiled, a faraway look in his eyes.

“I remember worshipping him,” Zack continued, “and being so excited when he’d come home after a long business trip, although at the time I had no idea he was a werewolf or a scout. He spent a lot of time with me when he was home. He’d carry me on his shoulders everywhere we went. Sometimes, we’d work on the car together or we’d go fishing.”

“Sounds like maybe he was a good guy, or trying to be.”

Zack stared at the old letter still in my hands. “Or not. He was a scout, doing the king’s dirty work. Even a bad person can love his wife and son. People can get good at hiding their true selves. And my mom... Love can be blind, so her version isn’t all that reliable. Besides, he told me not to trust werewolves. He didn’t exclude himself, because he knew werewolves aren’t good.”

I dropped the papers in my lap and turned to face Zack at the other end of the sofa. “You’ll never convince me you’re not good, Zack.”

“If I was, then why did I bully Daniel the first time I caught him harassing you? He didn’t physically provoke me, but he ended up shoved up against the locker anyway.”

“You’re not bad,” I repeated.

“I’ve done bad things.” He shook his head. “I was a total ass to you when we first met and you didn’t deserve it.”

“We’ve
all
made mistakes or made wrong decisions, whether human or werewolf. That doesn’t make you evil.
Real
evil people don’t feel bad about what they’ve done and they don’t try to change.” I didn’t want Zack living with guilt when he already has so much to deal with, but I didn’t want to get on a soapbox either.

My hand had slowly curled around his, but since he hadn’t flinched and removed his hand, I left it there. “How did your dad die?”

With his other hand, he played with my pinky ring. “I’m not sure. My mom won’t talk about it. All I knew was that one day he never came home.” His gaze dropped to my mouth.

Butterflies danced in my belly and I refocused. “I can’t imagine what that must be like, to lose a parent that way.”

“Hopefully, you’ll never know.”

“I wish things were different for you, that your dad was still around and you didn’t have to run alone.”

He stopped twirling my ring and covered my hand with his. “I still miss him.”

“I’m so sorry, Zack,” I said softly.

My blanket had fallen to my waist and I shivered. His free hand skimmed my shoulder and traveled down my arm to my elbow, the warmth of his skin sending another shiver through my body.

Breaking contact, he took the papers from me and set them on the coffee table. Then he nudged the blanket aside and captured my hips, pulling me down so I lay flat. He hovered over me as if suspended in midair. My gaze locked onto his. I held my breath, waiting as he gradually eased his weight over me. Our lips a breath away, he closed his eyes and slowly inhaled, then opened them again and met my gaze.

Was Zack waiting for me to meet him half way? He’d already rejected me and told me he couldn’t get involved. Knowing that, if I encouraged him, wouldn’t I deserve the heartache that would surely come?

But I couldn’t look away.

“Autumn,” he said, so quietly I assumed if it was my imagination. “You’re not helping.”

“You want help?”

“Yes,” he pleaded.

To me, that was as good as his blessing to do as I wanted. As
he
wanted. I rose to meet him and nibbled his bottom lip. He moaned, which was all the encouragement I needed. My hands snaked under his loose T-shirt, my thumbs exploring the center line that separated his stomach muscles and led to his chest. He chucked off his shirt and returned to me.

I let my fingernails skate lightly over his shoulder blades and down his spine. He swooped and our tongues entwined, igniting a fire in my belly. I ached, wanting so much more, but then he eased off me just enough to separate our mouths.

“That’s not what I meant,” he said in a hoarse voice. “You’re supposed to have better control than me. You’re a
girl
.”

It wasn’t just that he’d ruined our moment. Again. He’d compounded his crime by saying something stupid. Regardless what came out of his mouth, it still equaled another rejection.

I squeezed my eyes shut and shoved him away. “Didn’t you learn
anything
from last night?”

His brows furrowed.

“Did I try to stop you up in my room when we were half naked? No, I didn’t. Here’s a clue for you: Girls like it too.” I gave his shoulder a jab, then rose from the couch and stomped toward the stairs to the thermostat. Even though I was too hot now.

“I’m sorry.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Let’s go for a run and work off some of our, uh, energy.”

† † †

“This time, I won’t forget. When you bark twice, I’ll turn around,” I assured Zack as we distanced ourselves from my house and went deeper into the forest.

“I won’t need to bark. I’ll talk to you telepathically,” he reminded me.

“You can do that in your wolf form?”

“Sure. Everything’s almost the same. When we’re wolves, we’re still just as aware and intelligent. But it’s duller, like having a few beers. In my human form, I don’t want to kill a rabbit and eat it raw and I
do
care about showering and stuff. As a wolf, none of that matters. I chomp down on a fresh kill and I’m in heaven.”

“Too much information, Zack,” I chided, mentally pushing away the image of the bloody animal.

“Don’t worry. I try to resist. I’ve gotten too paranoid someone will go hunting for whatever they think is killing the wildlife. I don’t want to get shot at.”

“Let’s go.” I bolted. I didn’t know Zack’s normal routine, but I intentionally expended double the energy I usually did. Ideally, once I got home, I’d be too tired to lust after Zack or do anything about it if I did lust.

After a hard run, Zack barked twice and this time I remembered to turn around. He dressed and we strolled down a path toward the empty field that led to my house. Unsure who may pop up in the woods, I spoke silently. “
If I’m a shape-shifter, why don’t I morph
?”

Zack froze, his jaw muscle going tight as he held up his index finger against his lips and squinted. The breeze picked up and I smelled him.

Get up in a tree, as high as you can. Now!
he shouted into my head. My heart banged around in my chest, and I shot upward. In a flash, I was there, viewing Zack from above. He slowed his movements, plucking a leaf from a tree and rubbing the smooth, waxy surface. “Daniel. Nice of you to come by for a visit.”

“Where is she?”

“Who?” Zack asked.

“Don’t mess with me. I can smell her.”

“You’re not smelling
Autumn
. You’re smelling
her scent
. It’s actually
me
you smell.” Zack flashed him a cocky grin.