Clay's Hope (20 page)

* * * *

When Gabby woke Monday morning and started
to dress for school, I tried to stop her. She was still weak.
However, since Rachel had returned home late Sunday, I’d reverted
to my fur. So my efforts were limited to what a dog would do and
were easy for Gabby to ignore.

On her way out the door, she patted me on my
head and softly said, “Don’t worry so much.”

How could I not? The rules had changed, and
she still didn’t know. Frustrated, I sat beside the door and
listened to her car pull away. She had no idea just how much I did
worry. Not only would she need to contend with human men but,
possibly, werewolves, too.

Thankfully, Rachel left soon after. I let
myself out and ran my route to campus, scenting as I went.

Though there were no signs of werewolves in
the area, it didn’t mean it would stay that way. I knew, as wolves,
they wouldn’t get too close, thanks to the security guards. But,
what about as men?

I watched the students walking around campus
for several minutes then turned away. Gabby was right. I was
worrying too much. The men who wanted to meet her didn’t want to
hurt her. They wanted to talk to her, convince her that they were a
better match for her. It was the Mating challenges that were the
danger to her. As long as the challengers approached me when she
wasn’t near, she would be fine.

Back at the house, I dressed for work as
usual and set out on the long walk. I expected someone to approach
me then, but I arrived at the shop without incident.

Dale had the orders laid out on his desk so
I could choose what to work on. He no longer regulated me to
general maintenance orders. Anything he had on his desk was up for
grabs. I’d noticed he usually left the heavy jobs on the top. I
didn’t mind. He paid me more when I did those.

I took the top order, found the keys for the
car on the rack, then went to the lot to pull it into the right
bay. Outside, a hint of something in the air made me pause. I
inhaled deeply. Werewolf. It was faint which meant the challenger
was watching me from a distance, sizing me up.

The tension I’d held since Sam contacted me,
eased. It was a bit of a relief to know someone was out there. If
he was watching me, he wasn’t watching Gabby. It also meant that
Sam had spread the news that I wasn’t giving up my Claim. Anyone
wanting to meet Gabby would challenge me first. It wasn’t required,
but we had our pride. Though Gabby had technically rejected me by
not completing the Claim within the six months, she was still
allowing me to live in her house. Any man hoping to approach her
wouldn’t tolerate that remaining sign of her acceptance for me.
Thus, the challenges. They wanted to prove to her that they were
better in every way that mattered to a wolf.

I drove the car into the right bay and set
to work as I normally would. No one approached the shop and the
scent never grew stronger throughout the day. But I hadn’t expected
it would. Challenges weren’t something we did out in the open.
There was too much risk that humans would see what they shouldn’t.
When werewolves fought, we didn’t always shift completely. Instead,
we used the best of both our forms.

Near four, I cleaned up and went to the
current order to make notes. It was early enough that I could
settle up with Dale, face whoever challenged me, and still arrive
home before Gabby so I could start dinner.

Dale stopped his work and came over when he
saw me.

“Thanks for another day,” he said, handing
me money as he read my notes. “You see everything,” he said,
pointing to my comment about a few pinholes in the exhaust.

I shrugged. Some of the stuff was hard to
miss when I had the car jacked in the air.

“See you tomorrow?”

With a nod, I tucked the cash in my wallet
and left for the day. I didn’t get very far.

The challenger’s scent grew heavy near a
vacant building at the edge of the business district. After a quick
glance around, I veered off the sidewalk to track the scent around
the building.

The cement block structure had a flat roof,
and all of its windows were painted black from the inside. The
faint scent of oil and exhaust still clung to it. Some kind of
manufacturing plant, perhaps. Most likely insulated to help prevent
sound from carrying to the homes not far away. Whomever I faced was
smart to pick this location. No witnesses.

Around the back, I found the rear metal door
ripped open and hanging at an angle. A blatant invitation. I
stepped into the shadowed interior and pulled the door shut behind
me. The large empty space made it easy to see my challenger. He
waited in his fur in the center of the room.

I unzipped my coveralls and pulled off my
shirt. He remained where he was as I stripped and shifted.

Moving toward him, I already knew the
outcome of the fight. I saw in his eyes that he did, too. One on
one, very few of my kind would be able to overcome me.

* * * *

When I walked out of the building, the sky
was already dark. The challenge took longer than I’d anticipated,
and I knew the only dinner I’d have ready in time was canned soup.
It was something I’d picked up last week.

I jogged home, trying to keep a human pace;
and before going inside, I hid my coveralls in the garage. Though
Gabby knew about them, I wasn’t sure Rachel was ready for more man
clothes around the house.

Glancing at the clock, I wondered how
Gabby’s day had gone. No doubt I’d find out in a few minutes. It
took me seconds to open the soup and dump it into a pot. As it
heated on the stove, I quickly washed up. Though I’d won, the
challenger had scored a few solid blows but nothing that wouldn’t
be healed by morning.

Gabby pulled into the driveway just as I
poured the soup into bowls. Her slow steps thumped on the porch
while I carried the bowls to the table. I glanced up as she opened
the door. Looking exhausted, she dropped her bag on the floor,
closed the door, and then shuffled to the table. With a weary sigh,
she practically collapsed into the chair.

I sat across from her, watching as she took
her first few bites of soup before I started eating too. We ate in
silence for a few minutes.

“Are you going to tell me about the
coveralls or where you got the money for groceries?”

Though she’d asked, she didn’t look up to
any serious conversation. She looked like she needed sleep. So I
shrugged.

She sighed and pushed her bowl back. “I know
I’m supposed to start asking you a bunch of questions, but I’m
still too tired. Just don’t be doing anything illegal, ‘K? It would
be hard to visit you in jail.”

She got up and put the rest of her soup in a
container. Despite my silent objections, she washed her own dishes
then left me in the kitchen with my half bowl of soup. I quickly
ate, cleaned up, and went to her bedroom. She was already curled
under the covers and asleep.

The sound of Rachel’s engine stopped me from
lying next to her. I stripped, put my clothes away, and settled on
the end of the bed, careful of my bruised ribs.

* * * *

Tuesday was a repeat of Monday. Gabby went
to school, and I went to work. The scent of werewolf drifted to me
throughout the day, and I left early again. Like the day before,
the scent grew stronger as I neared the vacant building. Only this
time, it wasn’t a single scent, but three. I knew I wouldn’t make
it home before Gabby.

Walking around the building, I retraced my
steps. As I’d anticipated, the shallow bruises from the day before
had already healed. I doubted I’d heal as quickly from three fights
in a row. The bruising would go much deeper.

I stepped inside and found the three
challengers. Though I could see they planned to fight as men, I
stripped down to nothing anyway.

“Just give up now,” one of the men said.
“Sure you might win the first fight or two, but do you really think
you can win three in a row?”

I waved the first one forward in answer.

The guy shook his head. “Whether you win
this fight or not, Gabby’s no longer yours. You had your chance.
Elder Joshua has granted any interested male permission to approach
her without supervision.”

Shit.

I struggled to control my temper. I’d asked
for controlled Introductions. Sam had said he would see what he
could do. When I hadn’t heard more, I’d thought...what had I
thought? No answer didn’t mean a yes.

With a growl, I launched myself at the first
challenger. I needed to get home.

* * * *

It was past midnight when I left the
building. I stopped at a gas station to clean up. I had a split lip
and blood on my knuckles and in my beard. Most of the blood in my
beard wasn’t my own.

Letting myself in the back door, I listened
for Gabby’s soft breathing. She was safely asleep in bed. No other
sounds drifted through the house, which meant Rachel wasn’t home
yet. Some of the remaining tension melted from my chest.

As I stripped and then changed into a clean
shirt and shorts, I considered the challenges. I’d taken my time
and paced myself, careful not to expend all my energy up front. But
in the end, the third challenger had almost beaten me. What would
Gabby have done if she’d woken, and I still hadn’t returned? Her
comment from Monday’s dinner led me to believe she would have tried
to find me, that we weren’t done. Yet, what were we? Friends? I
needed her to start seeing us as more than that.

I carefully lay next to her, wincing at the
soreness along my back. She seemed to sense me in her sleep because
she shifted closer. I put my hands behind my head and let her use
me as a pillow. With her cheek on my chest, I wished I’d left off
the shirt.

Once she settled, I sighed deeply and fell
asleep.

* * * *

She moved, a slight nod that rubbed her
cheek against my chest. It was a pleasant way to wake up. She
lifted her head, and I opened my eyes.

“It’s annoying not being able to see you,”
she said softly as she propped herself up on her elbows to study
me.

“If you don’t talk, and I can’t see your
face, how am I ever supposed to figure out what you’re
thinking?”

She reached out to push my hair back, but I
caught her wrist. She wouldn’t like what she saw. I doubted the
bruises had faded from last night.

“Seriously, Clay, what kind of bribe is it
going to take for you to get rid of some of that hair?”

I bared my teeth, hoping my excuse would
work this time, too.

“Can’t we at least trim it back some?”

Her desire to look at me had me tugging her
hand to my chest and laying it flat. I wanted her to see me, not
just the outside but inside, too. My heart was hers. All that I was
belonged to her.

She watched me with a slightly amused
expression. Her tousled hair haloed her head in appealing disarray.
Her lips parted, and my gaze drifted there. I could handle a
thousand more challenges if only for one kiss.

Barely breathing, I lifted my free hand and
tapped my mouth.

“What, you want me to be mute like you?”

She was killing me. I shook my head and
reached out, cupping her jaw and lightly running my thumb over her
bottom lip. My pulse thundered in my ears.

She froze, then her eyes widened. All trace
of amusement fled her expression.

“Whoa!” she said as she flew from the bed,
almost falling off it in her haste to put distance between us.

My hand slowly fell to the mattress. She
didn’t stop backing up until she hit the dresser, and then she
clutched it as if she needed the support.

I saw her tremble and frowned. Had I misread
our relationship? Did she truly not see me as a potential Mate? I
waited. We watched each other. After a minute, she loosened her
hold and nervously wiped her hand on her leg. I wished I knew what
she was thinking.

As she continued to study me, her expression
of fear melted away to one of slow amazement followed by a deep
blush, which I found curious. Her amazement vanished and a sudden
panicked look took its place. She was shifting through emotions too
fast for me to understand. I’d thought the amazement and blush a
good thing, but why had it caused her to panic?

Then her gaze drifted to my throat. I wanted
to groan and close my eyes. Her reactions were confusing torment.
Want me or don’t, just decide soon.

She took several slow, deep breaths, wiped
her hands on her pajamas again, then, finally she moved. She didn’t
flee the room, as I’d half-expected, but edged toward the bed. Her
teeth caught her lower lip, making it hard for me to breathe.

“I have some questions before we talk about
my bribe and your price.”

What bribe? What price? I thought back to
our conversation—her conversation—and realized she thought I wanted
a kiss in exchange for trimming my hair.

She crawled back upon the bed and sat on her
heels beside me. “Will you try to answer my questions?”

I waited, unsure of her questions.

“Are you able to physically speak?”

I nodded.

“Are you ever planning on talking to
me?”

That question hinted at a long-term future.
I smiled wide and nodded again.

“Clay,” she said hesitantly, “were you
asking for a kiss?”

I’d never wanted anything more. I nodded and
reached out to twine my fingers with hers. She let me, and I ran my
thumb over the skin of her hand.

“Clay, I can’t even see your mouth to know
where to kiss. I hope this bargain includes a shave.”

My heart stopped. Was that a yes? I didn’t
move, afraid I was dreaming it.

She pulled her hand from mine so she could
set both hands on my shoulders. I felt the slight tremble in her
fingertips as she slowly leaned over me. Her nervousness almost
blocked the scent of her anticipation. She closed her eyes a moment
before her lips settled on me. She hovered there, lightly pressing
her mouth against mine. I held still, wanting so much more and
afraid to do something to scare her away.