Predator Girl (A Paranormal Romance) (25 page)

BOOK: Predator Girl (A Paranormal Romance)
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“Yes, I’m—”

I was cut off as she pulled my face to hers. She kissed my lips, my cheeks, my nose, everything above my chest. I gave up trying to talk and kissed her back. She reeked of dirt, sweat, blood. I didn’t care.

Pulling away, she cried, “I knew it wasn’t a hallucination. I smelled you back there off the trail! But how? You-you turned into a-a—”

“Wolf.” I nodded. “Yeah.”

Confusion flitted through her features. She leaned back on the ground, stroking my face. “That’s impossible. You’re a human. And you looked like Rex, all golden and bear-footed—that’s doubly impossible!”

“I thought so, too.” I kissed her again. “I’ll explain everything at home, okay?”

“Holy hell,” a voice muttered.

Fox and the Adonis newbie appeared near the creek, just a couple yards behind us. “You’re . . .
alive,
kid.” Fox sounded amazed. Relieved.

I pulled away from Ilume and stood up. Fox’s brows shot up and he looked to the side. “Whoa. Shadow, go get this kid some pants or something, will ya? Before the pack comes looking for Ilume.”

Shadow rolled his eyes. “Here.” He tugged off his grey shorts, tossing them to me. “I’ll go clear up the warning call.” He trudged away in his boxers.

“Good thinking.” Fox nodded. When the kid was gone, he turned back to us. “How did you—?”

“I’ll explain everything,” I repeated. “Along with some other stuff we need to discuss.”

“Where’s Rex?” The old man surveyed me.

Ilume shot me a look, eager for the answer as well. Pulling the shorts on, I tried to look busy tying the drawstring. Rex’s twisted head came to mind. I knew this day would haunt me.

“He’s—” I paused. “His trap trapped him, ok? Let’s put it that way.”

Ilume said, “Trap? What trap?”

A string of silver and black shapes came out of the mansion. Shadow, a figure in the distance, waved his hands. A few gathered around him but others entered the woods, coming to investigate.

I took Ilume’s hands. “I’m sorry,” I said. “I didn’t directly kill him. There’s a lot of stuff he kept from you and, well, please,
please
believe me when I say it’s better this way. He was leading all of you right to war.”

“War,” she said, like the word was a bad taste in her mouth.

“Yes.” Fox lifted his head, jaw tight. “He was.”

Ilume blinked at him, trying to read his expression. “You knew what he was up to.”

While she was annoyed, she didn’t seem mad. How could she be? Rex had been like the One Ring: he’d ruled us all.

Rooks—nimble, dark-furred canines like Ilume—appeared. Ears perked, eyes scanning, they swarmed around us, ready for battle. A couple licked my shorts and bare feet. I took it as a
welcome back.

“All right, shoo, shoo.” Fox waved his hands at them. “Everyone back to the mansion. False alarm. Go on.”

The Rooks made disgruntled noises, unconvinced. When Ilume moved, they followed on every side. I pulled my hand out of hers—with some effort—and slid it around her waist.

Trying for a smile, she kissed my cheek. “So. Is this wolf thing permanent? Does this mean—oh my God, have you decided to stay?”

I grinned, hearing the hope in her voice. As we came out of the woods the rest of the hunters circled us, licking us and pulling us into embraces. Fawn broke through the crowd, surprising me with a hug. She grabbed her daughter and began spewing questions, then hustled her inside, babbling about stitches and how much blood Ilume was losing.

Ilume wasn’t paying attention. All the while, her green eyes focused on me, waiting for an answer.

That night in the care center, I snuck out of bed. I left my space, sniffing my way down the hall. Faint howls echoed from the outdoors, voices of the hunters as they searched for Rex’s body.

Ilume and I spent the evening answering questions, no personal time. Everyone swarmed me, asking how I did it. I explained my father’s research, which led into my stay with the Jackals. That topic caused a small riot, but with Ilume’s help I managed to calm everyone down. After a long discussion about packs and territory, I spoke of Rex’s death, of his traps that he’d set for the Jackals, and how he’d been stealing their territory.

After a long two hours of talk, the Rooks began to disperse, going off to gather their thoughts. I slouched against the wall in the ballroom, Ilume at my side. I asked her about how I was supposed to claim leadership now, since technically it wasn’t I who killed Rex; it had been his own trap.

“You still fought him. You were the one that pushed him out toward the traps, although that wasn’t intentional,” she said. “Plus, I’m still alpha female. I doubt the pack would be opposed to me choosing the new alpha male.”

I stopped worrying after that.

Slipping behind the curtains, I was careful not to disturb her roommates in the care center as I crawled onto Ilume’s mattress. I pulled the blankets over me, snuggling against her side. She rolled over, clean and warm and half asleep.

I whispered in her ear, “Yes.”

“Yes, what?” she yawned, resting an arm on my chest.

I tucked my arm around her back, smiling. “Yes. I’m staying.”

Acknowledgements

I
have a handful of people to thank for making
Predator Girl
possible. My mother, Gudrun, is first. Mom, you’ve been and will always be my biggest inspiration. You taught me to be strong, and to have hope in both good times and bad. Thanks for raising me on monster books and fairytales as a kid. They became the fuel for my own stories. Thank you for never doubting me, and for all the coffee dates when I was down. I owe you some four-pump mochas.

Next, I want to say thank you to my dad, Tim, who is the perfect example of striking out and fighting for what he wanted most. In those moments of despair, when I wanted to give up, you reminded me of all you had to do to get to where you are today as a successful business owner. You gave me your determination, and for that I am very grateful.

I want to thank my high school English teachers, who also didn’t doubt me and got me on the road to being an author. Mr. Kline, I was seventeen when I came to you and said, “I’ve written a book. Now how do I get it published?” You walked me through the steps of writing my first query letter and synopsis and gave me tips for editing. I don’t know what I would’ve done without your help. Thank you. To Mr. McDonald: thank you for introducing me to
Writer’s Market.
I was clueless until you taught me about publishers. Your knowledge, plus your enthusiasm for my work, gave me inspiration.

Last but certainly not least, thank you to the amazing staff at WiDō Publishing, including my editor, Kristine, and the acquisitions editor, Allie. You guys made my greatest dream a reality. I have fought long and hard for this, and I really enjoyed working with your company. There are not enough thank-yous in the world for what you’ve done for me.

About the Author

B
orn to the great Northwest, S. B. Roozenboom grew up submerged in fairytales and monster stories. She wrote her first novel in high school, when she was seventeen. Currently, she’s working on three new novels. When she’s not writing, she’s drawing up tattoo designs, exploring the Oregon wilderness, and hunting for her next big book idea.

http://www.theofficialsbboom.yolasite.com

BOOK: Predator Girl (A Paranormal Romance)
12.25Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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