Shadowed Instincts (15 page)

“So, have you remembered anything else about the accident?”

Melanie wiggled and edged backwards so her back was
completely flush against Jeremy’s chest. They were lying in his bed, having
made their escape from dinner with the excuse that he was tired and sore.
Really, Melanie was just trying to escape Tara and her questions before Tara
got her alone.

“No. Not really. All I remember is picking up the pizza,
driving down the highway, and then waking up here. From what I remember, I
wasn’t speeding, Mel. I swear.”

“That’s so weird,” she said, wiggling closer again.

“Mel,” he said with a tight voice, “try to be still.”

Melanie sat up quickly and whipped her head around to face
him. “Oh my God, Jeremy. Did I hurt you? Where does it hurt?”

She gently placed her hand on his chest over the smooth
fabric of his t-shirt. She ran it gently down his torso to his ribs. “Is this
where it hurts?”

Jeremy inhaled sharply at her touch and shook his head.
“Lower.”

Melanie ran her hand lower to his abdominal area and probed
it lightly with her fingertips. “Here?” she asked.

Jeremy groaned and shook his head again. “Lower.”

Melanie’s eyes crinkled with confusion as they traced a path
down from his abdomen. When she saw what was causing him discomfort, she
blushed hotly and smacked him on the arm.

“Jesus, Jeremy, you scared the hell out of me. I thought I’d
hurt you. Again.”

Jeremy laughed and pulled her back down in front of him,
snuggling her close. “And just like I told you that night, I love everything
you do to me.”

Melanie relaxed into his arms and thought about that night.
It was a party at Chris’s, and Melanie was alone with him in his room for the
first time. Things had gotten pretty heated, and she ended up on top of him. He
pushed her away and she immediately thought she had hurt him with her weight. But
that hadn’t been the reason. Not at all.

“Was that really only a few weeks ago? So much has happened
since then, it seems like forever.”

“Yeah, but think of it this way. Everything that has
happened has brought us to this moment right here, in this bed and there is
nowhere else I’d rather be.”

Melanie smiled, her eyes burning. “I love you.”

“I love you, too. You’re everything to me, Mel. We’ll figure
this out and get through it, stronger than ever.”

“I hope you’re right. I really do.”

*~*~*

“Finally!”

Melanie almost jumped out of her skin at the shouted word
and flipped on the light. It was after midnight and she was trying to sneak
into her bedroom without waking Tara. She didn’t have any plausible explanation
for her lie, so she waited to go to her room until she was sure Tara would be
asleep.

“Jeez, Tara, you scared the crap out of me.”

“Well,” Tara said, the anger evident in her voice, “I have
been waiting here all night for you to come back so I could talk to you. Are
you trying to avoid me?”

“No. Why would I do that?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Tara said as she stood up and slowly
stalked toward Melanie. “Maybe because you flat out lied to Chris earlier and I
want to know why!”

“Tara, I…” Melanie trailed off.

Tara stopped in her tracks and had a look worse than anger
on her face: hurt and disappointment. She turned back around and walked to her
side of the bed, plopped down and rolled over so that her back was facing
Melanie.

“Never mind,” she said. “You don’t have to tell me if you
don’t want to.”

Melanie walked to the bed and laid down next to her. “I want
to tell you, Tara. It’s just…I can’t.”

Tara rolled over to face her. “Don’t you trust me anymore?”

“Of course I do! It’s just that this has to do with Jeremy
and his family secret.”

“Oh, that again,” Tara said with an impatient huff.

“Please don’t be mad at me, Tara. I can’t take it.”

Tara took a deep breath and let it out on a sigh. She
reached over and took Melanie’s hand, squeezing it. Tears spilled over
Melanie’s eyelashes and streaked down her face.

“I’m not mad, Mel. I’m just disappointed. We used to tell
each other everything, and I feel like you’re drifting away.”

“I’m not,” Melanie said weakly. Then stronger, “I’m not. I
still trust you and I promise you that soon, I will tell you everything. I just
need a little time.”

“Okay, well, I’ll take what I can get. I love you, goof.”

“I love you too, Tara. Please don’t ever forget that.”

*~*~*

“There’s gonna be a full moon tonight.”

“Wh-what?” Melanie stuttered.

She and Chris were the first at the breakfast table Saturday
morning. They’d been eating their bagels and cream cheese in silence before he
broke it with those words. She almost choked and gulped down a half a glass of
orange juice.

“The moon. It’s going to be full tonight,” he said when her
spasmodic coughing quieted. “It’s supposed to be one of those super moons too.
You know, where the moon is closer to the earth than usual, so it looks huge.
It should be pretty cool.”

“Yeah,” Melanie said, clearing her throat one last time. “Cool.”

“Maybe we should all go out for a late-night stroll to see
it.”

Melanie cringed inwardly. There was no way she was going to
be anywhere near Chris or Tara tonight. It was too risky.

“I don’t know if Jeremy is ready for a nighttime hike yet,
Chris.”

“You’re probably right. I’d really like to hang out with him
tonight, if that’s okay with you? Tara and I are leaving tomorrow, so this will
be our last chance for a guy’s night for a while.”

“Of course,” Melanie said. “I’d like to just hang with Tara,
too, so it works out great.”
I’ll just figure out a way to get away from her
if I start feeling wonky,
she added silently.

“Great,” Chris said, shoving the rest of his bagel into his
mouth. He chewed it quickly and swallowed it in one big gulp, then stood from
the table. “I’ll see you later, Mel.”

“Okay, bye,” she said, staring at his already retreating
back.

“Hey.”

Melanie jumped about a foot off her chair when Jeremy
plopped down into the seat next to her. She placed her hand on her chest and
took a few deep breaths to calm herself. She could feel her heart slamming
against her ribs.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you,” Jeremy said with a
snicker.

Melanie arched an eyebrow at him, but didn’t respond. She
knew he very well did mean to scare her. She would pay him back for that later.

“How are you feeling this morning?” she asked instead.

“Actually, I feel great. My ribs are still a little sore,
but I finally feel like I have a full range of motion.”

“That’s wonderful,” she said, placing her hand on his thigh
and squeezing it. “I’m so relieved to hear it.”

Jeremy was staring at her hand on his thigh. When Melanie
realized how it was affecting him, she smiled and squeezed it again. The air
whooshed through Jeremy’s lips as he grabbed her upper arms and yanked her over
onto his lap.

His fingers dove into her hair and he yanked her head
forward for his kiss. Melanie was momentarily shocked, then her mind went blank
as his tongue delved into her mouth. He tasted like coffee and pastries, and
Melanie loved it.

Without breaking their kiss, she stood and twisted her body
so that she could straddle his legs and sat back down. Jeremy groaned and
kissed her harder. Melanie’s hands wound their way up into his hair, grasping
it tight and holding his head still so she could take control of the kiss.
Jeremy’s hands drifted down to her butt and squeezed it.

“Ahem.”

Melanie jumped and scrambled off Jeremy’s lap so fast her
back hit the table with a thud and a rattle of dishes. Blushing and rubbing the
sore spot on her back, she turned and saw Darren standing in the doorway with a
thoughtful smile on his face. She quickly sat in her chair as Jeremy hid his
smile behind his cup of coffee.

“Oh. Hi, Dad.”

“Good morning,” he said, walking to the table and setting
his plate down. Taking a seat, he looked over at Jeremy. “I see you are feeling
better this morning.”

“Yes, sir.”

Darren’s eyes slid back to Melanie. “You’re lucky that was
me and not your mom. She’s not as…understanding of the raging hormones of a new
shifter.”

“Dad!” Melanie exclaimed, embarrassed.

“Okay. Okay. I’ll drop it. Just be more careful. You know
she would lose it if she caught you like that.”

“Good morning!” Elaine called out cheerfully as she entered
the room with a flourish.

“Morning, Mom,” Melanie said, trying to hide her
still-burning cheeks behind her hands.

“What are you guys talking about?”

“Nothing!”

Elaine looked at Melanie curiously, then turned to look at
Darren. He chuckled and patted the chair next to his. Elaine sat down with her
coffee cup and scooted her chair closer to him.

“I was just telling Melanie to be careful today. She could
shift at any time, and as it grows closer, her emotions and…impulses will grow
stronger and more erratic.”

“Oh, God,” Melanie mumbled under her breath.

“What was that, honey?”

“Nothing, mom. Jeremy and I were just leaving,” she said. She
stood abruptly and banged her hip into the table. Flinching, she held out a
hand to Jeremy. “You ready?”

“Yeah,” he said, taking her hand. “See you later.”

Nodding at Elaine and Darren, he pulled Melanie from the
room with a grin. A quick glance around the hall showed him no one was around,
so he spun her around and pushed her gently back against the wall. Pressing his
body against hers, he placed his palms on her cheeks and kissed her gently.

“To be continued,” he whispered against her lips, then
pulled her down the hall away from the dining room and her nosy parents.

Melanie, Jeremy, Tara and Chris spent most of the day
together just hanging out around the house. They went swimming for a while in
the afternoon, laying out in the warm sun to dry themselves. Jeremy caught
Melanie’s attention repeatedly, asking how she was doing, motioning with raised
eyebrows and an upraised thumb, making sure she wasn’t feeling any of the effects
of an upcoming shift.

She felt perfectly normal all day. No flares of anger. No
tingles or muscle cramps. Just a normal teenage girl hanging out with her best
friends. It was a great day. She just enjoyed it and tried not to think about
dogs, full moons, or Chris and Tara’s scheduled departure the next morning.

Dinner was a little awkward. Darren had invited the Browns
to join them and Declan’s presence put a strain on Melanie and Jeremy. They
tried to hide it from Tara and Chris, but Tara was too sharp and kept shooting
questioning glances at Melanie. After Melanie pretended not to notice for the
tenth time, her phone beeped in her pocket.

Pulling it out and looking at the screen under the table,
she read, “
What’s going on w/ U? U R acting weird.”

She quickly typed out “
Later,”
and shoved her phone
back into her pocket before anyone noticed.

She looked up and glancing around the table, caught Declan’s
eyes on her. She saw some emotion etched on his face she couldn’t quite place
before he quickly replaced it with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. Melanie looked
back down at her plate to break the eye contact, but the tension remained.

After everyone finished eating, Melanie kissed Jeremy on the
cheek and told him she would see him in the morning. He and Chris headed toward
the entertainment room and Tara grabbed Melanie’s arm and practically dragged
her from the room and up the stairs. She pulled her into Melanie’s bedroom and
slammed the door shut behind her.

“Ow,” Melanie said, rubbing her arm. She walked over and clicked
on the radio.

“Alright,” Tara said, ignoring Melanie’s pained expression,
“we’re alone. Spill it. I want to know what the hell is going on.”

“Okay,” Melanie said, defeated. She grabbed Tara’s hand and
pulled her away from the door, just to be safe. They sat down on the bed and
Melanie said, “But you can’t tell anyone, not even Chris.”

Tara gave her a look that said, “Who do you think you’re
talking to?”

“Remember when I told you that Jeremy and I think Declan is
the one that poisoned him?”

“Yes. But you never told me why.”

Melanie paused and tried to choose her words carefully.
“Well, like I said, Declan has…shown an interest in me. Romantically.”

“Okay,” Tara said, drawing out the word. “But like I said, that
doesn’t seem like a good reason to try to kill someone. Declan seems like a
really nice guy.”

“Don’t let his angel appearance fool you, Tara. He’s good at
pretending to be nice. He was left alone with Jeremy’s drink the night he was
poisoned. That drink disappeared the next morning and I caught Declan sneaking
out of Jeremy’s room before he woke up.”

“I don’t know, Mel. That all seems pretty circumstantial and
I just can’t see Declan being the murderous type. I don’t buy it.”

“Well, I can see it and so can Jeremy, so that is why we
were tense at dinner. Being around Declan is hard, when all I want to do is
point and scream at him that I know what he did. But until we have proof, I
have to keep my mouth shut.”

“How are you supposed to get proof?” Tara asked, giving
Melanie a skeptical look.

“I’ll figure something out. I got the truth out of Mr.
Hughes, right?”

“Uh, yeah, but that guy was a psychopath. Declan trying to
kill Jeremy just so he can date you? You know I think you’re gorgeous Mel, but
that might be taking it a little too far.”

Melanie bit her lip. Laying back against the pillows, she
stared at the ceiling. There was more to it than Declan just wanting to date
her. He wanted the alpha position. Killing off Jeremy, someone not even in
their pack, made a lot more sense than trying to kill Darren to take the
position from him.

“I don’t know, Tara,” she said, keeping her eyes on the
ceiling. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe it is a little far-fetched to think that
someone would kill to be with me. But right now, it’s all I got. Until new
information comes to light, I’m going to trust my instincts.”

*~*~*

“Dude, where are we going?”

“Come on, man, be a little adventurous. I hear there’s a
great view of the sky from out here.”

Jeremy walked slowly behind Chris, who insisted they take
this nighttime hike into the woods to see the super moon. His ribs were still a
bit sore, but he wanted to spend some time with his cousin, so he trekked out
into the woods with him.

“There’s a great view of the sky from the yard, too,” Jeremy
mumbled under his breath.

“Too much artificial light,” Chris called back over his
shoulder.

Jeremy’s head reared back in surprise. “How did you hear
that?”

“What?” Chris asked. He stopped walking and turned back to
Jeremy.

“How did you hear what I said? I was talking to myself,
barely whispering.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Chris said. He shrugged and turned back
around to resume his hike. “Maybe sound carries better in the woods.”

“Huh,” Jeremy said, shaking his head. He followed Chris
deeper into the forest.

*~*~*

“I think I’m ready.”

“Ready for what?”

“Sex. With Chris.”

Melanie sat up quickly and grabbed her best friend’s
shoulders. “Explain.”

“Uh, I don’t think I need to explain what sex is to you, Ms.
Motorboat.”

“Eww, please don’t ever call me that again.”

Tara laughed. “Yeah, that didn’t sound as cool as I thought
it would.”

“Seriously, are you sure you’re ready? Do you love him?”

“I really care about him. We have fun together. Making out
with him is the absolute best. I know he wants to go further.”

“Has he been pressuring you?”

“No. Nothing like that. I can just tell. I mean, he’s a guy
right? They always want it.” Her brow puckered with uncertainty as she stared
at her hands.

“Jeremy’s not like that. I mean…He does want it. I think…But
he would never make me feel pressured.”

“Well, he loves you.”

“Do you think Chris loves you?”

“I don’t know. Maybe.”

Melanie took Tara’s hand and stared into her eyes. “Don’t
you think you should wait until you know for sure?”

Tara sighed and threw herself backwards onto the bed, covering
her eyes with her forearm. Melanie laid down next to her and waited for Tara to
speak. She only had to wait a few moments.

“How did you know?”

“How did I know what?”

“How did you know that Jeremy really loved you?”

Melanie squeezed her eyes shut and thought about it for a minute.
She couldn’t exactly explain everything to Tara. Not about Jeremy being Ace,
saving her life, and watching over her constantly. She just tried to explain
the best she could.

“Well, other than him actually saying the words to me, he
shows me in little ways all the time.  He does little things every day that
make me happy. He protects me when I need it, even from myself. You have no
idea how many times I tried to have sex with him before he stopped turning me
down.”

“Yeah,” Tara said, barking out a laugh. “I almost died when
you texted me asking about that. Such a shocker, coming from you, of all
people.”

Melanie pinched Tara’s side and said, “Shut. Up.” After a
brief pause, she continued, “Do you remember what you told me?”

“Yes,” Tara sighed. “I said he was only putting things off
because he really loves you and he wanted to make sure you were ready.”

“Exactly. Don’t you think your first time should be with
someone you love? Who loves you as much?”

“Oh God,” Tara moaned, pulling a pillow over her face. “I
hate it when you’re right.”

“Then you must hate it all the time,” Melanie said with a
grin.

Tara grabbed the pillow from her face and swung it toward
Melanie’s head. With a screech, Melanie rolled away from her, trying to dodge
the hit. Not realizing how close to the edge she was, she rolled right over,
landing with a loud thump on the floor.

Tara scurried over to the edge and looked down at her. “Oh
my God, Mel, are you okay?”

Melanie snorted out a laugh and said, “I think so. I bumped
my head on the nightstand, though. Ouch.” She probed her forehead with two
fingers and felt a knot forming there.

Tara scrambled off the bed and grabbed Melanie’s hands,
pulling her up. “Come on,” she said, trying not to laugh, “let’s go get you
some ice for that bump.”

*~*~*

“Do you know anything about our grandfather?”

They had made it to a small clearing and had been silently
staring at the huge moon for a few moments before Chris broke the silence with
that question. Jeremy looked sharply at him, sucking in a breath.

“What?”

“Our grandfather. Has your mom ever talked about him? My mom
doesn’t know much. I thought maybe Aunt Alicia had more information.”

“Not really,” Jeremy hedged. “I guess Mom and Dad had a huge
falling out with him before I was born. I never met him. And now…”

“And now, what?”

“I’m sorry, but he died over a year ago.”

“Huh,” Chris said. “Oh well. You can’t miss someone you’ve
never met, right?” He shot Jeremy an unnerving smile.

“I guess not,” Jeremy said, shaking off the weird vibes he
was getting from Chris.

“That car accident was crazy, huh?” Chris asked, moving from
one subject to next without pause.

“I still don’t remember much,” Jeremy said, shaking his
head. “Are you sure I was speeding? I just can’t imagine myself driving Mel’s
car like that.”

“Yeah, it was ridiculous, man. I tried to get you to slow
down, then that white dog came out of nowhere. We’re lucky we’re alive.”

“Yeah, lucky.” After a brief pause, Jeremy continued, “You
know, I swear I remember putting on my seatbelt when we left the pizza joint.
It’s so weird.”

Jeremy closed his eyes and thought back about the drive
home. He remembered getting pizza with Chris, walking out to the jeep, buckling
up and leaving the parking lot. He also remembered fiddling with the radio,
trying to find some good tunes to listen to on the drive home.

“Was I looking down at the radio? Is that why I didn’t see
the dog running into the street until the last second?”

“No,” Chris said.

Something in his voice sent a chill down Jeremy’s spine. He
glanced over at Chris, who was still staring up at the moon, and saw his jaw
clenching tightly. Jeremy put his hand on Chris’s shoulder and turned him
around so they were facing each other.

“Hey, you okay, man? I’m sorry I made us wreck. I know it’s
my fault we got hurt. I’m really sorry, Chris.”

“Remember,” Chris said in a deep, commanding voice.

Every detail from the accident came rushing back to Jeremy
at once, making him gasp for air. He looked at Chris in confusion. Chris smiled
callously and nodded his head.