Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 70338 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 352(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70338 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 352(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
J.J. drops a hand on my shoulder. “Abe.” He warns, reminding me that Wilde threatened to kick my ass if I harass his new stepsister.
So I turn my attention to Lincoln. “Is it a double-date?”
Lincoln and Rayne stare at me.
Fuck. I was trying not to be too obvious, but now I have to spell it out.
“Who’s bringing your sister?”
Lincoln’s upper lip curls. Like his sister, he’s not afraid of me or the power I wield at this school. “Her boyfriend.”
Boyfriend.
Boy. Friend.
Did he just fucking say boyfriend?
My wolf goes into a rage, ready to smash a hole in every locker in the hall. “Oh yeah?” I fight to keep control of my voice. My vision is already going haywire, pain locking into both temples and running down the back of my neck into my shoulders. “Who is that?”
I’m going to find the asshole who asked Lauren to the dance and rip off both of his ears. I’m going to–
“None of your business, Abe.” Rayne slams her locker and grabs Lincoln’s arm to tug him away with her.
“Watch it, Ru…Rayne.” I can’t see either of them. The entire hallway has turned a smoky black, and I can only see in the edges of my periphery.
I have kids at this school trained to part when I come through, and it works in my favor now because a little squeak from someone leaping out of the way tells me I almost hit a wall.
I use my hearing and sense of smell to navigate my way to my next class. I accidentally sit in the chair next to my assigned place, but the guy who belongs there says, “Yeah, have my chair, bruh.”
I paste a cocky grin on my face as I jump up. “Just kidding, man.” I move to the correct seat.
I will myself not to think about Lauren.
About the fucking boyfriend who is taking her to Homecoming.
About what my wolf wants to do to the guy.
I need to make it through this week, so I can play the game on Thursday night, or my dad will never forgive me. That means I can’t look at, talk to, or even breathe around the ice princess.
If I do, there’s no telling what my wolf will do.
Lauren
The slight fizz of interest I had in seeing Abe at school quickly goes flat Monday afternoon. He wears a surly, dickish expression in Chemistry and, for the first time, ignores me.
I’m used to his bullying. The attention he throws my way–even though it was jabs and sneers. I’m unaccustomed to him pretending I don’t exist.
I’m not hurt. I’m way too disaffected to feel anything resembling caring about the situation. But the little spark of life Abe brought to my system this weekend dies out. I’m back to full numbness.
Back to wondering if it will ever clear or lift. If I’ll ever be human again.
And I have Homecoming and breaking up with Luke to contend with this coming weekend.
Yay.
Abe’s jerkiness continues all week. I try to reconcile this new version of him, not with the old school persona but with the guy whose chest I cried on. The guy who admitted he’s attracted to me. The guy who climbed through my window and pinned me down in my bed. Got me wet just from the feel of his hard muscles and imagining what it would be like to have him inside me.
Now, I almost wonder if I imagined the whole damn thing.
Maybe I’m going nuts. I needed to feel something so badly I invented a werewolf and a vampire and a hot kidnapping by the jock at school. I look for evidence of werewolves in every class, but I see nothing to confirm or deny my experience.
On Thursday, we’re in the lab together with a new assignment. Abe stands at a distance from me, his body tense and rigid, his nostrils flaring. I try to erase the memory of how those glorious muscles look beneath the casual t-shirt and khakis.
“Are you going to pull your weight today?” I snark.
He just shrugs.
Damn him.
I actually miss our usual banter–the two of us poking at each other and posturing, but Abe still looks murderous. Like I’m the one who did him wrong instead of the other way around.
Here I was going to forgive him for kidnapping me and letting a vampire suck my blood. Trying to wipe my memories of him.
If any of that even happened…
Now I’m pissed as hell.
I’m not about to do this lab by myself and let him get the credit again. I heard what Rayne said—he almost didn’t get to play in the last game because I wasn’t in class to help him with the lab. Well, tonight is the Homecoming game, so if he wants to play, he’ll have to pass this lab.
I put on my protective goggles. Normally, I’m the one who mostly ignores him while he tries to get a rise out of me. Now I go on the offensive. “Let’s go, hotshot.” I push the instruction sheet across the lab table toward him.