Sara put her plate down on the coffee table. “Uh… no. Why?”

Miki shook her head, “No reason.”

“Okay.” Sara knew that tone. Years and years of experience. “What’s going on?”

“Well, we have a theory.”

“No.” Angelina called from the kitchen. “We do not have a theory. You have a theory.”

“Whatever,” Miki snapped back. “It’s just that I’ve been analyzing the situation. Uh-oh. “And based on your recent body change…”

“Body change?”

“Increased muscle mass, tone, and strength.”

Sara looked down at herself. She had liked the shape of her abs this morning when she was showering.

“And increased senses.”

“Senses?”

“We practically had to leave the apartment to have a discussion you couldn’t hear.”

“You mean when you went into the bedroom? No. I heard you clear as crystal and my feet are not inordinately big.”

“Not if you’re a man.” Angelina called from the kitchen.

“Shut up!”

“Mhhm. Interesting. You could hear us.” Sara could see Miki was clicking off some checklist that was firmly planted in her head.

“Increased aggression.”

“I’m not aggressive.”

“Maybe we should ask Casey about that.” Wow, Miki could be smug. How did she never notice that before?

“She looked at me funny.”

“Uh-huh.” Check. “Increased sexual drive.” Sara opened her mouth to protest that one, but Miki cut her off, “When I asked you how you felt yesterday, your response to me was ‘Horny. Very, very horny.’”

“Oh. Yeah. I did say that, didn’t I?” Check. “And what does all that prove?”

Miki folded her arms in front of her chest. All she needed was the lab coat. “Werewolf.”

Sara burst out laughing. She couldn’t help herself. “Have you lost your mind?”

“I have proof.”

“What proof?”

Miki handed her the book she’d thrown on the coffee table earlier that morning. Sara read the title out loud. “The Truth About Werewolves?”

“Really good book. Factual. It’s all in there.”

“That’s your proof?” Sara threw the book down, “All right No more reading for you.”

Sara went into the kitchen. She grabbed several more pieces of bacon and hopped on to the counter, again using only her legs. Angelina looked at her from the corner of her eye, “That’s new.”

“Cool, huh? Must be my new super powers.”

“You keep joking, stretch. But wait until the next full moon.”

Sara looked at Angelina, “Full moon?”

“Don’t worry.” Angelinapulled coffee mugs out of the cabinet, “You’ve got a good three weeks before that happens.”

“Okay, when your body starts morphing at the full of the moon. Don’t call me.” Miki disappeared into her bathroom.

“We’ve got to get her out of that bookstore.”

“Wouldn’t help.” Angelina pulled milk from the refrigerator and set everything up on the counter beside Sara. They both waited for the coffee like it was elixir from the gods. “Are you still going to work today?”

“Yeah. Why?” Sara knew where this conversation was going.

“Just wondering…” Sara waited for it. She wasn’t disappointed, “…if you’ll be seeing Zach.”

“I don’t know. I doubt it. I don’t know.” Christ, she sounded like an idiot.

Angelina smiled softly, “He loves you, you know.” That wasn’t what Sara expected. Not by a long shot.

She burst out laughing, “Oh, my god. You’re crazier than Miki is.”

“But you know I’m right.” Angelina pulled the glass pot out of the coffee maker and poured two mugs full of the steaming brew. She handed one to Sara.

“Look. He came over, he fucked me. I’m pretty confident that’s the extent of our relationship.”

Angelina shook her head, “He didn’t ‘come over.’ Skelly told us everything. He came there to get you. He was looking for you, he heard that blond guy on the phone with him. And he protected you from that girl Casey. He fought for you, Sara.”

Sara stared down at her mug of coffee. “I can’t believe that right now.” She put the untouched coffee down on the counter and slipped off.

“Why not?”

Sara headed to the front door, snatching up her backpack on the way, “Because when he leaves, it’ll kill me.” She opened the door, but looked back once at her friend, “And you said it yourself. He will leave.”

Sara had gotten down the stairs of the apartment complex when she heard Angelina’s voice from above her. “Sara.” Sara stopped at the foot of the stairs and turned to look back at her friend, “You’re right. He’s going to leave. But whoever said he’d leave without you?”

Without waiting for Sara to answer, Angelina turned and went back into Miki’s apartment.

Chapter Eleven

TOC

Her conversation with Angelina just kept replaying through her mind. He couldn’t love her. Not somebody like him. And she absolutely refused to love him. It didn’t matter how gorgeous he was. Or how well he fucked. What did matter was that she just didn’t have any faith in love or lovers or people who said they were in love or any of it. So, she wasn’t about to be led down that path. Not for anything or anybody. Not for Zach. Never for Zach.