“I don’t scare you?” he asked her in a bewildered tone, making me wonder whether he’d heard my thoughts.

Shayna batted her eyelashes. “A sweet little puppy like you? No, of course not.”

“Excuse me,” Emme said quietly. A cabinet door opened and a row of plates and glasses flew out and set themselves on the table. Utensils followed. The wolves stiffened, falling back into a relaxed state at Emme’s blush.

Aric nudged me playfully with his elbow. “What can Taran do?”

I motioned in her direction. “You’re looking at it,” I whispered.

Blue and white sparks ignited over her head as she and Gemini fell into Barbie-loves-Ken mode. Liam sniffed at the pot of meatballs and sauce Emme stirred. “Whoa, this smells awesome.”

Emme smiled. “Thank you, but I can’t take the credit. Celia prepared them and made the sauce two nights ago. I just heated everything up.”

Aric quirked an eyebrow at me. “You can cook?”

Shayna swung an arm around me before I could answer. “That’s right, dude. One day, this little lady is going to make some lucky guy a heck of a wife.”

Never in my life had I wanted to kill Shayna more.

Aric threw back his head as he laughed. I was grateful when his phone announced a text, giving my cheeks a moment to cool. He read through the message and then put his phone down. “How many vampires did you say escaped Zhahara’s?”

“Tim told us two.”

Aric smiled as he read the text again. “Dan. We might not be able to get you the blood. My pack just found and killed the infected vampires.”

CHAPTER 20

“Are you cold?”

I should have been. The temperature dropped quickly as the sun set across the lake, and my hair remained damp from my shower. But with Aric sitting so close to me on the porch swing, all I felt was his warmth. His pack continued to prowl the area for more infected vampires. Tomorrow, he and a fresh set of weres would relieve them. For the moment, I had him to myself.

I leaned back against the arm he’d draped across the length of the swing. “I’m fine, wolf.”

Aric pushed his thick hair out of his eyes, although I’d have given anything to do the honors. It reminded me of dark chocolate, while his eyes were more like melted caramel, so intense, so—

“Why did you help the vampire, Celia? Does he have something on you?”

I freed a bare foot tucked beneath me and pushed against the light blue floorboards, rocking us gently before I hid my foot again beneath my long sweater. “Misha didn’t force me into anything.” I glanced out into the midnight blue sky. The clouds had begun to clear. Stars sparkled like crushed diamonds, and a hint of the full moon reflected along the lake. “You may think me naive, but I felt bad for him.”

Aric drew out a long sigh, his voice deepening once more. “He’s a manipulator and a bastard. Don’t be fooled into believing he meant to save anyone but himself.”

I thought about how Misha kept close to Emme during battle, how he’d carried me in his arms…and how his family shielded my sisters when the frigging Greyhound took out the entire front hall. Yet I kept those details to myself. Aric hated Misha. Nothing I said could change that. And arguing the point meant arguing with him…and the last thing I wanted then was to fight with Aric. I adjusted the thick sweater around me. From inside I could hear my sisters bustling around in the kitchen. I’d offered to help clean, but Shayna had practically shoved Aric and me outside together.

I lowered my lids briefly. “I understand what it’s like to feel the world is against you. My sisters and I have always been ostracized for being different…even as children.” My fingers played with the big round buttons of my sweater. “The kids at school knew we weren’t like them, but they didn’t know why. Since our last name is Wird, our classmates nicknamed us the ‘Weird Girls.’ No matter what school we went to, the nickname followed.”

“That must have been hard.” Aric’s voice lost that edge and grew quieter.

“It was.” I kept my tone casual, like the cruelty we’d experienced no longer bothered me. Some things, though, hurt forever. I nibbled on my bottom lip, wishing I hadn’t brought my past to Aric’s attention, and thought it best to move on. “But my sympathy alone is not what compelled me to help Misha. In the end, saving Tahoe seemed like the right thing to do—the only thing to do.”

“You sound like a were. Our kind is always trying to save the world from something evil.”

I smiled, feeling humbled. “I think you’re giving me too much credit. I don’t always do the right things.” I examined my palms. From time to time it surprised me that the blood from my first kills hadn’t left permanent stains. I’d been so vicious, brutal…and they’d been only human. “I’ve made a lot of mistakes.”

“Like what?”

My head angled toward him. I hadn’t expected him to be so direct. I wiped my hands against my sweater. The soft cashmere remained gentle against my palms in spite of how hard I rubbed. “Nothing I’m willing to discuss, at least…not tonight.”

Aric nodded, remaining preoccupied with my face. My pulse raced; I was unsure his focus was a good thing. My sisters had strutted out of their rooms like they were going club hopping. I’d slipped on a pair of jeans and a short-sleeved gray tunic, and hadn’t bothered with shoes or socks. No, I wasn’t the odd sister out or anything.

A soft breeze blew my curls into my face. Aric took a long strand and tucked it behind my ear. The trickling heat as his fingertip slid along my neck made my toes wiggle beneath me. “Another day then?” he whispered.

I didn’t answer, caught up in the strong angles of his heart-stopping face. Aric leaned closer and smiled. He had such a nice smile, one I found easy to return. And his eyes—they were business and bedroom all at the same time.

Aric’s clean, enticing aroma mixed with the fragrance of male spice. I wanted to taste his lips, to run my hands against the hard muscles of his body, to feel him pressing against me—

Liam threw open the front door. I jerked back like we’d been caught na**d. He shoved a beer in Aric’s hand, then mine. Aric stared at the beer and back at Liam like he’d handed him an irate scorpion. “Hey, Aric. One of your babes keeps calling my phone wondering where you are. I think her name is Selene. She said you had a date tonight.”

Aric glared at him while my jaw fell to the floorboards. He had a date. With someone else. Not the chick who preferred bare feet, comfy clothes, and lip balm instead of lipstick. I stood abruptly, unable to keep the bite out of my voice. “Maybe you should give her a call.”

I stormed inside, more pissed at myself for getting my hopes up than at Liam. Damn, what was I thinking? Aric probably needed Shayna to beat females off with a battle-ax. “Do you need help with dessert?” I asked Shayna a little too loudly.

Shayna paused in the middle of placing strawberries around the chocolate fondue pot. “Ah…you could set the table if you want.”

I threw the silverware on the table and grabbed an armful of plates. Shayna abandoned her fruit and rushed to yank the plates from my grasp. “Ceel, let’s do paper instead.”

She probably worried I’d break our ceramic ones. She was probably right. Liam trailed in, taking a swig from his beer. Koda frowned. “Where’s Aric?”

“He’s calling one of the girls who’re after him.”

Koda glanced my way. “Now?”

“Yeah, apparently they had a hot date scheduled for tonight.” Liam popped a strawberry in his mouth. “She’s texted me four times telling me everything she wants to do to Aric.” He laughed. “She sounds wilder than the last three.”

I could have smashed the fondue pot over his damn head, especially upon feeling the weight of everyone’s gaping stare. Outside, Aric paced along the length of our porch, talking low into his phone. His voice amplified, sounding angry before he finally disconnected. He hesitated at the doorway before walking slowly toward me.

“Sorry about that,” he said quietly. He motioned to the paper plates Shayna placed in my hands. “Can I help you with that?”

I shook my head and set the table, trying my best to ignore Aric. He gave me space, but the moment I finished, he stepped in front of me. “I’m sorry we were interrupted. I was enjoying our time together. Do you want to skip dessert and take a walk?”

“Don’t you have other plans?” I meant to sound harsh and cold, because then I could hide my disappointment and pain. Except the harsh and the cold flipped me off, leaving the hurt to fend for itself.

Guilt mixed with sadness along the planes of Aric’s face. “I only want to spend my night with you.”

My lips parted with surprise. I jerked away, knowing this…situation with Aric would eventually leave me devastated. And yet my tigress insisted we should take a chance. I fiddled with the plates in my hands, tracing the floral pattern before finally answering. “Okay, Aric…Let me get my shoes.”

Aric handed Danny a card. “Bring the blood vials to this address, in case we find more infected vampires.”

Danny stared at the card. “You’re staying at the Granlibakken Lodge?”

Aric nodded. “Just until we find a place to buy. We’re relatively new to the area. And while we can stay at The Den, we don’t want to live with our students full-time.”

“I’ll swing by the lab and get them to you tonight.”

Aric shook his head. “Don’t trouble yourself. It can wait.”

“It’s no trouble. Besides, I want to help.”

Bren yawned and tossed Danny his keys. We followed them into the crisp night. Mrs. Mancuso dragged out her garbage cans just as Bren and Danny piled into the car.

Bren rolled down the window and motioned me over. “Come here, Celia. I forgot to tell you something.”