“So, when we get to the park—um …” Claire paused.
“I’ll stay out of the way. I know my presence won’t help. It will give me a chance to search that part of the woods.” Marie straightened up. “And don’t forget to carry your clothes with you.”
Right. Clothes. Claire stood motionless, the weight of what she had to do pressing down on her too heavily to move.
“We’re running out of time.” Her mother shifted impatiently.
Claire shook herself. “Sorry. I’m ready when you are.”
At least, I guess I am.
The two of them transformed and set off for the park.
By the time they arrived, a deep ache had settled into Claire’s ribs and her injured ear throbbed. She dropped the clothes she’d brought and turned to her mother.
I’ll be as quick as I can.
Marie’s tail waved. Take your time. This is every bit as important as finding Zahlia. I’m going to see what I can find in the woods. She turned to go, leaving Claire alone.
Through the last fringe of trees, Claire could see Matthew. He stood leaning against his car, his hair still wet from his postpractice shower. Before her nerves could get the best of her, Claire changed into her human form and pulled on her clothes. Her shirt had a damp spot across the front from carrying it in her mouth and she hoped Matthew wouldn’t notice it.
She shook the last of the pine needles off her shorts, smoothed her hair, and stepped out of the trees.
Matthew caught sight of her and headed across the clearing, closing the distance between them. Claire was relieved to see that there was no anger in his expression.
“Hey,” she said.
“Hey, yourself.” A smile twitched at the corner of his mouth—just a flash, but it was there.
When she looked at his mouth, the angle of his cheekbones, the realization of what might have been washed over Claire. They could have been together—gone to the prom and kissed in the hallways between classes. If she were human. Instead, they were meeting out here in the night to talk about keeping one of them alive. Tears stung Claire’s eyes. “Matthew, I’m so, so sorry—,” she blurted out.
He raised a hand to stop her. “I’m sorry too. I panicked.”
Claire’s mouth hung open. She hadn’t expected an apology.
“You’re right. I don’t agree with my dad, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t freak me out to find out that someone I know is a werewolf. Sometimes stuff’s just a little harder to process when it hits that close to home, you know?”
“Yeah, I have some experience with that.” Claire snorted. The first night she transformed flowed through her memory—how unreal it had all seemed just a few months ago. Matthew turned and walked toward the trees. The thought of being in the woods where her mother might stumble across them made Claire nervous, but she fell into step beside him, anyway. They walked in silence across the field.
When they reached the edge of the forest, Claire’s anxiety faded. It really would be easier to talk to him with the darkness of the forest shadows giving her a place to hide. And the only thing she could smell was a dead deer, deeper in the woods. Her mother must have circled around the other way. The fact that Matthew didn’t hesitate to walk into the forest with her gave Claire the courage to open her mouth.
“Matthew.” She sighed. “You cannot believe how much I do not want to say what I have to tell you now.”
He cocked his head to one side. Claire crossed her arms tight in front of her chest and stared at the ground, not sure how to begin. Finally, she just told him exactly what her mother had told her. “The thing is, if you tell anyone who we are—my mother and I—then the rest of the pack will come after you. But if you don’t say anything, hell, if you just pretend that none of this ever happened, then the pack will protect you. Forever. It’s called being a gardien.” She looked up at him. “I wouldn’t ask you to keep this—us—secret just for my sake. I really wouldn’t. But I couldn’t stand it if anything happened to you. Please, Matthew, just forget you ever met me, and I promise, everything will go back to normal, okay?”
“But I don’t want to forget about you.” Matthew stuck his hands into the front pocket of his sweatshirt and looked at her hard, his eyes blazing in the faint light of the newly risen moon. “We can change things, Claire.”
Claire swallowed hard. “I wish things were different too, believe me.” She stared at the pine needles under her feet. “But—” Her mother’s scent wafted through the clearing. Claire looked up and froze as her mother bounded into the clearing.
Marie’s ribs were heaving and the fur on her hackles was raised. She stared hard at Claire, then looked away, the whites of her widened eyes flashing in the near-darkness. Next to Claire, Matthew backed up.