“I don’t think I’ve ever paid that much attention to our claws before. But, no, I don’t believe so.”
I slumped back in my chair thinking. Everyone in the room watched me waiting for what I’d say next.
Could there really be another species of werewolf? The sparks I saw indicated the possibility. But if I followed that line of reasoning, did that then mean I was another species of human? Maybe these werewolves just had different abilities. I chewed on my lip for a minute. What about the nail color? Could that small difference carry enough significance to classify two separate species? I was grasping. I needed to grasp. If there were two kinds, maybe it explained why I had two potential mates.
Frustrated and still tired from my stunt with Rachel, I scowled getting to the heart of my angst. Sure, I wanted to know what the color differences meant, but I needed to know why I felt what I did when I saw that man unconscious on the floor.
Sam cleared his throat and I ignored him. Someone spoke softly further back in the room. Others moved restlessly.
So what if I felt the same pull for another guy. It just meant I had a choice. Isn’t that what I wanted all along? Yet now that I had options, I couldn’t see myself walking away from Clay. Not for school, not for a career, not for some creep who snuck into my house...
I peeked at Clay unable to hide my turmoil. He reached out offering his hand. His hair hid his eyes again making it hard to read him. I looked down at his hand, calloused and so real.
Realization dawned. Clay and I held the answers. I kept my eyes trained on his hand to hide my thoughts. When I’d focused on Luke, I saw the yellow-violet spark. When I’d focused on Rachel, I’d expected to see Peter only, but hadn’t. Human vs. werewolf testing. If I was right about different species and tried the same test with Clay, I saw two possibilities. I would see myself as his mate or I would see two potential mates for myself, thus supporting my theory of another werewolf species.
Doubt crept in. What if I didn’t see myself? What if it didn’t work that way and I saw the other werewolf who Clay had knocked out? I needed to know.
Knowing Clay would try to pull away if he knew my train of thought, I closed my eyes and focused. I held onto my need to find the perfect mate for Clay and my hope I’d see myself.
The shock jump from my hand to his and my vision of the real world narrowed. I held my breath, terrified of the answer. My second sight exploded into existence. Not the great void filled with billions of sparks, but with the vibrant intensity and color of the sun. The white yellow core pulsed, its energy radiating outward, cooling to a molten orange. Hope flooded me as my own spark filled my vision.
The other world collapsed and my eyes once again focused on the real world. My hand still rested within Clay’s, but I caught the change in his expression. Clay glared at me. First time ever. He knew what I’d done, but I couldn’t feel bad about it. Joy filled me. I’d been right. It didn’t answer my question about the variances in sparks, but I didn’t care. It gave me the answer I needed.
I smiled sweetly and leaned over to kiss him lightly on the lips. When our lips touched, something tangible changed. The joy I felt remained, but something else crept in. I pulled back, eyes wide. My heart hammered and my stomach clenched as I stared at him unable to look away. Mesmerized.
In shock, I realized what I’d done. I’d transferred my pull to him. Only he wasn’t pulling in men. He pulled me in and the force of it consumed me. He represented a hot fudge sundae to a diet-starved girl. Even knowing what I felt was a result of my power, I couldn’t ignore it. He was so handsome… so perfect... so clueless as he still scowled at me.
His fingers still twined through mine, but I needed more from him. Affirmation of an ‘us’. I wanted to touch his face and smell his skin. I wanted to hold him tight and never let go.
With speed I never imagined I possessed, I moved from my seat to his, straddling his lap and leaning my forehead against his. He grunted in surprise, but otherwise didn’t move.
Breathing in deeply, I smelled the soap he’d used and closed my eyes. His hair tickled my nose. I pressed my lips to the tip of his nose. My heart twisted painfully. His hand came up lightly resting on my side. It heated my ribs. The contact of each finger branded me. I opened my eyes and smiled. Better, but not enough. My mind kept chanting ‘more’.
Forgetting our audience, I ran my hands through his hair and pulled back to kiss his exposed forehead. His cautious brown eyes met mine. I lost myself in their depths for several moments recalling the first time I saw them. On his driver’s license. I needed more from him. No more hiding from each other.