I gazed longingly past the fence to the farmer’s field beyond. Just a short jaunt across it was the tree line, the entrance to the forest that we called home. Kylarai’s house was perfectly situated on the edge of town, the ideal place for a werewolf to have the best of both worlds.
After debating with myself over whether I was too lazy to get up and get a refill or not, I left the comfort of the lounge chair and climbed the deck stairs to the kitchen door. Shaz followed me in, sliding the door shut behind us. I gave him a quizzical look as I opened the fridge to hunt down the daiquiri pitcher.
“What’s up?”
“Coby is a pretty nice guy once he gets talking. Very reluctant with the wolf stuff.” Shaz leaned on the counter, watching me. “I think he’ll be fine. He just needs to accept that he’s a wolf now. It’s always denial and resistance in the beginning.”
I nodded, pouring the delicious strawberry concoction into my glass. “Coby can handle it. The fact that he’s still sane works in his favor.”
Shaz’s gaze was drawn to the faint vampire bites on my neck, and my stomach turned. I looked away, but it was too late. I caught the judgment in his eyes before he could hide it. Falon, Juliet, and now Shaz, I was getting pretty tired of that expression.
I forced a smile and turned to go back outside. Shaz stepped in front of me, blocking my path. He pulled me against him, and his musky wolf scent filled me. Holding me close, he nuzzled me, rubbing his face softly alongside mine. Though genuinely affectionate, his actions displayed dominance. Without saying a word, Shaz had made it clear that he was the Alpha male and that he considered me to be his. I felt his wolf’s claim over me, and I bristled.
He didn’t want last night to come between us, but our dilemma just wasn’t that simple.
“I love you, Lex.”
I touched the side of his face and nuzzled him back. “I love you, too.”
Before he could delay me further, I pushed by him and disappeared outside. I knew there was more he wanted to say. This wasn’t the time or the place to bring up personal issues.
Kylarai was seated at the table in the far corner of the patio. I slid into an adjacent chair and tried to smile pleasantly when Coby set a tray of cooked burgers before us. He avoided my gaze, glancing at Ky instead. Shaz joined us a few minutes later, and successfully, we all faked our way through dinner.
“So Coby, what kind of work did you do? Is it something you’d like to continue?” With a little shrug and an embarrassed smile, Ky added, “I mean, when you get back on your feet.”
“I sold insurance, and I hated every moment of it. Being the suit and tie sales pitch guy never did fit me so well.” Coby was so soft spoken that his low voice was almost a murmur. “I kind of always wanted to be a tree hugger. An environmental activist or something, you know? I doubt it pays well, but it would be rewarding.”
Kylarai gripped her burger tight, causing it to drip sauce onto her plate. She stared off wistfully toward the forest. “I used to fantasize about working for Greenpeace. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. I ended up in law instead. Not even juicy criminal law. Just boring old divorce court nonsense.”
Coby studied her, his hazel eyes taking in her delicate mannerisms as she tucked a strand of dark hair behind her ear. “You must get a bird’s eye view of how ugly things can get. It must at least give you a new appreciation for love. I mean real love, the kind that would never end up being a fight over a house or kids.”
“Well… I can’t say I know a lot about that. Not firsthand anyway.” A shadow passed behind Ky’s eyes, but it was gone as quickly as it came.
“Me neither.”
A moment of strange quiet settled over us. I watched two sparrows flittering in a tree in the yard. They made me long to be one with them, an animal of the earth, a part of nature. I longed to be wolf.
Shaz picked up the conversation by telling Coby a little about our past in this town. He carefully edited out some details about Raoul and Zoey. The way Shaz told it, we lived a sitcom life with laughter and joyous times. I paused, my burger momentarily forgotten as I stared at him in wonder. Was his story for Coby’s benefit, or did Shaz really remember it that way?
Maybe I saw things all wrong. Perhaps it wasn’t as bad as I remembered. Yeah… right.
“Anybody else as eager as I am?” Shaz was drawn to the forest, his gaze locked on the beckoning expanse of trees in the distance.
“Yes.” I felt the wolf pacing inside. I was done with going through the human motions of supper and drinks. It was time.
Coby grew nervous. His anxious energy prickled along my skin. “I don’t know if I can do this.”
“You can.” Shaz gave him a friendly pat on the back. “The beauty of it is that you don’t have to fight it right now. It feels better when you can just let it happen. I promise.”