Last week we announced that Veronica Blade’s My Wolf’s Bane (Shapes of Autumn, Book One) is our Romance of the Week and the sponsor of thousands of great bargains in the Romance category: over 200 free titles, over 600 quality 99-centers, and thousands more that you can read for free through the Kindle Lending Library if you have Amazon Prime!

Now we’re back to offer our weekly free Romance excerpt, and if you aren’t among those who have downloaded My Wolf’s Bane, you’re in for a real treat:

And here, for your reading pleasure, is our free excerpt:

CHAPTER ONE

Scooping up my backpack, I abandoned my geriatric car and forged through the double doors of the school. The patter of my sandals echoed through the hallway as I smiled at a group of classmates passing by.

My nose detected the bathroom before my eyes did, filling with the smell of disinfectant and… paint? Whatever. I’d take the toxic fumes over my former home school days, where my parents had kept me trapped without a social life.

Inside the empty restroom, I rummaged through my backpack for my makeup bag. I set it on the edge of the sink, then surveyed the damage. At least I’d had time to do my hair before I’d stormed out of the house. Long, dark brown hair cascaded over my shoulders in thick waves. My face was a different story though. Evidence of sleep deprivation circled my eyes and my normally olive skin was pale.

As I stared at my reflection, I wondered how to handle my very dead car without involving my mom or dad. After the bomb they’d dropped last night — that we’d be moving again in just a few weeks — I didn’t want to speak to either of them. I mean, what kind of parents uproot their kid two to three times a year? There had to be a way to convince them to stay a few weeks more, until I turned eighteen. Then I could make my own choices.

The restroom door swung open behind me, letting in the dull roar of voices and banging lockers, and a younger girl disappeared into a stall. Was it time for my first class already? I checked the time on my cell and realized I’d been holding the mascara brush for several minutes, yet my lashes were still naked. Crap.

I tossed the makeup bag into my backpack, slung it over my shoulder and whipped open the door. Barreling out of the bathroom, I slammed into what felt like a walking boulder. I ricocheted off the human rock and my backpack hit the wall behind me, throwing me off balance and pitching me forward into the hard, linoleum tile.

My palms cushioned my fall, but I winced as pain spiked up my wrists. On all fours, I lifted my chin and peeked through my curtain of dark hair.

He wore a black tee that molded to his wide, muscular shoulders and jeans that fit over powerful legs. Wow. I’d thought my soon-to-be-ex-boyfriend was cute, but this guy…

“You okay?” the hottie asked in a sexy, gravelly voice, stretching a hand toward me. His hand wrapped around mine and effortlessly pulled me up, as if I weighed no more than my calculus book. Maybe it was the throbbing in my limbs or the warmth of his hands on my elbows. Or maybe it was his earthy scent invading my senses, but a wave of dizziness hit me and I tipped forward.

His hands shot to my hips to steady me. “Easy there.”

I stared into his deep, green eyes as my palms rested on his hard biceps for support. Lord, he smelled good, like the forest after rain.

My breath hitched.

The scuffling of feet and rustling clothes seemed quieter than it should’ve been. I glanced over my shoulder to see what was up. Nearly everyone in the hallway had their eyes fixed on me. No doubt, most of them had witnessed me doing the Humpty-Dumpty and, by the end of the day, the incident would be all over school. Probably even caught on video and uploaded to YouTube, me with no makeup and totally un-cute. Ugh.

Hot Guy may have been standing right in front of the bathroom in my way, but I shouldn’t have been speeding. I opened my mouth to apologize when I recognized Daniel’s voice.

“That’s my girl you’re touching, freak.” Daniel sneered, flicked his long, dirty-blond hair over his shoulder and clamped onto my wrist. “Hands off.”

Hot Guy nudged me aside and stepped forward until he almost butted chests with Daniel. “You need to learn some manners.”

“Oh, yeah? You gonna try to teach me, girly boy?”

Though I knew Daniel was acting like an idiot, the school gossip mill didn’t need any more material on me today. I was more than finished with Daniel, but I didn’t necessarily want him to get a public smack-down — even though he probably deserved it. Wedging myself between them, I twisted to meet Daniel’s gaze. “Let’s just go.”

“Good idea.” Daniel gave Hot Guy another scalding look before grabbing my hand and jerking me away. I breathed a sigh of relief that I wouldn’t have to referee a brawl.

“Ass hat,” Hot Guy muttered.

Daniel kept walking, practically dragging me along. He couldn’t have heard the insult or he would’ve stopped and turned on Hot Guy. But I had heard it so clearly. Weird.

“Hang on and I’ll walk you to class.” Daniel paused at his locker and spun the combination lock.

“Sure,” I said absently. I glanced over my shoulder to Hot Guy, who was leaning against a locker fiddling with his cell phone. The least I could do was give him an apologetic smile and mime, “Sorry.”

I didn’t get a chance. His gaze met mine, his mouth twisting as he raised one brow. Okay, so this wasn’t going to be an easy fix. Hot Guy seemed too old to be in high school anyway. Probably a college student dropping off his younger sibling, which meant I’d never see him again.

I wanted to keep staring at his perfectly sculpted nose, angular cheekbones and deep brown hair that fell haphazardly over his forehead, but he spun and strolled off in the opposite direction. A tug of my hand drew my focus back to my future ex-boyfriend.

“Hold up,” I said. The warning bell sounded, but I barely heard it as I yanked my hand from his. “Why’d you have to act like such a psycho?”

Daniel shrugged, as though the answer was obvious. “He was touching you.”

I laughed. “Seriously?”

“You’re mine, Autumn. No other guy can ever touch you again.” He said it like he couldn’t believe I’d even question him.

“I’m no one’s property,” I hissed. “Besides, I tripped and he was just helping me up.”

“Why are you defending that loser?” His voice rose and his face flushed.

My hands balled into fists. “Because I don’t like how you treat people.”

“What are you talking about?” He gave me a look that said it all — I was insane. I opened my mouth to start in on him, but his eyes swept the corridor before he said, “We’re gonna be late for class.”

Daniel was right. The hall was deserted. A stream of mild curses spewed from my mouth as I sprinted to homeroom with only seconds to spare.

† † †

Just before lunch, I scribbled notes in my textbook and tried to concentrate on the current assignment, but my mind drifted to Hot Guy. Why had I heard his insult when Daniel obviously hadn’t?

The bell rang and I gathered my books and headed to the cafeteria. As soon as I entered the corridor, I caught a whiff of cinnamon and orange. John’s signature scent, since he always chewed this weird gum. I glanced around, expecting him to be right next to me.

A moment later, John stood beside me and that same cinnamon-orange scent heightened. But why had I smelled it before he even got there?

“Hey.” I flashed him a smile.

Daniel and my friend Gina didn’t talk to super-geeks like John. I did though, ever since a few weeks ago when I’d watched him get between little Benny Frampton and two big jocks.

To avoid witnessing carnage, I’d rushed over and flirted with the bullies. John took his cue and got the kid out of their way. Ever since then, I never treated John like a nerd, no matter how much Daniel and Gina protested my friendship with him. To me, he was Brave John, my friend.

“Heard what happened this morning,” John said as he fell into step with me, “but I see you’re still in one piece.”

Ah, the gossip mill running fast, as usual. “Yeah. Good as new,” I said, marveling at how my hands and knees weren’t sore at all. First the amazing hearing, then the super-human sense of smell and now the lack of bruises. Weird. Was I sick or something?

“So you want to see a movie tomorrow?” he asked. “I bet Maya would come.”

My jeans vibrated. I stopped to juggle books to my other arm and reached into my pocket to read the text. It was from my mom. Coming home directly after school, sweetheart?

I groaned, answered the text and shoved the phone back in my pocket. “Unfortunately, I can’t go anywhere this weekend.”

“Oh.” He nodded slowly, frowning. “Grounded again?”

“Yep.”

“How much do you owe this time?”

As we passed other students along the hallway, I flicked the lapel of my new leather jacket and wagged a finger toward my jeans. “These weren’t cheap. I think my latest shopping euphoria gave me amnesia that I still owed my parents.”

When they gave me an advance, it had to be paid back before leaving the house the following weekend. That was the rule. Paying my debts and keeping my agreements was supposed to teach me discipline. Why couldn’t they just hand over an allowance, with no strings attached, like other parents?

“Wait.” John took hold of my arm, stopping me in my tracks. “Have you told Daniel yet? He won’t be too thrilled about his girlfriend ditching his party.”

Daniel had exercised astounding patience over my parents’ rigid rules and nine pm curfews, but missing his party? He’d probably dump me… which would save me the trouble of breaking up with him.

“True.” I landed a playful punch on John’s bicep as an arm wrapped around my waist, spinning me around and pulling me against a firm chest.

“Hi, babe,” Daniel said. Always on the alert with him now, I flattened my palms against his stomach, ready to shove him away.

When we’d first started dating a couple of months ago, Daniel did the sweetest things, like bring me daisies stolen from his mom’s garden. He’d won me over all the way the day he’d changed my flat tire. But in the last few days, Daniel had gone from loving and considerate to demanding and offensive. Worse, he’d become hard of hearing when it came to the word “no,” and I wasn’t in the mood to fend off his pawing. I was so over him, no matter how uber-popular he was.

“Hey, Daniel,” John said.

Daniel ignored him. John rolled his eyes, then ambled away.

“You could try being nice,” I said, moving out of Daniel’s grasp. I wanted to end it with him right then, but a hallway swarming with people wasn’t the best place. “What’d John ever do to you?”

Daniel snorted. “He annoys me. I don’t know why you give that dork the time of day. C’mon, let’s eat.”

Dork or not, eating with John and my other best friend, Maya, sounded like much more fun. But Gina still needed to know I couldn’t go with her to Daniel’s party. An A-lister like her wouldn’t have a problem finding someone else, but she’d probably blow the whole thing out of proportion anyway. Maybe she’d even dump me.

Gina had been my first friend at Verdugo Hills Academy and introduced me to the cool people. She always had my back. At first, hanging with school royalty had been exciting, but being popular wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. It took me three months with Gina to realize I preferred Maya and John, people who were easy to be around.

Daniel led me to the lunchroom and, after collecting some food, we settled next to each other at our usual table. Gina had beaten us there, stunning in a pink sleeveless blouse with ruffles for straps. Her short, auburn hair had been blown straight, bringing out the natural red highlights. As always, her makeup was flawless, just like her heart-shaped face.

Which reminded me that I still wasn’t wearing any makeup.

Her friend Natalie, who’d never warmed up to me, huddled with her. Natalie had potential beauty, but her ever-present scowl and matching mood always overpowered those piercing hazel eyes and short cap of black, curly hair.

Gina stopped talking mid-sentence and turned to us with a grin. “Hey, guys.”

“I’ll see you later,” Natalie told her, rising from the bench. She wrinkled her nose at me, then left. I knew Natalie was just jealous that Gina hung out with me more, but knowing Natalie’s reasons didn’t make her any less irritating. Thankfully, once I showed up, she didn’t usually stick around long.

I returned Gina’s smile, but it faltered in anticipation of her reaction to my house arrest. “How’s it going?”

“Babe, I’ll be back.” Daniel’s beefy hand darted out for the sandwich on his tray, then he left without waiting for a reply. Relieved to have him gone, I watched him join a couple of his friends.

“God, who died?” Gina asked.

“What do you mean?” Oh, crap, was my reluctance to confess that obvious?

“Look at you.”  She quirked a brow. “You’re so junior high without makeup.”

“Oh, yeah.” I lifted one shoulder. “Ran short on time this morning.”

Maya appeared at our table, looking amazing even holding a plastic food tray. She was a guy’s embodiment of perfection with her long, wavy blond hair and voluptuous body. She occasionally complained how hard it was to find a bra that fit around her narrow ribcage, but could still hold all she had to offer. Like all that cleavage was such a burden. Poor thing.

“Hey, Autumn.” Maya turned to Gina, her tone going flat. “Hi.”

“Nice shirt.” Gina smiled sweetly. “How generous of your brother to go through his clothes for you.”

My mouth dropped open. Gina had never been nice to Maya, but she usually limited their interaction to giving her the cold shoulder. “Gina, what the hell?” I demanded.

“Holy Underwear Model.” Gina’s gaze riveted to her right. “Who’s the hottie sitting with Trevor?”

Following the path of her gaze, I froze. The din of voices, the distant clanging of trays and the smell of grease faded away when I recognized the guy with the dark hair and green eyes I’d gotten lost in.

My stomach dipped.

 

CHAPTER TWO

Maya glanced behind her. “That’s Zack De Luca.”

“And?” Gina prompted.

“Trevor’s cousin.” Maya laid her tray on the table, but remained standing.

As if he could feel me staring at him, Zack turned his gaze on me. I gave him a welcoming smile, hoping he’d forget I’d bulldozed into him earlier and how my dickhead boyfriend had behaved. No such luck. He narrowed his eyes and shook his head.

I instantly deflated. “What’s his deal?”

“Zack just enrolled. He’s been visiting weekends and summers for years, but now he’s here for good.”

Maya had crushed on Trevor since grade school and knew everything about him and, it seemed, his relatives. I couldn’t understand why she and Trevor hadn’t already hooked up.

“Did he fail a couple grades? He looks old enough to be in college.” I surreptitiously checked out the boys again, while I broke off a piece of my grilled cheese sandwich. Trevor’s hair was a little lighter and his features less angular, but both guys excelled in the cute department. Zack more so.

“Almost the same age as Trevor. He’s a senior like us,” Maya said, glancing back at them. “Though he’s grown about a foot and bulked up since I saw him last.”

“Steroids?” I asked.

Maya laughed. “He’s always looked older than Trevor.”

“He could have that aging disease,” I offered.

Gina still hadn’t taken her eyes off him. “Who cares? He’s smokin’ hot. You can practically see his six-pack through his T-shirt.”

Maya rolled her eyes as if Gina were insane to prefer Zack over Trevor. “I could find out more about him, if you want me to.”

Gina turned to Maya with a sneer. “You’re such a stalker.”

“Whatever, Gina. It’s called being nice,” Maya said through gritted teeth. “Something you don’t have a lot of experience with.”

Gina made a face at Maya, then focused on me. “You’ve been hogging the cutest guy in school for weeks. If Zack fell madly in love with me, the hottest guy would be mine. Compared to him, Daniel looks like he’s got chromosome issues.”

Even if I still liked Daniel, I couldn’t be offended at the absolute truth. Everything about Zack was exactly right. As if feeling my gaze, he turned sharply in my direction again. My dad once wore the same expression when he discovered the decaying remains of a cat under our house.

My cheeks heated and I dropped my gaze to pluck a potato chip from my plate.

Maya moved next to me for a better view of the guys. “Must be awkward starting a new school when the year is almost over.”

Before I could stop myself, my eyes found their way back to Zack.

“Not when you’re that hot. He’ll be just fine.” Gina’s fork banged onto the plastic tray when she tossed it and stood. “Time to introduce myself.”

As I watched Zack, the hair on the back of my neck stood at attention. There was something different about him… almost feral.  I wanted to caution Gina, but she’d probably call me paranoid.

Gina sashayed over to Zack, coyly twisting her hair around a finger. Trevor got up, leaving them alone. I eyed them under my lashes as Gina said something. Zack chuckled and she laughed.

At that moment, I hated them both — him for making me feel like week-old garbage and Gina for making him smile when all I got was a scowl. To distract myself, I picked up my sandwich and concentrated on Maya.

“Gina’s in rare form today.” The soda can hissed as Maya popped the top, her gaze straying back to Trevor. He looked away when their eyes met.

“Yeah, sorry about that. I don’t know what’s up with her.” I let my hair fall forward to hide my face as I snuck a peek at Trevor, who was staring at Maya again. “You should talk to Trevor. I really think he likes you.”

Her eyes cut to mine. “How could a guy be interested in anyone else when you’re around?”

“What?” My mouth dropped open.

“C’mon, Autumn,” she said, but there wasn’t any bitterness in her voice. More like she’d accepted her fate. “You have perfect olive skin that never gets a zit and never needs a tan, you’re tall and thin and I’d kill for all that glorious, black hair.”

I eyed the locks cascading over my shoulder. “Dark brown, actually. Boring. And besides, Trevor keeps staring at you, not me. I bet he’d go for it if you asked.”

She rolled her eyes and flicked a thumb at Zack. “He seems nice.”

Obviously, Maya hadn’t noticed him scowling at me. “I wouldn’t know.” I focused on my tray, tracing little circles with my index finger. Hopefully, she’d drop the subject.

“On the way here, I saw him talking to some of the math geeks in the hallway. It’s like he’s not too full of himself to be seen with the unpopular kids. Can’t say that about Gina or Daniel.” Maya slid her sandwich out of the baggie. “John told me you’re grounded.”

My gaze shot to Gina’s hand resting on Zack’s forearm. She certainly moved quickly. “Yeah, but I haven’t told Gina yet, so don’t say anything, okay?”

“You want me to come over Saturday night and keep you company?”

“You’re not going to Daniel’s party?”

“Are you kidding?” She grimaced and waved a hand. “His last party was a drunken hook-up fest. I’d rather have a girl’s night with you. Do our toes, rent a movie.”

“Sounds awesome.” The ick factor that had slowly built all morning fell away. What would I do without Maya? Oh, God, if my parents followed through with their plans, I’d find out soon enough. As if on cue, my phone vibrated.

“Wow, your parents just don’t let up.”

“I know,” I said, answering my mom’s text with what I wanted for dinner. She couldn’t have asked me this morning? I theorized making me reply throughout the day was just another way of keeping tabs on me. I pressed the send button and focused on Maya again. “Uhm…”

She eyed me with a frown. “What’s wrong?”

I took a deep breath and pushed away the threatening anxiety. “We’re moving again.”

Her face fell. “When?”

“Not sure. Before graduation, most likely.” I pressed my lips together at the thought of leaving our pretty little home in the foothills north of Los Angeles. But it wasn’t just that I liked the house and the city. I’d live in a hut if it meant I could grow roots. I hadn’t known Maya long, but I’d become closer to her and John than any friends before. “I can’t bear the thought of moving again and leaving you guys.”

“Then stay with me. My mom and dad would love that. They’re so not over my brother going away to college.”

Live with Maya? For a second, I fantasized about taking a class or two at the local college. But even if her parents said yes, I couldn’t mooch off them forever. Eventually, I’d have to get a job to pay for food and somewhere to live. I had a lot to do before striking out on my own, starting with earning money for a new car before the old one choked out its last sputter. The way it died in the parking lot this morning, that last sputter could be sooner than I expected.

Butterflies did a march in my stomach, but I forced a smile. “That’s something to think about. Thanks.”

Gina sauntered back to our table and reclaimed her seat. “He has a girlfriend.” She didn’t seem too broken up about it though.

“Bummer for you.” I bit into my sandwich, trying not to imagine Zack with a girlfriend, his deep green eyes gazing into hers, his full lips… My attraction to him was ridiculous considering how he scowled at me.

“Maybe, maybe not.” Gina snuck another peek at him.

I hurriedly swallowed to talk. “You can’t go after someone else’s boyfriend.”

“I won’t need to.” She gave a half laugh. “People break up all the time. And I doubt she’s prettier than me.”

“There’s always someone prettier, Gina.” Maya rolled her eyes. “Besides, some people care more about substance than appearance.”

“Only the average girls say things like that.” Gina’s cold stare would have come in handy during last summer’s heat wave.

“What’s the matter with you?” I asked. Her bitchiness had reached new heights.

Maya picked up her tray. “I’ll catch you later, Autumn.”

I gave Maya an apologetic look, then turned and glared. “Gina!”

“What?” She gave me her innocent face.

“You make no effort with her.”

Her face scrunched up as if I’d suggested she spend the night locked in a room full of roaches. “Why would I want to do that?”

“Because she’s my friend? Same reason I try to be nice to Natalie.” I lifted my brows expectantly.

“Oh, my God!” She giggled. “You should see the dress she bought for Daniel’s party. Wicked. But mine is sexier. You and I will be the hottest girls there, easy.”

Knowing it was a losing battle, I sighed. “Uh, speaking of Daniel’s party, remember our last couple shopping sprees?”

“Sure.” Gina scanned the room, probably hunting for Zack, but I steeled myself to stay tuned to Gina. If Zack caught me staring again, I’d look stalker-ish. Or, even worse, desperate.

I hesitated, my teeth holding my bottom lip hostage. “That money I spent with you? I borrowed it from my parents, planning to work it off during the week.”

“Yeah, so?” She brushed her auburn hair off her shoulder, then stiffened, her eyes fixing on me and narrowing. “Don’t even tell me you’re grounded.”

“I’m sorry, Gina. I—”

“We’ve been planning this for two months.” Her nostrils flared, lips tightening. “I can’t believe you did this to me.”

I sighed. “You act like you have no one else to go with. What about Natalie?” Yes, I’d broken my word, but her attitude was over the top. “And at least you get to go to the party. I’ll be stuck at home with my parents. I’m not any happier about this than you.”

“Whatever.” She crumpled her napkin, tossed it on the table, then stomped off.

Now I was free to spend the rest of lunch with Maya. But beyond Gina’s retreating back, John and Maya stood with Zack, who seemed engrossed in something she’d said. Just great. Seemed like I was the only one at school he didn’t like.

As if knowing I was watching, he turned. I silently cursed for getting caught staring, yet couldn’t take my eyes off him. After a long moment, he returned his attention to my friends.

Was it extra noisy in the cafeteria today or just my imagination? Whatever. I took my tray to the trash bin, knowing the warning bell would ring soon.

Daniel waved at me from across the cafeteria and mouthed, “See you later.”

I hoped not. Except I still needed to break up with him.

Gina approached Daniel and his posse. Zack still chatted with John and Maya — which made both groups off limits. Damn.

If I had superhuman powers, I’d turn invisible right then. And no one would’ve noticed.

I headed to English Lit. Alone.

My phone vibrated and I sighed, reaching into my pocket. It was my mom again, reminding me I was grounded and offering to let Maya stay over. Knowing she’d keep texting me if I didn’t answer her right away, I stopped to type in my thanks, then I continued down the corridor. Thankfully, my mom knew I wasn’t allowed to text during class, which gave me a reprieve.

Seeing the restroom, I darted inside to finally put on some makeup, since I had a little time to spare. A few minutes later, feeling cute for the first time all day, I rushed into the crowded classroom and claimed my usual spot.

Oh, goody, Zack was in that class and he’d taken a seat two rows over to my left. He was facing the front of the class as though I didn’t exist. I inwardly groaned, then flipped my hair over to form a wall between us. Peering between the dark strands, I eyed him on the sly. I only got his profile, but that and his muscular shoulders were plenty satisfying.

Once class began, I tried to forget Zack was a few seats away, but I couldn’t. His presence added an awkward tension I could live without. And we had a pop quiz to brighten my day — which I hadn’t prepared for.

On the upside, my day probably couldn’t get any worse.

† † †

When the final bell rang at the end of last class, I gathered my books and bailed.

Seeing Gina in the corridor ahead of me, I hoped she’d ignore me. Luckily, she kept a brisk pace and didn’t look back. Closer to the exit, she slowed until she stood in front of Zack. He smiled at her and listened attentively. After scribbling on a piece of paper, she handed it to him, then walked backward grinning. He mouthed, “I’ll call you.”

Flirting when he had a girlfriend. Yuck.

I continued on toward the parking lot, passing them. A moment later, I sensed Zack behind me, but didn’t turn around to confirm it, since he might think I was keeping tabs on him. Just before the curb on the way to my car, Ashley waved me over.

Gina didn’t approve of being friendly to juniors, but I liked Ashley. She was one of those people who didn’t make you wonder where you stood.

“Hey, Autumn.” She gave me a shy smile. “I’m having some people over on Saturday night and thought you might like to come.”

I couldn’t go to any party, much less blow off Gina for someone else. Wait… throwing a party on the same night as Daniel? I couldn’t imagine her competing with the most popular guy at school on purpose. She wanted a good turnout, right? I frowned. “Uhm, this Saturday is Daniel’s party.”

“Oh,” she said in a small voice. “I thought it was next weekend.” Ashley’s gaze dropped to her feet, her bottom lip jutting into a pout before wandering off. Poor Ashley.

I turned in a circle to scan the crowd, searching for Daniel, who usually met me at my car. I couldn’t wait to say my piece and finally be free of him. Instead, I saw Zack sitting on a wall about three feet away. Except for his narrowed eyes, his face was a mask as he stared at me.

Over the sound of skateboard wheels banging against the sidewalk, honks signaling rides to potential passengers and car doors slamming, I heard Zack scoff.

“What a piece of work,” he whispered to himself, his eyes still glued to me.

I shouldn’t have been able to hear him over the noise, right? But his words had been so clear. Wait… had he heard me too? I paused a moment to replay my conversation with Ashley and cringed. I’d sounded kind of snobby. Yeah, as if that was going to make Zack think any better of me.

Whatever. He wasn’t going to give me a chance anyway and why should I care what he thought? I just hoped Ashley hadn’t taken it the wrong way, too. I scanned the parking lot, just in time to see her drive away with her mom. I’d have to fix it with her later.

I spun around, headed to my car and shoved my backpack through the window. I didn’t know where Daniel was or how long he’d be, but if I didn’t text my mom soon, she’d probably show up. I hated it when she did that. I hit the buttons of my cell saying I was hanging out with Daniel for a few minutes, but would be on my way soon.

Leaning against the door, I waved at John and Maya as they cruised by.

Daniel’s dirty-blond head and beefy body suddenly blocked my view. “Hey, babe.”

“Hi.” I gave him a weak smile, not looking forward to a confrontation. After what he’d said earlier about no one ever touching me again, he probably wouldn’t let me go easily. I could totally pass on the inevitable drama.

“I’m grounded,” I blurted out. “I can’t go to your party.”

His face fell. “Oh. I had plans for us.”

I didn’t even want to know what those plans were. “Yeah, about that. Uh, we need to talk.”

“Daniel!” a guy shouted from across the lot.

“Gotta go.” He gave me a quick kiss without giving me a chance to evade it, then took off.

Damn. I was still officially stuck to him. Resigned, I nudged my backpack over and settled in the driver’s seat of my ancient sedan. I turned the key in the ignition, then cursed under my breath. Today had sucked so much, I’d forgotten all about my car needing resuscitation.

John and Maya had already left. I could call one of them back to get me, but John depended on rides from someone else and Maya wouldn’t have time to come back, drop me off and still make it home in time to babysit her little brother.

Unless I could get my car to start, my only choice would be to call my mom or dad for a ride. Taking a deep breath and crossing my fingers, I waited a moment, then turned the key again.

Silence.

A head appeared in my window and I jumped. Realizing it was Zack and not a serial killer, my muscles relaxed a little. I gazed at him, mesmerized by his deep, green eyes.

The corners of his mouth twitched. “Car trouble?”

 

CHAPTER THREE

Apparently, Zack shared his smiles with everyone except me.

“Yeah.” I teeter-tottered between being embarrassed for being seen by him in my dilapidated car, and fear that he couldn’t or wouldn’t save me. “Car won’t start.”

Zack blew out a breath, then motioned to the hood of the car. When I didn’t move, he stared at the sky for a moment before saying, “Release the hood, so I can check it out.”

He’d spoken slowly, like I had a learning disability. Heat rushed into my cheeks. I reached around my knees where the lever should’ve been, but my hand came up empty. Where was it? I’d found it before. If I just had another minute…

“Move and I’ll do it.”

I scrambled out, bumping shoulders with him as I squeezed past. Wow, the guy was all muscle. I cursed the butterflies fluttering like crazy in my stomach, vowing not to get a crush on a guy who had such a low opinion of me.

Zack immediately found the release, then propped up the hood. I darted around to the front to see what he’d do. The engine looked like grease-covered metal. It could’ve been a time machine and I wouldn’t have known the difference.

“So what do you think?” I asked.

“If I knew…” he paused to eye me from under his brows, “I’d already be fixing it and one step closer to being gone.”

I gritted my teeth. “If you’re going to be a jerk about it, why bother helping me at all?”

“Because my mom raised me right.” His gaze fell on my mouth and, for an instant, his eyes darkened. Just when I thought we were having a moment, his lips thinned as he met my eyes. “If you prefer, I could leave.”

“That would make you even more of a douche,” I said, sticking a hand on my hip and praying he’d stay.

The corner of his mouth quirked and he resumed scrutinizing the engine.

I breathed a sigh of relief, but I didn’t want to press my luck. To keep myself occupied, I counted the flattened gum spots in the asphalt while listening to his occasional mutters. What I really wanted to do was get a closer look at the seat of his pants, but I didn’t want to get caught ogling him. Again.

“Rear passenger side tire is a little low,” he said, almost like he was talking to my car. “You should stop and get some air soon.”

“Okay, thanks.” Sure, he’d been rude before, but he didn’t have to stop to help me and he could’ve let my tire go completely flat. Maybe he was finally warming up to me. My insides turned to jelly at the thought. I sidled up next to him and leaned over to peer at the engine. “So… you know a lot about cars?”

Except for his eyes that studied the engine as if mentally taking it apart, Zack didn’t move a muscle or even glance my way. “I know enough.”

That didn’t curb my curiosity. “Where’d you learn? Your dad teach you?”

“No.”

Several seconds passed and he didn’t say anything more. So much for making conversation. Considering how little he apparently thought of me, what had I expected? Maybe he’d lighten up if I apologized for bumping into him and told him I was dumping Daniel. I opened my mouth to speak, but Zack beat me to it.

“See the way the clamp isn’t connecting to the battery?” He pointed at a big, rectangular thing.

Grateful for the break in his silence, I studied the box. “The vibrations wiggled it free?”

“That would be my guess.” He flashed me a grin and nudged me with his elbow. My insides warmed. “Maybe under all that hair and spiffy clothes is a car geek just itching to bust free,” he said.

That was probably as close to a compliment as I was going to get from Zack. I returned his smile.

His grin disappeared in a flash and his eyes grew cold as he jiggled the cables. “Okay, try it again,” he ordered, averting his gaze.

Climbing back into the car, I turned the key and it sparked to life. Oh, thank God! I got out again to thank him, but left the motor running, just in case. “So it was just the connection?”

He mumbled, then let the hood drop shut and strode off without saying another word.

Just because he had atrocious manners — when he wasn’t saving my ass — didn’t mean I had to stoop to his level. Besides, people were always nicer when you were friendly. “Thank you!”

He didn’t even turn around. Sometimes, taking the high road sucked.

Oh, what the hell. “Maybe you should fix that personality next!” I shouted, but he was already driving away in an old, faded red Jeep. As Zack cleared the gate, a yellow Corvette eased away from the curb and into the lane behind him.

† † †

I whooshed through the front door of my house, dropping my backpack in the entryway. This house was newer than the others we’d lived in, with high ceilings and plenty of wide-open spaces. Mom managed to make it homey despite the lack of furniture and knick-knacks, always keeping fresh flowers on the fireplace mantle, a soft rug over the hardwood floors and warm hues covering the walls.

“Mom? Dad?” I called out.

Faint voices from their bedroom wafted down to the ground floor, reminding me how much I’d be working over the weekend in my dad’s office upstairs.

But I’d have to embrace slavedom in order to win back my freedom. Maybe if I started working tonight and only stopped to eat and sleep… A thrill rippled through me at the thought of salvaging my Sunday. One thing at a time though. Right now, the only thing on my mind was talking my parents out of uprooting me again.

Bolting to the bottom of the stairs, I sprang, intending to take them two at a time. Instead, I soared over four steps, my feet landing with a thud on the fifth.

Sure, five-feet-eight was tall for a girl, but even my dad couldn’t hop that many steps as effortlessly as I just had. Unless, I’d already taken one step before doing the three. Had I?

My heart pounded, not with exertion, but sudden fear. Was my body freaking out or was I going crazy?

Eyeing the first landing, I braced myself, then leapt again. My foot slipped on the third step and my knee smacked into the hard corner. I teetered backward and caught the railing before tumbling to level ground. Pain sliced through my leg.

My knee throbbed as I hobbled the rest of the stairs one step at a time, then limped down the hallway toward my parents’ bedroom. Testing myself for suddenly developed superpowers had been a lame idea.

By the time I stood over the threshold to their room, any discomfort had completely vanished. Like I hadn’t already had enough weirdness for one day with my freaky sense of smell and heightened hearing.

Speaking of smell, the nicotine stench in the house was particularly pungent today. Before I could give it more thought, I noticed my mom smiling up at me from her cross-legged position on the floor. A thin mist of smoke from the lit cigarette between her fingers swirled up toward the ceiling. I glanced at the window that was cracked open only a smidgen and wondered why my parents hadn’t already flung themselves through the window to get some oxygen.

“Autumn.” Dad’s blond head popped up from behind his laptop. He grinned at me as he set the computer aside to reveal all six feet two inches of him. “How was your day?”

“Hi, sweetheart.” My mom’s nearly black hair swished over her arm as she reached over to cram a T-shirt into one of several very full plastic bags. Donations to the thrift store, no doubt. Mom liked to travel light, so she always purged just before we moved.

My stomach twisted at the thought of starting all over somewhere else. Worse, with school almost over, why bother enrolling me wherever we ended up? I’d be back to home schooling.

“Something wrong?” Mom asked, exhaling as she flicked ashes into the ashtray.

Yes, something was definitely wrong, but my urge to rehash it with them died as soon as I’d seen the loaded bags. What was the point when they already knew how I felt? “I’m fine,” I lied, giving them a tight smile. “I have a lot of homework though. See you for dinner.”

I slogged down the hall to my room. After kicking off my shoes, I wiggled my toes in the silky fuzz of the white faux fur rug at the foot of my bed and drew in a lungful of air. Mom or Dad must have been smoking in my room recently. Gross. I glanced at my dresser to see a stack of folded clothes that had been dropped off. With another breath came the scent of laundry detergent. From across the room.

I didn’t know how I was able to smell it from that far away, but at that moment, I didn’t care. Fatigue nagged me. Maybe after a nap, I could forget my rotten day.

Sprawling over my purple comforter, I closed my eyes. Noises surrounded me — the patter of my mom’s feet as she went downstairs, a dish clattering against the counter, the refrigerator door opening and closing, water rushing through the pipes. How could I possibly hear all that?

From my prone position, I brought my knee to my chest and rolled up my jeans. My knee appeared perfectly normal. No swelling, no scratch. But as much as it had hurt bashing into the step, there should’ve been something to show for the pain.

My new super-hearing, crazy sense of smell and fast healing couldn’t be my imagination.

But it had to be.

I was just a normal girl who’d been reading too many vampire romances and werewolf tales.

† † †

Wolves howled in the distance.

I crouched perfectly still, huddled against a moss-covered tree trunk, surrounded by the scent of damp earth and pine.

The snarls grew louder and leaves rustled. The wolves were getting closer. Sweat trickled down my temple and my breath froze in my lungs as I braced myself for the inevitable.

I sucked in air and bolted upright, my heart thudding against my ribcage. I rubbed my eyes, then scanned the walls around me. My room. No wolves. I released my breath and flopped back onto my pillow.

It had been years since I’d dreamed of them. Why now?

The sun had lowered, casting shadows on the walls. It had to be almost dinner time. My stomach growled in confirmation. Shrugging off my nightmare, I headed downstairs.

When I settled at the table to eat with my parents, I was too disturbed over the day’s events to concentrate on food. Wayward boyfriends, bitchy friends, my inevitable return to home schooling… And then there were my heightened senses and accelerated healing — which were my imagination, of course.

“How are your classes going?” My mom eyed me over her plate of rice, sautéed vegetables and stuffed tomatoes.

She didn’t fool me. Their love for me was the one constant in my life, but they took it to extremes. One more thing to add to the list of oddities about my parents: they asked a lot of questions about my teachers, my friends and anyone else I mentioned. But if someone else asked questions about us, they got twitchy.

Like in Reno, Nevada, when I was fourteen-years-old, the waiter at a restaurant was curious why we were vegetarians and asked what school I went to. We’d moved a week later. Or a couple years ago when our neighbors in St. George, Utah had asked, in what seemed like polite conversation, where we were from — I’d told them. That time, I’d only had a few days before being whisked away.

Way to make me earn my adulthood by loving me to death. I adored them, but their backseat-driving and paranoia drove me crazy. And drove me away.

They weren’t exactly over-sharers either, so my info deprivation only fueled my imagination. I used to wonder if I’d been kidnapped, but blew it off since I looked too much like my mom. Had something bad happened to make them so overcautious? I’d asked, but never got any straight answers. Ironically, I’d hated their aversion to sharing information, yet I’d developed the same affliction with them.

Until I knew the reason for their paranoia, omitting details and giving my parents a more pleasant version of reality would keep them from worrying as much — and from ruining my life.

“Aced my history test.” Which was odd since I hadn’t studied at all. Like I’d suddenly gotten way smarter.  “But I’m not sure why any of that matters since I won’t be graduating with everyone else.” I set my glass on the table with a bang.

Dad cleared his throat. “We’re doing what’s best for this family.”

“Whatever,” I mumbled.

Mom took a sip from her glass of juice, her gaze still steady on mine. “You should know, your father accepted that job today.”

So it was official. My eyes stung. “When does it start?”

Dad reached over to squeeze my hand. “We’re still working that out.”

My parents shelled out money for my private school, so we couldn’t be poor. But if we stayed here and they turned down work, could they still afford the tuition? Whether we stayed or left, I was screwed.

I blinked away the burn in my eyes as I withdrew my hand from his and got up. “Thanks for dinner.” After loading my plate into the dishwasher, I headed to my room to mope in private.

Just as I settled on the bed and turned on the TV, a rap sounded on my door. Apparently, going five minutes without laying eyes on me was too long. “Come in.”

Mom and Dad appeared in the doorway, each holding a glowing cigarette between their fingers. I wondered if it was a conspiracy to stink up my room.

With only the dim light from my TV barely reaching their faces, they could almost pass for teenagers. They insisted that their vegetarian diet and jogging every night kept them young. Except they smoked. Go figure.

“Did you want to talk about it?” Dad asked.

I muted the TV. “Is it going to change anything?” I fired back.

He shook his head. “We’ve made our decision.”

Exactly. They’d still haul me from city to city and they weren’t going to give me a pardon on the debt or unground me.

“Then I have nothing to say.” I switched the sound back on and turned to the TV.

Mom peeked past Dad’s shoulder, her amber eyes narrowing just before closing the door.

Damn them.

Restless, I jumped off the bed and opened the window for some fresh air. I looked past the neighbor’s parted curtains to their ghastly, paisley-patterned paper, which I hadn’t been able to see yesterday.

Yep, even my vision was better.

Maybe my improved senses were stress-related. Like the way moms were capable of great strength to save their child. If I did away with the stress, maybe my body would start metabolizing normally again. Maybe that’s all there was to it.

After my shower, I threw on some pajamas, then went in search of dessert. Maybe after getting some chocolate in my system, I’d feel normal.

A lot of chocolate.

“We’re leaving for our run, sweetheart,” my dad said as I descended the stairs. “We’ll be gone an hour or so. You’ll be okay while we’re out?”

I blew out a breath, slipping in a groan for their benefit. “I think I can handle being home alone for an hour. Maybe one day, when I’m thirty or forty, you can leave me alone all day.”

Dad laughed, my irritation soaring over his head. Mom gave me a scolding look before following him out the front door.

On the way to the fridge, I shook out my arms to relax. An unfamiliar energy, like a power surge, centered in my chest and spread out. My pulse hammered. What the hell was that? Panic crept up on me. Maybe I had a brain aneurysm or something.

As my breathing calmed and the tingles faded, I could almost believe I was okay and that most likely it was just my crappy day that had taken its toll. Yeah, that’s all there was to it.

Grabbing a juice bottle from the fridge, I held it in one hand and twisted off the cap with the other. The bottle burst and liquid sprayed. I winced as shards of glass sliced through my palm and blood flowed down to my fingertips, blending with the spilled juice.

My heart pounded. I sucked in a few long breaths which seemed to dull the pain. With trembling hands, I threw the glass shards in the garbage, then ran water over my palm to survey the damage. The cool stream soothed my frayed nerves and washed the blood down the drain.

How had I shattered the bottle with my bare hands? Defective bottle? It had to be. I couldn’t imagine the amount of strength it would take to crush a glass bottle.

Strangely, all the pain had faded, even though it had only been a matter of seconds since I’d broken the bottle. Flipping my hands over and back again, I couldn’t find the source of the blood. How was that possible? Blood would’ve required an opening to pass through. And yet, no such opening existed.

No avoiding it now. Something was definitely up.

A logical explanation had to exist somewhere, but I had no idea where to start. The last place I’d go for information was my parents. The way they worried about me, I’d probably find myself in the hospital. Next thing you know, I’d be the subject of some weird experiment.

 Continued….

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