Total pages in book: 139
Estimated words: 131137 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 656(@200wpm)___ 525(@250wpm)___ 437(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 131137 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 656(@200wpm)___ 525(@250wpm)___ 437(@300wpm)
Once they were back in their human forms and fully dressed, Nick kissed her hard and deep, leaving no doubt in her mind that he believed she was his. Patting her ass, he said, “Come on, let’s go inside. I need food. And I have to make sure Derren doesn’t cook dinner again. The guy could burn water.”
“A little like me then,” admitted Shaya as she began pulling on her clothes.
“Then it’s a good thing I can cook.” As they were walking up the path toward the house, the door opened and a familiar figure came strolling out. Nick wasn’t surprised when Shaya tensed beside him.
“Oh, hi,” said Amber with a bright smile, “I was just about to come and hunt you both down. We’ve all decided to go out for dinner.” She cocked her head as she regarded Nick. “You look a little more relaxed now.”
“You can thank Shay for that.”
Catching movement in her peripheral vision, Shaya spotted Roni sprawled on the grass by the small shed.
“Sometimes she likes to go off and be alone,” explained Amber before turning and heading back into the house.
Shaya looked up at Nick. “I’d like to talk to Roni alone for a minute.”
“She’s not being bitchy by not shifting to talk to you, Shay—”
“Hey, I know that,” she assured him. “I’d just like a minute alone with her. I know her wolf won’t understand the words, but she will.”
Shrugging, Nick said, “Sure, if that’s what you want. I’ll be inside.”
Cautiously, Shaya made her way over to where Roni lay. Sitting beside her, she smiled. “Hi there.” The wolf didn’t react other than to briefly glance her way. “Guilt’s a funny thing, isn’t it? It lingers, even when it doesn’t make sense to feel it. I was a twin, you know. She died in the womb. I know it’s not my fault, and I know I couldn’t have helped her and that for me to survive when she didn’t isn’t an awful thing. But I hated myself for a long time. Even now, I know I shouldn’t feel guilty. Mostly, it’s gone…but a tiny bit still stays. Whenever the guilt and the sadness got too bad, I’d stay in my wolf form for days on end. Because though the guilt’s still there, it’s dimmed when you’re in that form, isn’t it? Staying as a wolf…it was my escape. And it’s yours too.” She had Roni’s full attention now.
“I know that really I have no reason at all to feel guilty. None of it was my fault…just like what happened that day in the woods wasn’t your fault. Nick doesn’t realize you shift to escape the guilt. He thinks you stay in this form a lot because you’re escaping the memories of what happened, that he traumatized you. Maybe if you guys talked…maybe you could help each other out with the unnecessary guilt you both feel.” Giving Roni one last stroke, Shaya got to her feet. “See you soon.”
Entering the house, Shaya found that Amber was doing her best to lounge over Nick, and Taryn was therefore throwing peanuts at her. Of course Amber’s attention quickly switched to Taryn, ridding Shaya of the need to march over there and make it clear that Nick was hers. Shaya observed with a frown as Nick dodged Kathy’s touch in the same way that he dodged Amber’s; his mother didn’t appear surprised or offended by how uncomfortable he seemed with her attempts at affection. It occurred to Shaya then that Nick wasn’t just like that with Amber, or even just with Kathy. He didn’t seem to like being touched in general, which was pretty odd—as odd as him disliking company, in fact.
“He’s always been like that, according to Kathy.”
Derren’s voice snatched her from her contemplations. “What?”
“He’s never been particularly affected by social touching. Kathy said that even when he was a baby, he didn’t like to be cuddled much or rocked to sleep or anything—he always liked his space, liked to sprawl on the bed like a starfish. Even now, he hugs Roni and Kathy, but that’s pretty much it. It’s only you I’ve ever seen him be truly affectionate with.”
“In other words, I don’t need to worry about Amber. Does everyone buy her sweet friendly-friendly act? I see a lot of deviousness there.”
“Yup, a lot of people buy it.” He sighed. “She’s very cunning. A word of warning: She’ll try her hardest to become a close friend, but you can’t let her get friendly with you—not even to humor her. If you do, you’ll make it possible for the communication between you and Nick to become triangular with her as the go-between. I’m sure you know as well as I do that if that happened, she’d be passing on messages to both of you that would be twisted or false.”