crowded my lips and fur rippled up and down my arms. Closing my eyes, I focused on my human form. Jaw level with my cheeks and eyes. Nose long, not elongated.
“What is it, Emmitt?” She scrambled close, clinging to my right arm. “Did you hear something?”
Her fear cut though my change, along with the realization that she didn’t fear me, but that something might be coming for her.
I took a slow breath as my mouth returned to normal. Then, I opened my eyes. Hers were wide and frightened and staring into mine.
“What? What just happened?” she demanded.
“I had to set you down.” I gently smoothed my hand down her arm. It didn’t seem to reassure her.
“Yeah, the fur gave that away.” She arched a brow at me.
“I was taken by surprise, that’s all.” I stood and offered her a hand up. Her fingers wrapped around mine. She never took her eyes from me as she stood. She didn’t let go, either. I liked it.
“By what?” she asked.
“You were just a little close, and I wasn’t expecting it.”
Her mouth dropped open just the tiniest bit. “You picked me up, remember?”
Seeing she wasn’t going to let it drop, I tried to find a delicate way to tell her she’d just about made every dream I’d never had come true.
“Michelle, Claiming is pretty serious stuff, equivalent to getting engaged in your world. If a guy would give you a small, velvet box, your first thought would probably be ‘it’s a ring.’ Turns out, it’s tickets to a ball game. Guys know girls associate those little boxes with rings, so it’s cruel to use them for anything else, right? Claiming is a quick, hard bite to the neck. We grow up knowing a werewolf’s neck is a special area that you don’t go near lightly. It’s the small, velvet jewelry box. Do you understand?”
She paled and glanced away. Strange expressions crossed her features, swiftly changing along with her scent. Confusion, revulsion, then arousal. I wasn’t sure how she could go from one to another like that.
“But you said you thought of me as a friend.”
“If that’s all you can give me, then I’ll respect your choice.”
Michelle looked away from me uncomfortably, but didn’t let the emotion hold her for long. She shook it off and returned to meet my gaze steadily.
“Stay away from werewolf necks. Got it. Sorry.”
“No,” I said a bit forcefully. “You can get as close as you want to mine. Just avoid anyone else’s.”
She blushed and cleared her throat. Adorable.
“How strong are you?”
That made me grin. “Strong enough that any display would catch the attention of Liam and Aden.”
“So, how do you fight a werewolf?” she said as if to herself.
“With another werewolf.”
She turned away from me, and her lack of amusement over what I’d meant to be a joke worried me. Had I pushed too much information at her too quickly?
She remained quiet as we walked to the front of the house and joined the rest. Jim had just set up the sprinklers for the boys. Liam was in the process of bringing Winifred over to the starting line when he saw us.
“Emmitt, you too!” he said, waving me over.
“Go ahead. I’m going to sit this one out,” Michelle said. She settled onto the front steps and watched as we raced through the water.
How Winifred managed to avoid most of the droplets was beyond me. Jim and I plowed right through everything with the kids. They giggled and squealed, their happiness a direct contrast to Michelle’s solemn expression.
Did it not go well? Winifred sent to me.
I think it did. She’s struggling with something, though. Not fear of us. I think she’s past that. Something else.
When she’s ready, she will tell us.
Chapter 11
After a few more minutes, Winifred went to sit by Michelle. Their conversation was easy to hear no matter how loudly Aden laughed.
“Everything okay?” Winifred asked.
“Could we talk?”
I glanced up at Michelle, and she blushed slightly as she lowered her voice even further.
“In private?” she asked.
“Of course. Let’s go inside. I saw you did a load of laundry. I’ll help you fold.”
Michelle nodded, and they walked inside.
As much as I want to respect her wish for a private conversation, I’d feel better if you shared whatever you can. We both want to help her, and my ignorance doesn’t accomplish that.
Spoken like a true leader, Winifred sent back. She’s asking about Claiming.
I waited for more but Winifred remained quiet.
“I’m going to go get us some towels,” I said after a