Hot Blooded (Wolf Springs Chronicles) - By Nancy Holder Page 0,25
in, too.
And then something amazing happened: she scented Justin — a bit of sweat and leather — and heard his soft intake of breath. Was that his heartbeat? It was. Rapid.
Her senses had kicked in.
She stiffened and looked his way. He was standing beneath the arched transom, leaning on his elbow, gazing at her as if he wanted to memorize what she looked like. She pulled her hands from her backpack, trying to keep her own heart from going into overdrive.
“Hey,” he said.
She didn’t answer.
He sighed, grimaced. “I know you aren’t used to the way we are. We’re aggressive.”
That’s one way of putting it, she thought. She made a show of picking up her backpack. She didn’t want him to know she was affected by him, but she was pretty sure he could tell.
“I’m sorry. I keep forgetting . . . a lot of things that I should keep in mind.” He started to reach toward her. “I get scared, for you.”
“Okay,” she said. “Thanks.”
“I’m going to drive you home.”
“No training?”
He shrugged. “Uncle Lee’s not here and there’s some stuff we can talk through while we drive.”
She felt awkward as she climbed into his truck. He looked over at her and she swallowed, didn’t return the look. He turned on the engine and started down the road in silence. Trick always played music. It was like his life had a soundtrack.
Same as hers.
“We act different from humans,” he said. “We’re much more physical.”
“Yeah, I’ll say,” she blurted.
To her surprise, he laughed. She slid a glance over at him to see him shaking his head and chuckling to himself. The dappled sunlight kissed his face.
“Just listen to me,” he said in a voice that was almost a plea. “Do what I say. Things are so messy in the pack. Just . . . stop rocking the boat.”
“Me? I didn’t ask for any of this. I didn’t ask to be bitten. I didn’t ask to be kissed by you.”
“No, you didn’t ask for either of those things, but they happened and now we just have to cope.”
“So, teach me.”
“I’m trying.” He shook his head. “You are one of the most stubborn people I’ve ever met.”
And hearing him say that made her feel good, made her feel like she was still her own person. Like she was on the right track to take care of herself. With a thrill, she thought of the books secreted away in her backpack. She would survive and figure this all out.
“Look, life in a pack is all about rules. And one of the things that keeps you alive is knowing your place in the hierarchy of things.”
“And I’m at the absolute bottom.”
“Given all the circumstances, you are. That means you need to show respect to everyone.”
“You mean I need to cower in front of everyone.”
He sighed. “I know it might feel like that sometimes, but really it’s not bad.”
“And you think that just because you don’t know any other way to live.”
“Tell me your old life was better,” he flung at her. “The way they act at school. Someone murdered your father. Your mother was completely alone.”
“She had me,” Katelyn said. And I got her killed. I took that stupid painkiller and couldn’t save her from the fire.
“We have a whole pack. We have folks, just like those people down in Wolf Springs. It’s not all about domination and rules. It’s about belonging. We’re tighter than most families. Our heritage goes back generations, and we know who we are.” He looked hard at her. “Cordelia said you never once mentioned any other relatives except for your grandfather. I have a dozen within shouting distance. And if I’m in trouble, they’ll help me.”
Her lips parted. “You said her name,” she said softly.
“Of course I did. Cordelia is not dead to me. I told you I would help you find her and I will.” He sighed again. “But you have to help me in return. Lee’s going to be asking me about your progress,” he said. “I need good things to say. That are honest.”
“My senses kicked in again today,” she blurted. “I could smell you when you were behind me just then.”
A smile broke across his face. “That’s great. That should start happening more and more. When we hit puberty, and we start to change, all that shifting back and forth hits us hard. It’s really hard to deal with. But it smooths out. My senses are always heightened.”