Hot Blooded (Wolf Springs Chronicles) - By Nancy Holder Page 0,32
Cordelia’s — likely, since it was so baggy on her. Cordelia was taller than she was.
“Just jump,” Justin said. “You’re not afraid, are you?”
He had no idea who he was dealing with. She backed up, ran, then sprang off the board. She executed several axial twists before she slid into the water without a splash. When she came back up, he was staring at her open-mouthed.
They were at the Y, where her grandfather had found her gymnastics lessons, and while it was almost as bad as Trick had said, there was a woman on staff who had been a gymnastics coach at Cal State Long Beach, and taught private lessons. She wasn’t in, but Katelyn took her card.
Justin had rationalized the swimming by emphasizing the need to stay in shape. Whatever condition you were in as a human directly affected your strength and stamina as a wolf.
“What about your mental health?” she had asked him, and he’d clouded over.
“You mean Lee? He’s just as unpredictable in wolf form as human,” he said shortly. “Something’s got to be done, and soon.”
She told herself that she didn’t care about any of that. It wasn’t her business. All she had to do was steer clear of Lee Fenner.
And wait until midnight, and see what happened next.
~
The hours dragged by. Her grandfather asked her if something was wrong and then offered to play a game of Scrabble. Her heart was only half in it, but when he won by 400 points she had to admire his skill. When she went upstairs she passed the time by reading more of Cordelia’s diary. After Cordelia’s first transformation, they had had a party, like a werewolf bat mitzvah, orchestrated well away from the kids who hadn’t yet changed.
Cordelia had once had her daydreams and crushes, and even tried to get her father to accept a human boy into the pack. She had been told to break up with him and wait for a mate to be selected. Selected? Cordelia had wanted to date and have a boyfriend, but it turned out werewolf teenagers — or at least the daughters of the alpha — lived much more circumspect lives than Cali girls. Or pretty much any other girl, period. Boys, too, since they were also half of the equation. So maybe Justin didn’t love Lucy. Maybe it was simply that they were facing an arranged marriage. Maybe love was supposed to come in time.
I don’t care, she told herself. I don’t want him.
Katelyn was afraid she’d fall asleep in her room — she had to get up so early every morning to drive to Wolf Springs High — so she put the diary down and did some stretching exercises. She wondered where Cordelia was. She wondered if the Fenners were watching her right now.
And what would happen to her tonight.
Finally, at five minutes to midnight, a text came in: I am coming. Porch.
She grabbed her purse, crept downstairs, and tiptoed out onto the porch. Anxiously shifting her weight back and forth, she sucked in her breath when a black BMW crept up the drive.
The passenger window rolled down and a handsome younger man who resembled Dom Gaudin silently gestured for her to approach. The door opened. She got in and shut the door, sitting beside him. The Beemer drove away.
“I’m Luc Gaudin,” he said. He was all crazy red-blond curls, heavy eyebrows, and deep-set brown eyes. “I’m Dom’s younger brother.”
“The Fenners—”
“Are not a problem,” he said smoothly.
“Where are we going?”
“There’s a warming hut,” he said. “Ma’amselle Fenner took shelter there.”
“Is it far?”
“Far enough. Are you hungry? Thirsty?” He peered at her. “Nervous?”
“I’m freaking,” she said honestly.
“You didn’t pack any of your belongings,” he observed.
She gaped at him. It hadn’t even dawned on her. Somehow it hadn’t occurred to her that they would leave immediately. But why would they stick around?
She fell silent. He looked at her kindly and said, “Cordelia told us what happened to you. That someone attacked you.”
Maybe one of the Gaudins had done it, to make Mr. Fenner look bad. Maybe Luc himself. But no, he had brown eyes. The werewolf that had bitten her had blue eyes, and werewolves didn’t change eye color when they transformed.
“Yeah, I’m supposed to be all joyous about it,” she said. “No offense, but I’m not.”
He cocked his head. “A great shock, non?”
“That’s putting it mildly.” She blew air out of her cheeks. “Is she okay? I mean, was she hurt, or—”