fence, away from where my relatives’ voices could be heard. I leapt onto a bench and launched off of it, using the leverage to jump over the fence. I realized I didn’t know where we were going. My only clear thought was to get away.
I could hear my uncles calling me.
“Ty! Come on out, don’t make us track you!” Uncle Creed yelled.
Creed was ancient, but he could still smell blood in the wind at a hundred paces. I was running from them. I’d never run from my family before. I didn’t know what would be waiting for me when I got home, but I didn’t care. It felt so good just to do something for myself for once. Alex passed me, and I whuffed at him, enjoying the game of it.
He could keep up with me. Better than that, he could beat me! I didn’t have to hold back my natural speed to protect his feelings. He offered me a challenge. I loved a challenge.
I pushed my legs even harder and caught up. He led me out of town, down long dark tree-lined country roads. The smells of exhaust and garbage made way to the green scent of grass and the wild woods. Prey scurried away as two predators bolted through their territory.
“Turn here!” Alex shouted, hooking dramatically down a gravel road.
Through the trees, I saw a small, sturdy log house done in a sort of Adirondack style, definitely fancier than most of the older cabins around here. The moon reflected in a small lake behind the house, with a long dock extending over it. The whole scene was very cozy, and I could see myself being very comfortable, surrounded by so many trees.
“What happened to being part of life and a community?” I asked after I shifted to two feet.
“Baby steps,” he said, dropping his dress shirt around my shoulders. I tried not to stare at his half-dressed state, because he’d been so polite when I’d stripped down in front of him. But damn. When had he had time for all the sit-ups required for those abs when he was supposedly practicing music for hours? It was like he was carved by some sort of hyper-perfectionist sculptor. I generally wasn’t self-conscious about my body, but it just seemed unfair.
Unaware of my silent perving, he continued, “Cal talked me into buying some property in town, and there’s some apartment space there, but I’ve lived on my own for so long, it just felt like too much all at once. I had this built just before I moved here. Nik was good enough to oversee the construction. He likes that sort of project.”
“That makes sense, I guess. It certainly smells better out here—no cars. No people. No dumpsters.”
“You wouldn’t want to live in town?”
“I think I would live just about anywhere, if it meant having some peace and privacy.”
“You could, you know.”
I scoffed, waving at the haphazardly buttoned dress shirt. “Yeah, right. This is about as reckless and impulsive as I get.”
“I have something for you,” he said, stepping onto the porch and unlocking a very solid looking door.
I wanted to object. He’d already given me that book. I’d learned over the years that unexpected gifts came with obligations and guilt, but I also didn’t want to offend him.
The house was exactly what I’d expected of him. The open-plan room was clean and orderly, except for the space set aside in the far corner, near a window, for practice. It was littered with sheet music and various instruments. He’d used a mix of clean contemporary pieces with the intricately carved wooden music stands and chairs that looked like they might have fit in his time. The floors were the same warm maple as the school, but the walls were a soft, buttery yellow. You could almost imagine you were standing outside on a sunny day and that made me a little sad for him. There might be a lot of inconveniences and annoyances that came with being a werewolf, but at least I wasn’t trapped indoors before sunrise.
He crossed to a carved wooden box he’d put on the river stone mantle and took out a small metal cylinder on a keychain. That certainly hadn’t been what I’d expected in terms of romantic gifts, but at least I didn’t feel weird about accepting it… right?
“Since you’re out here on your own now, you need some protection.” He pressed the cannister into my hand. “Colloidal silver spray. We’re highly allergic to it, so