Flirting Under a Full Moon - By Ashlyn Chase Page 0,74
and say I don’t remember the exact date and time of the appointment, and I have to be sure it doesn’t interfere with something else that has to be scheduled.”
“That might work.”
“Does the driver have a distinctive voice or accent?”
“He’s a New Yorker with a low-brow Brooklyn accent. His voice isn’t that unusual. A little higher than yours, maybe—and not gravelly like mine.”
“I can work with that.” Nick stuck out his hand. “Thanks, friend.”
Drake took his hand and shook it. “I wish you the best of luck. You’re going to need it.”
***
Angie strolled along the shore of Star Island, part of the Isles of Shoals off the coast of New Hampshire. The morning sun hid behind the clouds and a cool September breeze matched her mood. She had been there with her mother when she was a kid. The place was equipped with a very basic inn and offered personal retreats. The rooms were spartan, almost dormitory-like. It seemed like the perfect place to get away, feel safe, and have minimal distractions—which Angie needed desperately to sort out her jumbled thoughts.
She tucked a stray hair behind her ear and mulled over calling Brandee. She was still mad at her, but that didn’t excuse the anxiety she was probably causing her best friend.
She fished her cell phone out of the pocket of her aqua windbreaker. Brandee was her number one on speed dial, reminding her just how close they were. Her mother was second and Boston Uncommon’s manager, Claudia, was third.
She hit speed dial and waited for only one ring before Brandee answered.
“Where the hell are you?”
No “Hello, how are you?” Shit, I suppose I don’t deserve it. “Hi. Before I tell you where I am, I want you to know something.”
“What’s that?”
Angie found a boulder and settled herself onto a relatively flat spot. “I’m sorry for worrying you.”
There was silence on the other end.
“I think I know why you kept Nick’s secret to yourself. You’ve always had this misguided loyalty thing going on.”
“Misguided?” Brandee’s voice rose.
“Maybe that wasn’t the right word, but dammit, Brandee, what do you call someone who invites a Lycan into her apartment and doesn’t tell her roommate? I assume you’ve seen enough werewolf movies to know there’s a crap-load of danger involved.”
“Nick is nothing like the werewolves in movies. He knows exactly who I am, even when he’s in wolf form. He’s very protective, so I know I’m perfectly safe. He even let me pet him.”
Angie chuckled. “I think you guys are way beyond that point. I can’t believe he transformed in front of you.”
“It was the only way I’d believe him.”
Angie hugged her windbreaker closer. “Weren’t you afraid? I mean, sure, he probably told you he wouldn’t eat you, but how did you know?”
“I trusted him. And Anthony was there, just in case.”
“What good would Anthony be if a werewolf attacked?”
“I wasn’t worried about Nick attacking me. And Anthony wasn’t there to protect me. He was there for moral support, and because he knows how to hypnotize people. He and Nick thought I might want the memory erased.”
“I guess you didn’t. You seem to remember it pretty well.”
“That’s right. I didn’t. It’s a terrible thing to witness, but it’s even worse to go through. I don’t know how he stands it without screaming his head off. Anyway, if I want to stay with him for the long haul, I ought to know what he has to deal with.”
Angie didn’t know what to say to that. How could Brandee even consider being with Nick anymore? Her roommate was a little too tolerant of people’s eccentricities, and that was one thing Angie both admired and disliked about her.
Angie took a deep breath. “Honey, I’m not telling you what to do, but don’t you think you ought to consider what your life would be like with and without a werewolf in it?”
“I have. More to the point, I’ve considered what my life would be like with and without Nick in it. I love him so much, Ange. Wolves mate for life. I don’t like the idea of throwing away a love so true and unconditional, that he says there’s nothing I can do to drive him away. I love that. You know what my story is.”
She had her there. Brandee had big-time abandonment issues. Not only did her parents get divorced, but her father wanted nothing to do with her afterward. Her mother had a string of boyfriends, and after a while, Brandee learned not to get too