I was not ready for that.
But like everything else I’d observed about Alex, he was a gentleman. He wasn’t timid. He just didn’t push. And like everything else about him, I appreciated that. I’d had more than enough of alpha types wanting to take my choices away from me. Alex seemed to care about what I wanted. That was sexy in a way I didn’t expect.
Deciding to seize the moment, I stood on my tiptoes and kissed his cheek. He smiled, bumping his forehead against mine. Another girl might miss that gesture, but among wolves, a forehead bump was a significant expression of affection. It was practically a non-verbal “would you like to go steady?” proposal.
The question was, did Alex know that? Probably not.
I inhaled deeply, enjoying that woodsy smell of him. “Do you smell like the instruments? Or do they smell like you?”
He startled. “What?”
“You smell like cedar and resin,” I said, nosing at this shoulder.
“You know, I’ve never thought about it,” he said. “But it makes sense. I’ve spent more time with them, than anything else in my life. Do you know what you smell like to me?”
“I don’t think so. Jolene mentioned that she and Jane had some ‘scent incompatibility issues’ when they met. Turn around, please,” I told him. Though he looked more than a little disappointed, he turned. I dropped my clothes and stuffed them into my backpack, watching him for any sign of turning or craning his neck. But he all but whistled innocently while contemplating the moon.
I rolled my shoulders and concentrated on the change, shaking my fur free and stretching my long lupine back. I was grateful that I was in full command of my mind when I changed. Some weres who left long gaps between changes or tried to live too “normal” could lose track of their time during the change. They could do unspeakable things, under the influence of their other forms—mostly involving the slaughter of chickens—and not remember a thing. Suddenly, my family’s insistence on weekly runs through the woods together seemed very wise, instead of a pain in my furry ass.
I chuffed lightly. My keen eyes detected the delight on his features, even in the dim light. In werewolf terms, I was a fine specimen—silky russet fur, long lines, sharp teeth. Alex knelt in front of me and rubbed his hand over my ears, pressing the tips a bit between his fingers. “Just look at you!”
I nuzzled my nose against his chest, making him scratch behind my ears. “Who’s a pretty girl?”
I growled in a way that I hoped implied, I will bite you.
He chuckled and nudged his nose against mine. Again. Maybe he had read something of our mating rituals. There was a book written years before, about the love customs of the were, though most people wrote it off as some sort of joke. Thank goodness.
“Goodnight, Ty.”
I yipped and dashed off, only glancing over my shoulder once to see that he him waving. He didn’t follow me, and for that I was grateful. I was going to have enough to deal with when I got home.
4
“Approach younger partners’ families with caution, like you would a ballista loaded with flaming pitch, or the nuclear option of your day.”
—A Gentleman in Any Era: An Ancient Vampire’s Guide to Modern Relationships
* * *
It is very unwise to wake a sleeping werewolf by ripping the covers off of her head.
And yet, my aunts chose to do this, practically blinding me with early morning sunlight and shouts of “Wakey-wakey!”
This made me transform as I rolled over, resulting in a snapping wolf, circling on my bed. I was not a morning werewolf.
Aunt Lurlene and Braylene stood over me, with my mother standing by the door, her arms crossed over her thin chest. Lurlene and Braylene’s lips curled back simultaneously in distaste at my display. You just didn’t snap at your elders, particularly these aunts. It just wasn’t done.
Daddy was at the door in a flash, all teeth and snarling. He didn’t even have to change. I quieted down almost immediately, slipping back under the covers so I could shift back to human.
I sighed, throwing the scraps of my favorite sleep shirt to the floor. I’d shredded my pajamas to rags. Again.
“Apologize to your aunts!” Daddy shouted.
“I’m sorry, Aunt Lurlene and Aunt Braylene,” I mumbled, rubbing a hand over my face, “that you woke an apex predator up from a sound sleep.”
“You must be tired from your late night,” Lurlene sniffed as Daddy