Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 70338 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 352(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70338 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 352(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
“Yep. We ended it. It was awkward as hell. But he and Lincoln drove down to ASU after Homecoming and apparently hooked up with college girls, so all good now.”
“Oh wow. And you were fine with this?”
Lincoln darts a glance at me. He and I haven’t talked about the fact that Abe drove me home that night and what happened afterward. He’s giving me privacy.
“Totally fine. It was a relief, actually.”
“And how was the rest of your night?” Lincoln asks.
“Uneventful,” I say firmly to cut off further inquiry. “Did you hear the wolves after the Homecoming dance?” I ask Rayne. “It sounded like a whole pack of them.”
“Oh, really? No, I didn’t hear anything.”
“You’ve seen them before, though, right?” I ask, trying to sound casual.
Rayne blinks her big blue eyes and takes a long moment to swallow her food. “Um, yeah. I’ve seen wolves a few times.”
“How about bears?”
She raises her brows. “No. Why? Did you see one?”
I nod. “Our dad claims there was one on our property. So we’ve had wolves and bears. I’m starting to think the animals in this town are trying to run us off.”
Rayne chokes on her food.
And that’s my answer. She’s definitely one of them. So she’s probably unpopular because she’s small and unathletic. Something about the pack order.
“We need to get rid of that shotgun Dad bought,” Lincoln mutters darkly.
A chill rushes over my skin. “You’re right.” It’s not just Abe’s life that might be at risk with my dad owning a gun. By the way Rayne’s eyes round in dismay, I deduce that Lincoln’s told her about our dad’s attempted suicide.
“How do you safely get rid of a gun?” I muse. “Maybe we just hide it somewhere in the house.”
“Yeah,” Lincoln agrees. “I’ll put it under my bed or something. That way, if that wolf comes back, you and I know where it is.”
My stomach knots up at the thought of Lincoln taking a shot at Abe. “We don’t even know how to shoot a gun,” I argue.
Lincoln shrugs. “I’d figure it out if I had to.”
“Well, I don’t think you’ll have to,” I say quickly. “I don’t think that wolf is rabid. I think it’s friendly. It’s probably being fed by humans, so it’s not afraid or something.”
Rayne nods. “I agree. I wouldn't worry about wolf attacks. I’ve never heard of anything like that.”
“A wolf literally tried to jump through my sister’s window,” Lincoln says. “It busted the screen open and everything.”
Rayne’s gaze flicks to the table where the alpha-holes sit.
Yep. She’s one of them, and she knows it was Abe.
I’ll have to be extra careful around her. I don’t know if I can trust her not to turn me in if she suspects I know their secret.
And there’s no way in hell I’m ever letting anyone take me near a vampire again. They’d have to kill me first.
The bell rings, and I stand only to find Abe and his friends right behind me. He ignores me again–or pretends to–but I feel the lightest of touches at my lower back as he passes by, a fleeting acknowledgment that this weekend was real.
School bully Abe is a fake.
When I get to my next class another text comes through.
Abe: Meet me at the cabin tonight. 6:30. I won’t disappoint.
My heart revs up like an engine just started. My body heats, remembering all his less-than-disappointing skills. I am definitely going to meet him.
Still, I don’t answer.
If he wants to pretend I don’t exist, I’m going to make him suffer.
Abe: You told the whole school you want me to eat you. I just want to give you what you need.
Me: I’ll think about it.
Abe: I’ll be waiting. If you don’t come, punishment will be in order.
After dinner, I tell Lincoln and my dad I’m going to the library, and I drive the Tesla toward the dirt roads that lead toward Abe’s cabin.
The trouble is, the roads aren’t marked or named, and it’s not like I have an address I can plug into the Tesla map system.
I do know the way by foot, though. I end up pulling to the side of the road and parking to hike there. The sun has just set, leaving the mountains glowing a magical pink and purple.
I get a dopamine hit as I walk, knowing what awaits me. For the first time, I actually absorb the beauty my mom saw here–not in an unemotional, flat way, but I feel it in my chest. Like a balloon that expands and makes me feel lighter.
I didn’t wear proper footwear for the hike–I’m in a pair of Manolo Blahnik leather flip-flops, but I shouldn’t be too far from the cabin or the road that leads to the cabin now.
It’s rockier than I remembered, though, and I have to pick my way over the larger stones, avoiding the prickly things. One of the rocks shifts under my feet, and before I even see the danger, a snake curled beneath it strikes my ankle.