“I’m not,” Connor said. “I’ve loved Lindsey ever since she bloodied my nose because I took her chew toy.”
My heart stuttered at his casual use of the L-word. In our relationship I was the one who was shy about using it. I always had been. I adored Connor, but I wasn’t sure I’d ever told him I loved him. Now certainly wasn’t the time. I slapped his arm playfully. “It was a teething ring and I was only a year old. I don’t even remember it. But my parents always bring it up anytime our families get together.”
“That and the naked videos.”
“What’s this?” Kayla asked, laughing.
I groaned. “I was two, Connor was four. We’d been playing in a splash pool. We took off our clothes and got in the sandbox. Makes sense to me. You don’t get in a sandbox with wet clothes on.”
“And I haven’t seen her naked since,” Connor said.
But he would. During my first transformation. Clothes hamper our ability to transform. Despite what happens to the Incredible Hulk, shirts don’t rip off and pants don’t stretch. I felt myself blush as Connor wiggled his blond eyebrows at me. For a species that had to divest itself of its clothing under what we considered natural circumstances, we were a modest bunch.
Thank goodness, the waitress brought our burgers over and conversation stopped as we wolfed them down. So to speak. Generally, we enjoyed nothing as much as we did warm, red meat. Although I did also have a weakness for fudge and anything else remotely chocolate.
When we finished eating, Connor and I decided to join Brittany in the pool room to give Lucas and Kayla some privacy. Walking inside, I was disappointed to see that all the tables were occupied. At the one nearest to the door, the young guy leaning over the table about to make his shot looked up and met Connor’s gaze. With a shrug, he laid his cue stick down, bumped his partner on the shoulder—who set his stick on the table—and they both leaned against the wall, arms crossed defensively over their chests. Their reactions told me two things: they weren’t yet eighteen and they were one of us, because apparently they recognized an alpha wolf when they spotted one. It was like that with our kind. Until we had the ability to go all furry, we gave way to those who could. It was a sign of respect.
A Static might have felt sorry for the two guys. After all, they were there first. But in order for our culture to work, a hierarchy had been established. As a Dark Guardian, Connor was at the top of the food chain. I had to admit that I felt a swelling of pride as he put his hand on the small of my back and led me to the table.
“I’ll rack, you break,” he said as he began taking the balls out of the pockets and rolling them toward one end.
I picked up the cue stick the first guy had set down. It was the right size for me. As I began chalking it up, I shifted my gaze over to Brittany. She’d finished whipping the butt of the guy who’d followed her into the room—or maybe he’d let her win so she’d relax around him. They began to set up for another game.
“What’s wrong?” Connor asked quietly as he slid his arm around me and pulled me close. A possessive move. His question seemed to be a frequent one lately.
“I don’t know. That guy. I’m not getting good vibes off him. He’s not one of us.”
“A hiker maybe. Mountain climber.”
“A spy,” I added.
“I think he’s harmless.”
“That’s what we thought about Mason.” He’d managed to capture Lucas in wolf form. If not for Kayla, Lucas might still be living in a cage somewhere, on display like a prized possession.
“Good point.” He looked over at the young guys. It seemed to me that they had stopped breathing, waiting for his assessment. “Thanks for the table, but we changed our mind. We’re going to play with a friend.”
Brittany was leaning provocatively over the table when we arrived. She swept her gaze slowly over Connor, before taking her shot—and missing the corner pocket she’d been aiming for.
“All right!” the stranger said, with a grin. “Maybe this time I have a chance of winning.”
He handed his beer bottle to her, before taking up his position to make a shot. With a dare in her eyes directed at me, she took a swig.
“You’ll get kicked out if Mitch finds out you’re drinking,” I told her.
“He has to catch me first, and he’s busy.” She took another swallow, before tipping the bottle toward the guy lining up his shot. “This is Dallas. He’s new to the area, here to do some hiking. These are my friends, Lindsey and Connor. They’re destined for each other.” Her words were almost slurred, and I wondered how much beer she’d had.
“Cool,” Dallas said, amused. He nodded at me and touched two fingers to his brow in a salute to Connor, then sent two balls flying into opposite side pockets.
“He’s also very good at pool. Game over,” Brittany said.
“You don’t know that,” Dallas responded as he pocketed another ball. “I could miss if you come over and distract me.”
Smiling, Brittany shook her head. Maybe the reason none of the guys declared for her was because she gave the impression she was unavailable. She never flirted with anyone.
“Thought we could team up, challenge you guys,” Connor said.
“Sure. Nothing like a friendly game to get to know each other better. Let me just finish up here.” And Dallas quickly cleared the table of balls.
“See?” Brittany asked. “You guys don’t stand a chance.”
“We’ll see,” Connor muttered beneath his breath.
Our kind was nothing if not competitive.
While Connor and Dallas each rolled a ball across the table—whoever got it to stop closest to the far end would break—I nudged up against Brittany and said in a low voice, “So what’s his story?”
“Says he’s a hiker.”
“You believe him?”
“No way, too pale.”
“One of Mason’s minions?”
“Maybe.”
Nothing like spending all day in a lab to prevent a tan.
Connor won the right to break, and I felt that little spark of pride again. My guy. But as he made his move to strike the balls, I shifted my gaze over to Dallas. He was watching the room as though he was expecting trouble. I felt the wariness creep through me.