Blood Bond (27 page)

“George, you shifted,” I said. For some
reason I slowed when I got close, suddenly unsure at seeing him
like this.

He ducked his head. “Do I look …?” He didn’t
finish. He was more nervous than I was.

“You look amazing.” I reached out a
tentative hand, and ran it over the back of his neck and down his
shoulder. When he raised his head to look at me, we were almost eye
to eye. I sucked in a breath.

“What is it? Do I look like a freak?” he
asked. He tried twisting his head around to see his torso, and did
a full spin. It looked a little like he was chasing his tail.

Alex snorted.

“No, you’re not a freak.” I smiled. “I was
just thinking that for once, we’re the same height.”

His lips curved, baring a mouthful of sharp
teeth, and he let out a growly laugh.

“How do you feel?” I asked.

“Amazing,” he said. “I never imagined … is
this how it feels all the time?” he asked.

“I don’t know. It didn’t hurt?”

“Not at all. One minute I was running on two
feet, trying to get here and thinking I needed to be faster, and
the next I was on four paws. The speed’s incredible.”

I thought of the excruciating pain of my
almost-shift. He hadn’t felt any of that?

“And your … um … mind? I mean, do you feel
like you?” I asked.

“Yeah, I mean, I can feel something
underneath, like a pull. It happened when I saw him.” He nodded at
Alex. “But then it cleared and I remembered myself. I heard you and
I felt … grounded.”

“Good,” I said, giving him a wobbly smile
and relief hit me like a tsunami.

His brows wrinkled together. “What about
you? Do you feel different?” he asked.

“Me?” I blinked distracted. We’d done it.
George was himself. Humane, compassionate, rational. My blood had
saved him. “I’m fine, why?”

“You know, the bond?”

“The bond?” Alex echoed.

“It’s nothing,” I told him quickly, not
wanting to explain just yet. “I don’t feel anything,” I said to
George. “Do you?”

“Nope. Maybe we won’t.”

“Maybe. Do you think you can shift
back?”

“I don’t know. How do I do that?” he
asked.

“Um.” I looked at Alex, but he only
shrugged. “Maybe just concentrate on being human,” I suggested.

“Okay.” He closed his eyes. His wolf form
seemed to shimmer at the edges and then he was human again. Two
legs, two arms—and completely naked.

“Uh, George.” I turned away, my cheeks
flaming hot. Alex snickered.

“Oh! Uh … yeah. I think I’ll just stay like
this for a while longer.” I turned back to find him a wolf again.
“I guess your clothes don’t shift with you,” he said.

“They sure don’t,” Alex said, his voice
strained with barely controlled laughter.

George’s gaze shifted to Alex and his wolf
eyes narrowed. “What are you doing here, anyway?”

“Saving Tara’s ass, as usual,” he said. He
flipped the stake idly in his hand. George snarled at it, which
only made Alex laugh.

Alex walked over and touched me lightly on
the shoulder. I winced. “What the …?”

“He scratched you,” Alex said, his attention
on the red lines left on my skin. I hadn’t noticed the burn of it
until now. It wasn’t nearly as bad as past scratches. I wondered if
that was due to my wolf side becoming more dominant. Alex’s fingers
traced the line of them until they disappeared underneath my shirt.
I shuddered at the contact.

“Are you all right?” he asked. His voice
dropped low, just above a whisper, and for a moment, I forgot all
about George and the Lexingtons and nearly shifting.

“I missed you.” The words were out before I
could stop them. I held my breath for his reply, wondering if I’d
crossed a line or broken the rules.

“I thought about you every day,” he said.
“I—”

George growled and Alex broke off and
stepped away. I looked at the scratch marks left by Mr. Lexington,
my skin tingling where his fingers had touched me. The red lines
had already begun to fade and scab. I stared at my skin, stunned
that that I’d just healed five times faster than ever before.

“How’d you know I was here?” I asked,
deliberately changing the subject.

“You told me, remember? When you called and
asked me to act as your diversion.”

Right. I’d forgotten. Or tried to. Because
now that it was done, I felt like I owed him, and I didn’t
particularly enjoy the feeling.

Alex turned to George. “What about you,
wolf-boy? If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em? Is that it?”

“I told you, it was Miles. He injected
George with the serum before I could stop him.”

Hurt flashed across Alex’s face and was gone
again. I clamped down on the guilt of not telling him back at
school. I’d done what I had to, to protect George. I refused to
feel bad about that.

“You don’t trust me,” Alex said quietly. It
wasn’t a question, but I could hear the accusation.

“You’re on a scouting team. For Kane. You
chose a side,” I said.

He looked at me. “It’s that black and white?
I’m on this side, you’re on that side, and that’s it? Give me a
break, Tara. Our friendship means more than that, doesn’t it?”

“Yes,” I said quietly.

His words were my own, from our conversation
on the hill, all those weeks ago. When I’d screamed at him that it
wasn’t so black and white, that it was wrong to label someone
solely based on his or her DNA.

Alex walked over to me, not stopping until
we stood almost toe to toe. “I came here for you. I left Kane’s
group. I’m not going back.”

My head came up. My eyes searched his.
“What?” I whispered. “Are you saying you’re not going to hunt
anymore?”

“I’m saying there are things going on I’m
not sure about. And I’m saying I need you to be safe. So I’m here.
As long as you need me.”

I nodded. It wasn’t exactly the answer I’d
been hoping for, but it was a more than I’d ever expected.

Behind Alex, George cleared his throat. Or
growled. I wasn’t sure which. “Tara, it’s not safe here.”

“We should head back,” I said, stepping away
from Alex. I needed some distance between us. I needed to think
clearly. He hadn’t come here for me, not in the way I’d thought.
And what if he had? What would I have done? I’d made my choice.

So why did the idea of losing Alex always
tug at something deep inside me? And why couldn’t I let him go?

I watched him slide the stake back inside a
sheath attached to his belt and reminded myself he hadn’t committed
to anything past this moment.

“You coming with us, Rambo?” George
asked.

“If you’ll have me,” he said, directing the
comment to George.

George cocked his head to the side as if
considering. “You ran those two hybrids off.”

“I did.”

George grunted, which apparently meant,
“You’re in,” because Alex fell into step beside me.

Chapter Sixteen

I made it to the edge of the shade, the
exact spot where the pavement met the chemically darkened soil, and
stopped. Parked in the circular drive was a familiar-looking pickup
truck. Standing on the other side, halfway to the front door, were
the last three people I’d expected to see: Cord, Logan, and
Victoria.

I didn’t have time to react before another
car pulled in behind them—a dust-coated Aston Martin.

“What are they doing here?” George asked,
stepping around me to get a better look.

Instinctively, I sidestepped, putting space
between Alex’s shoulder and mine. Cord’s frown turned into a scowl
as she caught sight of me. I pretended I hadn’t seen it but made a
mental note not to be left alone with her. She looked furious.

My breath caught in my chest at the sight of
Wes as he slid from the car. His jeans and T-shirt were wrinkled,
as if he’d been wearing them for a while. It made him look
vulnerable. He pulled his glasses off and broke into a smile. His
expression, though lined with exhaustion, mirrored the relief and
excitement inside me, and I couldn’t stand still any longer. I ran
to him and threw myself against him, wrapping my arms tight around
his neck.

I was dimly aware of Logan and Victoria
staring at George in obvious confusion. But then Wes’s mouth found
mine and I forgot all of them. It was only Wes and me.

And then it wasn’t.

Behind me, someone cleared her throat. The
lack of subtlety left no doubt who’d made the noise. Wes eased away
but kept an arm around me as we turned to face Cord. She glared at
both of us, arms crossed. In that moment, I was grateful that she
was fond of at least one of us. Hopefully, it would be enough.

The rest of the group wandered up behind
her.

“If you two are done sucking face, will
someone please explain to me what the hell is going on?” Cord
demanded.

“Where would you like me to start?” Wes
asked, entirely too calm for the way Cord was eyeing him.

She pointed at George.
“Let’s see, that one’s a full-blown Werewolf, but his eyes are just
this side of sane.” She pointed at Alex. “He’s standing
next to
a Werewolf and
not trying to butcher it.” Finally, she pointed at Wes and me. “And
you two are having some sort of lovers’ reunion, which means either
you haven’t been gallivanting around the country together this
entire week or your simple trip to the store awakened Tara’s
abandonment issues.”

“All valid concerns,” Wes said.

His eyes roamed the group. First to Logan
and Victoria—and I could tell we were all wondering what they were
doing here. I didn’t dare ask yet. Not with Cord looking ready to
punch someone. I winced as Wes caught sight of Alex. His jaw
hardened and then twitched as he worked the muscles there. “Alex.”
He nodded.

“Wes. Nice to see you again.” Alex’s voice
was strained. They didn’t attempt a handshake.

“Tara?” Wes’s eyebrows shot
up. I could tell he was thinking exactly what Cord had just spoken
aloud:
What the hell?

“He just got here,” I said. It was the
shortest and least descriptive answer I could’ve given, and
obviously not enough, but he didn’t pursue it.

“And George?” he asked.

“Turned,” I said. “Safely.”

“I see that,” he said. “How?”

The front door opened, saving me from an
explanation just yet. Professor Flaherty took in the scene with a
quick glance, her mouth widening into a welcoming smile.

She zeroed in on Alex first. “Alex, what a
surprise.” She stepped off the porch.

“Professor,” he said. Something about his
tone sounded off, like he wasn’t quite as surprised as one would
expect, running into a former teacher here. But then he smiled and
shook her hand and said, “What brings you out here?”

“Astor DeLuca, the man who lives here, is a
friend of mine. I was just visiting during break,” she said. Then
she switched her gaze. “Logan, Victoria, a pleasant surprise.”

“Professor,” Logan said, shaking her hand.
Victoria did the same.

“What is everyone doing here?” Professor
Flaherty asked.

I couldn’t help but redden when every single
person except George and I answered with a loud and resounding,
“Tara.” Cord punctuated hers with a glare aimed at me.

“I see.” Professor Flaherty’s smile never
wavered and she extended her hand to the open doorway behind her.
“Let’s get you all out of this heat, and we’ll get everything
sorted out.”

“Professor,” Alex called. “A word?”

“Of course.” She huddled with Alex out of
hearing range, both of them casting glances my way. After a moment,
Alex jogged toward the trees.

“What’s that about?” Wes asked.

“I’ll tell you inside,” I said, heading for
the door.

Logan gave me a quick, one-armed hug on his
way inside.

“Hey,” he whispered.

“Hi,” I whispered back. He moved on when
Victoria tugged his hand. I felt her eyes on me but didn’t look up
as I thought of what I was about to tell her.

George walked inside just ahead of me, still
in wolf form, his tail wagging a little. Mathias simply raised a
brow at him as he passed. Halfway down the hall, George turned
back. “Tay, I’m going to stop by my room to, ah, change.”

“Come find us when you’re done,” I said as
he trotted off.

Wes came up beside me and took my hand. I
looked down at our joined fingers and then up at him. He stared
straight ahead, his jaw flexing. “I’m glad you’re here,” I said,
squeezing his hand. He tugged on my arm until we were a good
distance behind the group and then stopped and pulled me close.

“I missed you,” he said, his voice husky. He
pressed his lips to mine and then trailed quick kisses over my
jawline. He moved back to my lips, lingered there, and then pulled
away.

His eyes danced and he looked down at me
with a wry expression. “Don’t think this means I’m not going to
yell at you later. You were supposed to wait for me before doing
anything with George.”

“I don’t think that,” I
said, a little dazed. We started walking again. “What
does
it
mean?”

“It means I love you, even though you’re
impulsive. And I don’t want that moron outside to think otherwise
and do anything stupid.” Despite the words, his tone was light, and
I could tell he wasn’t nearly as angry as he pretended. Still, I
was glad Alex was out of earshot.

“Oh, well, if that’s all.”

I was relieved to find the sunroom empty. I
wasn’t sure if it was by chance or if Professor Flaherty had carted
Astor off somewhere, but either way, it was probably better, at
least for now, if he wasn’t present. This many people were sure to
set him off, especially with tempers raised like they were.

Logan and Victoria filed in behind Professor
Flaherty and sat together on a loveseat by the windows. Victoria
whispered something to Logan and he kissed her cheek. They didn’t
look over at me. I wondered what they were doing here and how in
the world they’d hooked up with Cord.