Kyle knew what he meant. “Not hunting. Dating.” Suddenly, he felt a frisson of fear for Jessica. OK, that’s irrational. He knew what would happen to her.
Caleb said, “Luring in the bait. Are you sure you’re up to the task?”
“What makes you think I’m not?”
Caleb laughed. In his bear form, this came out as a rumbling growl. “You never could rise to the real challenges. You’ve always been overprotected and over-coddled.”
“Depends on your perspective.”
“I’m just waiting to see you fail.”
“I hope you’re patient then because it’s going to be a long, long wait.”
A few bees swarmed over to the other werebear. Kyle finished sucking all the honey out of the honeycombs. He dusted away the bees clinging to his body and turned to his brother.
“I’ll take my leave now, thank you very much.”
“Why leave so soon? Have you feasted enough? Join me for a real kill, brother and perhaps I might consider you worthy.” Caleb smiled, showing bloodied teeth.
Kyle knew his brother was one of the few werebears who killed for sport. And he wasn’t sure if his brother’s bloodlust was contained to woodchucks and small furry animals.
“Not for me, and I’ll remind you again of our need to stay beneath the radar. Real ‘kills’, as you put it, will only compromise our secrecy. Goodnight.”
Kyle turned and lumbered away. He listened for his brother’s heavy footsteps but heard none.
When he returned to his car, he shifted again and became a naked crouching man in the moonlight. He could not help feeling relieved that his brother had not followed him. These confrontations were becoming tiring.
One day, he knew, his brother would not be content to just wait. His brother would be lurking in the shadows, waiting to make his move. One false step on his path, and his brother would pounce.
All for the honor of being Alpha.
PICNIC
The first thing Lyla did when Jessica came in through the door was to shriek loud enough to wake up the entire floor. Lyla rushed out of bed to embrace Jessica like a long lost sister.
“You’re home! I left you so many messages! I was so worried when you never called. What the hell happened?”
Jessica felt like she was in the middle of a whirlwind, but Lyla had that effect on people.
“Nothing happened. I mean, everything happened. It was great! He was great . . . and everything he said he would be. Oh . . . ” She sat down rather roughly on her bed, feeling lightheaded.
Lyla sat beside her. “I want to know everything. Everything!”
So Jessica recounted the events of the night, right up to the picnic invitation. Lyla screamed again, causing Jessica to shut her ears.
“Sssssh,” she said. “You’ll wake everyone up and there’ll be written complaints about us to the housing board.”
“I don’t care! This is the first real date you’ve had and I’m so happy everything is perfect. He’s a dream come true. Oh, can I meet him?”
“Lyla, I’ve just met him!” To be honest, Jessica was afraid to let Kyle meet Lyla. She was usually too ‘much’ for some people. And there was a tiny kernel within Jessica which was afraid that Kyle would find her best friend far more interesting and attractive.
Oh, don’t be ridiculous, another voice inside her said. He would have found plenty more girls who are prettier and more interesting than you outside this dorm room. But he still went on a date with you, didn’t he?
That was true.
But oh, everything is so madly incoherent right now. And she really needed to sleep. But her heart was still pounding and her brain was charged with excitement. She knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep all night just reliving the date.
Lyla didn’t seem to want to sleep either. So they spent the next few hours or so recounting the date until the first glimmer of dawn broke over the tops of the trees outside.
“Oh shit!” Jessica said. “We haven’t slept all night and he’s coming at ten to pick me up for the picnic in the park!”
“Shit! We have to get you ready. Are there rings under your eyes?” Lyla peered into her face. “Don’t worry. There’s nothing a little makeup can’t conceal.”
Jessica rushed off to have a shower. By nine, she was all fresh (well, as fresh as she could be) and dressed in a light-colored shirt and jeans. Her walking shoes were on her feet and Jessica was ashamed of how worn they were.
“Don’t worry,” Lyla said. “He won’t notice your feet. We’ll have to get you a whole new wardrobe.”
“I don’t think I can afford that. I’m on scholarship, remember?”