My Wolf’s Bane(40)

“Such a gentleman. You know who you remind me of?” I giggled. Yeah, as if the wolf cared. But I had a captive audience and Maya wasn’t around to talk to. “This new guy at school. Total douche. You’re not a jerk like him, but you’re both so pretty.” A vision of Zack when he’d met me at my door earlier flashed through my mind. “You should’ve seen his face when he saw me tonight. He actually stuttered.”

The wolf whined and dropped his head to the ground, burying it under his paw. At that moment, my feelings for the wolf and Zack were similar too — I wanted to pet them both.

I laughed. “Goodnight, sweet wolf.”

† † †

By the time I’d made it into bed, I’d been exhausted. But, wired from my brush with the most glorious thing ever to meet my taste buds and my strange wolf friend, sleep didn’t find me until around two a.m. Five hours later, I popped up, wide awake and well-rested. Which was odd since I’d always been an eight-hour girl. Maybe because I healed so fast, my body recharged quickly now too.

Several hours remained before I had to be at Zack’s house. First order of business: fulfill Zack’s homework request. I did enough online car shopping to make plans to see an FJ Cruiser. I doubted that a decent one would be in my budget, but maybe by some miracle while I was there, I’d find something else that would work for me.

Done with the Internet for the time being, I shut down my laptop, then stood and sniffed the air. Rancid smoke and nicotine. Ugh. Maybe if I cleaned, I could enjoy the house stink-free for the duration of my parent’s absence.

After opening all the windows, I made the kitchen and bathrooms sparkle, swept the hardwood floors and polished the furniture. My olfactory system still picked up the smoke that had seeped into the paint and wood, but the air quality had improved dramatically.

After a shower to rid my body of the chemical and disinfectant smell, which was almost as bad as the smoke, it occurred to me that I didn’t have Zack’s address or phone number. So many opportunities and I’d never asked him for either. I’d have to call Maya for that, but didn’t look forward to listening to her gush over Trevor. It only made me realize how much my own love life was lacking. I wrapped a towel around myself and dialed Maya.

“Hello?” a sleepy voice croaked.

“Maya, it’s me. Did I wake you?” Of course I did. “I need Zack’s address or phone number.”

She yawned. “I was so excited after Trevor kissed me goodnight, I couldn’t fall asleep.”

I grinned. My annoying semi-date with Zack was definitely worth seeing her dreams of being with Trevor finally come true. “I’m so happy for you.”

“Yeah, me too. I don’t know their address, but they live two blocks down on the same side of the street. Right before it curves.”

“On what street?” I asked.

“Your street, silly. But towards Foothill Boulevard, not the forest. It’s the yellow house with the white picket fence. You can’t miss it. Can I go back to sleep now?”

“Sure. We’ll talk later. Sleep well.” Who knew Zack lived so close?

Wearing snug, faded jeans and a white tank top, I slipped into some flip flops and headed out. I didn’t bother starting the Taurus, opting to walk there instead.

His house had yellow clapboard siding with white-trimmed windows. A bicycle, Frisbee and other play items littered the yard, spilling into the driveway. Potted plants hung from either side of several steps that led up to a wide front porch. Homey.

I knocked and a pretty, dark-haired woman answered. I could hear boys shouting in the background as the door opened wider. She smiled and waved me inside. “You must be Autumn. I’m Cara, Zack’s aunt.” Beyond her, a boy darted by.

I stuck out my hand. “Oh, you’re Trevor’s mom. Nice to meet you.”

She shook my hand, then closed the door behind me. “You too. Zack’s around here somewhere.”

Cords and gadgets littered the coffee table and the overstuffed couch, stretching across the muted blue-green rug to connect to a wide flat-screen TV. Zack came into view, following a boy who looked about ten-years-old. “I demand a rematch, Brian,” he said.

A gleam came into the boy’s eye. “If you want to lose again, how can I refuse?”

“Cool,” Zack said solemnly. “Hey, maybe you could show me one more time how to do it.”

“Yeah, whatever.” Brian smirked and sauntered off down the hallway.

“You shouldn’t let him beat you all the time, Zack,” she whispered. “I want him to learn he has to work things out for himself.”