My Wolf’s Bane(48)

Body language said he wasn’t trying to hook up with me. So, what was up? Total gentleman or serial killer? If he meant harm, I could put up a good fight. My instinct told me, though, Zack wasn’t a creep. I dropped my keys in his hand.

“I wanted to talk to you about something. Do you mind if I come in?”

“Uh, I guess not.”

Once he unlocked the door, he swung it open and stood in the doorway. I squeezed past him as his nose neared me and he inhaled.

“You did it again.” I shot him a dark look, my hands on my hips. “Do you know how weird it is to have some guy constantly sniffing you? You have a fetish or something?”

“Autumn…”

“What? Spit it out already.” The anticipation was making me crazy. His proximity was not helping. Sadly, I was getting worked up enough that I really wanted him to kiss me.

“You don’t smell like other people,” he whispered.

I froze, a blind fury brewing. “Excuse me?”

He backed up. “I mean, you don’t smell like a normal person.”

“Your clarification is not flattering.” Here I was, feeling foolish and love-struck waiting for his goodnight kiss, maybe even a make-out session, and that’s what I got — an insult? Oh, I wanted to wring his neck. I wanted to pound on him, smash him to itty bitty pieces. “You convince me to go out with you guys, ignore me all night, then insult me? I smell not normal? You’ve been rude before, Zack De Luca, but this beats them all. I’d like you to leave. Now.”

He stared at me like he was surprised. Or confused. He’d told me I stunk. Did he expect me to get turned on, because my smelling offensive made him irresistible?

“Autumn, that’s not what I meant.”

“So I do smell normal?”

“Well, no—”

“Out.” I glared and pointed to the doorway.

“Wait. Let me explain.”

“Is English not your first language?” I growled, my jaws clenched.

He held up both hands in surrender and backed away, through the door and down the steps. I slammed the door and peeked out the window. He was still staring at the house.

Damn it. I was so furious my arms and legs trembled. My stomach twisted up and I wanted to howl at the sky. I bolted upstairs to change into my running clothes, needing to get out before I exploded.

Dressed, I flew down the steps. With my hand on the doorknob, I stopped. Zack hadn’t said I smelled bad but that I didn’t smell like a normal person. Strange choice of words. When I kicked him out, he looked stunned, not angry. Did he know something about me? If so, what?

And how the hell did he know about the black wolf?

Closing my eyes and inhaling deeply, I took a moment to calm myself before peeking out the window. Zack was gone. I needed to talk to him, but pounding on his door this late and waking his mother wasn’t an option. She needed her sleep. Besides, whoever answered might assume I came for a booty call. Unacceptable.

I would go for my run, email my parents, then get to bed. Tomorrow, I’d have plenty of opportunities to grill him.

Or kill him.





CHAPTER SIXTEEN

I raced to the meadow, my head swimming with thoughts of Zack and freaky scenarios. Impossible things were happening with my body, so how could I believe those kinds of impossibilities belonged only to me? Someone, somewhere could be going through the same thing. Maybe even Zack.

Earlier at Bigger Burgers, he hadn’t seemed shocked like the others over the rumor of Daniel and the wolf. Plus, his sense of smell was awfully good and he seemed unusually strong for his age. In fact…. he behaved eerily similar to my black wolf and I couldn’t ignore the fact that he’d joked a few days ago about actually being a werewolf.

Was it possible he was a werewolf? Could werewolves exist in real life?

I stood immobilized in the center of the clearing, balling my fists. No, there were no such things as werewolves. Trevor’s theory was probably right and Jeff had made up the story to avoid getting into trouble. Or he had an alcohol induced hallucination.

Or maybe my special abilities gave me an unusual scent and Zack had a very good sense of smell. It could be as simple as that. I closed my eyes again, feeling nature around me and inhaling the fragrance of moss and pine.

Yes, that’s it. Zack was a normal teenager and there were no creatures that went bump in the night.

I sensed him before I saw him. He came into view, my black wolf, approaching me slowly. About a yard away, he sat in front of me.

“You didn’t attack Daniel, did you?”

He whined and lowered his belly to the ground.

“No, of course you didn’t.” Such a strange creature. My mind reeled, but I was tired of thinking. I needed to get on with my run and get home to bed. “Race you around the meadow?”