“No.” Zack shook his head. “I just don’t want to lie to her.”
“Then tell her the truth.”
“What?” His eyes bulged.
After dealing with my parents’ paranoia for so many years, I’d become the expert on spinning the truth. “Tell her my parents are out-of-town and my ex-boyfriend is stalking me. It’s all true.”
“And what are we going to do with you when I’m at work?”
I mulled that over a moment, tapping my lip with my index finger. “If your mom knows my situation, maybe she’ll be okay with me hanging out at your house. After I finish my homework, I can help Cara and your mom with whatever they need.”
“When your parents come back, you’ll stay with them. You’d be safer among humans. We tend to avoid anything that might bring in the police and expose us.”
“Wait. Why do you assume my parents are human?” I tried to think how that could be possible. “If I was born this way, wouldn’t they be shape-shifters too?”
“Well, my mom is human. My dad was a werewolf and kept it from my mom. It’s possible your mom is human and your real dad is a shape-shifter.” He hesitated and watched me warily like I was a corn kernel about to pop. “If she had no clue, then this man you think is your father wouldn’t know either.”
“What?” I rose from the sofa, my gaze riveted to his. “My dad is my dad.” He had to be. “I don’t have a real one too.” I knew that as well as I knew my favorite color.
“Relax.” Zack stood too, holding up his palms in surrender.
“Don’t tell me to relax.” My hands balled into fists at my side. “You just told me he’s not my real dad.”
“Autumn. I’m just throwing out theories. I’m not God and I’m not the werewolf king. I didn’t create the universe or turn shape-shifters into slaves. Don’t get mad at me. I’m telling you what I know. That’s what you wanted, right?”
I fell back onto the sofa, staring at the wall ahead of me.
“If your parents were anything, I would’ve smelled it on their belongings, the photographs, his jacket hanging in the closet and anything else they’ve touched here. Which means you can never tell them. Autumn?”
Right, because revealing myself to a mortal carries the penalty of death. “I’m tired,” I said quietly, still focusing straight ahead.
“We have to go to my house, so I can talk to my mom and pick up some things. Then you can go to bed.”
“I want to be alone,” I said in soft voice. “Go home, Zack.”
He stood in front of me and held out his hand. “I’m not leaving you. But once we get back and I’ve made sure your bedroom windows are secure, you can do whatever you want.”
“If my window is locked, you think that’ll stop a werewolf?” I asked doubtfully.
“No. It’ll slow things down and they’d make noise. I’d be upstairs before Daniel got to you.” He stuck a hand in his pocket and pulled out his cell to eye the screen. “It’s getting late. I’d like to get home before my mom falls asleep.”
It wouldn’t be right to make him miss a visit with his mom because I insisted on being a big baby. Though Zack had to be wrong about my parents, he was trying to help me. So I sucked it up and gave him a smile. It was a weak one, but the best I could muster.
Zack found my keys, ushered me out and locked the door behind us.
“So you realized only yesterday that I wasn’t human?” I got in the passenger side of Zack’s Jeep and closed the door.
“Around then, yes. I would’ve found out sooner, but I was too busy not liking you.” He started up his car and glanced my way. “After our first dinner and movie with Maya and Trevor, I suspected I’d judged you too quickly.”
“What you really mean is you realized what a dumb-ass you’d been.” Teasing him helped pull me out of my funk.
“That’s one way of looking at it.” He snorted. “Anyway, after our trip to Bigger Burgers and you ate meat the same way I ate it when I hit maturity, I was almost positive. You confirmed it when you raced around the meadow that night.”
At Zack’s house seconds later, we hurried inside to see his mom. “Hi, Mrs. De Luca,” I said, shadowing Zack into her room.
“Hello, sweetheart.” She gave me a sleepy smile. “And how are you enjoying your new car?”
“Love it. Although by the time we picked it up and had dinner, I didn’t have much time to play with it.”
“Mom,” Zack said. “Autumn has a situation. Her ex-boyfriend is harassing her and her parents are out-of-town. She shouldn’t be alone in that house. I’m going to grab a few things and spend the night there.”