“Turn around,” he told me silently.
I would’ve rather watched. So far, I’d seen his stomach and chest. Was the rest of him as flawless? But I grudgingly obeyed, listening to the fabric rustling as he got dressed. After finding my shoes, I put them on.
“I want to try something else,” I said.
Better to practice another time,” he said. “Morphing takes more energy than you think. You’ll sleep like a rock tonight, but it’ll get easier as you get stronger. You can turn around now.”
As I did, I got a glimpse of the muscle at his hips that cut in at his waist. Then it all disappeared, hidden by his shirt. Back to business. “I’ll get stronger?”
“I did.” He finished with his socks and located a shoe. “We should arm wrestle and see what you’re made of. We can use it to gauge any future increase.”
“I am curious, but we can do that tomorrow.” I still had so many questions. But he was right when he said morphing took energy. I felt all used up, mentally and physically. “We should get home.”
Zack led the way to the Mustang. Once inside, I leaned back and closed my eyes. What seemed like several seconds later, the car stopped and I popped up. How long had I been sleeping? I hated getting that tired. Embarrassing things happened, like drooling with my mouth open. Hopefully, he’d been concentrating on the road.
“Where are we?” I asked.
“Your house.” He chuckled softly. “Where else?”
I wiped at my mouth, thankful it was dry, then got out and stumbled up the steps and into the house. “I’ll shower in the morning when I’m more awake,” I said as I made my way upstairs.
“Don’t forget your book.” He pointed to the box of his father’s things.
I abandoned the steps to sift through the books, unsure which one I should pick. “What’s this?” It was thin, like a pamphlet, but hardbound. The faded, threadbare cover wore the words The Truth About Shape-shifters in old, block style letters across the front. I flipped it open. On the inside cover, it read, Brought to you by SWAAST.
“What’s SWAAST?” I asked.
“Shape-shifter Werewolf Alliance Against Slavery and Tyranny. They’re a group of shape-shifters and werewolves who help others who’ve escaped captivity or defied the king. They try to spread the truth through things like this. But the king wiped out most of them. I doubt they exist anymore.”
Interesting. I’d been close to retiring to my room, but my fascination with SWAAST reenergized me. “You don’t think they’re around anymore?” I asked.
“They’re a threat. King Mortimer would do everything in his power to destroy them.”
My eyes left the book to stare at Zack. “It’s a whole different world with its own problems and politics, isn’t it?” I examined the cover again, reading the title, and frowned. “Your dad was a scout.”
“That’s right.”
“Then why would he have this book?” Zack opened his mouth to answer, but I didn’t give him a chance. “If it’s that dangerous being part of SWAAST, we can assume it’s also dangerous to know them or even have these things in your possession.”
“I never thought about the danger aspect of it. I just figured he left it for me so I’d know about shape-shifters, not because he actually supported SWAAST.”
“But isn’t it safe to assume that if he was against them, he would’ve gotten rid of this book and never let you see it? If he supported the king at all, he wouldn’t have left it for you to learn.”
He paused a moment with a bewildered look. “Yeah, it seems logical he wouldn’t risk me getting caught with this book unless it was really important to him.”
“And it would only be important to him if he was a believer.” I hesitated a moment to let him absorb that. “Which proves my theory that good werewolves do exist.”
A gamut of emotions flickered over Zack’s face. “I guess so.”
“What did he look like? Your dad.” Now that I knew Lucio Gavino De Luca was worthy of the love Zack so obviously felt for him, I became more curious than ever. “You have pictures, right?”
“My mom had some photos, but they disappeared one day about ten years ago. Maybe my dad knew he wouldn’t make it back and didn’t want evidence he’d been there. If a werewolf ever saw the pictures and recognized him, I’d automatically be marked and a scout assigned to keep an eye on me until I came of age.”
“So he was trying to shield you. They found you anyway.” I glanced at the book again then Zack, tilting my head thoughtfully. “You don’t remember what he looked like? Not even a little?”