“I’m bored.” He scratched at something on the wall. “At my house, there are always things to do. All my stuff is there.”
“If you’re going to be staying here longer, maybe we should use our extra time to get more of your things.”
“Good idea.” He passed through the doorway, getting a closer look as I applied mascara. “Why are you bothering with that stuff anyway?”
Did he mean that it didn’t do any good on me? I feared getting permanent marks between my brows from frowning at Zack so often.
His palm flashed up as a shield. “I mean, you’re just as pretty without it.”
Calmer, I eyed my hand, realizing I’d been holding my mascara brush like a weapon.
A moment later, he was gone, but my spirits were lifted. At least I was likable enough that he still found me attractive. That was something.
Zack did the driving to school. I’d have plenty of time alone with my car soon enough. Besides, I enjoyed watching him be master at the wheel. He was as confident with that as everything else.
But it was less painful when I wasn’t looking at him. I sighed and shifted until I was gazing out the side window. “You never answered me about Ashley’s party. It’s tonight.”
“I think we should go.”
My eyes snapped to his. “Really?”
“Yeah. I’m not sure how smart it is to have us cooped up in your house so much.”
I knew why I thought it wasn’t a good idea — Zack was too much of a temptation for me. But I was curious why he thought so. “Why?”
He fidgeted, his gaze elsewhere. At a stop sign, he focused on me. “Didn’t I already tell you how pretty you are?” He smiled, the dimple in his left cheek peeking out.
For the first time in what seemed an eternity, I felt good. I warmed all over.
Despite our extra stop at his house, we were still a little early for school. Once he parked the Mustang, I got out of the car. Zack was already a few feet ahead of me.
“Daniel’s waiting for you.”
I caught up to him. “Maybe he’s standing there for some other reason.”
“No. He’s waiting for you.”
“How do you know?”
Zack stopped and faced me. “I’m a guy, Autumn. I know how the minds of guys work. Plus, we know Daniel.” He held me by my shoulders. “Promise me you won’t make any deals with him.”
Since I’d almost agreed the last time Daniel approached me, I couldn’t blame Zack. But his urgency alarmed me. “Okay.”
He released my shoulders and resumed walking, giving me a lopsided smile. “People aren’t talking about us enough. We’re going to have to do something about that.”
In that moment, I forgot all about different species, shape-shifter slaves and even Daniel. It was just Zack and me. We looked at each other with goofy grins until we touched the curb.
“Autumn,” Daniel said. “Can I have a word with you?” It was a question, but the way he spoke, it sounded more like a command.
I put a hand on my hip. “Is that an order?”
“Yeah, is it?” Zack took a step toward Daniel.
Daniel’s eyes darkened, his shoulders straightening. The corners of his mouth lifted, but the energy around us crackled with tension. “Of course not. May I please have a minute of your time, Autumn?”
Zack stepped back, but stayed close. I stood two feet from Daniel, my brows raised.
“I’ve made my position clear and you’ve had several chances to make this right.” He shifted toward me.
I backed up. “Do you have a point? Because those are the same tired things you’ve already said.”
His eyes narrowed a moment. “This is your last chance.”
“Going, going, gone. You can leave me alone now.”
His eyes darkened. “When I kill Zack, you’ll get to watch him die. But I’ll keep you alive.” His voice lowered. “For a while anyway.”
“Way to make a girl love you, Daniel.” My stomach knotted. “How about I call the police and file a report? Anything happens to us and you’ll be the first person they come for.”
“Do I look like I’m afraid of the police?” Daniel laughed. “All that matters is that in the end, we’ll be together.”
His complete disregard for his own life made him even more dangerous. “You think you could murder Zack or me and suddenly I’ll want to be your soul mate? If you really believe that, you’re even crazier than I thought.”
At that, I made my way to Zack as casually as I could on trembling knees. All I wanted was to get lost in him. I wanted him to hold me, kiss me and make me forget how dirty Daniel made me feel. I struggled to keep him in my line of vision as the shapes around me spun. I’d stood my ground, but I may have made the biggest mistake of my life by putting Zack in danger.