“Feisty one, huh?” he whispered in my ear and I cringed.
Ready with a comeback, I was startled as two arms wrapped around my body possessively.
“Put your damn paws on her again and you’ll be short one,” Levi growled from just above my shoulder.
“Oh, hi Levi. I didn’t realize you hadn’t had this one yet. What do you care anyway, don’t you usually go for the humans?”
Levi’s arms released me and he pushed me behind him, placing me right between Jared and Owen.
“Humans are superior to you lowlifes,” Levi spat.
“You have the nerve to come to my party and insult me?”
“I can insult you anywhere I want, dog.”
I glanced over at Hailey, noticing that her eyes had gone all black again. Jared and Owen’s had as well, and I could only assume Levi’s had done the same. Before I could dwell on it too long, I watched with shock as the air seemed to buzz and C.J. shifted into a giant wolf. Unlike the transformation of the Pterons, C.J. became a wolf completely; there was nothing human about him.
Levi’s wings flapped out behind him, as did Jared and Owen’s. The sheer size of the wings, and the black eyes made for a menacing sight.
“Stay with Allie and don’t move,” Levi yelled at Hailey. She nodded, leading us back to lean against a wall. I followed her lead shakily.
Several other girls and guys transformed into wolves, and I had to steady myself against the wall from the craziness of it all.
A snarl emanated from the wolf that was C.J. Levi strode up to the wolf, picked him up by the scruff of his neck and tossed him. “Anyone else going to dare to disrespect me?” Levi screamed, hands balled into fists. “You do not touch our women. Do you understand?”
No one said anything.
“Let’s go!” Levi pulled me to his side and away from Hailey. With his arms around my waist, he jumped off the building.
Releasing me as soon as we reached the ground, Levi spun on Hailey angrily. “What the hell were you thinking? A Were party? What, you slumming it now? And you thought it was acceptable to take Allie with you? Are you dense?”
I expected Owen to tell Levi to back off, but instead he looked at Hailey with the same steely gaze. The fury coming from all three of the guys was terrifying, and it wasn’t even directed at me.
Hailey didn’t falter. “We were having fun until you showed up.”
“And what would you have done if that punk tried to push things further with Allie?”
“I would have protected her. I can take care of myself and her.”
“What, now that you have your full strength you think you’re invincible?” Levi seethed.
“Get real, Hailey. You might be stronger than a Were but there is nothing you could have done against a whole party of those guys.” Jared entered the lecture.
I knew it was time to jump in. “Stop it! Stop yelling at her. I decided to come with her, so it’s my fault too.”
“It’s not your fault, but I do wish you had bothered to tell me where you were going.” Levi wrung his hands, looking like he wasn’t sure how much he should say to me.
“Since when do I have to check in with you every time I go out?”
“Since you decided to spend time with Weres. You have no idea how dangerous they can be.”
“Not as dangerous as you.”
“The difference is I’m not going to hurt you. They would.”
I wanted to keep arguing but I sensed he was right. C.J. hadn’t actually hurt me, but even with his strange style, I knew he was a lot stronger than me, and I wouldn’t last long trying to fight him.
“Can we just go home?” I pleaded. Hailey now looked completely defeated and I wanted the night to end.
“Of course, I’ll take you home,” Levi said immediately.
“Flying?”
“I have my car.”
“Is that okay, Hailey?”
“It’s fine.” She waved me on.
As Levi snaked his arm around my waist and led me away, I heard Owen continuing to lecture his sister. “You can’t talk to him like that! You have to respect him. Mom and Dad would kill you if they heard you talking that way.”
My hunch that Levi was something important to the Pterons was fast becoming impossible to deny, and I was completely prepared to broach the topic with him when he pulled me into a near bone-crunching hug.
“Are you all right? I didn’t think to ask before.”
“I’m fine. I have a lot of questions, but I’m fine.”
“Can the questions wait?” he asked.
“For tonight, but you can’t put them off forever.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“Completely.”
Levi opened the passenger door for me and I slipped inside. He closed my door before walking around to get in.
I turned to him as he pulled away from the curb. “Okay, can I at least ask one question?”
He nodded. “I don’t have a choice, do I?”
“How’d you know where we were?”
“Why, are you worried I’m following you now?”
“Not exactly, I just need to know.” He wasn’t completely off. As the shock of the transformations wore off, I realized that there was no reason for Levi to have known where we were.
“It’s nothing that dramatic. Hailey left the email about the party open on her computer. Her mom found it and called Owen to get her.”
“Oh…” I said.
“So no more questions for tonight then?”
“Could I ask one more?”
He glanced over at me as we sat at a red light. He held my hand in my lap. “You’re a hard girl to say no to.”
“Who are you, Levi? What is it that you’re not telling me?”
He turned away but didn’t drop my hand. “No more questions. It’s late and I need to get you home.”
I could tell by the way that he watched the road with unwavering attention that he wasn’t going to answer my question. I also realized that his unwillingness to answer was just as telling as any explanation he would have given.
Chapter Thirteen
Despite the fact that I was dating a guy with wings and superhuman powers, things eventually settled down into a routine. Between work all day and spending my nights with Levi and Hailey, the time went by far too quickly. The one thing we never talked about was the Were party. Everyone else acted like it never happened. Hailey seemed to be getting along with the guys again, and I was afraid to ruin things by bringing it up.
Ready with a comeback, I was startled as two arms wrapped around my body possessively.
“Put your damn paws on her again and you’ll be short one,” Levi growled from just above my shoulder.
“Oh, hi Levi. I didn’t realize you hadn’t had this one yet. What do you care anyway, don’t you usually go for the humans?”
Levi’s arms released me and he pushed me behind him, placing me right between Jared and Owen.
“Humans are superior to you lowlifes,” Levi spat.
“You have the nerve to come to my party and insult me?”
“I can insult you anywhere I want, dog.”
I glanced over at Hailey, noticing that her eyes had gone all black again. Jared and Owen’s had as well, and I could only assume Levi’s had done the same. Before I could dwell on it too long, I watched with shock as the air seemed to buzz and C.J. shifted into a giant wolf. Unlike the transformation of the Pterons, C.J. became a wolf completely; there was nothing human about him.
Levi’s wings flapped out behind him, as did Jared and Owen’s. The sheer size of the wings, and the black eyes made for a menacing sight.
“Stay with Allie and don’t move,” Levi yelled at Hailey. She nodded, leading us back to lean against a wall. I followed her lead shakily.
Several other girls and guys transformed into wolves, and I had to steady myself against the wall from the craziness of it all.
A snarl emanated from the wolf that was C.J. Levi strode up to the wolf, picked him up by the scruff of his neck and tossed him. “Anyone else going to dare to disrespect me?” Levi screamed, hands balled into fists. “You do not touch our women. Do you understand?”
No one said anything.
“Let’s go!” Levi pulled me to his side and away from Hailey. With his arms around my waist, he jumped off the building.
Releasing me as soon as we reached the ground, Levi spun on Hailey angrily. “What the hell were you thinking? A Were party? What, you slumming it now? And you thought it was acceptable to take Allie with you? Are you dense?”
I expected Owen to tell Levi to back off, but instead he looked at Hailey with the same steely gaze. The fury coming from all three of the guys was terrifying, and it wasn’t even directed at me.
Hailey didn’t falter. “We were having fun until you showed up.”
“And what would you have done if that punk tried to push things further with Allie?”
“I would have protected her. I can take care of myself and her.”
“What, now that you have your full strength you think you’re invincible?” Levi seethed.
“Get real, Hailey. You might be stronger than a Were but there is nothing you could have done against a whole party of those guys.” Jared entered the lecture.
I knew it was time to jump in. “Stop it! Stop yelling at her. I decided to come with her, so it’s my fault too.”
“It’s not your fault, but I do wish you had bothered to tell me where you were going.” Levi wrung his hands, looking like he wasn’t sure how much he should say to me.
“Since when do I have to check in with you every time I go out?”
“Since you decided to spend time with Weres. You have no idea how dangerous they can be.”
“Not as dangerous as you.”
“The difference is I’m not going to hurt you. They would.”
I wanted to keep arguing but I sensed he was right. C.J. hadn’t actually hurt me, but even with his strange style, I knew he was a lot stronger than me, and I wouldn’t last long trying to fight him.
“Can we just go home?” I pleaded. Hailey now looked completely defeated and I wanted the night to end.
“Of course, I’ll take you home,” Levi said immediately.
“Flying?”
“I have my car.”
“Is that okay, Hailey?”
“It’s fine.” She waved me on.
As Levi snaked his arm around my waist and led me away, I heard Owen continuing to lecture his sister. “You can’t talk to him like that! You have to respect him. Mom and Dad would kill you if they heard you talking that way.”
My hunch that Levi was something important to the Pterons was fast becoming impossible to deny, and I was completely prepared to broach the topic with him when he pulled me into a near bone-crunching hug.
“Are you all right? I didn’t think to ask before.”
“I’m fine. I have a lot of questions, but I’m fine.”
“Can the questions wait?” he asked.
“For tonight, but you can’t put them off forever.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“Completely.”
Levi opened the passenger door for me and I slipped inside. He closed my door before walking around to get in.
I turned to him as he pulled away from the curb. “Okay, can I at least ask one question?”
He nodded. “I don’t have a choice, do I?”
“How’d you know where we were?”
“Why, are you worried I’m following you now?”
“Not exactly, I just need to know.” He wasn’t completely off. As the shock of the transformations wore off, I realized that there was no reason for Levi to have known where we were.
“It’s nothing that dramatic. Hailey left the email about the party open on her computer. Her mom found it and called Owen to get her.”
“Oh…” I said.
“So no more questions for tonight then?”
“Could I ask one more?”
He glanced over at me as we sat at a red light. He held my hand in my lap. “You’re a hard girl to say no to.”
“Who are you, Levi? What is it that you’re not telling me?”
He turned away but didn’t drop my hand. “No more questions. It’s late and I need to get you home.”
I could tell by the way that he watched the road with unwavering attention that he wasn’t going to answer my question. I also realized that his unwillingness to answer was just as telling as any explanation he would have given.
Chapter Thirteen
Despite the fact that I was dating a guy with wings and superhuman powers, things eventually settled down into a routine. Between work all day and spending my nights with Levi and Hailey, the time went by far too quickly. The one thing we never talked about was the Were party. Everyone else acted like it never happened. Hailey seemed to be getting along with the guys again, and I was afraid to ruin things by bringing it up.
