I turned away and walked to the far corner of the porch. With each step I focused on my breathing and my pulse, trying to calm and center myself. Then, the aroma of fresh cookies hit me, bringing back Jim’s reference from the night before. I wanted her cookies badly...damn it. Steady and cool, I reminded myself as I slowly breathed in and out.
“Is the apartment almost done?” she asked from behind me. She set the cans next to the pile of supplies I made.
When I turned around, I felt more like myself and easily maintained eye contact.
“I still need to work on some plumbing, but it’s close. Want to see it?”
While she hadn’t blinked at my prior eye-groping, my steady, respectful gaze made her nervous.
“That’s okay,” she said.
I didn’t want her to run away.
“I could actually use your input on the colors in the bathroom. Nana bought a variety of cans on clearance, and I’m down to a yellow and a grey.”
She nodded, and I led her to her future new apartment. I watched her study the large, open living room and kitchen. Her gaze slid over the neutral wall colors, the roughed-in kitchen cabinets, and the large, earth-toned tiles. She looked impressed, which made it easier to breathe.
“Wow. This looks great.”
“I’m glad you like it,” I said. “Let me show you the bathroom.”
I led her down the short hallway to the bathroom. The toilet was sitting outside the door, waiting to be installed.
“We can’t go in,” I said, stopping by the toilet. “The grout is still wet, but you can see the colors in the tile from here.”
She moved to peek in, her hair brushing over her shoulder and knocking the molding I’d set against the frame. I reached out and grabbed it before it fell. Something about my reaction scared her, though. The sour scent of her fear filled the air, and she shuddered.
“Don’t,” I said hoarsely.
She looked up at me with wide eyes.
“You are the one person who will never have to fear me.”
Fear turned to confusion.
“I’m sorry I kneed you,” she said.
I was sorrier that I’d scared her enough to do it. Reaching out, I gently touched her cheek, feathering my fingertips over her skin from temple to jaw. Her pulse jumped, and the sweet smell of her interest in me filled the air.
“I’m sorry I scared you,” I said, moving closer.
Her gaze went to my lips, an invitation if I ever saw one. The hitch of her breath as her gaze met mine was the confirmation I needed. I moved in.
“And I’m sorry I missed it,” Jim said from the living room, making her jump.
I dropped my hand and glanced over her shoulder at Jim. Michelle put some distance between us and gave the bathroom one more look.
“The yellow won’t work, but the grey might. Too bad you didn’t have a blue-grey to match the flecking in the tile.”
“Thank you,” I said. If she wanted blue-grey, I’d buy some.
She nodded and started toward the living room where Jim stood watching us.
“Why are you here, Jim?” I asked.
“Aden mentioned something about cookies. Hope you didn’t give any to Emmitt.”
When Michelle stepped into the light of the large room, Jim wolf-whistled.
“I regret my decision to think of you as a sister,” he said with a grin. “Nana can sure pick a suit. I think you should really wear a t-shirt over that, though.”
Michelle blushed.
“Shut up, Jim,” I said, keeping my tone even as she walked out the door. Once she was out of hearing, I turned on him.
“What was that?”
“That was me stopping you from making a mistake.”
“A mistake? You’re telling her to wear more clothes.” I ran a hand over the back of my neck, frustrated.
“She’s already confused and scared with what she has on her plate. Kissing her would have just added more, and she would have taken off for sure. I thought I made that clear last night.”
It annoyed me to know he was probably right.
“You haven’t taken your Elder vows, yet. So stop interfering like you are one.”
He had the nerve to laugh.
“Even if I went downstairs and took them now, you still wouldn’t have liked what I did. Hell, I didn’t like what I did. But it was a necessary block to see this to the end, Emmitt.”
* * * *
Michelle and the boys ate in their apartment that night. Winifred didn’t comment when I declined to have dinner with her and Jim. I opted to go for a run instead. Sprinting between trees and howling at the moon—more like yelling my frustration at it—helped calm me down a little. I was still too restless when I returned, so I worked in the apartment, touching up paint until close to dawn. Jim’s couch didn’t really appeal to me, but I lay on it anyway, with the apartment door open so I could listen.
Jim unintentionally woke me from a light sleep when he left. After a quick shower, I went back to the third floor and looked at my progress from the evening before. I’d scraped the back side of the house so well, very little still clung to the wood siding. Taking a wire brush, I went over the surface one more time.
From within, I heard Michelle and the boys wake and get ready for their day. By the time I finished the back wall, Winifred had already claimed the boys for another morning of learning their alphabet. I knew she was only too happy to teach two willing boys. Jim wasn’t the only one who’d been lonely here.
A sound on the porch pulled me from my thoughts. The steps were light, but not light enough for a werewolf. I smiled and purposely met her as she rounded the corner. She gasped in surprise, almost running into me. I caught her with one arm and stole the cookie she had in her hand with the other.
She nervously smiled at me when I took a bite and offered it back to her.
“I actually brought it for you,” she said. Anxiety coated her scent.
I studied her in silence and wondered how long it’d take to learn her moods and reactions. According to Dad, Mom still kept him guessing. I didn’t like it.
“Will you tell me about your family?” She took up the broom I’d set aside and started sweeping. “Please.”
I wanted to grin. She was finally asking questions.
“What do you want to know?”
“Anything. Everything.” She shrugged, and I wished I understood why she was so anxious. Was she worried my family wouldn’t like her? They’d love her once they knew about her.
“My dad’s side is from Canada. My mom, from the states. They met when she was pretty young. The way my dad tells it, it was love at first sight. My mom just rolls her eyes.” I grinned and moved to start scraping an untouched side of the house. She trailed behind me, listening as she swept up what I took off.
“My dad’s brother lives in Canada with them at the Compound, which is a collection of old buildings that make up the community I grew up in. It has been struggling for decades to support itself while keeping away from the corrupt influences of the outside world,” I said. It still made me want to laugh that so many of our kind still avoided contact with humans, as if humanity’s insatiable need for more would somehow extinguish the werewolf need for simplicity.
“Corrupt?”
“Some believed that humans would lead the world to devastation through their wars, pollution, and overpopulation. They thought by withdrawing from it, they could save themselves.