First Dates
Az tapped her chin as she circled the man standing
still as a statue in the middle of her rarely used bedroom. She started at the top of his dark head and
catalogued everything down to the polished toes of his black boots. Black jeans.
Black t-shirt. Both wrinkle-free
and perfectly fitted. There wasn’t
anything out of place. Nothing
wrong. But it didn’t seem right.
“It’s close to the full moon,” she said, not
bothering to consult the lunar calendar behind her. “Your eyes are too bright. We need to cover them.”
Any Shifter who lived past puberty could Shift
whenever the whim struck. They weren’t
dependant on the moon’s cycles, but there was something about a full moon that
made a Shifter just a little different.
Stronger. Bigger. Shinier eyes and even sharper fangs.
“I can’t wear sunglasses at night, Astraea,” the
man snapped. “It won’t affect my night
vision, but I’ll look like an idiot.”
Grouchier.
Definitely grouchier.
“Then wear the cap.” She reached for the black baseball cap they’d
already wasted twenty minutes arguing over.
Sharp claws turned it into confetti before her fingertips could touch
the brim. “Fine. No cap.
You know, you could stay here.
This is easily a one-man operation.”
“No. You
aren’t going out on your own.”
Az settled a hand on her hip and fought to control
her own temper. Patience. You love him.
You won’t rip out his tongue. You
won’t string him up in the front yard as a warning to the others. Patience.
Patience.
“I think I can handle a chain restaurant and the
outdoor theater. On family night.”
Strong arms crossed over an equally strong
chest. Stern eyes fixed in an unwavering
stare. “You are not going out on your
own.”
Despite her best efforts to remain the calm one in
the room, muttered curses about overprotective, testosterone-drenched,
irritating Shifters followed her as she stomped to her closet. She inhaled the sweet, soothing scent of the
magnolia sachets. Fifteen seconds later,
the haze of anger dissipated and she could think clearly.
“Perhaps we need to rethink our plan.”
Jose propped a hip against the edge of Az’s bed and
nodded in agreement. “No caps. Or
sunglasses.”
This was her second round of dress-up for the
evening. She didn’t enjoy playing
dresser half as much as she enjoyed being the dressee. Was she this irritating when Jose put
together new outfits for her? If not,
she was absolutely going to make sure their next closet-date gave him a
migraine.
Az toyed with the hem of her black turtleneck. “Go put on normal clothes. Meet me back here in ten minutes.”
Jose arched an eyebrow. “Define normal.”
“Chain restaurant and outdoor theater normal. Simple.
Boring. Pants and a shirt. Nothing flashy.”
“So, pretend I’m Ike.”
“If that’s what it takes.” Az made a shooing motion with her
fingers. “Borrow some that swamp water
Tommy calls aftershave.”
Jose’s lips thinned, but he didn’t complain. Az waited until she heard the snick of her door closing to yank the turtleneck over
her head. She shucked her black cargo
pants as she surveyed the contents of her enormous closet.
Boring. She
needed boring. Forgettable. No cute, flirty skirts or snug sweaters. No heels or strappy sandals. She paired a pair of tailored black trousers
with a baby blue cowl-neck sleeveless shirt.
It wasn’t the most demure shirt in her closet, but the color reminded
her of Rick’s eyes. Rick’s eyes made her
happy. It was her happy shirt.
She was stepping into a pair of plain black flats
when Jose slipped back into her bedroom.
In pressed brown trousers and an oatmeal-colored Irish fisherman’s ribbed
sweater, he looked more like a man ready for a date and less like a man ready
for a night of surveillance work.
“You’re going to sweat to death in that sweater,”
she predicted.
“I can regulate my temperature. You, on the other hand, are going to freeze
to death in that shirt,” Jose countered.
Dark eyes studied her for a moment.
“It needs accessories. Keep it
simple. Silver hoops and that bangle you
scammed off that D’sari last month.”
“I did not scam
it off him,” Az said, crossing to her jewelry box. She fastened on a pair of small silver hoop
earrings; her fingers traced the runes carved into the thick, heavy silver
bangle bracelet. “It was a poker
game. He put it in the pot. I won the pot.”
“You were cheating.”
“I was not!”
“You drained a seer two days before the weekly
poker game.”
“Not on purpose.”
Az frowned at her best friend.
“And you weren’t complaining about that sweet motorcycle I helped you
win during the Bingo game.”
“Let’s go.”
Az snorted as she slipped the bracelet over her
wrist. Typical Shifter deflection. When all else fails, change the subject. She followed Jose down the stairs. It was a Friday night and the house was
practically empty. Greta and Ike were spending
the weekend in Galveston. Most of the
pack was a local bar unwinding from a long week and the stress of an upcoming
full moon. Rick had been called in to a
super-top-secret meeting with Greer and Matt Anders. Quinn and Oscar were binging on a Top Gear marathon.
Though the living room was not on the way to the
garage, Az made a slight detour. She
passed behind the couch to ruffle Quinn’s hair.
It was shaggier than usual. The
moon’s influence in action. She’d have
to take him to get it cut before Monday.
She wasn’t in the mood for another meeting with Vice Principal Delgado.
“Are you set for the night, kiddo?” she asked
during the next commercial break.
“Yeah. The
pizza’ll be here in a few. We got a half
veggie if you’re going to stick around.”
Quinn tore his eyes from the television long enough to take in Az’s
outfit. “Guess that’s a negative on
sticking around. Az, it’s cold outside. You should change your shirt.”
“That’s what jackets are for.” Az grit her teeth and smiled at the concerned
teen. Patience. I will not ground the overprotective
Shifter. It’s not his fault his biggest
male role model is a domineering, mollycoddling jerk. “I’ll have
my phone if you need me.”
Quinn tilted his head and accepted the kiss on his
cheek with far more maturity than most boys his age. “Have fun ruining my brother’s night.”
Az snagged the black leather jacket dangling from
Jose’s fingertips and grabbed her purse off the kitchen counter. She rarely took the pack’s teasing seriously,
but Quinn’s last words left her with an uneasy feeling. She didn’t want to sabotage Uriah’s first
date with his chemistry study buddy. In
fact , she’d done everything in her power to smooth the way.
She’d met with Carly Wright’s very nice parents to
assure them that Uriah had full control of his coyote and would tear out his
own throat before he hurt an innocent person.
She and Jose had spent hours helping Uriah research date plans. She’d helped Uriah pick out his clothes and
had helped him sweet talk Ike into the use of Ike’s car.
Most importantly, she’d kept knowledge of the date
from Rick. Rick hadn’t banned either
teen from dating, but she’d heard horror stories from pack members who’d
brought potential significant others around the Alpha. Carly was a sweet, smart, shy girl. Carly knew how to quietly, slyly combat
Uriah’s mischievousness. She’d even
managed to raise Uriah’s chemistry grade from a D to a C. Carly did not deserve a Rick Haskell
interrogation.
No teenage girl needed to be asked whether or not
she exchanged sexual favors for life-sustaining energy.
And Rick seriously needed to get over his succubus
phobia.
“We’re just going to observe,” she said, once they
were tucked in a corner booth at the restaurant. “He was so nervous, and it is close to the full moon.”
She felt Jose’s gaze on her. She lifted the heavy, laminated menu but the
letters were just a blur. Out of the
corner of her eye, she could see Uriah and his pretty redhead. Judging by the bright, happy laughter
spilling from Carly’s mouth, Uriah was at his most charming. Good for him.
So was Az trying to ruin his date? Is that why she’d insisted on spying on
him? Did she not trust him or his
ability to control his animal? Was she
as territorial as the Shifters she lived with?
Did she want to keep her boys all to herself?
“I can smell the smoke from here,” Jose said,
gently tugging the menu from Az’s hands.
“Why do you look like you’re going to cry?”
Az blinked rapidly, surprised to find moisture
clinging to her eyelashes. “I’m a
horrible person.”
“Yes, yes you are.”
The sharp, stabbing pain came out of nowhere. She glanced down expecting to see a fork or
dagger protruding from her chest. She
forced herself to meet Jose’s bland stare.
“Oh.”
His wide grin only confused her. “You’re an idiot.” He covered her fists with his palms. “You didn’t exactly hear me protest this
little outing, did you?”
“No.”
“And if you hadn’t sworn Ike and Quinn to secrecy,
everyone in the pack would be here. A
few of them wouldn’t even bother trying to stay hidden.”
“Rick would have installed a camera somewhere and
put a bug on Uriah.”
“Damn straight he would have.”
The tension in Az’s spine gradually faded. She wasn’t trying to ruin his date. She was protecting him. She liked Carly, but teenage boys –
especially ones with occasional flea problems – were fragile creatures.
“So why am I a horrible person?”
“Because, my shining star, you made me promise not
to record our little coyote’s first date.”
Az let Jose order for her when the waitress sidled
up to their table. She was too intent on
watching Uriah and Carly. Uriah wasn’t
as shy as his brother. In uncertain
situations he either clammed up or resorted to outrageously impish behavior. She was glad that he was displaying neither
attitude.
Twice she had to jerk herself around so that Uriah
couldn’t see her face. Every now and
then, his nose would go up as if he was sniffing the air. He would slowly scan the room, but he never
seemed to spot Az or Jose.
Az and Jose tried to keep their voices lower than
normal. The noise of the restaurant
would do a lot to confuse Uriah’s sharper-than-normal senses, but they weren’t
willing to take any risks. Discovery
would put them in the doghouse with a master prankster.
Plus, Uriah would just tell Rick.
And then Rick would get pissed that Az hadn’t told
him about Uriah’s date.
‘Shifters,’ Az sighed as she sipped her iced tea.
Jose did his best to distract her with the tale of
his first date. What had started as a
simple night of dancing had turned into a night spent with animal control. Upon returning, he’d seen a stranger flirt
with his date – and his date flirt back -
and had Shifted in the dark hallway.
As he hadn’t told his date about his condition, the sight of a large, angry ocelot had cleared the club. Jose had spent the night locked in a
cage. His father had confined him to the
house for two weeks. He’d never spoken
to his date again.
“Where was your first date, Az?”
Az dragged her attention from the table across the
restaurant. She frowned for a moment
before waving her hand between them.
“Here. Now.”
Jose paled.
He furiously glanced around the room.
“If you value my life, my heart, don’t ever say that again. This is not
a date.”
It was Az’s turn to frown. “Well, I’m sorry if I’m not up to your
exacting standards. I suppose I can find
some slimeball to hit on me if that’d make you happy. I haven’t had any practice, but I’m sure I
can flirt back. It’s all just fluttery
eyelashes and extreme cleavage, isn’t it?”
“I love you, but you’re not too bright, are
you?” Jose leaned toward her. “Do you think I’m going to deny tall, dark
and grumpy the opportunity to be your first date.”
Az felt her cheeks warm. She dropped her gaze to her mostly-empty
plate. “Rick and I don’t date.”
“No, you just spent practically every waking moment
together. It’s been three nights since
you crept into my room. Ike and Greta
said it’s been a week since you’ve set up camp on their window seat. Quinn was griping about the lack of late-night
video game marathons.”
“I have my own room,” she said, wishing a sinkhole
would open up below their booth. She had
no idea that her nighttime wanderings were the subject of so much scrutiny.
“The sheets on that bed are the same ones I put on
it before you showed up. They don’t
smell like you.”
“You know, the smelling thing is kinda irritating.”
“Says the woman who licked Lucas yesterday.”
“I apologized for that.” Az straightened when she realized that Uriah
was reaching for his wallet. “We’d
better get our bill. Looks like they’re
moving on to the theater.”
They stayed well behind the teens on the drive to
the Miller Outdoor Theater. Jose made
sure to park his car as far from Uriah’s as possible. Fortunately, the zoo’s central parking lot
was large and packed.
They chose an aisle spot a hundred yards or so
behind the blanket Uriah spread out on the hill. Az had thought it odd that Uriah hadn’t tried
to get tickets for seats, but as she sank onto the blanket next to Jose, she
sort of understood the appeal. The night
air was crisp, and the stars overhead were bright. They were in the middle of the city, but it
didn’t quite feel like it.
She stretched out her legs and leaned back on her
elbows. The musical was one she’d wanted
to see, but hadn’t quite worked up the nerve to ask anyone to go with her to watch. Twenty minutes into the performance, Jose
disappeared for a bathroom run. Before
he returned, something heavy slammed into her feet. With a yelp, she tucked her legs against
her. She raised her head, intent on
glaring her attacker into submission, only to freeze at the familiar face
staring down at her.
“Az?” Uriah whispered, eyes wide with surprise.
Az groaned and flopped back. She flung an arm across her face. She was so
busted. If she pretended that she
couldn’t see him, would he go away?
“What’re you doing here, Az?” Uriah dropped to a crouch. He eyed the spot where Carly was waiting for
him. “Are you spying on me?” He sniffed the blanket. “With Tommy?”
She waved her free hand at the stage. “Musical.
Watching. Alone.”
“On the night that I’m with Carly. On the same hill.”
“Go away.” She knew he wouldn’t. He was as stubborn as the others. Shifters. “Don’t leave her alone too long. She’s a cute girl.”
Uriah glanced back down at his date. A happy smile spread across his face. “Yeah, she is. Funny, too.
Really, really smart.” His smile
faded. “Too good to be slumming it with
me.”
Az grasped the front of Uriah’s polo shirt and
yanked him down so they were nose-to-nose.
“If I ever hear you say something so utterly stupid again, I will wash
your mouth out with that nasty Lava soap.
You are a wonderful boy, and she should be lucky that she’s with
you. Why do you think I’m here? I had to make sure she is good enough for you.”
“So you are spying on me.”
Az released Uriah’s shirt. She couldn’t tell what the gleam in his eyes
meant. Was he going to tattle on
her? Use the moon’s influence to rip out
her throat? Swear to never talk to her
again.
He surprised her by flinging his arms around her
neck for a quick, tight hug. Minty breath
brushed across her ear. “Thank you, Az.”
Still uncertain, she patted him on the
shoulder. “You’re welcome. Now go do whatever you were going to do and
get back to your date.”
A few minutes after Uriah left, someone dropped
onto the blanket next to Az. A box of
gummy bears landed on her lap.
“Thanks. Took you long enough,
though. We’ve been discovered. Or, at least I have. You’re still in the clear. He thinks you’re Tommy. I hope he doesn’t tell anyone that.”
“Me, too.”
Az stiffened.
That wasn’t Jose’s voice. She
turned her eyes to the large hand only inches from hers. The fingers were familiar but they didn’t
belong to Jose. She swallowed. Mustered up a bit of bravado. “Hello, darling. Didn’t figure you one for song and dance.”
“If this is where you are, sweetheart…,” Rick said,
letting the rest of the sentence hang between them.
The lump in her throat grew. She waited until he draped an arm across her
shoulders to snuggle against his side.
Even with her jacket, the air was too cold. Not that she was going to tell Jose or Quinn
that they were right.
“Jose was just here. That’s who I thought I was talking to.” It was silly to justify herself, but she
couldn’t stop the words. He had no say
in who she watched musicals with. Or if
she watched them alone.
“I caught him by the concession stand. He went home.”
“Oh.” She
toyed with the top of the box of candy.
“You didn’t have to track me down.
There’s no looming apocalypse, and I had my bodyguard with me.”
“Maybe I just missed you.” Warm lips brushed across her cheek before a
finger under her chin directed her face back to the stage. “Now, hush.
Watch.”
With her favorite wolf to cuddle up with, and no
need to remain vigilant, it was easy to relax and enjoy the musical. Not even Rick’s occasional huff or muttered
curse could detract from the pleasure.
It wasn’t until he started a steady stream of soft whispers that she
paid more attention to the man beside her and less to the stage.
“Put your arm around her. Slow.
Shoulders only. Watch that hand,
pup.”
Az’s eyebrows shot up. She didn’t think he was talking to
himself. His arm was already around her,
and he never seemed to care about where his hand landed. Neither did she. “Who’re you talking to?”
“Uriah. I can smell his nervousness from here.”
“And he can hear you?”
He arched an eyebrow. She rolled her eyes at herself. Stupid question. Shifters. Ugh.
Rick spent the rest of the musical whispering
advice and reassurances to the teen in front of them. Az gave Uriah a thumbs’ up when he escorted
Carly passed their blanket once the performance was over. He’d already been instructed to drive her
straight home, and she knew that Carly’s father would be waiting on the front
porch for them. Probably with a shotgun.
With a groan, Rick fell backwards onto the
blanket. His weight dragged Az down
beside him. The crowd was thinning, but
there was no rush to leave. “That was
more exhausting than my first date. He
did good, though.”
Az grinned.
Her gruff, snarly Alpha was a softie. He’d spent over an hour talking an anxious
teen through half of his first date.
Such a sweetie.
“Quinn has an eye on a girl in his English class.”
Rick clamped a hand across Az’s mouth. “Shh.
I don’t want to think about it.
Not right now.” His hand lifted
when she traced the lines of his palm with her tongue. “Not as gross as you think it is, Princess.”
“It’ll be harder to spy on Quinn, though. He’ll be looking for us.”
“You should let the boy have some privacy,” Rick
said.
She bit back a laugh. He sounded far too practical. “Let me guess, you’re thinking a few of those
gadgets locked away in your drawer and a conveniently located command center.”
“Exactly.”
She rolled onto her side, traced the curve of his
jaw with her fingers. “You know, Jose has
his first date with Lucas next Thursday.”
“Oh?”
“They’re going to that Samurai exhibition at the
museum of natural science.”
“The one I told you I wanted to go to last week?”
Az fixed her eyes on his chin. “Was that the one you were talking
about? I wasn’t paying attention to
you.”
Low, amused laughter wrapped around them like a
warm breeze. “If you want to ask me out
on a date, sweetheart, just do it. You
don’t need to use Uriah or Jose as excuses.”
She tried to sit up, but his arm kept her glued to
his side. She settled for jabbing her
knuckles into his ribs. “I did not
invite you tonight, and I was not going to
ask you - ,” she paused to take a breath, “you’d… you wouldn’t say no?”
“To a pretty girl asking me out? Nope.”
He held up a hand when Az opened her mouth to respond. “However, I’d like to do this the
old-fashioned way.”
“You want to be the one to ask me out.”
“I do.” Rick
cupped her cheek. The kiss was short but
filled with promise. “I won’t, though.”
Az wasn’t sure if it was the fog of lust or the
roar of blood in her ears that made her misunderstand him. At least, she hoped she’d misunderstood
him. “What?”
“I’m not going to ask you out. If I ask you out, that’ll give you time to
gossip with Jose. He can’t keep his
mouth shut, so everyone’ll know. I know
my pack, Princess. Payback will be
ugly.”
That made sense.
Still, she would have liked to be asked out. “So what are you going to do?”
“Kidnap you,” Rick said breezily, as if it was
something he’d been contemplating for a while.
He pulled her closer then rested his chin on the top of her head. “Now, tell me all about this Carly.”
