How to Date a Werewolf Read online

  “I don’t think she likes to talk about it.” I poured my egg substitute into the hot skillet.

  No real eggs for me, I needed to watch my she-wolf figure. Plus I wanted to be heart-healthy. For an added treat I put in fat-free cheddar cheese and then smothered them with ketchup.

  “Don’t give her a choice. Force her to talk about it.” She pounded her fist for emphasis.

  Such a drama queen. I admired her tenacity, though.

  “Hello? Have you met my mother? You do remember her, right? She’s not like other mothers.” I snorted.

  “I know she is somewhat strong-willed…”

  I shot her a glance.

  “All right, a lot strong-willed, but she’ll give in to you. She can’t say no to you. You’re her baby.” She stood and then marched over next to me.

  “Wanna bet? I may be her baby, but if she doesn’t want to talk, nothing will make her.” I added the steak to the other pan on top of the stove, and my mouth watered just looking at its juicy goodness.

  “I still think you should ask her,” she mumbled.

  “Growing up, I believed my mother knew everything. She was smart, and if she said she didn’t have more particulars on the matter, then I knew she spoke the truth.”

  “At least give it a shot. Any new details we discover we can research. I love research.” She placed her dishes in the dishwasher.

  At least she hadn’t left them in the sink as she usually did.

  “You’re such a geek.”

  “Yeah, but a geek you love.” She grinned.

  “Yeah, yeah.” I shooed her off with a dismissive hand. “What research do you think you can do? Are you going to hit the library and look up curses by crazy gypsies?”

  “Well, no. But we can start with what country it happened in and look from there. You’d be amazed what you can uncover on the internet.”

  “I can only imagine what you can uncover. I don’t even want to know.” I rolled my eyes. “I doubt I’ll find the answers to all my problems on the internet. And I can’t afford a trip to Spain for more research, so don’t even ask.”

  “You’re sure you don’t want a trip to Spain? It would be fun.”

  “Are you paying?” I asked.

  She stuck out her tongue. “Whatever. I think it’s a good idea. So…tell me what happened on your date. I never got a chance to ask. Did any ghoulies come for you?” She wiggled her fingers and made a spooky sound. “Did a vampire try to suck your blood?” Jennifer held her index fingers to her mouth, making fangs.

  Yikes. Did she know? I swear it’s like she’s psychic sometimes. Did she know the werewolves ran after me like dogs chasing a car? I was thankful she’d changed the subject away from the curse, but I’d hoped for a different topic. There was no way I wanted to get into the details of the werewolf chase with her. I wanted to talk about it, but not at that moment. I’d let it go for now and wait until later. Jennifer would be ticked at me, but that was a price I was willing to pay.

  “Nope. It was uneventful. If you’ve been to one of those tours, you’ve been to all of them,” I lied.

  “Are you sure nothing happened?” A strange look flicked in her eyes.

  “Nope. Nada.”

  “I swear, Rylie. Ever since you started dating Jack you’ve become so secretive. It’s as if you don’t want to tell me anything. I have to pry details out of you. What gives?” She frowned.

  “Don’t be ridiculous. It’s nothing like that--I’m not being secretive. You’re so paranoid. Nothing interesting happened, I promise. We took a boring tour and then came home. He kissed me good night and we went our separate ways. And then of course the break-in when he kissed me.” I figured if I threw in the reminder of his kisses after the break-in that would satisfy her thirst for juicy information.

  “When things stress you out, you have a tendency to shut people out. Admit it.”

  “I suppose I’ve been known to put up a wall or two to keep people out. But that’s not the case this time.”

  She tossed an apple into her bag and let out a huge breath. “Whatever…don’t tell me then. I still say you’re being secretive.” She stormed out and slammed the door behind her.

  “I’m sorry,” I pleaded. And I was. Wow, what was her problem? Jennifer was like a sister to me, and I hated for our friendship to be strained.

  The vase on the table beside the door rattled, almost falling over. Jennifer was theatrical, I had to admit. She should have been an actress. Her debut performance would have resulted in an Oscar, no problem. I decided to ignore her hissy fit and put it out of my mind. I had enough problems, and I didn’t want to add to them. Even though I didn’t want her mad at me.

  As I scarfed down my breakfast, I did give some thought to what Jennifer had said. Besides me being guarded, maybe she did have a point about finding more information about the curse.

  Maybe at the monthly pack meeting on Friday my mother would remember something more that had long been forgotten and, in turn, would produce a clue about the curse or the woman behind the spell. As in: who she was and how to make the hex go away. But surely if she knew how to make the curse go away she would have done so ages ago. She wanted me to find love. Everything was so confusing.

  I rinsed off my dishes, placed them in the sink and grabbed my purse. If anything else outrageous happened today, I might find myself in the mental hospital. When I stepped into the hallway, there was no sign of Jack, which, to tell the truth, disappointed me.

  On the upside, there was no sign of Lily, which made me extremely happy. To say I was suspicious of her silence would be an understatement. It was about time for her to make her presence known again. And, if she’d sent the furry creeps last night, she would be none too happy to find out I’d eluded them. I was on full alert, watching my back. Every little noise made me jump--always looking over my shoulder, waiting for the next disaster to strike. Being on edge was no way to live. Perhaps I did need to contact the pack police after all. Last night, I hadn’t given the human police any names other than Lily. I just couldn’t do it in front of Jack. How would I ever explain werewolves chasing me or a messed-up uncle? To Jack or the bungling Five-O? If anyone could help, it was the pack police. But I didn’t have a lot of confidence in their abilities, either. Plus what did I have to show them? A couple of notes? I threw the bullet away. I had to think of a way to stop Lily, though. What did I have if not my career?

  Thankfully, I had a full day of customers to keep my mind off all the problems racing around in my head.

  I needed to call John, the handyman, and Anna first thing when I got to the office. My next victims, er, clients. They’d be perfect for each other. Aww, the sweet, awkward beginnings of new romance sure made my job worthwhile. Happy couples were good for business. My office remained unharmed, thankfully, no mess when I stepped in. The vandals hadn’t returned. Walking over to the window and peering out, I studied my surroundings. Perhaps paranoia had set in, but the need to check for strangers lurking outside overwhelmed me. A man walked through the alleyway. He didn’t appear suspicious, dressed in jeans and a plain pullover shirt. I couldn’t help but stare and wait for him to make a move in my direction. He never glanced my way. He walked by and no one else was in sight, so I plunked down in my chair. It let out a swoosh as my weight hit the leather. Leaning back in the seat, I picked up the phone and placed the first call right away before any other busywork distracted me. After John happily agreed to the match-up, I rang Anna. All went well, she approved too. At least I think so. I barely heard her meek little voice. So the happy couple approved of my handiwork. See, I knew my job…sometimes.

  After making the calls to John and Anna, I felt excited. Invigorated. My job was rewarding, even if a certain someone remained unhappy with the results of my matchmaking expertise. I wouldn’t let her dissuade me. No business was perfect all the time. I sat alone in my office, the only sound came from the clock. Click, click. In a daze, I stared at the spot where Jack had passionately kissed m
e the night before, my emotions on overload. Even staying busy with work didn’t keep my mind from wandering to Jack. One question always plagued the back of my mind: what if the curse didn’t exist? Even if, I’d still be faced with the fact Jack was human and I was a werewolf.

  We came from two different backgrounds. How could we work out? If something became of our dating, how would I tell Jack the truth? Leaving out the tiny tidbit that I was wolfy wasn’t exactly a great way to start a relationship. Our love would be based on one big fat lie and a secretive lifestyle. It was something he would have to know eventually if I wanted to keep seeing him. And did I even want to continue seeing him? No, right now, there was no way I could tell him about me being a werewolf. My dark secret would have to remain hush-hush.

  I detected movement descending the steps. My heart raced and my palms became clammy.

  As if Jack had read my thoughts, he bounded down the stairs. I recognized the sound of his footsteps. A quick kiss before he started his day would be nice. The heat from the one last night lingered. His footsteps drew near. Without glancing my way, I saw him march past. My door remained open, so I had no doubt on whether he would look my way. He walked to his doorway, stooped to pick up a package delivered and went inside, swiftly closing the door behind him. He never looked in my direction. And he knew I was in my office--he had to.

  My heart sank a little, and disappointment collected in the pit of my stomach, churning away like the choppy sea. Maybe he thought I was with a client, I rationalized. Yes, he thought I was busy, that was all. He had acted a little strange last night after I caught him looking at the files, but he didn’t exactly let on anything was wrong. Now that I thought about it, he hadn’t offered any hot kisses after that, though. Only a light peck. And he had given me a few strange glances. I brushed off the notion. My mind was on overload. There was no need to make it worse.

  The phone rang, startling me. I yanked the receiver up on the first ring. Before the conversation ended, Jack appeared in the doorway. He clutched a box and flashed a weird stare my way. Could it be he brought me a gift?

  “All right, thank you for calling.” I hung up the phone and met Jack’s gaze.

  “Hi. Do you have a minute?” The tone in his voice sounded serious. My heart sped up.

  “Sure, come in and have a seat.” He walked over and sat in front of my desk. I cleared away some of my files. No need for him to see the words vampire and werewolf again. Quietly, he placed the box down in front of me.

  “Do you know what this means?” He motioned to the box.

  Was his question a trick? It sure as hell seemed like an odd way to give someone a gift. My mind wandered from his gorgeous face to his chiseled abs hiding under his shirt just waiting to be touched. Someone needed to smack me and snap me out of my lust-filled daydream. The situation was clearly serious, and I owed it to Jack to pay attention.

  “I’m sorry?” I arched my eyebrows. “I don’t understand what you mean.”

  “The box. Take a look inside,” he prodded. Somehow I didn’t think the box contained a present.

  His urging made a knot form in the pit of my stomach, and his words set me on full alert. I lifted the box and set it on my lap. Inside blue tissue paper poked up. The problem wasn’t the paper, but what was on top of the paper. Two silver bullets, neatly lying side by side. I knew they were silver, just as I had when I received one. It was more than the color. A shiver tingled through my body whenever I was near the metal. Both had notes taped to them. One said his and the other was marked hers. Crap. Crap. Crap. This was getting ugly--a whole different ball of wax. It was one thing to send warnings to me, but I wanted Jack left out of the chaos.

  “There’s a note inside.” His eyes searched mine, and I quickly turned my gaze back to the package.

  My eyes truly were the windows to my wolfy soul. I feared he’d somehow see right through me.

  I glanced to the side of the box and saw a piece of paper sticking up. I was almost afraid to read it. Did I really want to know the grim details? Jack watched my face, so any sign of recognition of the note would be a dead giveaway. With slightly trembling hands, I unfolded the paper and my stomach sank at the words.

  Leave her alone, or you both die.

  “Rylie, I’m calling the police and reporting this.” He ran his hand through his thick hair.

  I felt dizzy. Sweat began to form on my forehead and above my upper lip.

  “Jack, please,” I said as I returned the box to my desk.

  “Look, I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m trying to protect you. It’s obvious you won’t protect yourself. And I really don’t want to die just yet, so I’m afraid I have no choice. This is directed toward me. I’m now involved in whatever this is. Someone wants to use these on us. At the very least, they want to scare us. In either case, both offenses are illegal.” Last night…now this.

  Somehow I knew there was no way to convince him to drop the subject. Although he was right. Lily had played her games too long. It was one thing for this werewolf chick to take shots at me, but not at Jack. With any luck, she would seek professional help if I turned her in. I wouldn’t offer too many details about her beyond what they already had. I wasn’t a snitch. The werewolf community didn’t like tattletales.

  I’d breathe a sigh of relief if the police could make her stop. Maybe, somewhere deep down, she didn’t mean any real harm. Lily cried for attention, that was all. Besides, if she attacked, I could take her. She was all bark. But another thought ran through my mind. I needed to find the two mangy wolves. Maybe they were responsible and this had nothing to do with Lily.

  “I don’t know why anyone would do something like this,” I said.

  “Are you sure about that?”

  Damn. Things were getting uglier by the minute. He wasn’t buying my act.

  “Jack, in this business some people end up unhappy. I told you that. It’s inevitable.”

  “This is a little more than unhappy.” He picked up the box and then tossed it back again. “Exactly what type of business do you run, anyway?”

  That question again.

  “I’ve told you what type of business. Exactly the business that’s listed on the door, a matchmaking service.” He offended me.

  He raised his eyebrows and frowned. “Be honest with me, Rylie. I’m worried. Is this an escort service?”

  The room seemed smaller. My chest felt tight, and I found breathing difficult. At that moment, I had to control my temper more than ever.

  “No, I most certainly do not run an escort service.” Did I look like Heidi Fleiss to him? I’d never been more insulted. The thought made my skin crawl. Hadn’t he ever heard of matchmaker-whatever-dot-com? I was just like them, only better.

  “Look, Jack. Do what you have to do, I guess. I told the police what I know.” I was at a loss as to what else I could say. I didn’t mean to sound snippy, but it was hard to control my frustration.

  “Don’t be mad at me, Rylie. I’m doing this for your own good. You should thank me.”

  “I understand that.” I didn’t offer thanks, though.

  “Do you understand? I’m only trying to help. You seem upset with me, don’t deny that. It’s written all over your face.”

  “I’m not upset, honest. I didn’t mean to get you involved in anything weird. It’s probably Lily just goofing around, nothing more. I don’t take it seriously because it’s not. Look, I don’t want to end toes-up in a morgue any more than you do. Everything is fine.”

  “I really wish you’d let me help you, Rylie. This is serious and I wish you’d see that.” His voice held a bit of a snap.

  He had taken on a doctor tone. Did he think I needed his help with my mental health? Wonderful. Now I was sure he thought I was a mental patient.

  Before I could say another word, a knock came at the door. Martin Blake once again stood in my doorway. Lily probably sent him a package too. Great. And I didn’t think the day could get worse.

  “Am I in
terrupting anything?” Martin asked.

  “No, I was just leaving.” Jack stood. Suddenly I wished he wasn’t leaving, in spite of the heated topic. I didn’t want to finish our conversation with a negative ending. I should have told Jack the truth. It couldn’t be any worse than the way it was now. So I grow fur and eat a lot of meat, was that so terrible?

  “I’ll be attending a conference later today. I’ll be gone a couple of days.” Jack studied me. “I really wish I didn’t have to go, but I don’t have a choice in the matter. What I need is someone here to keep an eye on you.”

  Martin entered the room and stared at us with interest. He wore dark jeans with a seam starched precisely down the front. His white shirt appeared equally stiff. How could he move? I’d prefer if he hadn’t heard Jack’s statement. By the glint in his eyes, I knew he would readily volunteer for the job.

  Chapter 14

  How to Date a Werewolf Rule # 14:

  Don’t refer to your date as a beast.

  “Everything okay?” Martin looked to Jack. They had their own macho-man code thing going on as each one eyed the other. Except Martin wasn’t all man, but werewolf too. Jack might freak out if he knew the truth. Heck, it would probably freak him out to know he’d kissed a werewolf. No doubt he’d run off and never look back.

  “Who are you?” Jack asked somewhat politely. But his defenses were up. After the special package he received, he was being vigilant, and rightfully so, I suppose.

  “Oh, sorry, man. My name’s Martin Blake. I’m a client of Miss Cruz.” He nodded toward me.

  “Jack Chandler, my office is next door.” He held out his hand. “Sorry if I came across as impolite, but Miss Cruz seems to have a stalker. I’m trying to watch out for her.”

  I supposed I should tell Jack that Martin in a roundabout way was the reason behind some of the madness. If Lily hadn’t fallen madly in love with Martin this mess never would have happened. No packages. No demonstrations outside my office window, or car chases, either. I needed to tell him instead of letting Jack go through all of the details with Martin, which seemed about to happen.