Dannika Dark - Six Months

Trevor glanced at his watch and grabbed the wrapping paper and bag. “Now take off that damn shirt.”

I froze and felt all the blood rush to my face.

Trevor rolled out of bed, not paying attention. “I hate it when you wear Billy Joel, especially when I’m lying beside you. It’s like I’m sleeping with him. You want a breakfast burrito with some of that leftover meat in the fridge or… April?”

Before he caught on to my mini panic attack, I set the e-reader in my drawer and scooted down the bed.

He seized my wrist. “What’s wrong?”

“I need to use the bathroom,” I said, jerking my arm free and locking myself in that tiny little closet that wouldn’t even allow me the privacy to cry. Trevor was right. Everything made sense about shutting away all the gloom and just relishing life. I needed to compartmentalize my emotions and lock up the bad stuff. The party was just the thing I needed—barring Trevor going Bruce Lee on someone.

A door violently slammed and I jumped.

“Trevor?”

When I heard shouting, I yanked my jeans on and hurried to the door.

“April, get back!”

It took me a second to assess the situation. Trevor stood ten feet in front of me, barefoot and holding a butcher knife. Pacing toward us was the wolf.

My wolf.

“Trevor, no!” I jumped down and tried to run past him. He grabbed my arm and swung me around.

The wolf growled ferociously and bared his white fangs.

“ This is your wolf, April? I thought you were talking about a dog, like one of those fucking sled dogs.”

I shrugged. “I’m not an animal expert, Trevor. He won’t hurt us. I haven’t seen him since he took off and maybe he’s hungry.”

“Get off our property,” Trevor shouted.

But the wolf narrowed his eyes and stepped forward, not allowing anyone to talk down to him in that manner. Didn’t matter he was facing off with a guy holding a sharp blade in front of him.

“Don’t you dare hurt him,” I hissed. “That animal is not aggressive.”

He gave me an “Oh really?” look as a stream of slobber dripped off the wolf’s jaw.

“Wolves are territorial. You let him hang around here once and he’ll think this is his turf,” he argued. “Get outta here!” Trevor yelled again in a threatening manner.

“He can’t understand you. Come inside and he’ll leave.”

Trevor raised his arm at the wolf. “That’s your only warning.” His eyes latched on to mine as he walked by. “I got bit once. You can’t trust a dog, wolf, whatever.”

Trevor yelled out a curse when I slipped around him and dropped to my knees, holding out my hands. “Come here, sweet boy. Let me have a look at you.”

The wolf compliantly paced forward, flicking his eyes at Trevor but wagging his tail. He licked my nose and I ran my fingers over his soft ears. “Is your leg feeling better today, pretty boy?”

He sat down and lifted his paw as if he wanted me to shake it.

“April,” Trevor scolded, and then he gave up and went inside.

“I missed you.” Then the tears came. It was just easier that way, because he didn’t understand. The wolf licked my cheeks and groaned. “I’m so scared,” I whispered. “Someone is after me and I have a feeling that something bad is going to happen. I don’t know what to do. I wish you could help me.” It seemed childish telling all my troubles to an animal, but it’s as if he sensed something was wrong.

“April!”

I kissed his nose and stood up. “I have to go. I’ll put some food out in a few minutes, so don’t wander off.”

When he trotted off, I couldn’t help but notice that my wolf walked away without a limp.

“Tell me the truth, April. You have good taste, so I’ll believe whatever you say. I would have brought my neighbor to help me shop, but Naya would love nothing better than to dress me in something that would end up on the Internet later on.”

Lexi emerged from the dressing room in a pair of cutoff shorts with all the frayed pieces hanging down. She did a little hip swivel to give me all the angles.

“Put your hair up in a ponytail and it works,” I said. “That knocks five years off your age, but otherwise they’re too hoochie with all the jewels on the back pockets.”

Her shoulders sagged. “I want something fun for the party that I don’t normally wear, but I sure as hell don’t want to slut it up,” she grumbled. “I have long skirts, jeans, and shorts—Austin has seen it all.” She disappeared behind the mauve curtain.

“Try the cutoff jeans,” I suggested.

“Something with more leg!”

Oh.

Ever since Lexi had been living with Austin, she had discovered her sex appeal. She usually dressed casual, but with a hot guy at her side, I could see she wanted to spice things up and make sure he only had eyes for her at the party. Although I personally think he didn’t care what she wore, because whatever it was, he’d probably just want to tear it off with his teeth.

“Uh, definite no,” I said as soon as she ripped the curtain open and I got a glimpse of her pink shorts with rhinestones on the pockets. “Try the loose skirt with the slit. That’s sexy. Goes to the knee, tight, shows leg along the side.”

“I want you to buy something,” she yelled out. “It’s on me.”

“That’s okay. I have something at home I can wear.”

The last thing I wanted to do was take her money. I hadn’t figured out what to do about Sanchez and my nerves were shot. Lexi had invited me to go shopping while the other two girls we worked with ran the store. They were scheduled to open tomorrow; that way we could have as much fun as we wanted tonight.

“You’re going to buy something and that’s that,” Lexi declared.

“Why? So you can hook me up with someone?”

“No,” she said, pulling the curtain away. “That’s what my friend Naya likes to do. But you don’t think Denver is spoon worthy?”

My eyes floated up. “Denver?” He was handsome, but hardly a man I could imagine spooning me from behind after a night of blissful…

“Come on, April. You need to break out of that shell a little. I’m not saying you have to marry anyone. I used to be cynical about love, but Austin changed that. Sometimes it’s like those Cracker Jacks—you have to go through a bunch of nuts to find the prize.”

“Nice analogy.”

She shrugged and spun around in a powder-blue skirt with a black top.

“That’s pretty on you, with your complexion and long hair,” I said, admiring the outfit.

Lexi grinned and stared down at her tan legs. “I don’t wear short skirts that often, except at work. I think Austin’s tongue will roll out when he sees me in this. It’s thin, stretchy, and more formfitting.”

“I’m sure he’ll be panting.” I chuckled and noticed she bit her lip, averting her eyes in a way she sometimes did, as if she were holding in a secret.

“You ever wonder if things like Vampires and Shifters are real?” she blurted out, tossing me a dress to try on.

I switched places with her and closed the curtain, slipping out of my jeans. “Where did that come from? I don’t know. Why?”

“Just curious. I was watching this show the other night and they talked about all the mysteries in the universe and how there are things beyond explanation that exist.”

“Like hot firemen?”

She snorted. “You got that right. But seriously, it made me think about how maybe those kinds of things might be real, and maybe they’re just regular people. People who are born different are treated different. What do you think about it?”

“I’ve never given it much thought. Except, from what I know of Vampires, they’re not born different. They’re bitten and turned. Same with werewolves, right? Why wouldn’t they come out?”