Page 3 of Clawless

The next day passed in a blur of sealing and cleaning. Driftwood never seemed to mind the little gaps round the windows where the wind snuck in, but they drove me crazy. And every plugged hole was one less log I needed to chop. Then I scrubbed the floors with hot water and vinegar until the house smelled like a pickle factory. After throwing together a pickle-free sandwich, I had a hot shower, and pulled on fresh jeans and one of Darkness’ hoodies. I was standing in his room, looking at all his familiar things, when I heard boots in the hallway.

My heart wanted it to be Driftwood, but I knew without checking my watch it was past eight o’clock. The door slapped back on its hinge and Trey walked straight in, backing me up until my knees hit the edge of Darkness’ bed. His gaze roamed round the room, his mouth hooked down when he met my gaze. “You thinking about him, pretty V?” He reached past me to flick the edge of a picture on Darkness’ nightstand. It was one of us in our early teens, my face scrunched in outrage as he forced a snowball down the back of my jacket. “You missing him? Sleeping in this bed, maybe?”

I tried to push past him, but he didn’t move, and I crossed my arms over my chest. “It’s not like that with him. He’s my brother.”

“Sure, he is.” He grabbed a lock of my hair, still damp from the shower. His hair was slicked back, too, but he still looked like a wild man. I smelled cologne, though, and cinnamon on his breath when he leaned in close. “You still want to see him, right?”

I tried to read the look in his crazy-amber eyes. They were gleaming at me through hooded lids, and I thought of that time back at school, when I’d told him about the party I hadn’t been invited to. Something had slithered over his gaze as he listened to me snitch on those stupid townies. Something oily and dangerous. I’d thought it was just a trick of the light at the time, but that was before I knew there was a whole other world out there. “Are you a wolf, Trey?” I whispered. “Is that why you act like this?”

His lips crooked, and he slung an arm around my shoulder. “I’m just here to take you to a party, V. Nothing big and bad about that.” He gave me a nudge towards the hall. “Move your ass, and go put on a pretty shirt.”

I went into the hall, but headed back towards the kitchen. “It’s too cold to go out. And I’m aching from all the cleaning. I just want to watch some TV.” I didn’t add I’d be in bed as soon as he left, to spend the night chasing all the chaotic might-have-beens through my dreams. “Can we hang out another time?”

He scratched his chin. “Depends. You think Darkness is gonna drive up here again?”

I froze. “He’s at your place?” When he gave me a pointed look, I spun and ran into my bedroom. I didn’t want him following me in, so I grabbed the first shirt that might pass for pretty. It was pink and tight, which I figured was what Trey really meant, especially since his eyes lit up when I came back out. I ground my teeth and pulled my hooded snow coat on, zipping it up tight. “Let’s go.”

Three – Vail

From the music and lights spilling down the mountain, Trey’s party was already in full swing. I didn’t see Driftwood’s truck, but since I wasn’t sure what Darkness was driving, I tried to curb my impatience. But when Trey cut the engine to his snowmobile, he sat for a moment, not moving. I stared at his stiff back, waiting for him to say something. Instead, he slowly climbed off the Ski-Doo and held out a hand. It was a way down from the back seat, so I took it, but was surprised as his thumb swiped over the circular scar on my wrist. I tried to jerk my hand back, but he held on tight, those yellow eyes fixed on mine. “Don’t be making me look bad, little V.”

My mouth must have fallen open, because it snapped shut as we stepped through the large front door. The Barakat house was the best on the mountain, all hardwood and sandstone bones, with sleek interiors filled with the best furnishings dirty money could buy. It looked like something out of a fancy magazine, until you took in the naked girl dancing on a coffee table. Dressed only in a pair of three-inch heels, her arms were over her head and her long red hair flung back. I glanced around the room, then stared hard at the roaring fire. I didn’t want to be caught ogling the dancer. But I really didn’t want to meet the gaze of the two strangers lounging on the sofa in front of her.

“Took you long enough,” one of them grunted. “Thought you were gonna stay down there and party without us.”

There was a note of warning in his voice, and I had to stop myself from leaning into Trey. There was something really fucked up about trying to hide behind the Devil of the Horn. But as big and bad as Trey was, the hairs on the back of my neck told me these guys were worse.

“Kody and Derrick, this is Vail.” For once, I didn’t hate the possessive arm slung around my waist. “Let’s get you a drink.”

I didn’t want the beer Trey handed me, but it got us into the kitchen and away from their predatory stares. I could feel their energy beating against the walls behind me and I jammed a hip against the marble countertop, the jittery feeling in my stomach now a hundred times worse. “Where’s Darkness?”

Trey shrugged. “Must be still on his way.” He drank half his beer down, then leaned against the cabinets, a dark mood instantly descending over him. He took another swig, his yellow gaze swinging from my face to the guys back on the sofa. “You play nice now, V.”

I was picking at the label on my bottle, but I froze at that. He’d already told me not to embarrass him, so why was he giving me another warning? I studied him as he took another swipe of his beer, his movements jerky. He looked like himself. Menacing, brooding, and more than a little unhinged. But the sullenness was new. Like maybe he wasn’t calling the shots for the first time in his life.

Well, too bad. I wasn’t going to play nice; or not until Darkness turned up, at least.

I was about to tell him I’d go wait back at my place when a heavy hand landed on my shoulder. Trey didn’t make a sound as I was turned to face a big guy with shaggy hair. They were both big guys, I realized with a gulp, because they’d left the girl on the coffee table and were blocking the exit. Maybe brothers, with sharp, hard faces beneath thick beards. Shaggy tilted his head, his eyes narrowed. “Maybe you don’t remember, but we were at that Mooner school with your boy Trey, here. Couldn’t go inside, since it’d break the treaty, but we drove the getaway car.”

They both chuckled and it took a moment to work out they meant the night I’d left the academy. I flinched at the thought of these strangers seeing me at my lowest point. Which they definitely had, since the other one said with a leer, “You were off your ass on Wolf Fire.” He had a deep scar from his chin to his lip and his smile came out slow and dirty. If I could’ve backed up, I would have. But Shaggy’s hand on my shoulder held me still. “Pretty ballsy for an omega, trying to trap an alpha like that.”

The naked girl chose that moment to sashay up behind them. She looked worn out and ticked off, like she wanted to be anywhere other than dancing buck naked on a snowy mountain. But she plastered a smile on her face as she stroked her hands down their backs. “What’s going on? Are we partying, or chatting? Cos it’s too damn cold to be dancing on my own.”

The guys stiffened, Shaggy getting a mean look on his face. “Go get in the hot tub with the others,” he snapped. “We’re busy.”

The girl gave me a sympathetic look, but when she didn’t move fast enough, he growled, and she scurried off towards the deck. I couldn’t blame her. The alpha power he’d pushed at her was the equivalent of a punch to the face. I clutched the edge of the counter, feeling dizzy. Not just thugs, but shifter thugs. And for some reason, they had me in their sights.

“I have to go,” I said, but when I tried to duck away, Shaggy’s fingers just dug in tighter. “Look, you’ve got me mixed up with someone else…”

“You know why we helped you, little omega?” The scarred one interrupted. “Cos your granddaddy is a big wolf. And it’s good to have Old Man Marrow owing our pack.”

Shaggy gave him a quelling look before he turned back to me. “All you need to know is that we want proof. We’re not handing you off until we know you’re the real deal. And there are a lot of rumors going round about you.” He put a hand on my face, the sandpaper of his palm making me shudder as he dragged it down to cup my throat. He smirked at my reaction. “You’re jumpy like an omega, but Barakat says you haven’t shifted.” He squinted at me. “You a dud, girl?”

I glanced at Trey, whose jaw looked like it was about to crack. Fuck him and fuck their rumors. But fighting these guys wasn’t going to get me anywhere good. I dropped my eyes, forcing myself to hold still under the pressure of Shaggy’s grip. “I’ve never shifted. Some of the other kids said I was a dud.” I shrugged. “I can’t feel anything inside, so they could be right.”

“That’d be a damn shame,” the scarred one mumbled, his gaze tripping down my body. As his hungry eyes roamed over me, I’d never been more grateful for my puffy snow jacket. Although I would have preferred if the naked girl came back, maybe with a friend or two. They could distract the assholes long enough for me to sneak out a side door, or find one of the dozen rifles Trey kept stashed in his house.

When I looked hopefully towards the deck, I saw three girls sitting in the tub, with a fourth leaning on the railing. Unlike the trio with their backs carefully angled towards the house, she was fully dressed in jeans and a leather jacket. She was chatting to them, but her eyes were on us, taking it all in. I felt a jolt as she winked at me from beneath her overlong blonde fauxhawk.

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