Page 14 of Awakened
I was definitely scared.
FOUR
The bitch licked me! She pinned me down and licked me!
As I lay on the ground, trying to figure out what the hell was happening, a brown wolf that was about my size and a small wolf with my same blond coloring entered the clearing. The huge silver wolf pushed off me and walked behind a nearby tree. I scrambled to my feet and backed away but stopped when she came around the other side in her human form. She was tall with silver-streaked black hair and piercing blue eyes. She looked about forty, but that didn’t mean much in the wolf community. Once a wolf reached maturity, our aging slowed. We weren’t immortal, but barring severe illness or damage, we lived for centuries.
With a big smile, she asked, “Can you shift back so we can actually meet each other?”
A sense of calm swept over me, and before I realized it, I was behind the tree, shifting.
What the hell is happening? Why didn’t I book it out of there when I had the chance?
After pulling on my pants, I went back into the clearing.
“There we go!” The woman stepped toward me and shook my hand. “I’m Marie. This is Bonnie,” she said, gesturing to thebrown wolf. “And Taylor.” She dipped her chin at the other. “And you are?”
“I’m Celeste. It’s very nice and terrifying to meet you.” My eyes darted from person to wolf, always returning to Marie in the middle.
“Oh honey, you have nothing to be scared of! We noticed an unfamiliar scent and had to check it out.”
“Yeah, that makes sense. Well . . .” I glanced around the clearing, taking a step back. “I think I’ll just get going.”
“We’re heading to the Handle Bar to grab a drink. You’re more than welcome to join.”
Are they for real?
I wasn’t expecting the werewolf welcome wagon on my first night in St. Louis. It was real weird. I could use more friends, but this was too much too soon.
“Thanks, but I have a job interview early tomorrow morning. Gotta be sharp, you know?” I took yet another step away. “Maybe next time?”
“Sure, sure.” Marie smiled more gently, leaning back to give me space. “The girls and I do a weekly happy hour at Blackthorn on Mondays if you want to join us. They’ve got great pizza.”
Persistent. She was persistent. “Yeah, maybe. You guys have a good night.” With that, I turned and left the bizarro meeting with as much poise as I could muster.
When I got home, all the lights were out, meaning Sarah had made her way to bed. I hit the kitchen for some late-night tea and took it to my room. Settled under my covers, I sipped on the hot, sleepy time brew and tried to get mentally prepared for my interview.
With my CPA and three years of experience, I should have no problem landing the gig, but that didn’t magically erase my anxiety.
Leaving Kirksville sucked. I had loved my job and been on track to take over my aunt’s accounting firm. Starting over in St. Louis meant changing my career goals, which really pissed meoff.
After Aiden told me about his mate, I had to suffer through the last two weeks of tax season before I could contemplate leaving. Being drunk and working twelve-hour days wasn’t easy. In fact, I’m not sure how I made it out alive. I’m lucky that I was damn good at my job. It’s too bad you can’t put “can work while drunk and hungover” on your resume.
It was foolish to give up my job to run away from Aiden, but there was no other way.
Add another tally to why Aiden is the fucking worst.
After four fitful hours of sleep, my alarm startled me awake. If I was going to survive the day, I would need a vat of coffee. “Please say she has some kind of pastry,” I muttered as I walked into the kitchen.
Sarah stood by the fridge, already dressed for work and wearing a smile far too big for how early it was.
“Hey, Les! Here’s your coffee.” She handed me a giant mug of dark-roasted goodness. “Did you sleep well?”
I grunted in reply, grinning when I zeroed in on a white box on the counter.
Score! Danish!
I opened the posh box, gingerly plucked a cherry Danish out, and took a bite.
