Page 65 of The Boy With The Sharp Teeth
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Sanastared up at the ceiling, watching as the deep orange light of dusk splayedover the walls of the room. Beside her, Zach slept on his stomach with one armcast out possessively over her stomach. She could hardly remember how they gotback right on the bed. The last thing she could clearly remember was him layingpartially on top of her from behind. She had felt his hot release inside ofher, coating her womb as his heavy, muscular body pulsed and shook behind her.He had nuzzled her hair, licking and nipping at her shoulder as they bothclimbed back down from the aftershocks. From there, her memory was a haze. Hadhe taken her to the bathroom, or had that been a dream? Was the warm wetfeeling between her legs sometime later his tongue again or a damp cloth? Shecouldn't be sure it was all a whirlwind of feelings too much for her to catalogand examine.
Turningher face, Sana jumped at the pair of golden eyes staring back at her.
"Whatare you thinking about?" Zach's voice was scratchy and low.
"Iwas just trying to remember what happened after we made love?"
"Itook care of you despite your sleepy grumblings at me," he grinned.
Shelaughed. "Did I grumble something in particular?"
"Yeah,you did, actually. You told me you couldn't handle anymore and to leave youalone. It was quite hurtful," he pouted.
"Well,I stand by it. You were very…forceful tonight," she said, looking for theright word to describe his dominating behavior.
Zachraised himself onto his elbow, his long hair hanging down wildly around hisshoulders. "You didn’t like it?"
"Idid, I did, I swear," she rushed to reassure him. "But…it was new forme." She licked her lips and glanced up at his waiting face, he wanted herto explain. "It was scary, but I liked it," she admitted softly.
Thebed creaked a little as Zach pushed himself to sit up fully. "I didn’tmean to scare you."
Feelingweird to be the only one lying down, Sana sat up, holding the sheets to herbreasts. Kindly, Zach reached for her nightgown balled up at the end of the bedand handed it to her. Slipping it over her head, she felt his eyes watching heras he waited. Feeling a little more confident now that she wasn't completelynaked, she met his waiting gaze with an open and honest expression. "Iknow you didn’t,” she finally answered, “and you didn’t really scare me, perse…I guess…I was just surprised. You were very," she paused, turning herhead in thought as she thought of the right word, “forceful."
Zachdidn’t say anything for a long moment, but she could sense something was on hismind. Reluctantly she kept her mouth shut, waiting patiently for him to speak,but after a few more seconds dragged by, she couldn't stop herself from asking."What is it?"
"Ineed to tell you something,” he said in a long breath. “Something I have beenputting off for a long time."
Sana’sheart seized. Was this the other shoe finally dropping? Ever since they madelove in his truck that night, Sana had felt as if a lifelong dream had finallycome true. Like sparkling stars falling in her hands as everything just fellperfectly in place. Was he going to say something to dash that dream? Was hesecretly married or did he have a lovechild with another woman? Sana began toshake as she realized she wasn't breathing. Releasing the painful breath, shestayed very still as Zach dragged an anxious hand through his loose hair beforestanding up from the bed. Sana blinked at his nudity, Zach on the other hand,didn't seem to realize or didn't care.
Witheach pacing step Zach took along the side of her bed, Sana's heart rateincreased. "Please, Zach, just tell me.” Her voice nearly broke from thetension lacing through her.
"Just…justtell me you'll still love me," he begged, stopping to look pleadingly ather, his voice desperate.
Sanabegan to shake her head, tears stinging at her eyes, but she held herselfstill. She wanted to scream at him. To throw a pillow or anything she couldreach for at him. She wanted to yell that he wasn't going to do this to heragain. She would not allow him to rip her heart to shreds again. How could heask her to love him through that again? But as she looked up at his waitinggilded eyes, she could see the fierce need for her to understand—to hold ontohim as he would to her. Either it was a sense of sudden calm or maybe justfatigue, Sana felt the ache in her chest ease and nodded to him. Years ago,they separated due to a misunderstanding on her part, and they both sufferedfor it. She had to give him a chance this time.
"Idon't think I could ever stop loving you, Zachariah Waatese, even if I wantedto," she confessed, her voice a tired whisper.
Kneelingone knee onto the bed, Zach reached for her and cupped her face in his stronghands before bringing his lips to hers. "I pray you mean that."
"Justtell me," she pleaded. It felt as if her heart was going to burst from herchest.
"Mymother told me she told you the story of the Katzie people, right?" hewaited for her to give him a frowning nod before he continued. "How theCreator gave them gifts beyond the comprehension or the ability of man, makingthem powerful?" Again, she nodded, though she was thoroughly confused nowas to where this was going. "What if I told you it was true? That everyson of the Katzie clan made up of the Waateses, the Owens, and a few others areall gifted by the Creator?"
Someof her fear faded as she tried to comprehend his words. "Gifted how?"
Zachseemed to freeze at her words, and she watched him take a shuddering breath ashe stepped back off the bed. "Don't…don't leave me, ok? Promise me youwon't leave me." He held up his hands placatingly to her.
Sananodded.
Steppingaway from the bed, Zach kept his worried eyes trained on her as he released apent-up breath. The light in the room had faded from the bright orange into ahazy purplish grey as the last rays of light faded over the horizon, giving wayto the bright fall moon. Sana twisted her lips to the side as she watched Zachclose his eyes. She wanted to ask him again what he had meant about a gift. Shewanted to know what he was doing or expected her to see, but the ripplingshudder that passed over his body stopped her words in her throat. Anothershudder went through him, and her eyes widened as Zach clenched his in pain.
"Zach!What's-"
Thecrack of bones stilled her cry of alarm as she watched in silent horror as Zachdoubled over in pain. His sun-kissed skin darkened before her eyes, growingtaut around his shifting muscles. Covering her mouth, she leaned over the sideof the bed as she watched his body contort and listened to his bones crack frombeneath his skin. Black hair sprouted from his skin and began to cover him ashe hung his head low to the ground, his silken black hair covering his facefrom her. Her mind felt as if it were splitting into two as she watched thecanine ears appear above the black furry head and his hands crack and deformagainst the wood floor, changing into paws. On one side of her mind, sheunderstood what she was seeing, but the other side of her tender psyche screamedand shook in distortion as the man became a wolf. The golden eyes of thewolf—Zach's golden eyes—looked up at her.
Sanascreamed.
