Page 4 of Stalked By Monsters

“We’re picking up Greyson. I figured you wouldn’t mind,” Carter says, a mischievous glint of amusement lighting in his blue-green eyes.

“Carter,” I warn, my brows furrowing into a look of contempt.

“Don’t give me that look, Aria,” Carter snaps, as if I’m the one that’s being unreasonable right now. “He’s my best friend, hasn’t changed since first grade, and never will, so you’re just going to have to get used to it.”

“I know what you’re doing.” I cross my arms over my chest with an indignant sigh.

“I’m just picking up my friend like I told him I would,” he says. Despite his nonchalant tone, I can tell that he’s a lying bastard by the faint quiver of his lips. “Whatever happened between the two of you is none of my business.”

“Nothing happened,” I hiss, my lips curling up into a snarl at the insinuation. “You should know that more than anyone.”

“You need to get over that, Aria,” Carter says, his grin replaced with a look of concern that grates on my last nerve. I really can’t have this conversation right now, especially not with him being so serious about it all. “It’s been almost seventeen years since she left. Glenda may still be stuck in the olden days, but trust me, most of the magical world isn’t. Besides, those rules are antiquated anyway. There are witches taking partners that are all types of shifters and supernaturals.”

“I won’t be like her.” I clutch the door handle and it vibrates under my touch, my power slipping out at the vehemence in my tone. Every single shred of my soul screams in protest at being anything like her, even if that means I have to deny something my heart and mind clearly crave.

Keeping my gaze trained on the passing houses, I slam the lid down on my powers. They protest at the abrupt dismissal, but driving in a metal death trap isn’t the best time to let them loose on the world. I pull in a deep breath and let the cool air blasting from the air conditioning sink into my lungs and calm me. The tension in my chest eases as silence descends on the car, grateful that Carter isn’t going to keep pressing me.

Carter might be right about the witch community being more accepting of relationships with shifters but that will never be the situation for me, not since our mother ran off with one of the Draven pack betas seventeen years ago. Everyone will be watching me, judging me, making sure I don’t follow in her footsteps. I never will though, even if that means loveless matches for me. I’ll never abandon my family like she did.

A leaden weight settles into the bottom of my stomach as the car rolls to a stop right in front of a wall of familiar reddish-brown brick. The garage is a different color—lighter than I remember—and the front door is painted to match. My heart pounds as my gaze gets stuck on it, and despite the anticipation thrumming through me, I’m unable to pull it away. I’m honestly not sure what would be worse, averting my gaze and not catching a glimpse of Greyson for the first time in years as he strides to the car or locking eyes with him and seeing nothing there, no shred of the boy I used to dream about.

The door cracks open, and a tall figure steps into view. I suck in a sharp breath and chew the corner of my lip, attempting to make out his features but he’s still shrouded by shadows from the dark interior. Carter snorts in amusement and the sound nearly draws my eyes away from the door, but a movement keeps them firmly locked on the man stepping out onto the front porch.

The sun flashes off his black dress shoes and he steps past the threshold. My eyes scan up his form, needing to take in every inch of him almost as much as I need air to breathe. My mind flashes to the boy I knew from high school, the one who left to attend university on the other side of the country. He was tall even then, at least six-foot-five, his limbs lanky and his movements awkward as he still adjusted to the sudden growth spurt. But the Greyson that stands before me has none of the clumsiness he had before, his footsteps sure as he strides onto the porch, calm and lethal, like a predator, which is just what he is.

I scan up his legs, now muscular yet lean, none of the bulk that would weigh his shifted form down. His chest is broader than I remember, the white uniform shirt clinging slightly to his sculpted abs, betraying the athletic build underneath. My fingers tighten on the door handle and I suppress the urge to rip open the door to find out what exactly he looks like beneath all those clothes.

It takes every ounce of strength I have to keep my ass firmly planted in my seat, but I can’t help but continue upwards, needing to see his face, to see his familiar crooked grin and smiling eyes.

He wears the same tie that Carter has on but the collar is pulled open, like the tightness was too stuffy for his wild spirit. My heart pangs with that thought, regretting all the years we spent apart already, and I haven’t even said a word to the man yet. The smooth planes of his neck flow into his strong jaw and shoulder-length brown hair, and my fingers itch to trail over his skin and bury themselves in his thick locks. Fuck. I’m already in so much trouble and I haven’t even gotten to the damn school yet.How the hell am I going to survive the next year keeping my hands to myself and away from his exquisite form?

My breath catches as I move up to his smile. It’s just as I remember it, as though it was ingrained into my memory along with the strong bridge of his nose. His golden-brown eyes gleam in the sunlight, flashing with just as much intrigue and hope as I can only assume mine are. They pull me in, like now that our gazes have locked I’ll never be able to look away. I swear just that look might make me lose the tenuous hold on my willpower right now.

“That tells me all I need to know,” Carter says triumphantly, and I can only imagine the smug smile stretching across his lips as I instinctively slap his thigh without even having to look. “Ouch,” he whines, but even that doesn’t draw my eyes away from Greyson’s magnetic force.

I’m seriously screwed.

Chapter Three

Aria

“Keepyourmouthshut,Carter,” I hiss, attempting to speak without moving my lips as Greyson strolls towards the car. His tan suitcase rolls along behind him, the sound of the wheels on the cement walkway helping to pull me out of my trance. “Nothing has changed.”

I struggle to keep the grimace off my face at the taste of those words on my lips. I want them to be a lie, I really do, but after the mess my mother left there’s no way our coven would accept a wolf shifter as a partner no matter how understanding our society has gotten.

“Sure it hasn’t.” He chuckles.

I suck in a sharp breath about to tell him to stop talking as Greyson reaches for the car door, but thankfully Carter doesn’t say another word—to me at least.

“Greyson,” Carter exclaims, turning to the back seat to give him one of those bro clap things as he slides in. I wince at the octave Carter’s voice reaches, wishing we could have some sort of sibling telepathy so I can chastise him for his suspiciously chipper tone.

“Hey, man,” Greyson greets Carter back, a throaty chuckle slipping from his lips. The sound vibrates through the car, and I swear my knees quiver and I have to force them to stay closed. Dammit.

My eyes flash to the rearview mirror and I nearly sigh a breath of relief when the angle lets me see Greyson perfectly. He’s even more perfect, and up close the light facial hair along his jaw seems like it’s begging to be caressed.

Aria, keep your damn hands in the front of the vehicle. I refocus on the mirror, realizing my mind had wandered off for a moment. My heart skitters to a stop when my vision refocuses and Greyson’s bright eyes are locked on mine.

“Hey Aria,” Greyson says, his lips tilting up in a grin. Tingles shoot up my spine at the sound of my name on his tongue. It’s been so long since I heard it, it almost feels like I’m dreaming.

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