Page 19

“Gotcha. Why, um. Why can’t you control yours?”

Avery slams on the brake, not caring that they’re in the middle of a two-lane, no-passing road with precious few working streetlights. “Because I fucking can’t, okay? I can’t, and I don’t know why, but no one is willing to help me, so I’m fuckingstuck like this!”

Infuriated, overwhelmed by months of frustration andgrief, Avery slams closed fists against the steering wheel, making the inner mechanics groan from his strength.

A car driving above the speed limit pulls out from a side road, swerving around the hatchback without hesitation. The headlights come and go, illuminating Sascha’s concerned expression before leaving them in the darkness once more. Though his joints feel rusted in place, Avery grips the wheel and taps the gas, easing the car back into motion.

“Maybe I could help you,” Sascha says in a soft, hesitant voice, and Avery almost stomps the brake again—from surprise.

“Help me?”

“Yeah, like… Okay, shifters don’t really transform. We just change one-hundred-percent from biped to animal. So, I don’t know what it’s like for you, and I’ve never even seen what a werecreature looks like shifting before, which… Whatever, it’s whatever. But I could at least give you some pointers about growing claws and dropping fangs, maybe?”

Avery tries to swallow past his suddenly restricted throat, eyes prickling even more dangerously than before. “You’d do that? Help me?”

“You just helped me, didn’t you? Even though I scared you.”

“I guess.”

Sascha reaches across the center console, moving slow enough to give Avery time to dodge, should he want to. He doesn’t want to, so Sascha’s hand succeeds in cupping the back of his skull. “I owe you that much, seeing as I royally fucked up your night.”

Avery thinks on that. “No, I don’t think you did. It probably would have been worse at the farm.” Sascha murmurs acknowledgement and doesn’t remove his fingers from where they’ve twisted into Avery’s hair until the GPS announces having reached their location. Avery parks, but scanning the surroundings reveals nothing that could be theMadison pack house. “You guys live underground or something?”

Snorting, Sascha says, “No. I just can’t bring you close to the pack lands, or they’ll…” He leaves the statement hanging because elaboration isn’t necessary. Sascha’s pack would rip Avery to shreds in seconds if he so much as approached the pack land border.

“Are you sure you’re good to drive home?”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine.” Sascha rolls his shoulders, then hops out of the car and walks around to the driver’s side. He asks, “Willyoube okay? You can get back to the farm from here?”

“I’ll figure it out.” When Sascha’s forehead creases, Avery flaps a hand to dismiss his concerns. “I have much better sense of direction and endurance now. I’ll be fine.”

Sascha catches Avery’s waving hand in both of his, his large palms smothering every one of Avery’s knuckles and squeezing. “Do you want my number? You can call me if you need anything.Anything.” In response to Avery’s unsure expression, Sascha flattens Avery’s palm against his chest, over his rapidly beating heart. “I want to see you again. Let me help you with your shift. Transformation. Whatever you want to call it. I can help. Please?”

Avery chews his lip. “Will you promise not to faint on me again?”

The smile that explodes across Sascha’s face is brilliant. He laughs and rakes his fingers through his hair bashfully. “I’ll do my best.” He gives Avery’s wrist a short tug. “Does this mean I get a goodnight kiss?”

Breath catching, all Avery can do is nod. He doesn’t know what to expect—will Sascha invade him, as he didn’t get a chance to do during the movie? Or will he be just as chaste and teasing as he was while driving Avery to madness?

The truth hovers somewhere in-between, with Sascha drawing Avery out of the car and clutching him close, kissing him with needy pressure and a respectful tongue. As theypull away, he flicks the tip of his tongue over Avery’s philtrum, as Avery did to him before. It coaxes the corners of Avery’s mouth upward into a smile he can’t fight. Sascha drops one more quick kiss on that smile, causing it to widen.

Then his eyes shutter and he sways, a faint sound in his throat.

Avery stabilizes him, chiding, “You need to get home. Sure you can avoid crashing your car?”

“Yeah, you’re just doing this thing. Taking my breath away, or something.” Sascha’s eyes are so earnest, a spectrum of complementary color reflecting in the waxing moon’s light.

Avery has to look away. He scuffs his boot on the grass. “Just put your number in my phone already.”

They exchange texts, then Avery takes a step back before Sascha can kiss him again. “Goodnight. Get home safe and go to sleep.”

“You’re not my boss,” Sascha protests, closing the extra space.

Avery matches it, shaking his head. “We can schedule something, okay? The gibbous moon is coming, which means full moon fun-time isn’t far away.”

“My schedule is always open.”

“I’ll let you know my next day off.”