Page 13 of Red (Everdark Tales #1)

Never in a million years would I have imagined that one day I’d be getting ready for a date with a werewolf…

Yet, here we are—Today is that day.

I’m totally overdressed since we’re staying in and he doesn’t even wear any clothes himself.

But fuck it. I want to look nice for him.

Alex is in the kitchen, finishing dinner that he insisted to cook for us. Because apparently he does that now.

His face lights up as soon as I enter his sight.

“Oh, look at you! All dolled up for me.”

I give him a slow twirl, loving the feeling of his eyes on me.

In a flash, he’s right next to me. “Fuck! Your ass looks amazing.” He palms both my cheeks, sliding his clawed fingers below the hem of my black bodycon mini. “I love the dress.”

I haven’t gotten a chance to wear it for Dean and now I’m glad I didn’t return it. Paired up with my black high heels (that I got for Granny’s funeral) and some glam makeup, I know I look like a knockout. Or it’s Alex who makes me feel so confident, at least. Because no man has ever made me feel this good in my own body.

He asks me to take a seat on the couch and serves dinner at the coffee table. Which is valid since he’d break my dining chair—and enough damage has been done already.

“This is exquisite!” I approve, after I finish chewing a bite of the salmon.

“Why so surprised? I was a human.”

“Over three centuries ago.”

“I don’t need to eat nearly as frequently as humans. After I hunt, I can survive a week or even two with nothing but water. I enjoy having an occasional meal with my family, though… Or rather the ones who do eat.”

That comes as a surprise. “Can you tell me more about them?”

“Well, I’m the oldest of my two remaining siblings. There’s my little sister, Penelope, who is a fucking pain in my ass.” He chuckles. “She’s the only one of my numerous sisters that fell for a supernatural being. About two centuries ago, she was turned into a vampire by her immortal female partner, Katia. And my brother, Edwin, is like me, of course. He’s already bonded with his mate, Clara, and formed his own pack with his two sons. But we remain in proximity. I’m also close with my aunt, Farah, who is a witch.” He then adds with a smirk, “They are all dying to meet you.”

“Wow, that’s awesome! I literally just found out they exist!”

I’m a terrible girlfriend—or whatever I am to him. He knows a lot about me because… well, he’s been creeping on me. But I realize how little I know about him. Sure, it’s been only a couple of days, yet I’ve already had more orgasms than every guy I’ve ever been with combined. For fuck’s sake, he made me squirt and I didn’t even know my body could do that! And the thought of him having an actual family didn’t even cross my mind… I just took him for a wild beast.

He notices my sudden silence. “What is it?”

“I’m a horrible person.” I feel so ashamed now, I just want the earth to swallow me whole.

“Maybe,” he deadpans. “But you’re still my favorite person.”

“I want to know everything about you.”

“You might have to stalk me for a while.”

“Oh, come on, Alex! Don’t get all dark and mysterious on me now.”

“There’s not nearly as much to tell as you’d expect. My mother was a witch, my father was a werewolf. Both passed a few decades ago. I’ve had more brothers too, but they’re all deceased. It can be brutal out there for us.”

I see the sadness in his eyes and I don’t want to pressure him if it’s too painful for him to talk about. Instead I ask, “So, are you also a witch?”

“Just like there are no female werewolves, there are no true male witches. Warlocks can conjure spells, but it’s not a comparable power. I guess, that’s a nature’s way to balance itself.”

“Do you know how werewolves came to be in a first place?”

“Majority of the lore comes from medieval times and European folklore, but it goes much further back in time. The Old Testament tells a story of a Babylonian king who gets punished for his pride and arrogance. Similarly, in Greek mythology lycanthropy begins as a curse cast by Zeus. We believe these to be the most factual.”

“Is being born with this gene the only way to become like you?”

“No, the bite will also turn a man, causing them to shift at the first full moon afterwards. But the bitten ones are rabid, they lose all their humanity. Without any self-control, they need to be put down for everyone’s sake. They are the abominations that most folk tales come from.”

“What happens if a woman gets bitten?”

He smiles. “In the wild, male canines rarely attack females, and likewise with my kind. But werewolves mark their partners with a bite. No other male will pursue anyone who’s claimed.”

“Did you claim me?” I chew my bottom lip.

“Well, you don’t have a mark, do you? But I will if you accept me.”

Why this is the hottest shit I’ve ever heard?

“A ring would suffice, you know,” I kid, but my traitorous voice revealing my emotions.

He roars with laughter as his head lolls back against the back of the couch. I take a mental picture—He never looked better to me.

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“You were very upset the other day when I first approached you,” Alex says a bit later after the dinner’s over. “What happened?”

“Oh, it’s stupid!”

“Baby, nothing that made you cry is stupid to me.” He caresses my curls as I embrace him with the movie playing in the background.

Why is this supposed monster the sweetest person I’ve ever met?

I tell him the history of my friendship with Lana, our roommate dynamic, and my life back in Chicago. I also open up about my childhood, the estranged relationship I have with my Mom, and how I came about to move out here.

Alex listens, seeming genuinely interested, only interrupting with additional questions, as we continue snuggling on the couch. It feels so normal and so good to be with him, I don’t ever want this to end.

Shit! I think I might be falling for him.

It might be only lust… or whatever other supernatural force is driving us together. But he does make me happy; happier than I have ever been, actually.

“Thank you for today,” I whisper into his chest. I figure he doesn’t normally do that.

He buries his snout in my hair. “I’m sorry we can’t go out in public together.”

“Are you joking?!” I lift my eyes on him. “This is my favorite kind of date!”

“Is it really?” His tail is wagging, and I can’t help but giggle at how adorable he is.

“Yeah, most definitely.”

“You’ve never had one like that with him,” he points out.

My heart drops when I realize he must have seen me with Dean so many times.

I sigh. “That’s because I didn’t have enough of a connection with him to share such intimate moments like this.”

He kisses—or licks—me tenderly, hooking my thigh over his hip. I climb onto his lap as our tongues dance together and he presses my body closer to his.

“Do you ever wish I was a human?”

“No, I’m attracted to you just the way you are,” I reply honestly before I flatter him, “but it would be nice to show you off.”

“Hmm, then we better work on that control of mine.”

I don’t know how precisely since it happens so fast my brain is unable to register, but all of a sudden, there’s a man underneath me.

A very fine man.