“I could’ve twisted out of that,” I said when I’d brushed the dirt off my jeans and put a safe distance between us.
“Charlie.” Owen straightened and looked down his nose at me. “My nails are just as sharp as any werewolf’s teeth. You would’ve ripped your jugular trying to shake free of that. Defense and offense go hand in hand.”
“You keep slowing things down to trip me up on purpose,” I argued, knowing that I was just making excuses. “I think I must fight better on instinct, when I don’t have to overthink it.”
He shook his head. “Your instincts suck.”
“They do not.” I puffed out my chest. “My reflexes—”
“Are slower than molasses sliding down a vampire’s cold, hard—”
“I get it!”
Owen grinned. I shook my head and glanced around. The sun had dipped, darkening the forest into an even gloomier shade of gray. When had that happened? Owen seemed to notice it too.
The smile disappeared. He glanced up at the sky, obscured by the canopy of leaves. “Time’s up,” he said under his breath. Out loud he said, “Let’s get you back to your side of civilization, shall we, kitten?”
I started to follow and he stopped me. “You might want to travel on four legs. Better senses. And you’ll want the speed.”
I debated pointing out how bad he said my senses were in either form, but the urgency in his expression stopped me. I shifted without a word and the moment my four paws hit the ground, Owen took off.
He set a pace that was hard to keep up with. I had to hurry to duck underneath the branches and leaves he held out of my way. We followed no visible trail. I wondered how he knew which bushes to cut through, which trees to turn at. Soon enough, the forest opened up. The trees were wider apart. The sun peeked through at regular intervals. Birds called. They sounded closer now. Everything felt more … cheerful.
Owen slowed, allowing me to catch up. I shifted back as I came up beside him, so we walked shoulder to shoulder.
“Geez, where was the fire?” I asked.
“My mother and her guard were nearby, looking for me, no doubt. I didn’t think you’d want to explain your presence to them.”
“Your mom?” My eyes widened as I realized he hadn’t been nearly as concerned with the sun’s position as the proximity of his own kind. I shot a look into the thickness we’d left behind. “How do you know she was out there? I didn’t hear anything.”
“For one, vampire hearing trumps werewolf hearing any day. But, if you were opening yourself to your senses, like I showed you, there’s a chance you would’ve picked up the sound.”
“Well, thanks,” I said. I was too grateful to be irritated. He was right. I didn’t want to meet his mother again. Owen was one thing. I could handle him and his sarcastic, over-the-top, cocky comments. His mother scared the socks off me. “What’s your mom’s deal anyway? She looks…” I wanted to say “mean.” Instead I said, “Unhappy.”
Owen laughed, but it was harsh. “My mother is hard to please. She has always seemed happiest when those around her are not.”
“That’s a sad way to live,” I said.
Even though I’d promised not to, I thought of my mom. I wondered what she’d be doing right now. Probably working, or maybe visiting the antique shop outside of town. The one we’d found on my last birthday. Which reminded me, I’d made plans to shop with Regan. The thought made me more nervous than being with Owen.
“Earth to kitten,” he said, waving a hand in front of my face.
I blinked and found Owen watching me. “Yeah, I’m here,” I said.
“Good. We’re almost home.”
“What?” I looked around, startled by how far we’d come while I daydreamed. The forest thinned up ahead. Over the steady whack of hammers, the hum of voices could be heard from the clearing where the arena was being constructed.
We stopped still inside the cover of trees.
“I think I’ll say my farewells from here, if it’s all the same,” Owen said.
“Good idea.”
Voices floated closer. A boy and a girl. I caught sight of red fabric, someone’s shirt, as they weaved along a narrow trail several yards away. The girl laughed at something the boy said. I froze. Regan. Oh geez, it was Regan. And Carter. And they were headed our way.
“Owen it’s—”
I was yanked sideways before I could finish my sentence. Owen’s hand on my arm pulled me behind a grove of trees and spun me so I faced him. My back hit the trunk of the tree with a thud. Owen’s finger came up to his lips, signaling me to stay quiet.
We stayed that way for several moments, waiting for them to pass. My breathing never slowed.
Owen was so close. His breath was hot; I could feel it on my neck. I stared up at him, lips parted. Half of me prayed for him to kiss me. The other half was horrified at the thought.
If we kissed, would he taste undead? The idea should have repulsed me. But I was mostly curious.
Regan and Carter passed by less than twenty feet away. I held my breath, sure Owen would be scented and we’d be spotted. What would happen then? Would they fight each other? A lump formed in my throat. It wouldn’t matter to Regan that one of us—or both, sort of—was already engaged to him. She’d only see that I’d snuck away to be with the enemy. All hope of a relationship with her would be out the window.
But the two of them faded away as the trail snaked out of range. I felt my shoulders sag in relief.
Owen looked amused. He stroked his knuckles down my cheek, like a cold breeze kissing my skin. “You didn’t want to be seen with me, kitten?”
He was too close. I felt goose bumps rise along my collarbone. “I could say the same of you,” I said, and my voice came out embarrassingly breathy. “And why do you keep calling me that? I’m a wolf, not a cat.” I was going for irritated, anything to keep the visual of our lips meeting out of my mind.
His eyes softened. “You try so hard to be the big, bad wolf, but it’s all bark and no bite. You’re like a little kitten. More temper than actual strength. It’s quite endearing, actually.”
I bit my lip. He was staring at my mouth. And he was being nice. Why did he have to be nice now, with our knees pressed together, our chests rising and falling in tandem, his body melting into mine?
Slowly, almost imperceptibly, he lowered his head. Our mouths almost touched now. I held my breath, waiting for the moment his lips brushed mine. Anticipation lit through me like wildfire, heating all of the untouched places.
I was going to kiss the vampire prince.
It was a terrible idea, and I had never wanted anything more in my life.
In the clearing, one piece of wood fell against another, echoing loudly into the air around us. I jumped.
Owen stiffened and pulled back, eyes flashing toward the place we had seen Regan and Carter. For reasons I didn’t understand, the moment was gone. But there was a spark of mischief in his eyes when he turned back to me. “See you around, kitten.”
I stood there, catching my breath, long after he’d vanished.