Chapter 5
Chapter Five
Peter
A s we stepped outside the cafe, a fat raindrop hit me in the forehead and I yelped. It was pouring.
“Ack! Where’d this rain come from?” I asked, staring up in disbelief at what had become a stormy gray sky. When we arrived an hour ago, the sky had been perfectly clear. Then I remembered the umbrella Bennett had been carrying this entire time.
“I can’t believe you needed that after all,” I said.
Bennett flashed a grin brighter than a bolt of lightning as he opened his trusty umbrella. “I told you.”
I shook my head. “You’re incredible.”
The umbrella was wide enough for both of us, but I’d have to scoot closer to be under its full protection. I hesitated, wondering if it would make things awkward if our arms brushed against each other, but Bennett solved the problem by gently grabbing my waist and pulling me closer. My cheeks went hot.
“Don’t be shy,” Bennett said. “Better to get up close and personal than to get drenched, yeah?”
His warm confidence made my heart flutter. “Y-yeah, true.”
Walking elbow-to-elbow with Bennett made me very aware of his amazing scent. It was like the rain amplified it. I couldn’t stop smelling his natural musky perfume.
“You smelling me now?” he teased.
Well, crap. I guess I wasn’t as subtle as I wanted to be.
“Is that okay?” I asked, my cheeks flushing hotter now that I’d been caught.
His dark eyes sparkled, obviously pleased. “Whatever makes you happy, Peter.”
My stomach flipped with excitement so hard that I exhaled a laugh. “Y’know, you gotta stop saying stuff like that.”
“Why?”
“Because if you do, I’ll get a huge crush on you,” I finished through another half-laugh. Except I wasn’t joking.
Bennett’s brows raised before his mouth curved into a wider grin. “I see. However, I’ve got a counterpoint.”
“I’m listening.”
Bennett tilted his head, leaning in slightly. “What if I want you to develop a huge crush on me?”
An electrified ribbon twirled up my spine. I opened my mouth to reply, but was taken off guard and couldn’t speak. It was like Bennett had stolen my tongue.
And my heart.
As we approached the crosswalk, I chuckled nervously. “That’d be... um...”
Bennett suddenly put his arm around my chest, preventing me from taking a step forward. A car veered into the lane closest to us, its tires kicking up a spray of cold rainwater. If Bennett hadn’t stopped me, I would’ve been soaked.
“Phew,” I said. “Thanks.”
“Don’t mention it.”
Geez, was I so air-headed and spacey that I didn’t even notice my surroundings? I had to pay attention, but how could I when Bennett’s addictive scent infiltrated my nose, and the heat of his body radiated such alluring warmth? Besides, my mind raced from all the flirtatious things he’d said to me. Was he even flirting, or was I getting ahead of myself? What if he was just joking about the crush thing?
The crosswalk signal turned on and we made our way across the street. As throngs of people streamed around us, I felt protected by both the umbrella and Bennett himself. It was a novel feeling, but one I could get used to if this magical experience continued.
“I should’ve asked this earlier, but which way is your place, Peter?” Bennett asked.
“We’re going in the right direction. My apartment’s just up a couple blocks.”
He nodded. “Great.”
It hit me a second later that he was walking me back to my place. My heart flew into a frenzy. Would he come inside if I invited him? If he did, what would happen?
Cool it, Peter, I scolded myself. Don’t be so thirsty. You just met.
But it didn’t feel like Bennett and I just met. It was so easy and comfortable to be around him that it was like we’d known each other for a long time. I felt as close to him as I felt to Chantelle, and I’d known her since childhood.
Actually, the way I felt about Bennett was different. Something distinct...
“Say, Peter,” Bennett began as we walked down the rain-damp sidewalk, “why’d you go to that quack tarot reader?”
I groaned, hiding my face in my hands in shame. “It was such a bad decision in hindsight, but...” I heaved a sigh. “I hoped it might give me insight to my... situation.”
Bennett tilted his head. “Which is?”
Embarrassment gnawed at me. I stared down at the sidewalk. “I’ve been single for years. I don’t know why I can’t hold down a boyfriend. Everyone I know is dating, or mated with kids. Even Chantelle just found a new girlfriend she really loves. I just started wondering if something was wrong with me.”
Bennett halted abruptly. I stopped, confused, until I saw the fiery red gleam in his dark eyes. I blinked twice, but the red rings around his pupils weren’t a trick of the light. They didn’t disappear.
“There is nothing wrong with you, Peter,” Bennett said, his voice gravelly. “Don’t let anyone tell you that.”
“Nobody said it to my face,” I admitted, rubbing my arm. “I can’t help but think it.”
Bennett’s nostrils flared as he released a long exhale, as if calming himself down. “That’s the last time you’ll think it, then. Right?”
My chest tightened. Was that an order? I felt heat rush into my cheeks, and my stomach tingled with feeling.
“Well, if it’s coming from you, then I guess I can stop,” I murmured.
Bennett nodded. The glowing red rings in his eyes subsided, and the color went back to deep brown. “Good.”
It took me a moment to pull away from his unusual gaze. In any other circumstance, I would’ve chalked it up to a reflection from a red streetlight, or simply my imagination. But after our conversation about the supernatural, I felt more inclined to believe my instincts. I didn’t imagine the ghostly black dog—and I didn’t imagine the red gleam in Bennett’s eyes, either.
I sidestepped a puddle on the sidewalk. “Um, so... your eyes. Have they always been like that?”
A second of hesitation, then, “What about them?”
I didn’t let my courage slip away from me this time. Bennett was the one who’d encouraged me to believe in myself, after all.
“They flashed red,” I said. “I saw them.”
Another pause. Bennett smiled gently at me. “Don’t suppose I can blame it on contacts?”
I snorted. “Not unless you have superhuman speed and changed them without me noticing.”
Bennett clicked his tongue. “That many powers would be overkill,” he joked, then shrugged. “But yes, they do flash red sometimes.”
The casual way he admitted it dumbfounded me.
“Then... I was right?” I asked. “You don’t think I’m making it up?”
“I already told you to believe your eyes, Peter,” he said kindly. “And I’m telling you the truth. I was born with these kooky color-changing eyes that turn red sometimes.”
I squinted at him. “Are you a vampire?”
Bennett laughed out loud. The sound made my chest tingle with emotion. Even his laughter was attractive.
“Gods, no,” Bennett said, wiping a joyful tear from his eye. “But I like your enthusiasm.”
I couldn’t help but grin along with him. “Vampires are cool and all, but a little overrated in my opinion. Like, there’s other mystical creatures too, you know?”
Bennett looked chuffed. “Right on. How do you feel about werewolves?”
“Hmm. If we’re comparing them to vampires, I prefer werewolves,” I decided. “There’s something about a hot guy transforming into a huge powerful beast, but who is also furry and cuddly...”
Bennett arched a brow, seeming amused. His lips parted, and he almost looked like he wanted to say something.
It was all cut short as the shrieking of tires tore through the air.
A loud, desperate warning honk jolted me. I saw a vehicle—moving too fast—skid across the rain-soaked road. It was out of control—and headed straight for us.
It happened too fast. There was no time to react.
It was going to hit us.
I instinctively grabbed onto Bennett, seeking comfort in my terror. But what I expected to latch onto—skin and clothing—was not there.
My fingers were tangled in dense fur.
KA-THUNK!
The wretched scraping sound of crushed metal tore through the air. I fell backward onto the soaked sidewalk, gasping for breath. I had tunnel vision; all I could see was the massive dent in the car inches from my face. It was no longer about to collide with me. It was immobilized. Some ridiculously powerful force had stopped it in its tracks.
Over the sound of pouring rain and the blaring car horn came a louder noise that shook me to the bone: a thick, primal snarl from the throat of a ferocious beast.
I slowly turned my head.
Bennett had disappeared, but something else had taken his place—a massive, black-furred, ethereal dog.