Chapter 32
Zane
I force myself to leave Evie’s room, but it’s not easy. I shove the door open to our house, nearly running Slate over. “Where’s the fire?” he says in that dark tone of his.
“Sorry.” I reach out and give him a handshake that morphs into a hug on my part. “Good to see you’re still alive. No game today?” Slate plays soccer, so the first few months of the year, he’s gone an awful lot, traveling with the team.
“No.” He uncaps a water bottle and leans against the wall. “What’s with your girl?”
From anybody else, it would make me bristle. From Slate, that’s practically worry. I run a hand over my head. “I don’t know what she’s caught up in, but it’s not good. She’s human, and yet, she seems to have caught the attention of some bad people.”
“If they were wolves,” he says slowly. “You would have been able to tell.”
“I know. That’s what I can’t figure out. I’m going to have to talk to my dad and see what he knows.”
He recaps his water bottle. “I’ll go with you.”
“You don’t need to,” I tell him, but he ignores me. We climb into my truck and start the trip over to pack lands. “How’s your season going?”
“Good.”
“Any losses?” I ask.
“Two.”
And that’s that. Slate’s a man of very few words.
I let my dad know we’re coming, so the gates are open when we get close.
Slate follows me up the driveway to my family’s house, shades over his eyes.
My mother opens the door and gives me a big hug.
“Slate, what a surprise. I didn’t know you were coming.
” She doesn’t touch him; he doesn’t like to be touched.
“Your father will be here soon; he’s finishing up a meeting. ”
I nod and head into the living room. Riley comes through, sees me and redirects. “Hey, Brother. Hey, Slate.”
“Thanks for taking Evie out,” I tell her.
“Well, she paid for it; so, she basically took me out,” she says with a frown. “Did you find out anything else?”
“Yeah.” I run my hand over my head. “A little.” I tell her what I know so far, and her eyes get wider with every word I say.
“You need to tell her what you are.”
I shake my head. “I can’t do that to her; she’s already terrified.”
“No, she needs to know what you are, so she knows you are more than capable of keeping her safe, of fighting back if need be.”
I take in her words. “She—” I don’t get any further before the front door opens, and my father walks in. After he greets my mom with a kiss, he moves into the living room.
“What did you find out?” he asks, wasting no time.
“The roommate and boyfriend shifted in the woods. She said they were black and huge and howled; and she called them wolves.”
My father frowns at this. “They’re wolves?”
“That’s the thing. I never picked up on that. I would have known if they were. I’m positive they weren’t. I’ve been in Evie’s room; I never once smelled anything on the roommate.”
My father stares at me as his mind turns things over. “She said they were black?”
“Yes.”
My father stares at me, frowning hard. “What are you thinking?” My mother asks.
“Skinwalkers are black.”
My mother’s face pales, and I have to ask, “What are skinwalkers?”
My father meets my gaze head-on, his jaw hard. “Skinwalkers are not true shifters. They get their power from dark magic and force a shift that is unnatural.” I feel my blood go cold. “There was an alpha a long time ago that delved into dark magic, and skinwalkers were a result.”
“But we haven’t heard of any in decades,” my mom says, casting a worried glance my way.
“I know.” That’s all my father says.
My heart is racing. “Why would they target Evie?”
“I don’t know,” my father says. “But she needs to be under your protection and when you can’t be there, somebody else’s. If that’s truly who they are, then she’s in grave danger.”
My heart races when I remember her words, and a curse forms on the tip of my tongue. “They said they wanted to take her to their boss.”
My father’s eyes harden. “Get her now.”
I’m out the door before he can even finish what he’s saying with Slate on my heels.
I race to my truck, phone already pressed to my ear.
I throw it down on the console when she doesn’t answer and peel out of the driveway.
“Can you dial her number and put it on speaker for me? Evie’s in my favorites.
” He tries, but when it goes to voicemail, I try not to think the worst. Slate doesn’t say a word as we fly back to campus.
I throw the truck in park and jump out. “I’ll keep watch outside,” Slate calls out.
I nod as I jog towards the dorm, being careful to keep my pace what it should be for a human.
Two girls stop me as soon as I head inside, but I brush past them.
I take the stairs two at a time and walk as quickly down the hall as I dare.
When I get to her room, I knock. “Evie, it’s Zane.
” Nothing. I try the handle; it’s locked.
I knock again, louder this time. “Evie.” When she still doesn’t answer, I snap.
One swift kick breaks the lock, and her door crashes into the wall.
I stride into the room, ready to take on any threat.
“Zane?” My eyes snap to Evie. Her wide eyes meet mine, and it’s the fear in her eyes that undoes me.
I cross the room in two strides and reach out for her but freeze when she jerks back.
My hand drops to my side. “What are you doing?” I gain enough control to finally take in the details I missed when I barged in.
Her eyes have a heavy look, the look of someone who just woke up.
Add to that her tangled hair and wrinkled shirt, and I realize she was asleep.
“You didn’t answer when I called your phone, and you didn’t answer when I knocked on your door.”
She points to the earbuds on her lap. “I had earbuds in, and my phone was on do not disturb.”
I frown and take in what she’s telling me and then run my hand over my head. I blow out a breath. “I might have overreacted.”
“Might have?” she asks, pointing to the door.
I wince. “I’ll fix it.”
She pushes back the blanket she was covered up with and stands up. My eyes drop to her legs that are exposed by the short shorts she’s wearing. I force my gaze back up to her eyes. Her face has a light flush on it. “I was sleeping,” she reminds me.
“Yeah. I’m sorry, Evie.”
She takes compassion on me. “It’s okay. I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to worry you.”
“We need to talk.”
Her gaze meets mine, and she sighs. “It’s okay, Zane. I get it. No worries.”
I stare down at her in confusion. My mind goes a little hazy at the sleepy image she’s giving me, and it’s really hard to stay focused when she looks this soft and vulnerable and so incredibly enticing. I swallow and meet her eyes. “What are you talking about?” I ask gently.
“If you’re going to break up with me, just do it. It’s fine.”
I watch as she visibly steels herself against what I’m going to say.
“What? Evie, no.” I run a hand over my head again.
I’ve made a mess of everything. She stares up at me with no emotion on her face, and I hate that.
I hate that she’s bracing herself for me to tell her I’m not interested in her anymore, when it’s the furthest thing from the truth.
My heart aches at the hurt she carries around with her.
“No, Sweetheart,” the endearment slips out. “That’s not it at all.”
Confused eyes meet mine. “Then what is it?”
I study her face a moment, wondering how she’ll take this next part. “I want you to leave this place and come live with me and the other guys in our house.”
Her eyes widen. “What?”
“I want you to feel safe, and I have the need to keep you safe. I can’t do that easily when you’re here, and I don’t even live on campus.”
Her wide eyes stare at me. “You want me to come live in your house with the other guys?”
“Yes.”
Her eyes are shrewd as they take me in. “You know more than you’re saying.”
I have to hand it to my mate; she’s discerning. “I do, and I’ll tell you more. But I can’t do it here where somebody might overhear. I really want you to come live with us, so we can keep you safe.”
She crosses her arms over her chest. “You think I’m in danger.” It’s not a question.
“I do.”
“I don’t know, Zane. I—” she bites her lip, and I fist my hand to keep from tugging it free from the bruising bite. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”
I decide it’s time to shoot straight with her. I step forward into her space. “Evie, I know what Sam and Jace are. You're in danger. I can and will keep you safe, but I need you under the same roof as me to be able to do that. I promise I will explain more when we get to my place.”
I can see the indecision warring on her face. “What about your roommates?”
“They’ll be fine with it.” I won’t give them a choice.
Her eyes narrow at me. “They don’t know, do they?”
“Not yet, but it won’t come as a shock to them.”
She blushes, and I fight my smile. I love when she blushes for me. I appeal to her practical side. “How about you bring an overnight bag, just enough stuff for a few days. Let me have a chance to tell you everything that’s going on. After that, you can decide what you want to do.”
“One night,” she counters.
One night is not nearly enough time, but at least it’s something. I’ll convince her to stay longer when the time comes, but for now, it will at least get her out of here. “Okay. I’ll help you pack.”
“You don’t need to.”
“I want to, Evie. What can I grab?”
“You can grab my pillow and blanket.”
“I have plenty of pillows and blankets,” I interject.
She gives me a look. “You want to help or not?”
I smirk, proud of her ability to stand up to me. “Blanket and pillow. Got it.”
She pulls out a duffle bag from under her bed and pulls a few items of clothing out. “Can you grab my shower products out of the shower?”
I head into the bathroom and open the shower door.
I look at the contents. After quickly sniffing the contents of each bottle, I easily find her shampoo, conditioner, and body soap and even her buff puff.
I walk back into the room, and she spins around.
“I forgot to tell you which ones were mine.” I hold out the bottles I grabbed, and her surprised eyes find mine.
“You got all the right ones. How did you know which ones are mine?”
“I know what my girl smells like,” I say easily. I watch in fascination as her face turns pink again, and I smile when she turns around quickly.
She zips up her duffle and then starts packing her backpack. When she finishes, she reaches for her duffle bag, but I snag it and throw it over my shoulder, her backpack too when she finishes packing it. “You have your phone?” I ask.
“Oh, I need my charge cord.” She grabs it and turns back to me. “I’m ready.”
“Great.” I head towards the door, making a note to fix the lock asap.
“Zane, are you sure about this?”
Her quiet words and the uncertainty in them tug at my chest. I turn around. “Absolutely, Evie.”