Chapter 5
LARK
“All right, now look off into the distance over your right shoulder while keeping your left foot on the peg,” Charlie instructs from where she’s kneeling on the black asphalt.
I groan, more than ready to be done taking pictures. We’ve been out here for two hours, and the sun has long since set. Although, I have to admit, the lights twinkling across the river are gorgeous at night. “Char, I thought you said that was the last one.”
She gives me a sheepish smile. “Yeah… I lied.” Raising her hands in a what-can-you-do gesture, Charlie doesn’t look even slightly sorry about it.
I huff a laugh but get into the pose she told me to. “You’re lucky I love you. Why, exactly, do I need two million pics of me? It’s not like I have any social media to show them off.”
Trying to disappear and being on social media don’t really go hand in hand, so I don’t have any accounts.
“They’re for you.” All the humor from earlier is wiped from her tone. “So, maybe, one of these days, you’ll see yourself how the rest of the world does.”
Scoffing, I look back at Charlie. “By the rest of the world, you mean, you, Coop, and your parents. My parents, extended family, and all the lovely shifters of Oakridge Park are the reason I see myself how I do.”
Unlike my siblings, I was never in the popular crowd. I hung out with Charlie, and that’s about it. But, as hard as I tried, I was never able to fade into the background. There was always someone there to remind me what a disappointment I was.
“And Wren,” Charlie whispers. “She always saw who you really are, even though you never saw it yourself.”
My breath whooshes out of me, and it feels like I’ve been punched in the gut at the reminder of Wren’s ever-present belief in me. Even when I was blind to what my sister was going through, she never stopped believing in me or pushing me to be the best person I could be.
And now, I’m doing everything I can to live up to the person she thought I was and to live the life she wanted for me. No matter how much I feel like I’m failing at it, I wake up every day and do it because I owe Wren that—and so much more.
“Can we go back to taking pictures?” I croak, my voice too choked up to sound normal. I turn to look out at the river before Charlie responds, needing a moment to compose myself.
At my roiling emotions that make it hard to breathe, my creature perks up in my chest. She wants out so she can lay waste to my enemies and remove what’s making me so upset.
Since there’s no one she can hurt to make me feel better, I try to redirect her attention to the river, promising her a swim soon. That does the trick, and my animal quiets down, silently watching everything through my eyes without demanding to be let out.
Charlie doesn’t answer, but I hear the telltale clicking of her shutter as she does what I asked without saying anything.
One of the things I love about Charlie is that she never pushes me to talk about anything.
Instead, she just offers silent support as I try to sort out the mess my head has been for the past six months.
We’re taking pictures for probably a half hour longer when a deafening roar sounds from behind me.
When the noise stops, Charlie groans. “Ugh. Some Ducati douchebags just pulled up. We might as well call it a night. I’m sure they’ll find some way to ruin the pics.”
I can’t help my snort at her disdain for Ducati owners. As a Yamaha fangirl, she has strong opinions about anyone who rides a different bike brand. She thinks all Ducati owners are rich assholes, which, honestly, isn’t far from the truth for a lot of them.
Coop and I are the only ones not riding Yamahas who get a pass, but the randoms who pulled up aren’t as lucky.
Secretly glad for the interruption, because I’m all pictured out, I hop off my ZX-6R and turn to look at the bikes that pulled up.
I stop in my tracks when I recognize two of the four of them. I’m pretty sure the two red and black ones belong to Hal and Rook. A tiny part of me is disappointed that I don’t see Azrael’s bike, but I squash it down.
I’m debating if I can leave before they catch sight of me when Hal takes off his helmet and hollers, “Hey, wild girl!”
Because of my ingrained politeness, I give a small wave in acknowledgement while internally wanting to ignore him and leave. I’ve had a long day, and I’m not in the mood for more peopling.
“Who is that?” Charlie hisses as she gets a good look at Hal in his charcoal hoodie and black ripped jeans.
My stomach drops as I watch her check him out. Charlie’s everything I’m not. She’s short, busty, has curvy hips, and a model-worthy face. There’s no way Hal or Rook would be interested in me when they could have someone like her, who’s funny as hell and wicked smart to boot.
I ruthlessly smother the envy because there’s no one in the world who deserves happiness more than Charlie.
She deserves a whole bunch of guys who absolutely worship the ground she walks on, unlike the dickheads she’s been with in the past. If Hal, Rook, Azrael, and the other two can be that for her, then I’ll be beyond happy for her.
Besides, it’s not like I’m in the market for a relationship, or multiple, at the moment. I don’t know how I could trust another man again.
“That’s Hal,” I whisper, trying to keep my inner turmoil from my voice.
“That’s him?” She looks at me with raised brows. I nod. She stares back at the four men, but without interest in her gaze anymore. “Fuck yes, girl. You should definitely be tapping that. Who are the others?”
My cheeks burn. Hopefully they didn’t hear that.
Even though Charlie said it quietly, shifters can hear from a much longer distance than humans. With the way Hal and Rook are laughing and shoving each other as they walk over, I don’t think they’re paying attention. “The one in the black sweatshirt is Rook. I don’t know who the other two are.”
The two mystery men are almost identical, so they must be twins. They both have jet-black hair, ice-blue eyes, broad shoulders, and muscles straining against their hoodies. They’re an inch or so taller than Hal and Rook, making them around six-foot-five.
The one in the navy hoodie and black jeans has his dark hair trimmed shorter and styled with the tips slightly spiked. His twin, in a forest green sweatshirt and faded blue jeans, has longer hair that’s messy and falls into his startlingly blue eyes.
When the one with the longer hair makes eye contact with me, he sprints over, closing the gap in less than a second.
He wraps me up in a bear hug that I don’t have time to avoid.
I stiffen in his hold, but he doesn’t seem to notice it.
“It’s so good to finally meet you! I’ve been waiting forever, and you’re even better than I imagined! ”
I have no idea what he’s talking about and wonder if he has me mixed up with someone else. Unsure what to do, I give him a pat on the back. My wide eyes meet the other black-haired man.
He gives me an apologetic smile before hauling his brother off me by his hood. “Sorry ’bout Remy. My twin’s a little overeager around new people.”
Remy sees the look his brother is giving him and his eyes widen. He ducks his head and rubs the back of his neck as his cheeks flush slightly. After a moment, he glances up at me through his thick lashes. “Uh, yeah. Colt’s right. I’m an awkward motherfucker around new people. Sorry.”
A genuine smile curves my lips at his admission. “You’re fine. As Charlie can attest to, I’m also a super awkward person, so you’re in good company.”
“Oh, yeah.” Charlie bobs her head up and down enthusiastically. “Jojo here is just about the most awkward person you’ll ever meet. If you ever need a good laugh, I can tell you all about her adorkable middle school years.”
I lightly shove my elbow into her stomach and turn to glare at her. “Share those stories, and there won’t be anything left of your body to find, Charles.”
Coop was the one who started calling her Charles to annoy her. Now I use it whenever I’m peeved.
The last thing the four stupidly hot guys in front of us need to hear are tales of my embarrassing middle school years.
Charlie gives me an innocent look. “No need to be so violent, Joseph.”
I roll my eyes at her because we both know she’s just as violent as I am, if not more so. I can’t help my grin at her teasing, though. She gives me a broad smile in return before I turn back toward Hal.
His eyes dance with mirth as he watches our interaction. “I’ll keep that in mind. Whatcha been up to tonight, wild girl?”
“We’ve been doing a photoshoot of me and my bike, mildly against my will, for the past eight million hours.” I’m exaggerating, but I don’t really care. It feels like it’s been forever.
Charlie huffs. “It hasn’t been that long, you dramatic Dorothy.”
Before I can retort, Hal chimes in. “Can I see the pictures?”
I want to refuse because I hate looking at myself. All I can see are my flaws. The too-long face, too-green eyes, too-wild hair, too-slim frame, too-plain features, and so many more things wrong with me.
But Charlie is an amazing photographer who doesn’t get to show off her talent often. I’m not going to let my self-criticism get in the way of her getting to hear just how awesome she is.
I sigh. “Yeah, sure.”
“Really?” Charlie turns hopeful eyes to me. I give her a small nod. She grins and tackles me in a huge hug. “You’re the best!”
She excitedly runs over to the guys and pulls out her camera.
They all crowd around her to get a good look at them.
I wander over behind the five of them, trying to peek between Hal and Rook without blocking anyone’s view.
When I stop behind Hal, he snags my wrist and pulls me in front of him.
He wraps an arm around my middle, holding me tightly against his front.
Resting his chin on top of my head, Hal resumes looking at Charlie’s camera without saying anything, like holding random women he’s met once is a normal occurrence.
Maybe it is for him.
I smother the jealousy that’s trying to burn through me.
Hal isn’t mine, so he’s free to hold whoever he wants.
I studiously ignore that the thought of him holding anyone else makes me feel like I’m going to throw up.
And I also avoid acknowledging how much I like his warm, hard body pressed against me.
Shaking my head to clear it of all the things I have no business feeling, I drag my focus back to the digital screen.
Charlie is a damn good photographer. The composition, lighting, focus, and everything else are on point. The only thing I’d change is her choosing a subject that’s not me, but I have to admit that she worked some magic to make me look pretty cool.
Surrounded by Hal, Rook, Colt, and Remy, I’m once again struck by their lack of a scent, other than general magic. I thought I must’ve been imagining their mysterious smell last night, but I definitely wasn’t.
Something is up with them, but I don’t have the forwardness or courage to ask them outright. Instead, I file it away as a mystery I’ll probably never solve and try to forget about it.
When she finishes flipping through the hundred or so photos, Charlie bites her lip and nervously looks at us. I grin at her.
Before I can tell her how awesome everything turned out, Hal chimes in. “Those are amazing. I’m incredibly impressed. I love the nighttime ones with the city lights, especially.”
Remy nods vigorously in agreement. “Yeah, those are really cool!”
“They look like professional portraits,” Rook adds.
Charlie ducks her head, embarrassed by the praise. While Coop, her parents, and I all tell her how great she is, it’s different when it comes from strangers who don’t have to be nice to her.
She tucks a strand of her blonde hair that escaped her ponytail behind her ear as she seems to deliberate something. “I can take a few pictures of you guys on your bikes if you want.”
“Really?” Hal waits for Charlie’s nod. “That would be fucking awesome. We’ll pay you for your time, obviously.”
She waves away his offer. “That’s not necessary. I’m happy to do it for free.”
Hal shakes his head, the motion ruffling my hair, before she finishes speaking. “We don’t mind. The least we can do is pay you for the trouble.”
“Considering it’s not any trouble, no payment needed.
So, who wants to go first?” I try to hide my smile at how blunt and to the point Charlie is, loving the confidence my best friend has.
When the guys have a silent conversation instead of responding, she sighs and points at Hal.
“Fine. Since no one volunteered, let’s start with the green-eyed troublemaker. I’ll meet you down by Jojo’s bike.”
Hal barks out a laugh. “Me? A troublemaker? I think you have the wrong man.”
Charlie rolls her eyes so hard I’m surprised she can see where she’s going as she marches back down to our bikes. “Mm-hmm. Sure, you aren’t.”
I can’t help my snort at her obvious disbelief and the fact that Hal has trouble written all over him.
At the noise, Hal spins me around to face him and dramatically clutches at his chest. “You too, wild girl? Your lack of faith wounds me.”
I grin at his antics. “Sorry,” I mumble through my smile, not sounding even slightly apologetic.
His lips twitch up, and he shakes his head. Hal leans in until his lips are almost touching mine, and my breath hitches. For a moment, I think he’s going to kiss me, and I can’t decide whether to run away or lean closer.
But he doesn’t make any move to close the gap between us. Instead, his warm breath feathers over my lips as he rasps, “Mmm, you’re not a very good liar, are you, wild girl? That’s good to know.”
Not waiting for my response, Hal pulls back and stalks off back to his bike.