Chapter 28: Chapter Twenty-Eight - Mason

The smell of lycan filled the streets of Slade Springs.

I could count on my hand how many times I ventured into town in the last several weeks. It was one reason none of us smelled the heavy scent of lycan because we rarely went into town.

I’d spent two hours trying to find the culprit. I didn’t understand the reason it smelled like lycan and not human. Was the lycan walking the streets in her wolf form at night?

It was ballsy. Or deranged.

I wasn’t sure which one yet.

I grabbed a shopping cart once I made it inside and pushed it toward the first aisle.

“Did you hear about the new girl?”

I stopped on the aisle, angling my head near the Frosted Flakes.

“Jacob’s cousin?”

“Yeah. She’s hooking up with Mason. I mean…does she have a golden vagina? I tried to get his attention for years.”

I grinned, knowing that was most likely Heather Scott. I continued, walking slowly not to draw attention. “Well, someone had to spark his interest. I’d pegged them for not liking girls a long time ago.”

I rolled my eyes. Everyone assumed that.

“On another note, I went out with Jason to Maurice’s last night and he said he saw something in the woods while he was spot-lighting.”

I grabbed two steaks from the back and listened as they walked around the store. “What did he see?”

“Some monster. He said it had red eyes and stood up like a human. I told him to stop drinking so much but he swore he was sober.”

I grabbed two potatoes and walked toward the vegetables where Heather and Brittany stood. Heather noticed me first and stalled at the sight of me. “Heather,” I said.

“Mason,” she said dryly. “I didn’t think anyone else was here,” she chuckled, tucking her hair behind her ear.

I acknowledged Brittany and shifted my shopping cart near hers. “I didn’t mean to overhear but did you say Jason saw a monster in the woods?”

She waved me off while Brittany chuckled. “Don’t pay Jason any mind. He was probably drunk.”

I cleared my throat. “Did he tell you where?”

She shrugged. “He doesn’t normally tell me where he spotlights. Probably because it’s illegal.” She laughed.

“Does he still live on Miller Lane?”

She nodded.

“Thanks a lot. See you two around.”

I swerved my shopping cart toward the ice cream, grabbed a gallon, and made a beeline toward the register.

Heather and Brittany started talking again, thinking I couldn’t hear. “He’s more weird than I remember,” Heather mumbled.

I chuckled while checking out, and grabbing my bags. Miller Lane wasn’t far, so I jogged toward my truck and put my bags in the passenger seat.

Jason’s old pick-up was parked in the driveway with his windows rolled down and a gun sitting in the bucket seat.

I knocked on his front door and he opened it after a few minutes. His eyes were red-rimmed and he smelled like beer. “Jason, sorry to bother you. I overheard Brittany say something about you seeing something the other night?”

He cursed under his breath and scratched his scruffy cheek. “She can’t keep her mouth shut for anything. Listen, if that was your land, I’m sorry…”

“I’m not worried about the spot-lighting, Jason. I want to know what you saw.”

A ghostly look traveled across his dark eyes. “I don’t know what I saw, Mason.”

I shifted. “Red eyes?”

He nodded. “Yeah. It stood on two legs like a human but he looked like a monster. I’ve never seen anything like it in my life.”

“It didn’t chase you?” I asked.

“I had my gun. I pointed it at the thing and it ran. Then I ran back to my truck and haven’t been back since then.”

“Do you remember where it was?” I asked.

“Yeah, near the new girl’s estate. I hear you know a thing or two about her.” He smiled, which made me laugh.

“Uh, yeah. Her name is Jessica. How far from her house was it?”

“A few miles,” Jason said. “The weird thing was that it seemed intelligent. The look on its face. I can’t explain it. Kind of like those big wolves, they talked about all those years ago.”

I nodded. “Thanks, Jason. I think staying away from there is smart. I’m going to keep a close eye on Jessica and make sure she’s safe.”

I backtracked off his porch but he yelled out at me. “Don’t go telling the sheriff on me. I can’t get arrested again.”

“Scout’s honor,” I called back at him.

My ice cream was half melted by the time I pushed it into Jessica’s freezer. It felt weird being in her house without her, but I needed the privacy of her house to cook.

It wouldn’t be long before I had to go pick her up.

I called Jacob while I started the corn on the cob. “Yeah?” he answered, the sound of machinery in the background.

Our boss hated it when we talked on the phone while working, but most of us could hide it well enough. “I just found out that Jason Monroe saw the lycan.”

“Dang, where at? When?”

“A week or so ago near the estate.”

Jacob’s silence told me everything that I already knew. The lycan was sniffing us out. “I smelled his scent all over town today, Jacob. Something feels so off about all of this.”

Jacob lowered his voice. “I’ll call you when I get off. The boss is making rounds.”

“Okay. Bye.”

I ended the call and continued cooking. The feeling of being watched seeped up the back of my neck. I didn’t smell the lycan in Jessica’s house but the window had been open.

Maybe the lycan shifted into her human form in the house?

I turned and looked at the dust particles settling in the afternoon sun. I’d never been happier for Jacob to know about our bond. This way I could be with Jessica every night if I needed to.

Leaving her alone wasn’t an option.

I was afraid for my grandmother and my parents. I screwed my eyes shut. I needed to get over there but I was afraid the lycan would follow my scent.

Drumming my fingers against the counter, I walked around the first floor of the house. Most of the house was unused. Jessica didn’t like to venture to the top floor and I didn’t blame her.

I walked into the dining room and noticed a giant handprint on the back window. It was too big to be a human’s mark and the wolves wouldn’t have that shape.

I swallowed the nerves in my throat as I approached it. A lycan could easily break this window and get to Jessica before she woke up. Jacob and I needed to figure out a way to keep her safe while we were away.

The timer on the stove dinged.

I walked into the kitchen and took out the corn. I spent the next thirty minutes cooking our steaks and left to get Jessica. I couldn’t wait to get her back to the house and spend quality time with her.

She left the building as soon as I pulled up. The other girls didn’t leave with her, but I noticed them shuffling around through the window.

Jessica slid onto the passenger seat and grinned. “Don’t think I forgot about my surprise.”

I turned to pull out of the parking lot. “I wouldn’t dream of it. I cooked you dinner and I want to spend some time together. Maybe we can watch one of your favorite movies.”

She smiled at me. “You cooked? I’m so glad because I’m starving.”

I reached over and palmed her thigh. “I do need to tell you something first. I found out today that a spot lighter saw the lycan in the woods near your house not too long ago.”

She swallowed and angled her pretty face toward mine. “What does that mean?”

“It means we’re going to be extra careful.”

I decided not to tell her about the mark on her window. She was scared enough, and I would be there with her.

“I just want you to be careful. I’ll be with you, but if I’m not, you can’t be careless. Always lock your windows and doors. Don’t go outside alone.”

She frowned and looked around the town as we drove out of the city limits. “Did you find anything today in town?”

“Yeah, the lycan is roaming the streets at night.”

“Oh, God. I do not like that.”

“Me either, but Jacob and I will talk about a plan when he gets off work. Right now, I want you to relax. We’re going to have a good night and not worry about the lycan.”

Jessica sighed heavily and leaned back against her seat. "Good thing I'll have someone to distract me."