Book 8 Part 21

Book 8 Part 21
I was at home in my office having a drink when my phone rang. The bottle was nearly empty and I looked at the caller ID. It was Kai and I turned my phone upside down and let it ring. I didn’t feel like talking to him. I had sent Sam to the store because tonight we would be celebrating and I didn’t need him to bring me down.

I felt proud of myself for handling this alone. The truth would always set you free and I knew that I should be truthful with the others as well. Dani and Harper had no idea about my past and I knew that I should be honest with them, especially Dani. I also felt selfish because I didn’t really want to share anything with Dani.

‘You should speak to our father,’ Blaise said in my head.

‘Why?’

‘He’s our father,’ he answered me.

‘Not anymore, I was the banished son of a King but now I’m an Alpha in my own right,’ I said to him.

‘Wow, aren’t you just the cat’s whiskers,’ Blaise said.

‘What’s your problem anyway?’ I asked him.

‘I don’t know, but I have a bad feeling,’ he said.

‘About what?’

‘I’m not sure yet, but I smell blood in the future,’ he said.

‘I think you’re being overly dramatic,’ I said to him. ‘I smell blood in the future.’

‘Don’t mock me, human,’ he said and I shook my head.

‘Me? Mock you? Never!’ I said and he chuckled.

‘I’m always right and you know it,’ he said.

‘Yes I know, but you do realize that essentially we’re the same being,’ I said to him.

‘So does that mean you’re talking to yourself right now?’ he asked me and laughed his head off.

‘Stupid dog,’ I said and blocked the link with him.

I heard the bikes pull into the garage and I waited on the porch for them. Leon smiled when he saw me and I saw the worry leave Slade’s eyes. Harper’s car followed and I saw Dani was with her and I sighed. She was always here lately.

“What happened?” Slade asked me as he walked onto the porch.

“Charges were dismissed and Rick was ordered to keep away from Dani. Harper stays and your imprinting is acknowledged,” I said to him and he took a deep breath.

“I never doubted you for a second,” he said and smiled.

“Rick’s father also lost the king’s allegiance,” I said and Leon laughed as he did a victory dance.

“Hi,” Dani said as she smiled at me.

“Hi,” I said back and suddenly felt self-conscious.

“I missed you at school today,” she said.

“Where’s Sam?” Leon asked before I could answer Dani.

“She went to the store because tonight we’re celebrating,” I said as we all piled into the house.

“Good thing I’m spending the night at Harper’s” Dani said and Slade winked at me.

“So is Slade sleeping in the middle?” Leon asked and I laughed.

“And have Blaise tear my throat out? No thanks,” Slade said.

‘Good boy,’ Blaise growled in my head.

I went upstairs to change out of my suit and I grabbed a few towels before heading back downstairs. Spring was here and I could already hear Leon in the pool. I met Sam at the stairs and helped her carry the groceries to the kitchen.

We spent the afternoon swimming, talking, laughing and eating. Something was happening with Dani and me, I wasn’t sure what yet because for once Blaise was quiet. She smiled at me more and I wondered if she felt something.

I was taking Dani upstairs to show her the guest room and I opened the door for her on the second floor. She turned around and looked at me as she stepped forward and kissed me. She let go of her bag and pressed herself closer to me. I picked her up and she wrapped her legs around my waist as I walked towards the bed and lowered her onto it.

I broke away from the kiss and looked at her as she pulled my shirt over my head. She leaned forward and we were kissing again. She started to take her shirt off and I pulled away suddenly as Shawna’s face flashed into my mind.

“What’s wrong?” Dani asked me.

“I’m sorry, I can’t do this,” I said and stood up.

“Why? I can feel the imprinting bond,” she said to me.

“I just can’t, I’m sorry,” I said and walked out of the room pulling my shirt back on.

“Jericho!” she called loudly but I ignored her and walked down the stairs. 

The only person that had really known about Shawna was Slade. That’s why Kai had been so mad at me, because he never knew that I was seeing her, he only found out when the school called him. Kai hated that I’d kept it a secret because I’d known it was wrong.

I hadn’t seen or spoken to her in a month and I still felt like shit over what happened between us. I knew she hated me and that’s why I didn’t contact her but somewhere inside me I still loved her even though the imprinting had happened with Dani. I couldn’t make that mistake again, not ever. Essentially Dani was still human, she’d only be a wolf after her resurrection.

“Is everything okay?” Sam asked me as I walked to the front door.

“Yes, I just need some fresh air,” I said.

“Okay, Slade’s running the perimeter,” she said to me as she headed up the stairs to her room.

I closed the front door behind me quietly and headed into the thicket of trees. Blaise was still quiet and I wondered how Dani felt about my rejection of her advances. I wasn’t ready for a relationship now and I had too many things occupying my mind.

I couldn’t sleep and the following morning I felt sort of excited as we headed to school. Blaise was different too but he couldn’t tell me why. As I headed to my first class this girl came around the corner and walked straight into me.

“Oh shit, sorry,” she said and I bent down to pick up her books.

“You seem in a hurry,” I said to her.

“It’s my first day and I’m lost it seems,” she said as she looked at her schedule.

“Here let me take a look,” I said to her and she handed me her schedule.

“Thanks,” she said, still not looking directly at me.

“Your first class is English, I’m also heading there, you can just walk with me,” I said and smiled at her.

“Oh great, thanks again,” she said.

“I’m Jericho,” I introduced myself.

“Annabelle,” she said. “But you can call me Anna.”

“Welcome to Cloverdale, Anna. I saw we have all our classes together, so after English you can just follow me until you get your bearings,” I said to her.

She didn’t say anything but followed me to English. The only empty seat was right in front of me and Slade was already waiting as he and Harper stood by the door and talked in low voices.

“Hey, guys,” I said.

“You’re almost late,” Slade said to me.

“I was helping Anna find her way on her first day,” I said and gestured to the girl standing behind me.

“Hi,” she said shyly.

“Hi,” Slade and Harper said.

We walked into class and took our seats. Throughout the whole class I kept staring at the back of her head and Slade had to nudge me in the ribs twice. I wondered what I was doing, she was clearly human and even Blaise had confirmed that she was human.

She seemed to make friends rather quickly and when she laughed I took notice. I took notice of everything that she did and said. The days became a few weeks and for some strange reason I couldn’t stop thinking about her.

I had no idea what was going on with me. I was falling in love with a human girl. Again. I was supposed to be occupied with Dani, but she was the furthest thing from my mind. I didn’t understand it at all and there was nobody I could ask for advice.

I was sitting alone in the library on my off period when she walked up to the table and sat down across from me. We stared at each other for a few minutes but it felt like hours. Blaise grumbled in my head and I had to block him out.

“What’s with all the staring?” she asked me.

“You’re intriguing,” I said to her.

“You’re weird,” she said to me and I laughed.

“Would you like to maybe… sometime go get some coffee?” I asked her.

“Will you stop staring at me every day if I say yes?” she asked me.

“I don’t know if I can,” I said to her and she laughed at me.

“Just coffee,” she said to me.

“It’s a start,” I said with a smile.

“Oh, you think you’re really God’s gift to girls, don’t you?” she asked me.

“I’m not interested in girls, just you,” I said to her.

“Okay fine, Casanova, I’ll meet you for coffee,” she said.