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It was a peacefully glorious fall night at the driving range…until it wasn’t.
“You what?!” Nathan shouted loud enough to wake the dead. Well, Eric hoped that wasn’t the case. They had enough problems tonight without having extra guests watch his inevitable talking-to. Oryelling-to, as it was.
“You don’t get it because you don’t have this power, thisresponsibility. If I can heal people, why shouldn’t I? The kid’s leg was blown to pieces. What was I supposed to do, Nathan? Let him lie there in pain?” He picked up a golf ball and chucked it deeper into the woods, frustration getting the better of him.
Normally, Eric enjoyed roaming the driving range, searching the grass for balls the carts had missed and putting them up by the clubhouse. Fresh air and a good deed—two things Eric loved. But he was still paying for this last good deed he’d done. And if the red, bulging eyes on his brother’s face were any sign, he was going to pay for this one for a long time.
“You shouldn’t have even been there in the first place!” Nathan boomed, making several bats in the nearby trees flap away. “We had a deal, Eric. And I thought you were going to keep your distance from her.”
“You said I could come to town and live like a human for once instead of living a life of obscurity with you in the woods like a couple of monsters.”
“But you are a monster!” This time, no animals skittered off. Probably because he’d already frightened the pants off any creatures in a ten-mile radius—well, if animals wore pants, that is.
“Half a monster,” Eric corrected. He felt like that was an important detail to make clear.Even if it confirmed that he was also half-monster, something he wished he could forget.
Nathan grabbed his hair in clumps, looking into the starlit sky. “What are you doing, man?” His words lacked the fight his earlier ones once had.
“Living. Maybe you should try it sometime.”
Nathan flinched, stumbling back a step as his mouth opened once, twice, before any words came out. “You know what happened to me…when I got too close to a girl—”
“What does Lucy have to do with this?”
“She haseverythingto do with this!”
Eric shook his head slowly, eyes narrowing on his brother. “I’m not going to blow our cover.”
“You say that now…” he began. He kicked a rock with a grunt as they watched it sail past the 300-yard marker. “You know what happens when you shift. I’ve watched you lose total control, and there’s no telling what you’ll do. And I know that’s hard for you to understand because you never remember, but…someone’s going to get hurt.”
He stepped back, crossing his arms over his chest as he shook his head. “Not a chance. I’d never hurt Lucy.”
“And what if you can’t help it?”
Eric shook his head as he walked a couple of steps away, needing his distance but knowing he couldn’t leave. “I get it now.” After all this time, Nathan still couldn’t reconcile with his past. Eric had always heard stories about it, how it was something he’d carried with him like a sack on his back that he couldn’t quite get rid of. And now here he was, projecting his story on Eric. But his situation was entirely different. “You think I’m going to shift in front of her.”
Nathan’s eyes bulged for a fraction of a second, so quick Eric almost missed it, before he shrugged. “It’s definitely a possibility.”
“But it isn’t.” His eyes narrowed on his brother as he stepped closer, using his proximity to further drive the point home. “You know the only things that make me shift are a full moon and losing my temper. And the full moon isn’t for another week.”
“But what about what happened last night?”
Eric tilted his head to the side, confused but not at all surprised that Nathan had been spying on him last night. “I wasn’t mad at the child that got hurt.”
“That’s not what I meant,” he said, waving a dismissive hand. “I missed your little stint as Doctor Quinn, Paranormal Medicine Woman.” Eric twisted his lips. Of course Nathan was lurking in the shadows last night, catching glimpses and piecing together all he could from the stolen glances and innocent touches between him and Lucy. “I saw you when those guys showed up.”
Had he noticed the slight tremble in Lucy’s chin last night when those guys had walked in? Of course he had. It was enough to nearly undo him. As much as he wanted to find out why they’d put that look on her face—why she’d lost the playful light in her eyes like the power had been cut—he thought it more important to take that look away. Which he did, with his dazzling disco moves and his off-key falsetto as he sang some Whitney Houston. It was just as much for his benefit, though. Getting riled up was no good for anyone.
“Were you working to strengthen your grip, clenching your fists so hard? And that vein right here”—he poked Eric's neck—“it was sticking out like it was going to burst through your skin and grab someone. A lot like it is right now, actually.”
Eric batted his hand away and tucked his own behind his back, not trusting himself enough not to smack that smirk off his brother’s face. “Look, I know you think you know everything. But there’s no way you know how I feel, okay? I won’t lose my cool in front of her. I can control my emotions just fine, thank you very much.”
“Keep your anger in check…I can almost believe you can do that. Keep those other emotions in check…not a dang chance.”
Eric scrubbed a hand down his face, his fingers catching on his whiskers he needed to take care of before he saw Lucy tomorrow. Most men could grew stubble overnight. Maybe even a hint of a beard. But Eric wasn’t like most men.And he hated that.
He ran his foot back and forth across the grass, unintentionally applying enough pressure to the ground to make a small rut in the earth. How dare Nathan spy on him like this. And make him feel bad for protecting someone. For having…feelings? Is that what Eric had? Well, of course he felt something for Lucy. He was quite fond of her, and she was a pleasure to be around. But what Nathan was insinuating—that he couldn’t control himself around her—well, that was nonsense if he’d ever heard of it. Because he knew better than to fall for a human. Why had he never felt this way for a female werewolf? His life would have been so much easier.
“She’ll never return those feelings, you know.”
