Page 23 of Jacob Michaels is Dead

Lucas just stared back at me.

“Sorry.” I corrected myself.

“I don’t know, Rob,” Lucas stated evenly, controlling himself. “I feel that I should, but I don’t. Okay? It’s like a secret locked in a cage in my mind. I feel like…I don’t know…maybe I don’t know on purpose.”

“What does that mean?”

“Like I intentionally forgot why I’m immune.”

“Why would you do that?” I snapped, again without meaning to.

“That’s something else I don’t know.” He bit the words off sharply. “If I forgot on purpose, I probably forgot why I forgot on purpose, too, right?”

I sighed.

“But…and you won’t believe me…but I’m suddenly remembering something. Jason bit me in high school. After a football game one night. I had forgotten that, too. Until now.”

“Why?” I barked, not caring if anyone heard. “Why did you forget that?”

“Why did you forget you could shoot lasers and fire from your hand, Rob?” Lucas was so calm I knew that he was controlling himself for my sake, so he wouldn’t snap back at me and make our situation worse. We didn’t need to fight. Not now. “You don’t know either. So, kindly stop giving me the third degree. I already have a bite. I don’t need a burn.”

He smiled impishly.

I did my best not to do it, but a smile slowly formed on my face.

“Fine.” I huffed, but my heart wasn’t in it. “What happened when he bit you?”

“Same thing as now.” He shrugged. “Didn’t you wonder why Jason was so nonchalant that night out on the Maumee when I got bit? He was too blasé about the whole thing. He knew I wasn’t going to turn, even though he said it would take a few moon cycles. I told grandpa about it happening—when Jason turned into a werewolf and bit me after the game way back when. He told me to pretend it never happened. So…I just did. I forgot about it. Something…I don’t know what…made it easier to do.”

My brow was practically a canyon as I frowned at my boyfriend.

“Okay.” I held my hands up. “But wait. I found out that those guys at the Maumee were actually Jason’s. Why would he send them to bite you if he knew it wouldn’t turn you into one of his pack, huh? Why go to all that trouble and risk losing two of your pack members if it wouldn’t get results, Lucas? Answer that.”

“It was a scare tactic.”

“What was he scaring you for?”

“He was trying to scare you.” Lucas shrugged.

“What?”

“Haven’t you wondered why things have gotten weirder and weirder the longer you’ve been here, Rob?” Lucas urged me on, his eyes pleading with me. “I really think…shit. I really think everything and everyone is trying to make you leave again. But you waited too long. And you decided to take me with you. We fucked up their plans, babe.”

I couldn’t help it. I rolled my eyes.

“That doesn’t make any sense.”

“Doesn’t it?” Lucas snorted. “Weird shit at Esther Jean’s house. The weird cloaked person in the back yard—that we know wasn’t him? The guy on the cliff overlooking the lake? Weird sights and sounds. Sudden werewolf attacks. Andrew? Nothing odd happened while you were gone. And Point Worth is pretty fucking odd. Then you show back up…and it’s like this town is putting on a show for you, Rob. Like everyone and everything is trying to remind you why you shouldn’t be here. Once we got involved…well, I got pulled into this shitstorm.”

“Sorry?”

“I don’t mean this is your fault, babe.” His expression softened. “I just mean that I’m collateral damage.”

“Fine.” I threw my hands up. “Why would Oma have been so upset about me leaving? Huh? She’s done nothing but give me shit nonstop for a decade for leaving Point Worth. Explain that.”

“Why would she be nice to you?” He shrugged. “That would make you want to stay more. And maybe she wanted you gone, but she also hated to see you go. Having to do something and liking what you have to do are two separate things. Besides…who has been messing with our memories, babe? Santa Claus?”

“I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if he landed on the hood of this car right this second,” I mumbled. “With every single goddamn reindeer in tow.”