Dare (7 page)

I sighed. “I know. He’s hard to read, but I reminded him it’s not like he wants to marry one of us. He’ll be better off if Case forgets the stupid fate crap and lets him ride off into the sunset with a leopard of his choice. Helping us, helps him.”

Vix giggled. “I think I kind of want to see that.”

“So, I have a favor to ask.”

“What’s up?”

“I need to borrow a dress.” I waited for her eyes to bulge. “For a date tonight.”

“Date? You have a date?”

I knew she’d make a big deal out of it. “It’s with Zac, the history expert. He sort of asked me to go to a dinner tonight for the festival kick off. I thought it might be a way to find out what the plan is tomorrow night.”

“Sure. And that’s the only reason?”

“Can I borrow a dress or not? He said it’s black tie.” I wasn’t about to talk about how cute he was or what a flirting expert he had been over coffee.

“Of course.” She puckered her lips to apply a deep liner on the edges.

“Thanks. I’ll go pick something out.”

I left Vix to her beauty regimen. There was a black dress she had worn to a semi-formal I had always wanted to try. I held it up to my body. We were both tall; it should fit.

I walked back to the bathroom. “This ok?”

“Yeah, I’ll never wear it again. It’s yours.”

“Perfect.” I took it to my room.

I had suppressed the yawn all day, but at the sight of my bed, I couldn’t hold it back. It was followed by another one. I stretched my arms over my head. I hadn’t slept in thirty hours at least. I could take one little nap before dinner.

I slipped between the sheets and pulled the quilt up to my neck. Seconds later, I was sleeping like a purring cat.

Everything was blurry, but the more centered my breaths became, the clearer the room was. We were sitting around the fire. All seven us. All of the Nox were together in the lair.

Their faces were happy. Vix was arguing with Maya about something, and Abi snuggled next to Tegan. Sloan was showing off pictures of her boyfriend to Eva. The circle was complete, only I was on the outside looking in.

It was as if a glass wall separated us. “Vix!” I shouted.

She was too busy proving her point. Maya wasn’t backing down.

“Tegan!” I called her name.

They never looked up. The fire made their cheeks look rosy, and their green eyes brighter.

“Hey, I’m over here. Why can’t you hear me?” I circled them, realizing I was the only one in panther form.

I sat on my hind legs, watching them, listening to them talk.

“You can’t be serious.” Vix rolled her eyes. “Dare would never go for that.”

Maya giggled. “I’m completely serious. We should plan it.”

Abi joined in. “The whole thing could be like a double birthday and graduation present. She’d love it.” Her auburn hair shimmered.

Tegan shook her head. “No, we shouldn’t surprise our queen like that. It’s not a good idea. She’s going to want it to be done properly.”

“Oh, come on. I can do most of the planning. It’s not like we haven’t all been thinking about this our whole lives.” Sloan stood from the circle, grabbed another log, and tossed it in the center of the fire. Sparks jumped off the log.

“Really? She’s going to be happy we did this?” Vix needed more convincing about whatever they were debating.

I wished they would just spit it out. I guessed it was some kind of surprise party, but I wasn’t sure.

Maya grinned. “I think it’s decided. We’ll plan the whole thing, and then when she shows up, she’ll be so excited and so grateful. Sloan, you’re the perfect one to start the process.”

“I was thinking her majesty would like light touches of lavender, but mostly white. Big bouquets of hydrangeas and gardenias would be perfect.”

“Yes, all of that. She’s going to be the most gorgeous bride we’ve ever had,” Maya stated proudly.

My stomach flipped. “No!” I screamed at them. “No!” What was happening?

“And it’s not like Case won’t look sexy as hell in a tux. I’ll get Noah to hook him up with something special.” Vix smiled. “He does anything I say. It’s like he can’t wait for our wedding or something.”

Sloan scolded her. “No. This is about the queen’s day. Once she has her wedding, then the rest of us can start planning.”

Abi and Tegan giggled. I couldn’t believe any of it. How could this be happening? My wedding. Case. They looked so happy. My ears flattened along my head. I hissed at each of them, ready to defend my choice, my decision in all of this. I squeezed my eyes together, forcing the image of them out of my head.

“Hey, Dare. Wake up. Your date is here.” I heard Vix’s voice.

“What time is it?” I rubbed my eyes.

“You slept for four hours. It’s six.”

“Oh no.” I sat forward, the quilt falling off my chest. “He’s here?”

“Yeah, and I have to say he looks amazing in person and even more amazing in a tux.”

I sat forward, my face felt flushed. I felt sick from the dream.

“Hey, are you ok?”

“Yeah.” I rubbed my arms. “It was only a dream. I’m just worried about Abi and Tegan.”

“That makes sense.” She looked worried. “He’s out there waiting for you.”

I threw my feet on the floor. “But I’m not dressed. I was going to do the whole shower thing. Wash my hair. Makeup.” I was having a hard time focusing after waking up from that nightmare.

“I’ll bring you some dry shampoo. It’ll be fine. I’ll help you with the makeup too. Be right back.”

I looked at my reflection in the mirror. The dark circles were gone under my eyes, but my hair was tangled. I stepped out of my clothes and slipped the black dress on.

“Ok, I stalled for you.” Vix was back in the room.

“Thanks. What do you think?” I spun in front of her.

“It looks better on you than me.”

“I doubt that.” Sure, I was pretty, but Vix had this whole exotic look that made her irresistible. I couldn’t touch that.

“Come on, let’s get you ready.” She attacked my hair with a spray can and lined my eyes with eyeliner.

Ten minutes later, I walked into the living room, a few inches higher in a pair of strappy stilettos.

“Whoa.” Zac’s mouth almost dropped.

“Will this work for a bunch of storytellers and historians?” I held a beaded clutch in my hand. Vix’s closet was an endless pit of accessories.

He held out his arm. “It works for me.”

I was usually better than this in social situations. I had been trained to accept compliments and how to give them. I knew how to talk to any shifter and settle a dispute. I could bring regions together. I could charm anyone’s witchy grandmother, but looking at Zac, I felt as if I’d be lucky to put a first grade sentence together.

His tux was fitted through his shoulder and waist. I liked that he wore a bow tie. It seemed fitting for a historian. I caught a hint of mint and juniper as I stepped closer to him. This guy was intoxicating. I needed to steady myself.

I looped my hand through the bend in his elbow. “Don’t wait up, Vix,” I called over my shoulder.

“Yeah, definitely don’t wait up.” Zac grinned then opened the door.

D
are was stunning. I would go so far as to say breathtaking. I had asked her in a spontaneous moment. I didn’t think she’d actually want to go to a stuffy museum dinner, but looking at her in my car, I was glad I had been impulsive.

I turned the radio up.

“What do you like to listen to?”

She stared out the window. “Doesn’t matter.”

“Show tunes it is.” I fiddled with the tuner, pretending to search for a station.

“Ok, maybe it does matter.” Her hand landed on mine. “Anything but show tunes?”

I laughed. I liked this girl.

“How did your research go today?” she asked.

“Which one? I’ve got several projects going on right now.”

She twirled a strand of jet black hair through her fingers. I hadn’t seen hair that color before. “The one you were working on this morning in the library. Ghost of the Forest, wasn’t it?”

She seemed like a cool girl. Maybe even the kind who wouldn’t think I was high if I told her about last night, but I kept it to myself. I wasn’t ready to talk about what I saw. What I experienced when the jag attacked me. What I felt when the panther rescued me. It was too much to talk about on a first date.

“I don’t have anything new. But the crazy thing is I have to give a lecture about her tomorrow night at the park.”

“Really?”

“Yes, the museum deemed me an expert on her, but I think I still have a lot to learn. I have time, I guess.” I turned onto one of the downtown streets. We were far from Oaks Park and the site of the attack.

“Does that mean you’re staying in Sullen’s Grove for a while?”

“I don’t know. We’ll see. I think I’d like to, but I haven’t stayed anywhere very long.”

“Why is that?” she asked.

I parked in the garage across the street from the museum in my assigned spot. I cut the ignition and turned to face her. “I guess I never had a reason to stay anywhere.” A small lump formed in my throat. It was hard to think about.

“And you want that now?”

She tilted her head to the side, her green eyes gleaming. Those eyes. I had noticed them this morning in the library, before I had a chance to register anything else. They were piercing, mesmerizing; they were deep pools of emerald that tempted me. I just didn’t know what the temptation was. I couldn’t figure her out.