Savor (3 page)

V
era annoyed the hell out of me. I should have ditched her and continued on with my life, but her mother was the only clue I had to finding my mom, and chances were she’d be a lot more willing to help a Pteron if he showed up with her daughter. Besides, like it or not, there was something about Vera that made it impossible for me to turn away.

I couldn’t get a read on Vera. Was she going to see her parents because she wanted to, or was there something else at play? She couldn’t have been doing it only to help me. That made no sense. Vera wasn’t that kind of person. Not that she was bad, but she was more like me. She was motivated by a sense of loyalty and devotion to those close to her and self-preservation. Helping an acquaintance with no ties didn’t fit into either category.

I shouldn’t have liked the way her body felt pressed against mine, but I did. Like the kiss we’d shared on the plane, being close to her drove me to some place primal. It was both frightening and exciting, and I wasn’t sure whether to love it or hate it, which were pretty much what my feelings were for Vera—well, not love. More like lust and hate.

I’d never been to Norco Island, but finding places wasn’t hard for me. I had a good sense of direction, and all it took was the coordinates to figure it out. I continued further north, hoping to get within walking distance while under the cover of night. I wasn’t exactly looking forward to facing Vera’s family, but at least it was a step in the right direction. A direction I needed to keep moving in now that I’d left New Orleans behind—potentially for good.

As the sun started to show its first signs of rising, I landed in a dense forest. We’d have to walk the rest of the way to the lake that was home to the island.

“Thanks for the lift.” Vera grinned while pulling her long brown hair back into a messy bun. The action made the bottom of her black tank top ride up a little, giving me a glimpse of her tan stomach. Vera seemed to always wear the same thing. Tiny tops and short shorts. I wondered if she changed her wardrobe in the winter. Shifters always run warm, but that didn’t mean we didn’t try to fit in.

“Anytime.”

She glanced around her surroundings. I assumed like most bears she liked the woods. I didn’t mind them, but the only place I was truly comfortable was the sky. “We should be close.”

“We’re ten miles away.”

“How do you know that?” She eyed me skeptically.

“I’m talented.”

She rolled her eyes. “Keep telling yourself that.”

“Hey, are you complaining? If I get us there I’ve upheld my side of the bargain.”

“Yes, which means it’s time for me to figure out my side—how the hell we get on the island.”

“Wait.” I stopped short. “You don’t know how we’re going to get on?”

“Casey said you have to take a boat over. They’ll shoot you down otherwise.”

“But you don’t know how we get a boat?”

“I’ll call my mom if I don’t see a better option.” She didn’t seem nearly as concerned about the lack of a plan as I expected. We were different. I always had a plan. The only reason I didn’t have one this time was because I was relying on Vera. Maybe I’d misplaced my faith in her.

I laughed anyway. I couldn’t help it. There was something funny about picturing Vera calling her mom for a ride. I’d never lived that kind of adolescence, but from what Casey had told me, both she and her sister had until Murphy entered their lives.

“When you’re done laughing, we should keep moving.”

“I’m done.” I tried to keep a straight face.

“You sure? I mean we could waste all day.”

“You’re annoying.”

“So are you.” She put on her backpack. Thankfully, or unthankfully, that bag hadn’t been separating us on the flight.

“You should also put a shirt on.”

“You really can’t handle me.” I pulled out a white t-shirt.

“I thought Pterons liked to blend in with humans.”

“We could never blend in with humans.” Although we’d always stand out for our strength and power, I knew what she meant. “And we’re not going to see any humans out here.”

“How far are we from the nearest city?”

“Twenty miles.”

“Ok, fine. Leave it off.”

I put on the shirt. “Wouldn’t want you getting too excited.”

“Ugh, you’re incorrigible.”

“Says the girl who can’t get enough of me.” I grinned.

“Nope. You have it all wrong. I’ve gotten too much of you.”

“Yeah, keep telling yourself that.”

We continued on through the woods, and I decided to stop pushing her. We needed to remain on speaking terms at least for the time being. The problem with the silence is it gave me time to think. And study how well those short shorts fit her.

“Stare much?” She caught me. Not that I was surprised. I wasn’t making an effort to hide my appraisal.

“You only wear clothes like that because you want to be stared at.”

She spun around. “Take that back.”

“Excuse me?”

“Just because a girl dresses a certain way doesn’t mean she wants male attention.” She shoved me. It didn’t move me an inch.

“I agree it doesn’t give men the right to harass her because really even if a woman is naked a man shouldn’t bother her, but come on, if you wear stuff like that and have a body like yours, do you really expect men not to notice?”

“These shorts aren’t that short.” She put her hands over her thighs where the tight denim material ended.

“They are shorter than anything I’d wear.”

She laughed so hard it came out as a snort. “I just pictured you in Daisy Dukes.”

“That even sounds painful.”

“Then promise to never do it.”

“I assure you I’d be more likely to walk around naked than to wear a pair of shorts like that.” I gestured to hers.

“Good. I think everyone will appreciate that.”

I laughed. “Glad to know I have bad legs.”

She ran her eyes up and down my body. “It has nothing to do with your legs.”

“Oh yeah? I have good ones?”

She rolled her eyes. Either it was a popular mannerism of hers, or I brought it out in her often. “We made it five minutes without annoying each other.”

“That might be a record.”

“Let’s aim for ten.”

“That might be pushing it.” She smiled. It was the first genuine smile I’d seen on her face since we’d left New Orleans.

“There’s nothing wrong with challenging yourself.”

“Nope. None at all.”

I wondered if she was thinking the same thing I was. About the challenge of keeping my hands to myself. It’s not like I was ready to jump her or anything, but the thought of brushing my lips against her neck sent a thrill through me. This bear was going to be the end of me if I wasn’t careful.

“My mom is going to assume you’re sleeping with me.”

“Is she?” I picked up my pace. The more time I spent alone with her, the more likely I was to do or say something I’d regret later.

“Yes. I generally don’t hang out with guys I’m not sleeping with.”

“I’m well aware of your history.”

“Like you should talk.” She shook her head.

I held a branch out of the way so it wouldn’t snap back and hit her. “I’m not denying I’ve had my share of women. I’m merely stating a fact.”

She stepped under the branch. “I’m not a slut.”

I caught up with her. “Never said you were.”

“I can count my number of partners on one hand.” She held up her right hand.

“I can’t say the same.”

“I know.”

“Because I’m a slut? Or what did Allie call me that time? A man whore?”

She laughed. “The queen called you a man whore?”

“She wasn’t the queen then.”

“Still, I can’t imagine her saying that. She seems too prim and proper.”

“Allie?” I suppressed a laugh. “She’s not prim and proper.”

“You really like her.”

“Nuh uh.” I shook my head. “There’s no excuse for you to set me off right now. Don’t go there.”

“I don’t mean it that way. I’m just trying to figure out what really pushed you to leave New Orleans.”

“I left because I want to find my mom.”

“And because you’re upset about your dad and brother.”

“I’m from a family of monsters. Isn’t that something worth getting upset over?”

“My family lied to me.”

“As did mine.” I’d always known something was off with my brother, but I’d never doubted my father’s loyalty to The Society or the Laurents. He’d been pretending my entire life. He was one hell of an actor.

“Ok, but they didn’t lie about who your dad was.”

I glanced at my watch. “We didn’t even make it two minutes this time.”

“This isn’t arguing.”

“Then what do you call it?”

“Discussing life.” She was nervous. That was why she kept pushing me. A side of me, one that usually only came out for certain people, nagged at me. If she needed distraction, I’d give that to her.

I shook my head. “Then what do you call it when two people aren’t having a heated conversation?”

“Boring. I call that boring.”

“You are an adrenaline junky.”

“You’ve pointed that out before.” She pulled out her hair tie and let her hair fly free down her back. I wasn’t sure why she messed with her hair so much. It looked good no matter how she wore it. Unfortunately for my will power, I noticed that about her too.

“I like it too, but not as much as you.”

“Sure you do. That’s why you slept with so many women. It gave you a high.”

“The important word is
gave
.”

“Nookie isn’t doing it for you anymore?”

“Nope.”

“When’s the last time you got some?” Sometimes Vera sounded like a guy. Not her voice. That was silky and sexy as hell, but the way she talked. She’d grown up with Casey, but they were polar opposites in that way.

“Why? Looking to break my dry spell?”

She groaned. “We’ve been over this before, Jared.”

“We have, yet you always seem to bring us back to it.”

“No, you do.” She paused. “You’re trying to distract me.”

“Bingo.”

“It worked.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes, but only temporarily.”

“That’s long enough since we’re almost there.” I decided to end the charade.

“You said we were ten miles away.”

“Also a distraction tool. When you think something is going to take longer, you get there faster than you expect.”

“Sounds like something a parent would do.”

“Not mine. My dad wasn’t worried about making things more pleasant for us.”

“I bet your mom is great.”

“You think so?”

“She did warn my mom… she saved Casey.”

“She did.” At least someone in my family had done something redeemable. I had half her genes, so theoretically I might be able to do the same.

“Back to what I was saying. My mom is going to assume we’re sleeping together, which means she’ll probably tell my father that too.”

“You’re warning me he might want to kill me?”

“If I knew him I’d be able to answer that.”

“I can handle it.”

“But you’re also on a bit of a suicide mission.”

“No I’m not.” I shook my head.

“You walked away from everything you knew and ever worked for. You’re being reckless.”

“That doesn’t mean I don’t value my life.”

“Do you have to take everything I say literally?”

“Not everything.” I stopped. “We should come up on the lake soon, but I need to double check.”

“Wait.” A slow smile spread across her face. “Does the great and talented Jared have to make sure we’re really going the right way?”

“We’re going the right way. I need to double check how close we are though.” I pulled off my shirt. I wasn’t quite as confident as I admitted, but I knew we couldn’t be too far off. I released my wings, feeling the comfort that always came from them wash over me. I flew up to one of the taller trees and saw the unmistakable gleam of water in the distance.