Shadowed Instincts (9 page)

Melanie felt flames leap through her body as his hands slowly
made their way down her bare back to her butt. Her mind registered that she was
barely dressed and probably had stomach rolls showing, but the thought flew out
as quickly as it had come when Jeremy’s hands kneaded her butt and slid to the
backs of her thighs.

She shifted her weight to her knees and lifted up slightly
to give him better access. This position put her at a slight height advantage,
which she realized she liked, a lot. A light growl vibrated in her chest, which
seemed to ignite Jeremy’s passion even further.

He stood quickly and, with Melanie still wrapped around him
like a spider monkey, turned so that he could lay her on the seat and cover her
body with his. The seats were deep, so if another boat happened to cruise by,
no one on board would be able to see them. After another long, scorching kiss,
he pushed himself up, bracing his weight on his arms, and looked into her eyes.

“Are you sure you’re ready for this? It’s what you want?”

Melanie paused for a brief second. Thinking of how much she
loved him and everything he meant to her, she nodded her head thoughtfully.
“I’m sure,” she whispered, pulling at his arms and lifting her lips back to
his.

Melanie and Jeremy were laughing and holding hands when they
walked through the front door of the house later that afternoon. She looked up
and saw Declan standing in the foyer, frozen in place, with his hand in the air
as if he was about to wave. It quickly dropped to his side and she saw his
nostrils flare and lips turn down into a frown.

“Oh, hey Declan,” she said, feeling Jeremy stiffen beside
her. “What’s up?”

“Melanie, can I talk to you for a minute?”

“Uh, sure, I guess. Jeremy?”

Jeremy released her hand and put both of his on her cheeks.
“I’ll see you at dinner,” he said, planting a small, sweet kiss on her lips before
heading up the stairs.

“What is it, Declan?”

Declan walked up to her, invading her personal space, and
asked, “Did you have a
good
time today?”

“Yes, I did,” she responded in a tight voice. She didn’t
like his tone.

“Well, you might want to take a shower before seeing anyone
else.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” she asked defensively.

“Melanie, I could smell the pheromones wafting off the two
of you as soon as you walked through the door. Really? Birthday sex?” he said with
a nasty edge to his voice.

Melanie blushed a bright scarlet, both from embarrassment
and anger. “That is none of your damn business, Declan.”

“Well, you made it my business when you walked in here
reeking of it. A real man would warn you of the possibility and at least let
you clean up first.”

Instinct took over and Melanie lashed out, striking her palm
against his cheek with all her strength. A loud pop echoed through the foyer,
and brought them both out of the heated rage they were succumbing to.

“Mel, I’m sorr-” he started, but she cut him off.

“Save it,” she said quietly, tears forming in her eyes. She
turned and ran for the stairs and, taking them two at a time, rushed to her
bedroom and slammed the door behind her.

She heard the shower turn off and waited for the sound of
Jeremy’s bedroom door to close before grabbing her clothes and rushing into the
bathroom. She needed to calm down before she faced Jeremy again. She didn’t
want him to see her so upset.

Setting the water as hot as she could stand it, she got in
and started vigorously scrubbing her body. Thinking about what she was doing,
she dropped the washcloth and started to cry. What she and Jeremy had done was
amazing and beautiful, not something to be ashamed of.

Melanie wiped her tears and pulled herself together. She
would not let Declan ruin her day. She washed her face and hair then shut off
the water. Wrapping a towel around herself, she got out of the shower and wiped
the fog off of the mirror.

She opened the towel and looked at herself.
I don’t look
any different,
she thought. Shaking her head, she dried herself off and got
dressed. After applying some mascara and lip gloss, she flipped off the light
and walked back to her room.

Shutting the door behind her, she leaned against it and closed
her eyes. She thought about her day with Jeremy, how amazing it was, and tried
to block out that whole scene with Declan afterward. Trying not to think about
it made her think about it and she could feel her anger rising to the surface
again.

“How dare he?” she whispered softly, lest someone be walking
down the hall and hear her. “It’s none of his business what I do or when I do
it!”

Birthday sex,
she thought.
Is that what it was to
Jeremy? Finally give the girl what she wants, just because it’s her birthday?

“No,” she said aloud. “I don’t believe that.”

She glanced at the clock and saw that it was only five
o’clock, so she still had an hour to kill before her mom’s big surprise. She
grabbed her copy of
Cynanthrope Physiology
and lay down on her bed.

This will take my mind off of it.

Melanie scanned the table of contents and found a chapter
titled “Cynanthrope Relationships: The Physical and Emotional Side Effects of
Friendship, Love, and Sex.” She quickly turned to the page number noted and
started to read, skimming the subtitles.

Finding what she was looking for, she read aloud softly,
“When a male and female are attracted to one another, a small amount of
pheromones are secreted through the axillary (armpit) sweat glands, which
heightens the feelings of lust and attraction. Should those feelings be acted
upon, a much larger amount is secreted during said act, which can be sensed
through the olfactory system of other Cynanthropes for up to four hours.”

“Seriously? Oh my God,” she whispered, then scanned the
chapter for other tidbits like that one.

“When Two Males Desire the Same Female,” she read. “Let’s
see.”

Flipping the page quickly, she began reading again, “If two
male Cynanthropes develop feelings of desire and/or love for the same female,
instinct will cause an immediate dislike and distrust between the two of them,
no matter their previous relationship. Older and more experienced males may be
able to see this change in themselves for what it is and avoid confrontation
until the feelings pass or are held under tight control.

“However, younger, more hormonal males will rarely exhibit
this type of control. Their feelings of mistrust will lead to a power struggle
to obtain dominance. This struggle generally leads to verbal and, in most
cases, physical disputes.

“In these situations, it falls to the alpha to bring the two
males in question under his control and resolve the situation by having the
female voice her preference, or in some circumstances, choosing for her.”

Screw that!
Melanie’s mind screamed at the thought of
having her father choose her boyfriend.

She closed the book and lay back against her pillows. Maybe
Jeremy was right. Maybe Declan was attracted to her. That would explain
Jeremy’s instant dislike of him and Declan’s strange behavior. She smiled. Even
though she was completely devoted to Jeremy, the thought of having a hot guy
like Declan actually want her gave her a little thrill.

She heard a soft knock on her door and a voice call out,
“Mel? You in there?”

She jumped up and ran to the door, threw it open and flew
into Jeremy’s arms. He hugged her tightly and she kissed his neck before
whispering, “I love you.”

“I love you, too. You ready to get this party started?”

“Yeah,” she breathed, pulling back and taking his hand.
“Let’s go.”

“Tara?” Melanie squealed as she walked into the dining room
and saw her best friend chatting with her mom.

“Mel!”

They practically sprinted toward one another and met in the
middle of the room. They hugged and laughed and both started talking at once,
which made them laugh again.

“What are you doing here?” Mel asked, once she could get the
words out.

“Duh. It’s your birthday, brainiac. I wouldn’t miss it!”

“But…how?”

“I called her parents,” Elaine said as she walked up to join
them. “Surprise! Happy birthday, baby.”

Melanie hugged her mom. “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”
she squealed, then looked back at Tara. “Did you drive all this way by
yourself?”

“Nope,” came a voice from behind her. She turned swiftly and
saw Chris standing there with Jeremy. “I drove.”

“Chris!” Melanie exclaimed and launched herself into his
arms. “I’m so glad you came. Thanks for bringing my bestie. I owe you one.”

Before Melanie could say anything else, Tara nudged her in
the ribs and whispered, “Who’s the hottie?”

Melanie grimaced, knowing that everyone in the room besides
Chris and Elaine heard her, which was evident by the smirk on Declan’s face as
he walked towards them. Melanie hadn’t had a chance to talk to Tara about
Declan at all.

This is going to be an interesting night,
Melanie
thought.
With Tara’s big mouth and everyone else’s supersonic hearing,
there’s no telling what’s going to happen.

Melanie forced the frown off her face and smiled tightly
when Declan reached them. “Tara, this is Declan. His dad and mine are…best
friends. Declan, this is my best friend, Tara. And this,” she added, grabbing
Chris’s hand and pulling him forward, “is her boyfriend, Chris. He and Jeremy
are cousins.”

“Cousins?” Declan asked, and seemed to sniff in his
direction.

Melanie discreetly dug her heel onto the top of Declan’s
foot. He inhaled sharply and shot his eyes to hers. “Not a dog,” she mouthed
silently as the others drifted away toward the table. Declan nodded once and
followed them.

Once they were all seated for dinner, Melanie glanced around
the table with a big smile on her face. She had Tara on one side and Jeremy on
the other. She couldn’t have asked for more.

“Mom, how did you get Tara’s mom to let her come?” Melanie
asked, then, after the caterers place a plate of chicken and cheese enchiladas
in front of her, she exclaimed, “Enchiladas!”

“Of course. It’s your favorite. I called Tara’s mom and
asked her if she could come for your birthday party. After discussing it, we
both decided that she should stay through the weekend to make the drive worth
it.”

“All week?” Melanie asked looking from Elaine to Tara.

“Yep,” Tara answered. “I don’t know what kind of voodoo
magic your mom used, but I get to stay until Sunday morning.”

“What about school?”

“I’m ahead in all my classes. My teachers gave me the
homework for the week and said I could turn it in Monday.”

Melanie started to smile, then it dropped. She looked from
her parents to Chad and Willow, then back again. Darren seemed to understand
her unspoken question and gave her a reassuring nod of his head. Somehow, the
pack could hide their true nature for a week. Melanie nodded back.

“What about you, Chris? Do your parents know you’re here?”

“Yeah, I called them. They’re cool with it as long as I
graduate on time.”

The conversations drifted to other topics amongst the dinner
guests and Melanie looked around the table with a satisfied grin. Her birthday
just kept getting better and better.

She blushed when she thought about her time with Jeremy on
the boat.  He noticed and nudged her knee with his. They shared a secret smile
and when Melanie looked up, she caught Declan’s frown. He immediately wiped it
from his face when she frowned back at him.

Jeremy leaned over and whispered in her ear, “I know you’ll
want to hang out with Tara tonight, but can you squeeze in a few minutes for me
after dinner? I have a present for you.” His lips brushed against her ear as he
spoke and she shivered.

“A present?” she whispered back. “I thought our day on the
lake was my present.”

Knowing sensitive ears could hear them, she picked her words
carefully. She heard a grunt from Declan, but ignored it. He could think what
he wanted.

“It was a great day,” he said, equally mindful of their
company, “but I got you a real present. I just want us to be alone when I give
it to you.”

At that, Declan choked on the soda he was sipping and spewed
it across the table. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at him.

“Declan?” Willow said with a perplexed look on her face.

“Sorry,” Declan choked out. “Went down the wrong pipe.
Excuse me.” He got up and walked from the room, still coughing.

Jeremy looked at Melanie, confused. “Later,” she mouthed and
turned back to her food as conversation at the table started to pick back up.

*~*~*

“What do you mean, he knows?”

They were out by the pond, watching the sun setting over the
trees. Jeremy and Melanie had walked out to be alone so he could give her his
gift. As they walked, he had asked her about Declan’s strange behavior.

“Well, I didn’t tell him, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
The look on his face told her that’s exactly what he’d thought. “Jeremy!
Seriously? What, you think I just announced it to Declan, of all people?”

His face fell a little. “I’m sorry, Mel. I know you wouldn’t
do that. But how did he find out?”

Melanie blushed and gritted her teeth. “He…smelled us.”

“What? What do you mean?”

“Well, apparently, when two cynanthropes do it, they secrete
pheromones that other weres can smell.”

Jeremy grinned, despite his shock. “Did you just say ‘do
it’?”

“Shut up!” she retorted, trying not to smile.

He bumped shoulders with her, then asked, “So any time we
make love, anyone who comes near us will know?”

“Yep,” she said miserably, the smile dropping from her face.
“He was so hostile and judgmental.  He called it ‘birthday sex’ and said a real
man would let me get cleaned up before going near anyone else.”

“What the hell?” Jeremy raged, his hands balling into fists
and his face turning red. “What an assho-”

“I took care of it,” Melanie interrupted, placing her hands
on his shoulders and forcing him to look into her eyes. “He won’t be saying
anything like that to me again.”

Some of the steam left Jeremy and he looked at her with an
arched brow. “What did you do?”

“I slapped him into next week. I’m pretty sure his grandkids
felt it.”

“I wish I could have been there for that,” Jeremy said
wistfully, looking back at the sky.

“Enough of that,” Melanie said, taking a step back and
holding out her hand. “I want my present.”

Jeremy pulled a small square box from his pocket and placed
it in her hand. Melanie’s heart rate accelerated as she stared at it. It was a
jewelry box. No one, other than her mom, had ever given her jewelry before.

“Are you going to open it or just stare at the box all
night?” Jeremy asked playfully when she didn’t move an inch.

“Oh, sorry.” She laughed nervously. “I was just surprised. 
I didn’t know what to expect, and this is…”

“Just open it, Mel,” he said when she trailed off.

She took a deep breath and slowly lifted the lid on box. The
breath left her in a whoosh when she saw the delicate bracelet coiled inside.
It was silver and had a crescent moon pendant. Pulling it from the box, Melanie
noticed the pendant was studded with tiny diamonds.

“Jeremy, how…this is too much.”

“Melanie,” Jeremy said, taking the bracelet from her and clasping
it around her wrist. “I love you. I’ll do anything to make you smile. Do you
like it?”

“Like it?” Melanie asked, a little bewildered. “I love it.
It’s gorgeous. But it’s too much. I don’t even want to think about what this
must have cost you. I don’t need expensive jewelry to make me happy. I just
need you.”

Jeremy smiled. “And that’s one of the many reasons I love
you so much. Don’t worry. It didn’t cost me anything.” At her confused look, he
continued, “I told my mom that I wanted to get you something amazing for your
birthday and she gave me this. It belonged to my grandmother.”

“What? Oh, now I really can’t accept this. An heirloom,
Jeremy? Seriously? This belongs to your wife, not your teenaged girlfriend.”

He stilled her hands as she tried, unsuccessfully, to remove
the bracelet on her own. Jeremy wrapped his arms around her and she hugged him
back. They stood in the embrace for several minutes before he spoke again.

“Melanie, listen to me,” he said, finally breaking the
silence. “You may not be my wife, but you are my mate. This bracelet has been
passed to the males in my line to gift to their mates for generations. That’s
why Mom gave it to me.”

“But what if-”

He cut her off with a finger to her lips. “No buts. I’ll
make a deal with you, if it’ll make you feel better. If for some reason we ever
break up, you can give it back to me. Does that sound acceptable?”

She looked into his eyes doubtfully. “And you’ll actually
take it back?”

“Promise,” he said crossing his heart with his finger.

“Okay,” Melanie finally said after a few seconds of silence.
“I’ll accept it.”

She held up her arm and watched as the diamonds sparkled in
the final rays of the setting sun. “Thank you, Jeremy. I love it.”

“I love you,” he said, pulling her close and kissing her softly.