Shifters Rule (Rule Series) (2 page)

He wished he was dreaming because being awake meant
Jersey
had learned a new (scary) trick.
 
The possibilities made him dizzy.
 
If
Jersey
could pop in and out of their lives whenever he wanted to, there would be no stopping him.
 
He was on his way to becoming invincible.
 
Then they were all dead.

“Where were you?” Jack asked.
 

Ian had insisted on moving in after Billy was transformed into a ‘monster’ so he could keep Jack safe.
 
The older man sighed, removing his glasses to rub his eyes.
 
“Every hour on the hour I take a quick trip around the exterior of the house, looking for potential trouble.
 
It was an unbelievably stupid mistake I will not repeat in the future, I assure you.
 
I should have varied my routine instead of becoming predictable.
 
The werewolf must have been watching and waiting for an opportunity.”

Jack didn’t blame his uncle for the slip.
 
Even the best hunters made a bad move on occasion.
 
His parents had gotten themselves killed in their own front yard, and Billy had been changed into a dirty werewolf.
 
Ian was only human, bound to make mistakes on occasion.

“Don’t worry about it,” Jack said.

“Are you okay?
 
You have a cut above your eye.”

Jack reached up and touched his fingers to the wound.
 
There was a spot of dried blood where it was already healing.
 
He shrugged.
 
“I took the hard way down the stairs.
 
I’m fine.
 
Jersey
just wanted to play games.
 
I don’t think he’ll come back, at least not tonight.”

“You can go to bed then.
 
Get some sleep.”

“I think I’ll wait until my heart stops pounding.”
 
Jack collapsed onto the sofa and put his bare feet on the coffee table.
 
He picked up the remote and pointed it at the TV.
 
“Maybe I’ll watch a little television.”

“There’s nothing decent on at this hour.
 
I have a better idea.
 
Let’s chat.”

Jack waited for his uncle to take a seat.
 
The guy chose Billy’s favorite chair, their dad’s old chair.
 
For a split second Jack wanted to yell, “Don’t sit there!” but he refrained.
 
It was silly to worry about where someone planted their butt, especially considering everything else going on.
 
Ian sitting in Billy’s chair didn’t mean Billy was gone forever.
 
It wasn’t a premonition of things to come.

“What do you want to talk about?” Jack asked.

“Your choice.”

Several things sprang to mind.
 
He wanted to beg Ian not to kill his brother once they found him.
 
There were still unanswered questions about his father.
 
Jack felt like he hadn’t even known John Creed.
 
It was possible Ian could give him a new view of his father, some insight into the real John Creed.
 
Also, Jack didn’t know anything about his uncle.
 
There were at least a hundred things he wanted to ask Ian about his own past.

Ian’s gaze traveled to a family photograph on the fireplace mantle.
 
He walked over and took it down for a second to inspect it.
 
Grief twisted his facial features.
 
Jack thought it might be better not to talk about personal matters tonight.
 
Ian obviously missed his brother.
 

In the end Jack decided to start slow and easy.
 
It was too late for long conversations anyway, and he was way too tired for a deep discussion.
 
He forced a smile and asked, “How do you feel about baseball?”

They talked for over an hour about everything and about nothing until Jack couldn’t keep his eyes open another second.
 
He went to bed feeling a bit lighter than when he’d first gotten up to find Jersey in his home.
 
Even though he’d had some reservations about letting Ian move in with him, it was good to have his uncle in the house.
 
He hated being alone.

As Jack fell asleep, he remembered the clue
Jersey
supposedly was keeping to himself.
 
He wondered if
Jersey
would tell him at their next meeting.
 
Maybe.
 
Maybe not.
 
It probably wouldn’t matter anyway.
 
Jersey
’s clue would be an impossible-to-solve riddle.
 
Jack was better off searching for Billy on his own.

His last thought before he fell asleep was of his brother.
 
Somehow he was going to find Billy.
 
As the oldest Creed boy Billy was his responsibility.
 
He didn’t take the duty lightly.
 
He was going to save his brother if it was the last thing he did.
 
He was going to give Billy back his mortality.

.

*****

.

It was almost dawn, and Jack could smell the rising sun.
 
He was still tired.
 
Rough night, too many bad dreams about hairy monsters howling at the moon and not enough sleep.
 
He rested on top of the covers and thought about Silver.
 
Time was running out.
 
She would be leaving for college soon.
 
Her eyes sparkled every time the subject was introduced.
 
The fact she’d be leaving him didn’t seem to bother her anymore.
 
Maybe he should go with her, get away from
Nebraska
and the whole werewolf-vampire mess.

Jack desperately wanted to see her.
 
A few options came to mind.
 
He could call her, but she was probably asleep.
 
He could join her in a dream, but
Jersey
could appear and attack them both.
 
That didn’t sound like a fun time.

Jack wasn’t supposed to eavesdrop on her memories.
 
She’d made him promise not to do it.
 
Too bad he couldn’t think of a better way.
 
He just wanted to feel close to her.
 
Shutting his eyes, he concentrated on Silver’s face.
 
He asked himself a question.
 
Was she thinking about him?

A short-lived burst of electricity sizzled over his nerves.

Another moment and he was inside her head, looking through her eyes.
 
Her every thought belonged to him.
 
He felt what she felt and knew what she knew.
 
Before—living as a vampire—he had thought blood was an intoxicating drug.
 
This was worse, much worse.
 
He wanted to live inside her head forever.

.

*****

.

“Are you sure you’re ready for this?” Trina asked.
 
“It’s a big move.
 
The biggest.
 
Totally intense.
 
Nothing could be more intense than this.”

“Okay, I get it.
 
It’s a major deal.”
 
Silver lay across her friend’s flowery pink bed.
 
She held one of Trina’s favorite stuffed animals, a little gray elephant in her hands.
 
Her fingers tugged absently on the big floppy ears as she said, “I don’t want to lose him.”

“I thought you guys worked things out already.”

“I’m leaving soon.
 
It’s real to me now.
 
I won’t see Jack except for on holidays.
 
How am I going to concentrate on my classes when Jack is half a world away?”

Trina pulled clothes from her closet, a single outfit at a time.
 
She held each one in front of her body and looked into the mirror over her vanity before tossing the outfit and moving onto the next.
 
“Don’t you think getting married is a little extreme?
 
I know I haven’t been Jack’s biggest fan, but I don’t think he’s going to chase other girls as soon as your back is turned.
 
He’s crazy about you.”

Silver sighed in frustration.
 
She thought if anyone would understand what she was planning to do it would be Trina, her best friend since grade school.
 
Her mind continued to rush in violent circles until she felt seasick.
 
Okay, maybe on the surface marriage didn’t seem like the best idea, but she loved Jack.
 
When two people loved each other, they got married.
 
Right?

Trina asked, “Does he know you’re thinking about this?”

“Of course not.
 
I wanted to be absolutely one-hundred-percent sure before I talked to him about it.”

“Good idea.”

She wasn’t looking forward to telling her parents about her decision either.
 
This would be a shotgun wedding in reverse.
 
Her father was going to hit the roof.
 
No amount of reasoning would help her win a case on marriage with her parents.
 
She could hear them now.

You’re too young to get married!

What’s the rush?

Are you pregnant?

Trina broke into her private thoughts with, “Maybe you should wait until you finish college.”

She’d already considered that angle.
 
“Years?
 
You want me to wait years to be with Jack?
 
I can’t do it.
 
No way.”
 
She lifted her chin high.
 
“I’ve made up my mind.
 
I’m going to propose to him as soon as possible.”

“Maybe you should just live with him.
 
You don’t need a preacher or a piece of paper for that.”

“I thought about it, believe me.
 
My parents would kill us both.
 
You know how old-fashioned my mom is about stuff like that, and my dad would seriously kill Jack if we even thought about living together.
 
He might not like us getting married so young, but once it’s done my dad won’t interfere.
 
He’ll respect the marriage and won’t try to tear us apart.”

Trina plopped down on the edge of the bed next to Silver and said, “Don’t take this the wrong way, but you are totally insane.
 
Marriage is huge.”

“Stop saying that!
 
I want to spend the rest of my life with Jack.
 
I’m one million percent sure now.
 
Why should I wait?”

“Let me make a list for you.”
 
Trina counted her fingers.
 
“You haven’t known him for very long.
 
He used to be a vampire.
 
The two of you have to fight a crazy werewolf, and he could get killed doing it.
 
Then you’ll be a widow and have to wear black all the time.
 
Your parents will freak.
 
Not just freak.
 
They will lock you up in the dungeon.
 
Oh yeah, and not too long ago you didn’t think you were even in love with the guy anymore.
 
You should wait until you know for sure that you aren’t going to split up in the near future.
 
The divorce rate in this country is insane enough without you adding to it.”

“He’s too perfect, too gorgeous to be single for long.
 
When I go to college, what’s to stop him from moving on with another girl?
 
You know the girls in this town are going to be all over him like ugly on a werewolf.”

“If he wants to be with someone else, a piece of paper isn’t going to stop him.”

Silver was surprised to hear Trina’s take on the situation.
 
Trina was usually the one chasing rainbows.
 
Silver decided to change the subject. “Why are you dragging the clothes from your closet?”

“I’m trying to find the perfect outfit.”

“For what?”

A secretive smile curved Trina’s mouth.
 
“You aren’t the only one with a boyfriend.
 
I met someone.”

“Really?
 
What’s his name?
 
Do I know him?”

“He isn’t from around here.”

“So who is he?”

Trina laughed.
 
“Sorry.
 
I’m keeping Derek to myself for a while.”

Silver got a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.
 
Since when did Trina keep secrets from her?
 
They used to tell each other everything.
 
Hadn’t Silver just spilled her guts about wanting to marry Jack?
 
It didn’t seem right that Trina was keeping secrets from her now, especially not when it was this huge.

.

*****

.

Jack’s eyes popped open.
 
His cell phone rang from the table next to the bed.
 
He turned his head and glared at it.
 
He hadn’t wanted to come out of Silver’s memory yet.
 
The things he’d learned had nearly blown a hole through his mind.
 
She was afraid of losing him to another girl?
 
Since when?
 

And he couldn’t believe she wanted to get married.
 
Trina was right.
 
For the first time since meeting the nutty girl, he totally agreed with her.
 
He and Silver were not ready for marriage.
 
He definitely wasn’t ready.