SPENCER
The sun was still above the hill when, following Finn’s instructions, Mom took the exit from the main road and drove into the woods. After a few miles, we took another exit and saw a big red sign saying PRIVATE PROPERTY NO TRESPASSING.
It was a narrow road with tall, old trees on both sides, stretching their heavy branches toward each other.
“Those trees . . .” Mom gasped as we drove through that green tunnel. “Why does this road look . . .” Her eyes darted from one side of the road to another.
I stared at her. “Mom?”
“This looks so familiar.”
We reached the end of the road and found ourselves facing wide-open wooden gates. Mom drove through into the big front yard. She stopped the car in front of a two-story modern building with its top wrapped in branches from the tall trees on both sides. We got out, and her eyes shone with excitement as she eyed the house from bottom to top.
“I know this place. I’ve been here before.”
“What?”
“Yeah. I was just a girl then.”
The front door opened, and Finn showed up on the porch with a bright smile across his face. He came down the porch stairs and headed toward us.
“You made it.”
“Hi,” I beamed at him.
“You didn’t answer my last message.” He gave me a brief hug.
“Yeah. My phone died.”
Mom stood stupefied, staring at the house. She eyed the porch stretching from one end of the first story to another, then at the tall windows. Then she looked higher, at the balcony on the second floor and casements of the attic.
“Clare?” Finn called. “Would you like to come inside?”
She smiled as she looked at him.
“You’re Mason Leatherwood's son, aren’t you?”
Finn nodded. “Yes, I am.”
“Then it’s true. You’re not old after all.”
I stared in shock from one to another.
Finn looked stunned too.
“You knew my father?”
“I did. But I was much younger than him. I’ve met your mother as well. Right here when she was pregnant. I was only twelve then. I came here with my mom. She was the only witch who supported your parents.” Mom sighed. “And she was the only one who knew of this place. She took this secret to her grave.” With a bitter smile, she took another look around. “Your father built this house for the two of them, but unfortunately they never got to . . .” She bit her lip.
“Yeah.” Finn looked down to hide the sudden longing in his eyes.
What Mom just said about his parents made it all even more tragic and real. It also brought up a few questions. Like why did they need support from a witch? Or why this place had to be kept a secret. But this wasn’t a good time to ask questions.
“Thank you for inviting us. This place . . . It means a lot to me,” Mom said with a bit more cheerful tone.
“It’s my pleasure,” Finn raised his eyes at Mom, then he looked at me and added, “and an honor to have you both here.”
I shook off my shocked expression, put my thank you smile on, then turned back to the car and opened the trunk.
“Let me help you,” Finn rushed to my side.
He pulled out my suitcase and one of two bags. I took the second one and Mom and I followed him into the house. The moment I stepped in, I dropped the bag in front of a wide staircase leading to the second floor and glanced around.
The room was big and bright, with a light color wooden floor and a high ceiling. The furniture in the middle, which consisted of a creamy couch with table lamps on both sides, brown armchairs, and a rectangular, dark wood coffee table, sat around the fireplace with glass doors.
Eyeing the large paintings hanging on the milky color walls here and there, I took a few steps toward the dining area with a long wooden table and black leather chairs at the end of the room.
Mom moved forward looking around. Finn approached me from behind and stopped so close that I could feel the heat coming from his body.
“Do you like it?” He asked next to my ear.
“This place is amazing.” I turned to look at him.
“I’m glad you’re finally here,” he whispered, his eyes glowing. Then he said louder. “Ladies, let me show you your rooms.”
We climbed to the second floor, and he opened the first door on the right side of the landing.
“This one's for you, Clare. I hope you like it.”
Mom took a peek. “I love it.”
I handed over the bag I brought up with me and she went inside.
We passed by a niche with a two-seat sofa and a small table next to a window, and Finn opened the next door.
“This is yours.” He walked in, put my suitcase and the bag next to a stand with a miniature wolf sculpture on it, and gave me a minute to look around.
I smiled as I looked at the wolf. I turned my eyes to the neatly fixed creamy bedsheets and coffee-colored pillows on the double bed, and a small vase with blue and white forest flowers on the nightstand.
“Did you do all this?” I asked as I crossed to the big wall-to-wall windows with large green plants in pots on each side.
“Yeah. I wanted you to feel comfortable here.”
“It’s perfect. Thank you,” I said quietly.
He followed me to the window, and standing side by side, we watched the tip of the setting sun blink at us from between the treetops.
“It’s so beautiful here,” I murmured, mesmerized as I took in the view in front of me.
“There’s much more to see.” His hand slid into mine and we interlocked our fingers. “But right now, you must be tired.”
Fighting the urge to lean into him, I let go of his hand and turned to face him.
“Yeah, I am. A little.”
“Would you like something to eat or drink?”
“First, I wanna get out of these clothes.”
Smirking, he raised a brow. “Go for it.”
I rolled my eyes. “Very funny.” It was, and I nearly laughed when I looked at his amused face. “I want to take a shower.”
“Next door down the hallway.” He said, walking out of the room. “Clean towels are on the shelf.”
I wheeled my suitcase to the bench at the foot of the bed, swung it on top of it, and unzipped the lid. First, I fished out my toiletry bag, then the underwear, and then I shifted my clothes, looking for something comfy to wear for the rest of the evening.
Wait a minute.
“We didn’t do all this shopping for nothing.” I glanced at the bag on the floor with my new clothes.
I put the bag on the bench next to the suitcase and pulled out my new denim shorts and a cute white t-shirt with a blue baby elephant imprinted on its front.
Twenty minutes later, when I came downstairs, I found Mom and Finn sitting on the couches, each with a glass of red wine in their hand.
They were talking. But the moment Mom saw me, she put her glass down and got up.
“It’s my turn,” she said, heading to the stairs.
“Would you like something to drink?” Finn asked as I took Mom’s place on the couch. “I got alcohol-free wine for you.”
“Seriously?” I chortled. “Why?”
“Didn’t want you to celebrate your graduation with water.”
“Right. The graduation. I forgot.”
He got up and approached the narrow table behind the couch loaded with drinks and clean glasses.
I watched him uncorking the bottle. He poured the wine into a glass, then picked up his own and sank onto the couch next to me.
“To Spencer, who just graduated.”
“I can’t believe it’s over.”
We clinked our glasses, and he watched me as I took a small sip. Then, with a smile, he looked at the elephant on my chest.
“How was the shower?” With the tips of his fingers, he brushed back a strand of my still wet hair from my cheek. “Did you find everything you needed?”
“It was nice. And the bathroom is as gorgeous as the rest of the house. I’ve never been in a bathroom with a glass wall and a view of the woods. The bathtub was very inviting. I booked it for tomorrow.”
“No need to book. I have the same one in my room, and they’re both yours. I rarely use it. I prefer a quick shower.”
Did he just invite me into his bedroom?
I tilted my head. “You didn’t tell me you were rich.”
“I’m not.” He shrugged. “Well, maybe a little.”
We laughed.
“You heard your mom. This house was built before I was born. I inherited it, and some other . . .” he cleared his throat, “stuff. I did furnish it, though. It was nearly empty when I first arrived. I lived at my grandfather’s place before.”
“Well, you have good taste.” I took another sip of my alcohol-free wine that tasted unexpectedly good. “So how old are you, exactly?”
“Come on, your mom made it pretty clear. But I think I have a calculator somewhere if you need to put two and two together.” He teased me.
“It’s not funny. You don’t look twenty-five. You look twenty tops.”
“After we turn twenty, our aging slows down. It’s like a human's height. Okay,” he rolled his eyes, “a human’s growth stops completely. But . . . you get the point.”
“Wow. Does that mean I’ll still look young when I’m fifty?”
His look dimmed. “Yeah.” He brushed my chin with the back of his fingers. “You’ll look as gorgeous as you look now.”
I wrapped my fingers around his palm and pulled it down.
“Finn?”
“Yeah?”
“You look worried. Just like you did the last time we talked. At the lake.”
“Did I?” He forced a smile.
“Don’t.” I put my glass down. “Don’t do that. What’s wrong?”
“Listen, of course, I’m worried. You’re about to shift for the first time, and I know that you’re scared.”
“The problem is you look scared too.”
“I’m not. Why would I be—”
“Is it because I’m a girl, and you think I’m weak?” I let go of his hand that I was still clutching.
“Don’t be ridiculous. Do you know how many werewolf girls are out there? It’s just . . . I’ve seen you in pain, and I hated it. I would be worried even if it was a simple headache.”
I chuckled. “So you’re a softy.”
He laughed. “Embarrassing, I know.”
* * *
Lying in bed, I was gazing at the black sky that looked like someone had sprinkled glitter all over it. I’d never seen so many stars.
The whole place was so peaceful, and the atmosphere was too romantic to think of anything else other than the fact that Finn was right here in this house, lying in bed at the end of this same hallway.
Why was everything so easy with him? I was so open with him and felt so close as if we had known each other our whole lives. It never felt strange when his hand landed on my waist, or held my hand, or touched my face. Why did it all feel so natural? Like he always had the right to do that and much more.
I closed my eyes, remembering his face. His glowing gray eyes, his gorgeous lips stretching in his compelling, signature smirk. Those few strands of dark hair falling down his forehead I always wanted to run my fingers through, and that tanned skin peeking out from his unbuttoned shirt I would love to take off. I imagined my palm on his stiff torso, gliding all the way down to his . . .
Get a grip, Spencer.
* * *
FINN
Damn, that girl is driving me crazy.
These past few weeks, I counted the hours until I saw her again, and the moment she showed up, everything changed at once. This whole place has never been so alive.
Now, when she was here, I could sense her presence everywhere I went. I knew she wasn’t asleep yet. I could feel it, and the only thing holding me from knocking on her bedroom door was her mother in the room across the hallway.
My wolf surfaced to share his view on my behavior. It was like I could hear him saying, No, it’s because you’re a chicken. You haven’t even kissed her yet.
Well, duh. And it’s not because I’m a chicken. It’s called respect.
I never wanted anyone so badly, but I had to push my wolf back before he could start whining about not having a mate.
The only way to find a mate was to join a pack. And that would never happen. Besides, that connection could be one-sided. I’ve been with different girls before, and I was sure now, mate or not, I couldn’t feel for anyone the way I felt about Spencer from the moment I saw her.
But tomorrow was her birthday. She would turn eighteen. And the full moon was only three days away.
She told me about their trip, and how her mom tried to make it fun for her, and all I heard was that it was Clare’s way of saying goodbye to her daughter. It was her attempt to fill Spencer’s last days with some joy.
It was so brave of Clare to keep smiling at her girl when her heart was completely broken, and there was less than zero-zero-one percent chance that Spencer would survive the shift.
I tried to be cheerful too, but the moment Spencer spoke about her future, she knocked me off guard, and in the end, I had to lie to her to cover my fear.
She can’t die.
I wouldn’t let that happen. And there’s no way I would give up.
She will make it. Her mother and I will be right there with her, and we’ll help her however we can to come out of this curse alive.