upper arms, trying to bring heat into them.
“It’s too late to go back,” Abel said. “We can finish this!”
“How? With your hands?”
He drew a knife from the back of his belt. It was wrapped in a plastic bag and sheathed in leather, but she could see a hint of silver metal.
“Yeah,” he said. “With my hands.”
She snarled. “Put that away!”
“If we don’t do something now, the werewolf could kill one of these rich punks. You know that, right?”
Rylie punched the buzzer by the front gate. Abel nearly jumped out of his skin. “What are you doing ?” He dragged her behind a bush flocked with ice and a good three inches of snow.
She shoved him. His back smacked into the brick wall.
“Don’t touch me!”
“If that thing is living here—”
“It’s not. Shut up.” She cast a sideways look at the knife. “And I told you to put that away!”
It took a long time for anyone to respond to the buzzer, and in the meantime, Rylie danced from foot to foot to keep warm. Then something rustled over the speaker, and a sluggish voice asked, “What?”
“Requesting permission to enter the Tate Zone,” she said through chattering teeth. Abel gaped at her.
Tate laughed. He was joined by at least three other voices. She thought she heard aliens getting shot on TV. “Is this Rylie? What are you doing outside in the middle of the night?”
“It’s hard to explain, but I am so cold. Open the gate.” It immediately unlocked with a buzz. Abel didn’t move. “Come on. Seth would be annoyed if I let you freeze to death.”
He followed reluctantly. Tate greeted them at the door.
“Dude, what the heck? You look like a freaking ice cube.” He was in pajama pants and his hair stuck up in the back. He didn’t look like he belonged among chandeliers or marble fixtures at all. His eyes widened when he spotted Abel. “Whoa. Who chewed your face?”
A growl rose in Abel’s throat, and Rylie stepped between them. “This is Seth’s brother. His car broke down and I forgot my phone,” she said. “We had to walk here. Can we get a ride back to the ranch?”
Tate blinked. “Oh. Yeah, sure, let me tell the guys.”
They waited upstairs while he went back into the basement, which was a horrible, stinking bachelor pad. She thought she might get a contact high when the door swung open.
But weed wasn’t the only stench. She closed her eyes and took deep breaths.
The other wolf was downstairs.
Abel’s upper lip pulled back to bare his teeth. He eyed the stairs. “Don’t even think about it,” she said. “Someone could get hurt.”
He grinned. “That’s the point.”
“No. Do you hear me?”
Tate’s friends followed him into the entryway. He pulled baggy jeans over his boxers, stuffing his hands down the sides to smooth them out. Rylie gave a little wave to the other guys, who went to the same school, but then she saw an unfamiliar face in the back.
He had the same honey-blond hair and sharp nose as Bekah. There was a silver stud in his left ear marked with a star.
Levi. It had to be.
“Don’t even think about beating the boss until I’m back,” Tate said, jabbing a finger at Patrick while John ambled toward the kitchen. They all smelled like potato chip grease and frozen pizza.
Patrick snorted. “Yeah, okay, whatever. Hey, Rylie.”
She didn’t hear him. Her eyes met Levi’s. He looked surprised to see her, but not angry. It wasn’t until he turned to Abel that a spark of challenge flashed through his gaze.
Rylie grabbed Abel’s arm. She wasn’t sure if it was to keep him from jumping on Levi, or to stop herself.
Tate didn’t notice the sudden tension. “Want to borrow one of my mom’s jackets?”
She caught onto the conversation and shook her head.
“I just want to go home.”
“Cool,” he said. “Come on, the garage is downstairs.”
Tate regaled Rylie with stories of Dark Crash Exodus as he drove them home, punctuating it with words like “epic” and
“It’s too late to go back,” Abel said. “We can finish this!”
“How? With your hands?”
He drew a knife from the back of his belt. It was wrapped in a plastic bag and sheathed in leather, but she could see a hint of silver metal.
“Yeah,” he said. “With my hands.”
She snarled. “Put that away!”
“If we don’t do something now, the werewolf could kill one of these rich punks. You know that, right?”
Rylie punched the buzzer by the front gate. Abel nearly jumped out of his skin. “What are you doing ?” He dragged her behind a bush flocked with ice and a good three inches of snow.
She shoved him. His back smacked into the brick wall.
“Don’t touch me!”
“If that thing is living here—”
“It’s not. Shut up.” She cast a sideways look at the knife. “And I told you to put that away!”
It took a long time for anyone to respond to the buzzer, and in the meantime, Rylie danced from foot to foot to keep warm. Then something rustled over the speaker, and a sluggish voice asked, “What?”
“Requesting permission to enter the Tate Zone,” she said through chattering teeth. Abel gaped at her.
Tate laughed. He was joined by at least three other voices. She thought she heard aliens getting shot on TV. “Is this Rylie? What are you doing outside in the middle of the night?”
“It’s hard to explain, but I am so cold. Open the gate.” It immediately unlocked with a buzz. Abel didn’t move. “Come on. Seth would be annoyed if I let you freeze to death.”
He followed reluctantly. Tate greeted them at the door.
“Dude, what the heck? You look like a freaking ice cube.” He was in pajama pants and his hair stuck up in the back. He didn’t look like he belonged among chandeliers or marble fixtures at all. His eyes widened when he spotted Abel. “Whoa. Who chewed your face?”
A growl rose in Abel’s throat, and Rylie stepped between them. “This is Seth’s brother. His car broke down and I forgot my phone,” she said. “We had to walk here. Can we get a ride back to the ranch?”
Tate blinked. “Oh. Yeah, sure, let me tell the guys.”
They waited upstairs while he went back into the basement, which was a horrible, stinking bachelor pad. She thought she might get a contact high when the door swung open.
But weed wasn’t the only stench. She closed her eyes and took deep breaths.
The other wolf was downstairs.
Abel’s upper lip pulled back to bare his teeth. He eyed the stairs. “Don’t even think about it,” she said. “Someone could get hurt.”
He grinned. “That’s the point.”
“No. Do you hear me?”
Tate’s friends followed him into the entryway. He pulled baggy jeans over his boxers, stuffing his hands down the sides to smooth them out. Rylie gave a little wave to the other guys, who went to the same school, but then she saw an unfamiliar face in the back.
He had the same honey-blond hair and sharp nose as Bekah. There was a silver stud in his left ear marked with a star.
Levi. It had to be.
“Don’t even think about beating the boss until I’m back,” Tate said, jabbing a finger at Patrick while John ambled toward the kitchen. They all smelled like potato chip grease and frozen pizza.
Patrick snorted. “Yeah, okay, whatever. Hey, Rylie.”
She didn’t hear him. Her eyes met Levi’s. He looked surprised to see her, but not angry. It wasn’t until he turned to Abel that a spark of challenge flashed through his gaze.
Rylie grabbed Abel’s arm. She wasn’t sure if it was to keep him from jumping on Levi, or to stop herself.
Tate didn’t notice the sudden tension. “Want to borrow one of my mom’s jackets?”
She caught onto the conversation and shook her head.
“I just want to go home.”
“Cool,” he said. “Come on, the garage is downstairs.”
Tate regaled Rylie with stories of Dark Crash Exodus as he drove them home, punctuating it with words like “epic” and
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