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Michael leaped over the low chain-link fence and grinned at me from the other side. “Follow me. ”
As if I could protest while in jaguar form. I also couldn’t stay out there, lest the rednecks bring out their guns. So I leaped over the fence, trying to figure out his plan.
He shoved his hands into his pockets, allowing me free rein, and began to stroll forward, whistling. Intrigued, I followed him, noting our surroundings. We were on a playground. I passed a soccer goal, the net gone. I could smell the chalk lining the field and hear the creak of a distant merry-go-round. Off to one side, a pair of swings swayed in the evening breeze, and Michael headed toward those. He sat on one of the swings and reached a hand out to me.
I moved forward, pushing my muzzle against his hand.
His fingers scratched just under my whiskers in a spot that was pure heaven. I began to purr, leaning heavily against him. I didn’t know why we were there, but for a brief moment, I didn’t care.
“This is where I first saw you,” he mused in a low voice.
I looked up sharply. Here? I waited for an answer, and when he didn’t go on, I pushed at his hand with my face. He scratched me again, so I bit him, lightly, just enough to get his attention.
Instead of being frightened, Michael chuckled. I guess teeth didn’t scare a vampire. “Sorry. Yes, I saw you here first. I was here to pick up one of my cousins from school, and I think you were here to pick up Jayde. ”
I looked around. Sure enough, this was a school that Jayde had worked at a few years ago as a third-grade teacher. I’d forgotten all about it until he mentioned it. Had I met Michael here? I didn’t remember.
“You were in the parking lot, and I noticed you leaning against your car door. I thought you were the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen,” he said in an almost dreamy voice. “You had long, curly black hair and a small, curvy body. You looked so soft and sweet, but I couldn’t take my eyes off you because you were so sure of yourself. Every bit of you seemed to sing with vitality and strength. I remembered thinking that I’d love to date a girl like that. ” He glanced over at me, skimming his fingers over the short hair on my muzzle. “You were reading a magazine. I kept trying to get your attention, but you never looked up. That was a week before classes. When I went into American History and you were sitting there with an empty chair next to you, I thought it was fate. ”
I’d had no idea. Such a small, chance meeting simply had not stuck in my memory, and Michael had never mentioned it to me, even back when we were dating. As far as I had remembered, my relationship with Michael had begun the first day of classes, when a handsome tall boy with wild hair had slid into the chair next to me in History and leaned over to borrow a pencil. His scent had been clean, just a hint of soap and cinnamon, as if he’d been chewing gum. I remembered being charmed by that and by the smile he cast in my direction. The first time he’d raked his hand through his hair and it stuck up in spikes, I was lost.
Michael scratched my whiskers again. “I suppose I’m just being sentimental,” he said with a half smile at me. He stood up and brushed off his wrinkled pants. “Either way, I wanted to show this to you because…” He struggled for the right thing to say. “Well, I suppose because I’m glad you’re back in my life, Ruby. It feels richer with you in it. ”
I couldn’t smile, so I leaned in and gave his hand a gentle lick, as if to say, I’m glad you’re back, too.
“Friends forever,” he said quietly.
I resisted the urge to bite his damn hand.
Chapter Seven
After the cab dropped us off at Jayde’s apartment complex, I led the way to her place. A small light was on in the window of her second-story apartment, and I sighed with relief. She was home.
Michael knocked on her door, and we waited. A moment later, Jayde opened the door and stared up at Michael in surprise. “Holy shit, Michael? I—” Her voice broke off as she spotted me in cat form, rubbing against his legs.
She opened the door wider, letting us in. “I’m hoping a kitty-cat fetish isn’t why she’s wearing that ugly-ass collar. ”
Michael laughed, but the sound was forced. “We needed a disguise for her. Might be too many questions otherwise. ”
I crouched on the floor, low, and began my transformation back to human.
“A disguise is one thing. A pink bow is just downright humiliating,” Jayde said, then gestured toward the kitchen. “Coffee? She’ll be a minute. ”
Michael looked at me changing, then back to Jayde. “No thanks. ”
She shrugged and crossed her arms, staring at him, then back at me. “And here I thought she might have finally found a guy to run off with when she turned up missing for the last three days. ” She sniffed the air, then frowned at Michael. “You smell like…”
“I am,” he said, showing his fangs.
“Yuck,” Jayde said with a wrinkle of her nose. She gave me a dismayed look. “Have we fallen so far?”
I shook off the last of my transformation and flexed, then stretched. “I’ll explain it later, Jayde. Right now, I need to borrow your phone. ”
Michael immediately shrugged off his jacket and handed it to me.
“I’ll get you the phone—and some panties,” she said, tossing her long black hair. She reached into her purse and pulled out her cell phone, then gave it to me. “Call the agency first. ”
I frowned at her. “Why?”
“Because they put out an ATL on your vampire boyfriend. ”
I looked at Michael in alarm, then back at Jayde. “ATL?”
“Yeah. Attempt to Locate. The Alliance figured ol’ ‘Valjean’ here went rogue and left your drained body in a ditch somewhere. There’s a task force combing the area for him. ”
“You don’t seem worried,” Michael commented.
“I wasn’t,” Jayde said, and looked down her nose at him. “She’s a were-jaguar. She could mop the floor with you if she wanted to. It’s that high-strung blonde at the agency who’s freaking out. ”
Oh, boy. “I’ll call and explain everything. ”
Ryder sounded exhausted when she picked up the phone, but her exhaustion disappeared as soon as she heard it was me. I got an intense scolding, and I meekly apologized for scaring her. I hadn’t intended to cause her days of sleepless worry, which it sounded as if I had. She’d truly thought that Michael had killed me and left me somewhere. She’d revoked his Alliance membership, canceled his record out of the Midnight Liaisons database, and said that she’d sent his profile to the Alliance security team, which was now searching for him.
That was bad news. Rogue vampires were to be killed on sight. I slipped on panties and a bra. “Valjean didn’t do anything wrong, Ryder. I’ve spent the last few days protecting him. ”
“Protecting him from what?”
“Never mind,” I said quickly, tugging a shirt over my head. “How soon can you lift the ATL so it’s safe for him to go out?”
She typed into the computer, and I heard paperwork shuffle. “I just sent the message to the late-night task force, but I don’t know when they’ll get it. And then I have to wait for the day shift to check their e-mails and text messages. You guys just lie low, and I’ll call you when we have the all clear. ”
“Okay,” I breathed. “Thanks. Sorry about all this. ”
“Just don’t go to your house. It’s one of the stakeout points. They might shoot garlic first and ask questions later. ”
“Got it. ”
“Or to his house. Just to be safe. ”
“Okay. ”
“Or to your sister’s house. ”
I winced. Too late. “Thanks, Ryder. We’ll hide out for another day or two. ”
I gave her my sister’s cell number and ended the call, then pulled on some yoga pants, thinking hard. I needed to cancel my credit cards, check if they’d robbed my house, call my job and let them know I was alive—there we
re so many things I needed to do.
But I found myself drawn back to Michael. If he was leaving me soon, I wanted to spend every minute I could with him. I returned to the living room, my gaze devouring him. He paced as my sister watched from her perch on the arm of the couch, worried and uneasy.
He seemed to untense at the sight of me, although his gaze remained worried. “Ruby, I can’t stay here. ”
“I know,” I said with a glance at my sister. “It’s not safe for Jayde. They have teams out looking for you—and me, in a sense. If they come here, I don’t want the situation to escalate. ”
Jayde snorted and stood, arms crossing over her chest. “Don’t be silly, little sis. Stay here. ”
I shook my head. “Michael’s really unpopular right now. I’m going to stay with him. ”
“No. ” Michael’s voice was quiet but resolute.
I turned to look at him in surprise. Dread curled in my stomach. “What do you mean, no?”
“I mean that it’s too dangerous for you. ” He shook his head. “Worst blind date ever, remember? It’s my fault that it’s gone on two days too long. You’re probably sick of watching over me, and I don’t blame you. ”
Of course I wasn’t sick of Michael. I loved him. Always had, always would. Being with him again made my world finally feel right once more. As if a missing piece had locked into place. I’d been okay without him, but I hadn’t been happy. I missed being happy.
“But…” I said.
“It’s okay, Ruby,” he said, and took my hand in his.
Jayde said, “Looks like you two need a moment. ”
As she left the room, Michael placed his other hand over mine, staring down at our clasped hands. “I really appreciate what you’ve done for me the past few days. You’ve been such a good friend to me. ”
There was that damn f-word again. “You can’t go off on your own. That werewolf is working with the bounty hunter,” I said, wondering if my voice sounded as desperate as I felt. “They can track you by scent. And there are even more people looking for you tonight. If you go out without me at your side, you might as well paint a big target on your back. ”