Page 38 of The Crimson Wolf
Cameron chuckles. “Yeah. Even though I was a little kid, I remember it being quite a big deal in the pack. I thought it was cool, though. It was like a real-life Romeo and Juliet situation.”
“You know about Romeo and Juliet?”
He stops and glares at me. “I didn’t grow up under a rock. I went to public school for fucks-sake!”
“Okay, okay, geez. Sorry, I don’t know everything about werewolves.”
“It’s just that you knownothing.”
My cheeks heat. “Well, forgive me for having my parentsmurderedby werewolves when I was five years old. How the hell do you expect me to learn anything?”
He stops walking, his eyes softening as he studies me. “That’s really what you think happened?”
I stop next to him. “Well, I used to think they died from a regular murder, but yeah, apparently, the reality is monsters murdered them.”
He grabs my arm, electricity shoots through me, and I try to pull away. He doesn’t let go. “Red, that isn’t true. Werewolves didn’t kill your parents. You need…”
“How can I trust you?” I yell, finally regaining ownership of my arm. “You were just a kid when they died. How could you know for sure? Besides, you have me trapped in your house as a prisoner. Why on earth would I believe anything you say?” I turn, picking up my feet to charge away from him. Trying to escape now is useless, but I must move my body. I need to create distance between us so I don’t implode.
I only make it a whopping three steps away before Cameron pulls me against him. I’m pissed now, and I kick at his ankles and claw at his arms.
“Fuck,” he mutters as he lifts me off the ground.
I continue my attack until Cameron trips, falling and bringing me with him. I squirm under his large body as he lifts himself up on his forearms. “Let me go!” I yell, now facing him.
He looks down at me, his expression completely calm as he shakes his head. I continue hitting his chest until he grabs my wrists in one swoop and brings them over my head. “Another step, and you would have been dead!”
“Just kill me already if you’re going to keep threatening me.”
His grip tightens, and a surge of energy flows through me. I push against his grasp, enough to break my hands free. His expression morphs into shock, and I can’t tellif he’s fucking with me or if I really just overpowered a werewolf on the brink of transforming.
“You were about to step on a rattlesnake,” he yells before I have a chance to push him off me.
“What?” I ask, straining my neck to look behind my head. Sure enough, only a few paces away from where we lay, a brown snake coils in the center of the path, his tail rattling and his head perched, ready to strike.
“Oh,” I say meekly, finally returning my eyes to him.
He sighs and shakes his head but doesn’t move. My body relaxes, and I rest my hands against his biceps, not realizing it until my skin meets his. I gasp, feeling that same energy I felt moments before. This time, though, it’s not clouded by adrenaline. It’s as if I’ve been electrocuted but can’t pull away from the source. My mind rushes with impossible thoughts. I could move mountains. I could defeat armies, but I don't want to move a muscle. All I want to do is revel in this feeling, to increase it—bring the sensation to every inch of my body.
Cameron’s eyes lock on mine, and I can read everything behind them. He feels whatever I’m feeling, too. Fire dances behind his amber eyes, and it’s like they’re pulling me in—calling me to be consumed by the flames. I head to his siren song. My body slackens, but my grip grows tighter, pulling him into me.
He lowers his face, his lips just millimeters above mine. His hot breath fans my skin. His scent cocoons me, and it brings me near tears. I can’t pull away. I might die if I do.
A bang bellows behind me, and it’s as if a cold bucket of water drops on my head. I’m snapped out of whatever weird werewolf magic trick Cameron tried to pull on me. I push him away, startling him and making it possible to escape his embrace and stand to my feet. I search in the distance, looking for the source of the sound.
“It was just a branch,” Cameron says cooly, getting to his feet and dusting himself off.
“How do you know?” I ask, holding my arms over my chest and unable to stop fidgeting.
“I know every sound in these woods. Especially now, with my senses heightened.” He points to his ears, larger and furrier than before we started this walk.
“Oh.”
An awkward moment of silence passes between us. I stare at the ground, just praying that a bear charges through the woods and swallows me whole.
Cameron clears his throat. “Well, we should probably head back. It’s about to get dark.”
I nod and begin walking in the direction we came.
