Ethan:A few friends from my pack are throwing a Halloween party tomorrow night up near Sunset beach, be my date?
A kaleidoscope of butterflies flutter their wings in my stomach. I’m glad he can’t see my face right now as I grin like the Cheshire Cat.
Me:Sure. Let me know where to be.
Once I’m up and dressed, I head into town to see about getting some small souvenirs to take back to my family. I don’t have much luck, but I do manage to find a set of handmade earrings that Niamh will love.
It’s raining so I end up spending most of my day sitting in a cafe and watching the world go by.
I avoided going down to the beach all day because I didn’t want Ethan to think I was obsessed with him. However, it’s late now, and I’m fairly certain he’ll be gone for the day.
The beach is deserted when I get there. All the lights are off in Ethan’s surf shop, so he must have gone home for the night. It’s finally stopped raining, and the sky has cleared of clouds. The moon glows, a beacon to the stars, the light reflecting off the water like a shimmering silver blanket.
Taking a seat on a large rock, I pull out Mum’s diary.
Dear future Cara
I went down to the beach tonight after Siobhan had gone to bed. There was nobody around, so I shifted and took a walk along the shore.
My paw prints left indents in the sand, but the water will have already washed them away. That’s okay, though. Just because you can’t see them anymore doesn’t change the fact they were there in the first place.
Oregon has been my favourite place we’ve visited so far. Maybe because in some ways it’s the place that most resembles Ireland and it makes me feel a little less homesick.
A guy in his late twenties took me and Siobhan out for surf lessons the other day. We had so much fun. At one point,Siobhan freaked out and started squealing because she thought an eel had touched her foot. I laughed so hard I peed a little. So, apologies to whoever hires that wetsuit after me.
We’ll be home in a few weeks, and as much as I’ve enjoyed this trip, I’m ready to start my new life—ready to begin this next chapter.
I’m also ready to*rest of the line is scribbled out with a line pointing to it and a note that reads ‘Redacted for your own good - Da.’*
From past Cara x
I laugh and cringe at the last part like I always do. Tucking the diary into my rucksack, I strip off and stuff my clothes into it as well. Shifting quickly since it’s cold, I pick up the bag with my mouth and hide it behind some rocks.
I pad on all fours along the deserted beach, staring at where my paws leave indents in the sand. My mind conjures up images of a second set of paw prints next to mine. And I remind myself of what Mum said: just because the sea washes them away, doesn’t change the fact that both our paw prints were here in the sand. As real as if they were fossilised in clay.
Chapter Seven
Sunset Beach, OR
My head whips around when Ethan’s orange-blossom scent wafts towards me, and a moment later, he appears from behind a copse of trees. His wolf form is considerably smaller than mine. Lithe, though. I bet he’s fast. I can’t help but admire his snowy white fur, with a few light grey patches on his chest and paws. He’s as beautiful in his wolf form as he is surfing the waves.
Even now, his eyes sparkle with that mischievous glint that acknowledges my staring for longer than a passing look. But I’m pretty sure that’s okay now since I had his tongue in my mouth the other night.
Ethan nods his head in a ‘follow me’ gesture before picking up his bag with his mouth and running deeper into the woods. I follow suit and catch up to him quickly. He weaves in and out of the trees with a familiarity and grace that’s hotter than it should be.
Several miles later, Ethan begins to direct us closer to the coast again, and we eventually slow down. Once the scent of the ocean is strong, we come to a stop, and Ethan shifts back. I catchglimpses of his beautiful suntanned skin but force myself to turn away. I shift back and quickly shove on the clothes I’d packed in my bag for the party. With limited options for a Halloween costume, I’m wearing a pair of black jeans, a plain black t-shirt and a Ghostface mask—to most likely carry around since it hinders talking and drinking.
When I turn around, I burst out laughing. Ethan is also in head-to-toe black, the exception being a cloak with an inner red lining. He grins broadly at me after stuffing some plastic vampire teeth in his mouth.
“Oh, one sec,” he says, although the vampire teeth cause him to speak with a bit of a lisp. “There,” he adds, having squirted some fake blood to drip down his chin.
“Very scary,” I reply.
“Shit, I should have kissed you first; now my mouth is all red with too many teeth,” Ethan garbles.
I step towards him and dip my head like I’m going to kiss him, but at the last second, I tilt his chin to the side and press a soft kiss over the pulse point of his neck.
“I thought I was the vampire!”
