The last twenty-four hours had been such an intense roller coaster. Being with him last night, seeing him at the bake sale and feeling those butterflies in moments just being around him. She’d spent the majority of her shift checking the door just in case he showed up at the bar. And then…Aaron. He’d harassed her, and then she’d come out to the parking lot to find her headlights broken out, and had to walk home. She’d called Tawk a few times but he hadn’t answered, and still, she’d looked forward to seeing him.
And now…now…now she understood what he was.
That stuff with Jess…whatever it was she was saying about illusions, was confusing and terrifying.
She’d been mistaken this whole time. Tammy did not really understand the shifter world.
Her gown for the graduation ceremony in the morning lay draped across one of the dining chairs across the room from her. It was black, and shiny. The cap sat ready on the dining table.
Tonight, she’d had a half-Changed dragon shield her from some heat that had blistered her skin that hadn’t really existed. Even now, her skin was clear and felt fine. That wasn’t normal. None of this was normal.
She had a path, and she owed it to herself to stick to that path, not let a man take her off it with his mess.
She was in way too deep, way too fast.
Tammy stood, feeling a hundred years old, her body aching from something she didn’t understand. Maybe it was whatever magic Jess had used on Tawk. She still didn’t understand. How could she? Jess had been there talking to Tawk, and then poof—nothing. She’d disappeared. She could do that. A witch could talk to them and then disappear, and she hadn’t known that. She was closest to Harley, but she and Jess had hung out a handful of times, and she’d always just thought she was normal and nice.
Nothing was as it had seemed.
Tammy shut her mind off and went through her routine of getting ready for bed. She was going to have to wake up early and walk to work to retrieve her truck. She wouldn’t need the headlights in the daytime and needed it to get to her graduation ceremony. She opened her phone to set her alarm and noticed a text message from her mom.
We will be there bright and early! We flew in last night so we could make it.
Tears prickled her eyes again as she messaged her back.I’m so happy you’re able to make it. I can’t wait to see you. I’ve missed you.Send.
Yes, it was much more emotional than she usually was with her mom, but she was feeling everything tonight.
There was a message from Aaron too.I know I was pushy tonight but you have to understand I just really need to talk and get some things worked out. I think if you just let me in and let me touch you again, we could get back on track. I need to touch you. You’ve forgotten how good we were together. You’re being too stubborn. I’m spinning out without you and it’s not fair, Tam. How you’re treating me isn’t fair.
What the hell was confusing about the word, “No,” to some men?
A flash of anger took her, and she connected a call to him. She wanted to hear his voice when she asked him.
“Hey,” he answered immediately.
“Did you bust out my headlights tonight?”
The pause said more than his lying-fucking-words. He cleared his throat and recited, “I would never do that.” He sounded utterly unsurprised. There was nothing protective in his voice. If he loved her like he kept preaching, he would’ve been angry on her behalf. He would’ve been pissed and trying to figure out who had done that. He would be asking where shewas, and if she was okay, but he did none of that. He just said, “I would never do that.”
Liar.
She gripped the phone tighter in her hand. “I’m blocking you. Don’t show up at my work anymore. I’m being absolutely clear with you and what I want. It’ll never happen, Aaron. I will never want you back. Leave me alone.”
She hung up and blocked him as fast as she could, before he could message her back.
Another sob dragged at her, but it wasn’t from being sad about closure with Aaron. It was an accumulation of a lot of things—happiness that her parents would be at her graduation ceremony tomorrow, heartache over knowing she needed to stay away from Tawk, confusion over what she’d just been through, uncertainty of the unknown that would find her after graduation tomorrow. Truck problems, a rough night financially at work, Aaron being in town making her uncomfortable…realizing her friends were something she didn’t understand fully.
A soft knock wrapped at the front door.
Tammy tugged at her oversized T-shirt as she padded down the hall to the living room. Her hair was down and messy, and she didn’t have pants on under the shirt, so she checked the peephole first to make sure it wasn’t the neighbor or something before she answered.
Tawk stood a few feet off of the porch, hands clasped behind his back, staring at something on the ground.
Tammy pressed her palms against the cold surface of the door and stared at the wood grain there, thoughts racing.
She hesitated just a few seconds more before she pulled the door open.
Tawk was enormous right now. He’d grown a foot, at least, and looked wide as a house. He’d put jeans on, but no shirt, andhe didn’t wear any shoes. Even his feet looked enormous. His eyes were glowing red, and his cheekbones were too sharp.
