Blood Bond (7 page)

“How did you guys meet, anyway?” Cambria
asked, coming up beside me.

“Derek and Cord met in foster care,” Wes
explained. “They lived with the same family for about eight months
or so. Then Derek was sent back to the orphanage and met Bailey. He
kept in touch with Cord and the three of them became peas in a
pod.”

“How’d they end up here?”

“Bailey got into a fight in school and
almost shifted. Foster care isn’t a great place to grow up, anyway,
and Cord found out about The Cause and Jack and Fee living here, so
they showed up one day a few years ago and never left.

“Bailey was pretty quiet and shy when Cord
first started bringing him around. He’s opened up a lot now, become
pretty independent, but I think he looks up to Cord like a mother.
And she’s just as protective of him as a mom would be, so it
fits.”

Cambria lifted a brow. “I have a hard time
picturing Cord protecting anything but herself.”

“Cord’s not all bad. You have to let her
warm up to you,” Wes said.

“Right. Warm up to me.” I shook my head.
“That would be like melting the polar ice cap with a space
heater.”

Wes laughed. In a lightning move, he grabbed
me again and yanked me under. I came up clinging to what I thought
was his ankle. It wasn’t.

“Ow, what the …?” Cambria yanked free and
glared at me. I splashed her and Wes in one move.

Our scuffle spilled over into Derek and
Bailey’s war with Cord and soon it was a blur of splashing and
shrieks.

Wes and I ended up near the far bank. My
ribs ached from laughing. My chest heaved with the effort of
breathing and swimming and defending myself from his attempts to
dunk me.

“Give up,” I said, ducking out from under
his hold and twisting his arm behind his back.

“Never.” He whirled, freeing his arm and
pulling me against him. I stared at his bare chest, dripping and
smooth, against my wet shirt. The playfulness vanished.

Behind me, I could hear the splashing and
yells from the rest of the group as each one tried dunking the
other, but it sounded faint. I couldn’t focus on any of it.
Something about the way Wes stared down at me made me tremble.

“I missed you,” he said in a low voice. I
shivered, though not from cold. I wanted to press harder against
his chest, wrap my arms around his neck. I tightened my grip on his
arms, waiting for him to read it in my head so I wouldn’t have to
say it out loud.

“Let’s take a walk.” His voice was
hoarse.

I let him pull me up the bank. No one seemed
to notice our exit. The sounds of splashing water and squealing
laughter faded as the trees closed in around us. When we were out
of sight, Wes spun and encircled me with his arms. Despite the
droplets that clung to him, his skin warmed my fingertips as I ran
my hands up his shoulders and around his neck. He pulled me tight
against him and lowered his head so our foreheads touched.

“Is this how you pictured it?” he
whispered.

“Almost. You’re not kissing me yet,” I
whispered back.

“Fixing that in 3 . . . 2 . . . 1.”

His kiss was gentle at first, but I pressed
back, wanting more. The pull I often felt when he was near urged me
on, not that I needed any extra push. My hands tangled in his hair.
More. I needed more. He pulled me hard enough against him that my
feet left the ground, and then he kissed me back just as hard, just
as desperately.

We broke apart, gasping for air. Wes’s eyes
were wide. “Where did that come from?”

“I don’t know.” My face heated as I realized
what sort of mental images he’d picked out of my head. “Sorry.”

He shook his head. “Don’t apologize. Is it—?
Um, I mean, do you always think like that about me?”

I didn’t know whether to laugh or be
thoroughly mortified. “No,” I said. “Well, maybe. Not usually so,
uh, vivid, I guess.” I shrugged, trying to brush it off. “I’ve
missed you.”

A smile played at the corners of his mouth.
“I missed you too, but if it’s like that, maybe I should go away
more often.”

I swatted him, but not before his comment
incited another mental image. One that involved very little
clothing. The backdrop distinctly resembled our current location.
“I don’t know about this mind-reading thing,” I grumbled.

He laughed. “Fine, let’s talk about
something else. How was school?”

I hesitated, unsure whether he meant actual
school or something more, like a certain trainer he wasn’t fond
of.

“I just mean school.”

“I passed my classes,” I said. “For now. No
small thing considering some of the last-minute papers and quizzes
Professor Hugo had me do. That guy has it out for me, I think.”

“And Alex?” he asked. He turned to face me,
looking guilty. “I’m sorry, but I picked up on something when you
thought of him. You seem worried about him. Is everything
okay?”

I eyed him, brows raised. “You don’t care
about him enough to want to know.”

“You’re right, I don’t care about him, but I
care about you, and if something bothers you, I want to know about
it.”

I sighed. Wes was the last person I wanted
to vent to about this, but I needed to talk about it. And he would
understand at least most of my reasons for worrying. “Alex got
accepted for one of the special teams they’ve assigned to hunt the
hybrids.”

Wes didn’t answer right away. I imagined he
was reading all of the worried emotion that was bouncing around
inside me right now. Images I’d concocted of Alex killing
hybrids—some of them with familiar faces—along with images of the
hybrids attacking and hurting him in return.

“Did you think he would do anything else?”
he asked quietly.

My temper flared, but then I realized he was
right. “I guess not. He’s a Hunter and he hates Werewolves more
than anyone I’ve ever met, but—” I broke off, not wanting to voice
the last part.

“But you thought he’d be different after
getting to know you,” he finished.

I scowled. Stupid mind-reading thing.
“Something like that.” The ache that had lodged in my chest since
the night of the dance, a pain that had eased since seeing Wes,
flared up again, leaving a small hole in my heart. It happened so
fast, I couldn’t bury it. Wes’s expression remained neutral, but I
knew he’d sensed the truth: I missed Alex.

“I think you’re wrong about one thing,
though,” he said quietly. “He’s different for having met you.”

My heart leaped into my throat before I
could stop it. “You read that? In his mind?”

“I didn’t have to. No one who’s ever gotten
to know you is the same person afterward. I know I’m not. My entire
life changed when I met you, and not because you’re a dirty blood.
It’s because of who you are inside. It’s because you’re amazing,
and surprising, and you challenge me every day. In a good way,” he
added, seeing my expression. “You’re strong, and fun, and
unpredictable, and I’m sure he thinks the same. How could he
not?”

The worry still lingered, of how Alex’s
choice would alter our friendship, but I pushed it to the back of
my thoughts and concentrated on the moment. “Thank you,” I said.
“You’re not so bad yourself.”

A smile spread slowly across his face as his
mouth dipped lower to mine. Our lips met and the earlier fire
reignited. The fire burned brighter and hotter than before. I had
to restrain myself from pulling him down to the ground right where
we stood. He shivered as I brushed my fingers over his ribs, which
only made me hungrier. A sound erupted from deep in my throat. I
didn’t recognize it as my voice until Wes pulled away and stared at
me.

“What was that?” he asked.

“Um …” Now that the steamy haze had cleared,
I had a pretty good idea, though I couldn’t bring myself to admit
it.

He leaned down and sniffed my hair, then
pulled back abruptly. “You smell like wolf,” he hissed. He looked
around, as if expecting to see someone lurking, and then bent
closer. “Has it happened again? You said you would tell me if it
happened again.”

His hands were like a vise around my
shoulders. I set my jaw. Deliberately, I conjured images of us
kissing, arms wrapped around each other.

“Don’t try to change the subject.”

Under other circumstances, I would’ve
laughed at that. Instead, I rubbed my hands over my face. “It
hasn’t happened again,” I assured him. “Not completely. There was
an incident coming home from school, but it was nothing.”

“What sort of ‘incident’?” I let my mind
replay the images of what happened at the gas station. It was
easier than trying to explain it with words. “Geez, Tara, it almost
happened,” he said when I’d finished.

“But it didn’t.” I crossed my arms. “I’m not
even convinced it happened the first time.” Okay, that was a
lie.

He glared at me. “I saw it, Tara. You were a
wolf. Or, sort of a wolf. You were this in-between thing, like your
body didn’t know how to get there all the way, but you were
definitely trying to shift when you killed those hybrids.”

“I wish I remembered.” I stepped away,
needing some distance to clear my head. I hated thinking about the
killing I’d done, even if I didn’t remember it. And I hated not
being in control of whatever was happening to me.

“I think you should talk to Fee about it,
see if she can help you.”

“Help stop it, you mean?” I shook my head.
“If it’s true, and I really am shifting, there’s nothing that will
stop it. And I’m not going to take one of her concoctions to slow
it. Look at what it’s doing to George.”

“George’s case is different. You have
Werewolf blood in you already, though I didn’t think it meant you’d
ever shift. It’s not like there’s a precedent.”

“It’s not so different,” I shot back. “He’s
becoming a monster. I already am one.”

“
Tara, you are not a
monster. You were protecting me. You can’t blame yourself. Besides,
those things are dangerous.”

“They could’ve been saved. We didn’t even
give them a chance.”

“They had no humanity in them. They were
trying to kill us.”

“What about the rest of them? The ones who
still have their humanity? They deserve a chance to choose a
side.”

He used his finger to squeeze the bridge of
his nose. “We have to find them first. So far, it looks like they
don’t want to be found.”

“Why does it seem like you’re arguing with
me?”

“I’m not arguing with you, I’m pointing out
the facts.”

“Yeah, but everything I say, you’re telling
me why it won’t work, or it’s a bad idea, or I shouldn’t think that
way.”

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
It was a gesture he only used when he was stressed. “Tara, like it
or not, I’ve got a responsibility here now. Even with Jack on the
mend, I’m still in a place of power within The Cause. I’m still
partly in charge. I can’t just go traipsing all over the place
looking for something that doesn’t want to be found. I’ve got
people here who are counting on me.”

“Like me,” I said quietly. “I was counting
on you to see it from my side. Was I wrong?”

“No, you’re not wrong.” He stepped toward
me. I stepped back. I didn’t want to make it worse, but if I let
him touch me, I’d give in, let it go. And this was too important to
let go of.

“The council is searching to kill them,” I
said. “No questions asked, no chance for forgiveness or even
justice. They don’t deserve that. No one deserves that. We’re the
only ones who can help them. I thought you of all people would
understand what it means to be an outcast just because of what’s in
your DNA.”

Wes blinked. I’d hit low. He swallowed,
waiting a beat before answering. Silently, I asked him not to be
mad, to understand how strongly I believed in this. How helpless I
felt—about everything.

“I get it,” he said finally. His voice held
more defeat than anger. “But Jack says we can’t keep searching
blindly. We need a solid lead.”

I nodded, knowing that was the best I’d get,
and it would have to be enough. For now, it was, if it meant I had
him here with me. There was still George to deal with. “So we’ll
get a lead.”

He stepped closer again. This time I let him
come. His arms pulled me to him. I stood with my cheek pressed
against his chest, my thoughts tangled together before settling on
George again.

“We’ll figure something out,” Wes said,
picking up on it.

“Like what? Fee’s already said she can’t
hold off the change forever.” I was dangerously close to tears.
Even though they were mainly out of frustration, I still refused to
let them fall.

“Then we’ll find a cure.”

“For being a Werewolf? There’s no cure for
that.”

“For being a monster. There’s got to be a
way to help him retain … himself when the change comes.”

“I keep thinking about what Miles said,
about giving him my blood. It might be the only way.”

“No, Tara.” He pulled away, far enough to
look down at me. “You can’t trust Miles. He was a liar, a con
artist. It’s too dangerous unless we know the true side
effects.”

“I know. I wanted to find that Astor guy he
mentioned. Grandma said he’s crazy. Some sort of mad scientist and
I should stay away. She wouldn’t say much else about him.”

“Hmm.” Wes frowned, his gaze far away. “I
can ask Jack about him and see what I can find out.” He paused and
then added, “I’m on your side, you know. I can tell you think I’m
being bossy or ‘by the book’ or whatever, but I want you to know
that first and always, I am on your side.”

“What about your responsibility? To Jack and
the rest of them?”

“You come first,” he said, his tone firm and
final. “No more secrets, remember?”

“I remember.”

“Good. I’ll talk to Jack, see if I can get
any more information.” He caught my chin between his fingers and
thumb. The intensity of his gaze, the emotion behind it, caught me
off guard. “We’ll do this together, deal?”