out the front door and into the night, his howl echoing through the snowy darkness.
“Damn it all to hell!” Everett turned and pointed an angry finger at Jane. “I'll deal with you later. Avery, keep an eye on her.” He ran outside, slamming the door behind him.
Chapter Eight
Avery released a deep breath and sat heavily on the couch. Jane watched him cautiously. Since he and Caleb were twins, whatever Caleb was more than likely he was too.
A werewolf.
She shuddered. It was one thing to have dreams about men who were wolves or wolves who were men, but this was reality. Werewolves and vampires didn't exist in real life. But she also couldn’t deny what she'd seen with her own eyes. However, as much as she was shocked by what had just happened with Caleb, she also wasn’t overly surprised. And she wasn’t as frightened as she suspected she should be.
Avery, who was staring morosely at the floor, raised his head and looked at her. His hazel eyes glowed in the fire's light and, for a moment, they didn't look entirely human.
“Aren't you cold?” he asked.
Jane blinked. She’d been so shocked by Caleb’s transformation, she’d forgotten she was nude. She was hesitant, however, to make any sudden moves around Avery.
“I promise. I won't bite.” Then he smiled as if he’d made some kind of joke. “If you want, I'll turn around.”
He rose from the couch and turned his back. Jane quickly put back on her clothes. Avery sat down when she was done. She joined him on the couch, but she sat at the far end. If he noticed the distance she was keeping between them, his expression didn’t reveal anything of what he thought about it.
“Well? What are you thinking?” he asked.
“Are you like Caleb?”
He nodded. “And so is Everett.”
“And that's the secret you've been keeping from me?” She laughed nervously. “And here I was thinking the three of you were drug dealers or terrorists when you’re actually werewolves.”
“How do you know we're not drug dealers? We could be drug-dealing werewolves.”
Jane was about to answer, but then she saw the teasing light in his eyes. But darkness soon replaced that light. “Being what we are is terrible enough without adding criminal activities to the mix, don’t you think?”
“But how…why...?”
She stopped. She didn’t know where to begin with her questions. She was still struggling with the knowledge that there were men who could turn into wolves and that one of them had done so right before her very eyes.
Avery rubbed the side of his face. “I'm not sure where to begin. Everett said we were supposed to keep you in the dark about what we are. But that was before…” He stopped, more than likely recalling the scene he’d walked into. “It can't do any harm now to tell you everything.”
“Were you born like this?”
He nodded. “Our parents were shifters. That's what we call ourselves. We're all members of the same Clan.”
“Clan?”
“What you would think of as a wolf pack we call Clans. Not necessarily related by blood but part of a group led by the alpha.”
“And Everett’s your alpha?”
Avery nodded. “We’re all that's left.”
“Where are the others?”
“Gone. Dead. Most were shot.”
“Shot?”
“In wolf form. After the ban was lifted against killing wolves in this state, a lot of us were killed off that way.”
“Why didn’t you leave?”
Avery looked surprised. As if she’d asked him to cut off his hand. “Leave? Why? This is our home.”
“So the three of you are all that’s left?”
He nodded. “Naomi was the last female.”
“Naomi?”
“She was killed last year. We never found her body. Just blood.” Pain flashed across his face. “I imagine some hunter’s got her pelt hanging somewhere in his lodge.”
“Her pelt? But didn’t she turn back human?”
A sad smile curved his lips. “That’s only in the movies. When we die we r in whatever form we were at the time of death.”
So
“Damn it all to hell!” Everett turned and pointed an angry finger at Jane. “I'll deal with you later. Avery, keep an eye on her.” He ran outside, slamming the door behind him.
Chapter Eight
Avery released a deep breath and sat heavily on the couch. Jane watched him cautiously. Since he and Caleb were twins, whatever Caleb was more than likely he was too.
A werewolf.
She shuddered. It was one thing to have dreams about men who were wolves or wolves who were men, but this was reality. Werewolves and vampires didn't exist in real life. But she also couldn’t deny what she'd seen with her own eyes. However, as much as she was shocked by what had just happened with Caleb, she also wasn’t overly surprised. And she wasn’t as frightened as she suspected she should be.
Avery, who was staring morosely at the floor, raised his head and looked at her. His hazel eyes glowed in the fire's light and, for a moment, they didn't look entirely human.
“Aren't you cold?” he asked.
Jane blinked. She’d been so shocked by Caleb’s transformation, she’d forgotten she was nude. She was hesitant, however, to make any sudden moves around Avery.
“I promise. I won't bite.” Then he smiled as if he’d made some kind of joke. “If you want, I'll turn around.”
He rose from the couch and turned his back. Jane quickly put back on her clothes. Avery sat down when she was done. She joined him on the couch, but she sat at the far end. If he noticed the distance she was keeping between them, his expression didn’t reveal anything of what he thought about it.
“Well? What are you thinking?” he asked.
“Are you like Caleb?”
He nodded. “And so is Everett.”
“And that's the secret you've been keeping from me?” She laughed nervously. “And here I was thinking the three of you were drug dealers or terrorists when you’re actually werewolves.”
“How do you know we're not drug dealers? We could be drug-dealing werewolves.”
Jane was about to answer, but then she saw the teasing light in his eyes. But darkness soon replaced that light. “Being what we are is terrible enough without adding criminal activities to the mix, don’t you think?”
“But how…why...?”
She stopped. She didn’t know where to begin with her questions. She was still struggling with the knowledge that there were men who could turn into wolves and that one of them had done so right before her very eyes.
Avery rubbed the side of his face. “I'm not sure where to begin. Everett said we were supposed to keep you in the dark about what we are. But that was before…” He stopped, more than likely recalling the scene he’d walked into. “It can't do any harm now to tell you everything.”
“Were you born like this?”
He nodded. “Our parents were shifters. That's what we call ourselves. We're all members of the same Clan.”
“Clan?”
“What you would think of as a wolf pack we call Clans. Not necessarily related by blood but part of a group led by the alpha.”
“And Everett’s your alpha?”
Avery nodded. “We’re all that's left.”
“Where are the others?”
“Gone. Dead. Most were shot.”
“Shot?”
“In wolf form. After the ban was lifted against killing wolves in this state, a lot of us were killed off that way.”
“Why didn’t you leave?”
Avery looked surprised. As if she’d asked him to cut off his hand. “Leave? Why? This is our home.”
“So the three of you are all that’s left?”
He nodded. “Naomi was the last female.”
“Naomi?”
“She was killed last year. We never found her body. Just blood.” Pain flashed across his face. “I imagine some hunter’s got her pelt hanging somewhere in his lodge.”
“Her pelt? But didn’t she turn back human?”
A sad smile curved his lips. “That’s only in the movies. When we die we r in whatever form we were at the time of death.”
So
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