Howl by Annalise Grey Page A

positives could negate that.
    “It’s not like that Jaime. I’m bound by their
rules and you know that.”
    “You keep talking about these rules but you
are more than willing to secretly break them. How much longer do I
have to wait until you can be mine completely, out in the open?
Maybe if I talked to Thomas…”
    “No!” I blurted out a little too loudly,
frustration seeping into my voice. “I’ll…think of something. Just
give me a little more time. Please?”
    “How much time? A few weeks? A few more
months? At some point I will want a real future, not just ‘maybes’.
I want a girlfriend I can move in with and possibly build a life
with; you know, buy a house and have a family.”
    I swept a hand through my hair and nearly
growled. Something in my face must have told him he’d gone too far.
Jaime sighed. “Look, I’m sorry. This is harder for you than it is
for me and I’m making it worse. I’ll give you some more time.”
    “Thank you.” I muttered bitterly. I couldn’t
keep this up forever. Something would have to give or I would break
apart.
    Making my way for home through the moonless
night, I traveled slowly and deliberately through a section of
forest that circles up and around my house so as to avoid my scent
trail leading directly to and from the research center. Lost in
thought I stepped over dried up branches and newly turning leaves.
The scent of fall carried throughout the forest. Summer, with its
warmth and promise of brightness, was quickly ending. Cool weather
was stealing in and soon everything around me would be barren, the
glorious leaves and fragrant flowers of fine weather laid waste.
.
    As I walked, I heard a rustle from a few
hundred feet to my left. I stopped mid-step and my ears twitched as
I listened for movement. My nostrils took in the scents around me.
Nothing out of the ordinary at first. Then a familiar scent caught
on the breeze and I turned.
    “What’s a beauty like you doing lurking in
the shadows?” Daniel’s voice was pleasant as he approached me but
his jaw was hard set.
    My mind scrambled back and forth between
excusing my presence at such a late hour and wondering what he was
doing out as well. We had both been caught in dark of morning,
wandering at a time when both should not be out. Awkwardly, he
fiddled with a few silken strands of ponytail while we studied one
another.
    “Couldn’t sleep.” I stuttered slightly.
“You?”
    His eyes swept to mine. “Couldn’t sleep.” He
repeated, clearly not buying my lie but nowhere close to calling me
on it. Burning curiosity crept into my mind but sense kept it in
check.
    I bounced on my heels while he uncomfortably
turned away then back again. “Are you heading back?”
    “Uh, yeah. I mean, I was just heading back
when I heard you.”
    He grinned at me, regaining his slightly
cocky manner. “Walk with me?”
    I nodded and together we made our way through
the thick of night, each as unwilling to speak of our reasons for
sneaking out as the other.
    The morning and afternoon passed without
another word from Daniel, though several times I could have sworn
he was watching me. The sensation of being watched crept over me
but when I would glance up, his face was turned away or he appeared
to be engrossed in conversation with a member of my family.
    *
    “So you were out late last night.” Mom gave
me a sideways glance at dinner that evening.
    My heart pumped wildly as my eyes jerked up
to meet hers.
    “I apologize, Sabina. That was my fault.”
Daniel cut in before chugging his glass of water. “I couldn't fall
asleep so I came downstairs and found Sophie reading on the couch.
I asked if she wanted to go for a walk with me.”
    My shock at his lie had to be clear as day on
my face yet no one seemed to notice. Instead, my mom beamed at
Daniel from across the table. “Oh, well that's fine. I bet it was a
nice night for a walk.”
    “Indeed.” He nodded gaily and went back to
his soup.
    *
    Over the next few