He laughs. Crazy shifter actually laughs. I'm on the verge of punching him. “I was right about you the first day I met you. You have a lot of bite. That will come in handy when dealing with a pack of wolves.”

“Who says I want to deal with a pack? I have you and that's plenty of wolf for me right now. Oh, and by the way, I've decided to call you Rion and your wolf Orion. Helps me keep you two straight.” I like the idea of him and his wolf called different things.

“You do know it's the same name, right?”

“One's a nickname. No need to be a jerk.” He laughs. Again. Yup, I'm going to slug him.

“Calm down, little mouse. I love riling you up.”

“Keep it up and see what happens.” I cross my arms.

Rion pulls my hand away from my body and then reaches for the other. He shakes them gently. “Loosen up. No matter what you say or do, I don't think I could ever be angry at you. Picking a fight with me won't do any good. I'll still want to be with you.”

“The week isn't over yet.” You never know what I might do to screw things up. I haven’t been single this long on purpose.

He chuckles. “Your attitude is one of my favorite features.”

“That's good because it's not going anywhere.” I have to admit it is fun arguing with him. Not arguing, per se. I'm the only one arguing. He's laughing at me, which is making me angrier. I'm essentially arguing with myself.

“Can I walk you to the door?”

I shrug. “Sure.”

We both exit the car. Taking my hand in his, Rion walks with me to the front of my house. The outside light above the front door is on, as is the motion light over the garage. The rest of the house is dark.

“Your parents couldn't have been too worried about you if they've gone to bed.”

“They could be up watching television.”

“Wolves have exceptional hearing. If there were any noises in your house, I'd hear it, especially with the open windows.”

I peer up at him. All of my anger receding. “Are you always so observant?”

“Where you're concerned? Yes. I told you I’d protect you.” I could see how his protectiveness would come through as possessiveness. Nothing about this feels possessive, however. If anything, I feel like I’m the one driving everything. He isn’t rushing me.

“What now?” I ask.

“What do you mean? We're having dinner tomorrow night with Lealla.”

“No, I mean between us. What are we? And don't say mates. I'm not ready for that yet. We haven't mated or anything.” My cheeks heat from the steamy scenes in Lealla's books as they rush to the forefront of my mind. The very adult, mating scenes. Considering I'm new to all of this, I have zero experience being with a guy. Oh, no. Will she want to write about my first time with Rion? In detail? I can’t deal with that. I'm going to have to set some boundaries with her tomorrow.

He smiles that dazzling, dimpled smile of his. The one that touches me with his eyes and makes my knees weak. The one he's been hitting me with all night. I'm sure he knows the effect it has on me. “We can be boyfriend and girlfriend, unless that's moving too fast.” He steps closer. There's barely two inches separating us. “I want you. I don't care about titles or what anyone else thinks. All I ask is that you give us a chance and don't date anyone else.”

“I can do that. Boyfriend and girlfriend sounds good. It will also keep all the women off of you.”

“Rest assured, there is no one out there who could come close to comparing to you.” Yeah, right. I don’t say that, of course.

“Good,” I reply.

His eyes flash to green then return to blue a second later.

“I love when your eyes do that.”

“I find I need to control myself a lot around you. There are many instincts trying to come to the forefront that I have to keep pushing back.”

“Such as?” I ask, leaning closer so my hands are on his chest, our lips almost touching.

“I want to kiss you…all the time. I want to tell the world you’re mine. My wolf wants to lie beside your bed to watch over you as you sleep. He wants the peace of mind of knowing you'll be safe. He wants...”

“What?” I ask in a breathy whisper.

“His mate.”

He closes the distance between us and kisses me ever so lightly. My lips tingle at the contact. Standing on my tiptoes, I press closer, leaving no air between us. Sparks light my veins. I immediately part my lips to deepen our kiss. Rion doesn't hesitate. He takes what I'm offering as his arms come around my back to hold me to him.

It's when we kiss that I picture kissing only him for the rest of my life, and that scares me. I've never fallen in love. Never given my heart to another. I knew, once I did, I’d be opening myself up to heartbreak. From the books I read, to the girls I see in high school, I want nothing to do with mending back the pieces a guy can rip apart. But there's something about Rion that tells me I don't have to worry. That he would take whatever I give him and cherish it.

His hands remain at my back, not roaming over other parts of my body. For being nineteen, he's a gentleman. I'm close to climbing him like a tree. He’s all hard planes, and my hands seem to have a mind of their own as they rove beneath his shirt. His body vibrates with a deep rumble as I explore every muscular ridge of his stomach, lightly raking my nails over his skin. It only makes me want to do it more.

Pulling away, he breaks our connection before I have a chance to explore his back. I also haven't missed the way he fills out a pair of jeans from behind.

He rests his forehead on mine. “You could tempt a saint with those lips of yours.”

“I don't want to tempt anyone but you.”

His eyes flash green as he growls again. I'm starting to love that sound.

“Can I see him again tomorrow? Your wolf?” I loved spending time with him in the woods.

“Of course.” He lets out a long breath. “You need rest, and I don't want to be the reason you break curfew.” He kisses me again—a quick peck on my lips. “I'll pick you up tomorrow for dinner. Until then, behave, little mouse.”

I scoff. “I always behave.”

“That was before you knew vampires and shifters were real. I don't want you searching for them.”

I sweep my hand over my chest to my head in a salute. “Scout's honor.”

“Were you a Girl Scout?”

“Never. I have no clue what I just did.”

He laughs. “We’re going to have so much fun together.”

I smile up at him. “I hope.”

We say good night then I go inside as quietly as possible. The Jag rumbles to life in the driveway. I glance out the front window until his taillights disappear from sight. Up in my room, I collapse on the bed with a dreamy smile on my face and lips that still tingle from Rion's kisses.

There’s a knock on my bedroom door a few minutes after I close it. Mom is on the other side.

“How was your date?”

“Good. Rion was a perfect gentleman.”

“He better stay that way.” I laugh and then a thought occurs to me. Rion said she was asleep.

“Were you up reading?” I ask.

That’s the only thing I can think of that would give him that impression. Tablets don’t make any sound when you flip the pages. And I know from experience how relaxed I get reading. That could account for him thinking she was asleep.

“I couldn’t go to sleep until I knew you were home safe. I’ll always worry about you.” She gives me a small smile. “Night, Ari.”

“Night, Mom.”

Finally gathering my bearings, I change into my pajamas, and after reading one chapter, I drift off to sleep.

I’m running through a forest, unsure why. But I hear them—the sounds of paws traversing earth at a rapid speed. Growls and wolves panting aren’t far behind me. They’re closing in. No matter how fast I move, I can’t outrun them. Up ahead is a break in the trees. Maybe there are people on the other side. Someone to help me. A place to seek shelter.

My mind drifts to Rion and how he told me not to wander. How I could be in danger. I didn’t listen. I went into the woods on my own. Now I’m certain death is coming for me.

Stumbling into a clearing, I’m barely able to keep myself upright. Spinning, I realize I’m back in the same spot Rion brought me to when he revealed his wolf. The moon is full in the sky and is sooty in color. It’s the ash moon. Again. Something life changing is about to happen. Or life ending.

Wolves enter the clearing and circle around me, making it impossible to escape. What do they want? I don’t know who they are. None of them are Orion. I’d recognize his white-tipped ears anywhere. The ring of wolves closes in, becoming tighter. This is all my fault. I’ll never get to kiss Rion again. Never get to see my parents or Paige or Bray.

A man appears at my side, out of nowhere. The light of the moon highlights his brown locks, his eyes the color of the moon above. The wolves growl in unison upon seeing him.

“You about ready to leave?” he asks.

“Who are you?”

“Now’s not the time for questions. We need to go before these wolves make a meal out of you. You have to trust me.”

I nod because, really, what else am I supposed to do? There are angry wolves circling me. I’m out of options. The mystery man grabs me around the waist with one arm and snaps his fingers on his free hand.

The next thing I know, we’re standing in my bedroom, bathed in darkness. I’d recognize my space anywhere. I glance around, disoriented, unsure if I’m awake or if this is all still a dream.

“You’re very awake,” he says before releasing me. He walks to my window to peer out into the trees behind my house.

“What just happened?”

He strides from the window, flips on a light, and turns to face me. It’s then I take him in. Chiseled, clean-shaven jaw, black leather trench coat, black jeans, and black boots with the jeans haphazardly tucked into them. His hair appears as if he’s run his fingers through it too many times. If this were a book, he’d be the typical bad boy.

“Typical?” He scoffs. “There isn’t anything typical about me.” What’s going on? Is he inside my head?

I shake the thought away and focus on the problem at hand. This is the second time I have to ask this question. “What just happened?”

“Well, you were dreaming, except it wasn’t exactly a dream. More like a premonition. The difference is, you could have died. If I hadn’t saved you, that is. Those wolves would have had fun with you.” So many questions. One at a time.

“Who were they?”

“The Diaminsey Pack. It’s the name of the pack who killed Orion’s parents.” No!

“Why are they after me?”

“They know you’re the one.”

“The one what?” I ask.

“The catalyst in the next pack war.”

“Say what now?”

He laughs. Smug jerk. How can he possibly laugh at a time like this? “Easily,” he answers. “You’re too cute not to laugh at.”

I scowl at him and cross my arms. He’s obviously able to read my thoughts. Yesterday, I would have thought that was impossible, but after Rion shifted into a wolf, nothing is out of the realm of possibility. “Would you get out of my head?”

“Never. Listen, I’m going to give it to you straight, since apparently no one else has yet. You’re the key to ending the pack war. Some think it’s ended because everything’s been quiet for a while. They’re wrong. Your premonition tonight is proof of that. This is bigger than you and Orion. It’s bigger than the wolves in Lealla’s books. This pack war that’s coming, it has the potential to change the entire paranormal world. If you can’t prevent it from happening, maybe you can finally end this for good. Not only are the wolves involved but the vampires, fae, and everyone else, too. None of us want to see bloodshed. Okay, maybe we vampires do a little. I mean, it’s blood after all. We live for it. Literally.” That explains what he is. I finally meet a vampire, and I can’t focus on it because of the bigger problem at hand.

“Could you get on with it?” He’s starting to make me angry. He needs to stop rambling and get to the point.

“I saved your life. Stop giving me your attitude, princess.”

“Again, stop reading my mind,” I all but growl. “Also, I’m not a princess. Now keep going. I want the rest of the story!”

“Keep yelling and you’re going to wake up dear ol’ mom and dad.” He’s right. I need to keep my voice down. “Anyway,” he draws out the word, “I can’t help that I can read your mind. It’s a vampire trait. Your thoughts flow freely to me, like the conversation we’re having. If you don’t want me to know what you’re thinking, learn to block me. As for your nickname, it’s a keeper. Plus, it has the added bonus of irritating you, which I take great joy in. And finally, you may want to sit down for what I’m about to say. Oh, and my name is Ford. Get used to me. It seems we’re going to be spending a lot of time together.”