Finding You

chapter 14

We walk in an uncomfortable silence to my house. Zay still hasn't looked at me. Is he mad?

"Why are we coming here?" I ask him.

He doesn't answer. When we walk up to my front porch he finally looks at me.

"I'm sorry," he blurts out.

I smile to myself a bit. "For what?"

He scratches his neck. "You know. For snapping at you. I'm jut not used to people thinking I'm not a deadly creature to be afraid of. My whole life that's what I've thought."

"Apology accepted. And well, you're going to get used to it. Cause that's the only thing I'll tell you. Because you aren't."

"I'll try."

He better do more than try. If he gets mad at me every time I say that, things will get difficult.

"So you aren't mad at me?"

He looks at me seriously. "It's impossible to get mad at you."

I really doubt that, I can get annoying. I open the door, careful to not make a sound. I motion for Zay to follow me up the stairs quietly. We get into my room and I shut my door.

"You're right, mine is bigger."

Zay looks around the room and takes a deep breath in through is nose. He lets it out slowly and his eyes glow bright as he look at me.

"Are you alright, Zay?"

"Yeah. It just smells like you," he comments in a low voice.

I self consciously sniff underneath my arms and sniff the room. "It doesn't seem to stink to me."

"It doesn't stink. It smells nice."

I nod. "Why didn't you answer my question?" I ask in a quiet voice.

"What question?" he says. As if he didn't hear me.

"I asked what we're coming here for. You kinda just told me to follow you."

"Oh. You need to pack. You're going to be staying with me and my dad for a while."

I do a double take. I'm going to what? "Uhh, what do you mean stay with you?"

Zay is just smiling. "Yeah. A bonus I guess."

At the moment, I can't think of it as anything but mortifying. "A bonus for what?"

"I have to keep you safe. You staying with me is a good way. I get to keep you safe and have you around." When he sees the look on my face though, his smiles drops. "What is it?" he asks.

"So I'm leaving my mom?"

"Well, yeah. You can say bye though. I'm not just going to make you leave without telling her."

"Say bye? That makes it sound like I wouldn't be coming back. It's not forever, right?"

"I guess not forever. But for quite awhile. We might move to a different place to stay in," he explains.

"In case you forgot, I have a life. I have high school left to finish, and I can't miss out on the last quarter."

I try to keep my voice below a whisper but it's raising almost uncontrollably. "I also have a mother who loves me that would have a heart attack if I told her I'm leaving. You can't just expect me to drop everything and go with you."

Zay seems hurt by what I said. "Oh... I just thought that you would want to stay. I should have asked."

"Yeah, you should have," I retort.

His face goes blank and hard. Dammit, he's closed himself off from me. "But it's not a decision, Amber. You need to stay with us to stay safe. The guy you saw yesterday wants something from us. He'll do anything he can to get it."

"Who is he? What does he need from you?" I ask.

"His name is Ryder James. The only thing you need to know about him is that he's nothing but evil. He'll hurt you to get what he wants. And I can't let that happen."

That's a vague description of someone who might kill me. "Fine," I hear myself say.

He looks surprised. "Oh, kay."

"What do I tell my mom? That I'm leaving her to go live with a werewolf?"

"No, tell her you're at a friend's house. You have friends, right?'

"Of course I have friends. Don't you?"

I know right away that the answer to that is no. At least not here. I was the first person he ever reached out to.

"Never mind," I quietly.

I find a large duffel bag and start shoving clothes inside of it. I make sure I bring some cute things as well as comfortable things. I quickly put my bra and underwear in the bag. Zay has been watching me like a hawk so I doubt he missed it.

I look around the room. There are a few more things I want to bring but I don't really want Zay to know I'm bringing them. I turn to him.

"Can you wait for me outside? I have a few more things and I'll be out."

He looks reluctant. I try to reassure him so I can get some privacy. "A few minutes. Don't worry, nothing gonna happen if you're standing right outside."

"Ok. Don't take too long." He takes another deep smell of my room and with that, he leaves.

I go to the bathroom and grab any toiletries I might need; toothbrush, deodorant, shampoo, hairbrush, etc.

I return to the room and get my teddy bear. His name is Chip and I honestly haven't ever cared who knows that I still sleep with one. But I do care what Zay thinks. And I kinda don't want him to laugh.

I put him in my bag and send a quick text to my mom saying I'm with Savannah. I hear the slight ding from downstairs in the kitchen.

And the last thing I do is grab my journal. I debate wether I should take it or leave it. Probably leave it. But with all that has happened, everything I learned, I need to write something.

•••
Hey peeps :) I'm fixing some mistakes I made in the beginning of the book.
vote if you like this book and comment anything you like about it.