Forbidden

Surprised

Luca

Luca leaned against his car as he scanned the parking lot of Wanda's. No sign of Van. He sighed and hunched down in his jacket, wishing he was covered in fur right now. This was a bad idea. Going to the diner last night had been a bad idea, but after the long conversation with his family, he thought of nothing but Van Anderson. Livy's suggestion to go for a joy ride had pushed him into his car, and when he pulled up to Wanda's, he wasn't shocked to see her sitting at the bar. It was as if she'd drawn him there.

"Told you she was gonna bail."

"Livy, this was your idea." He leaned down and peered into the back seat of his Land Rover. The Rover wasn't as much fun to drive as the Porsche but when Livy had announced her intentions to go to the party, he'd been forced to swap vehicles.

She tossed her hair over her shoulder and rolled her eyes. "I get ideas all the time. They're not always good ones."

Luca held back the growl rumbled in his throat. His cousin didn't miss it and she puckered her crimson lips and blew him a kiss. He didn't stop the snarl that time.

"Did you just growl at your back seat?"

Luca startled and bumped his head against the roof of the car. Peals of laughter followed him as he spun around, rubbing the tender spot in his skull. "Van."

The girl waiting for his response was almost unrecognizable. Still garbed in black from head to toe, the clothes clung to her body instead of engulfing it, revealing mouth watering curves. Her messy, violet hair had been smoothed into silken waves, and she'd foregone the heavy black eyeliner for something soft that sparkled. But the biggest difference was the small smirk on her full, bare lips.

"Sorry I'm late. Getting out of the house was more difficult than I thought it would be."

Luca's chest tightened. He hadn't considered that Van wouldn't be allowed to go to the party. He was already tempting fate by escorting her to the event. If Abe got wind that not only had his daughter slipped out of the house, but she'd gone out with Luca, there would be consequences for his entire pack.

That hadn't stopped him from following her home last night, keeping his lights off as he idled across the street. She'd looked so small and forlorn standing in front of Helsing House, but she'd squared her shoulders and went inside.

"Eh, the party waits for us," he said, stepping around the SUV to open her door. "And I was growling at my annoying cousin. She decided to crash. Sorry bout that."

Van hopped into the passenger seat and buckled before glancing in the back. "You look different."

Luca pulled into the street and waited for his cousin's response with bated breath. This close to a full moon, she could go either way. He'd almost refused to let her come, but he would not be like the other men in his society.

"So do you," Livy responded. Her words eased the tension in Luca's shoulders, but only for a second. Because she followed up with, "I like to let my hair down after school. It's freeing. Maybe you should let me get my hands on you sometime. With that complexion, you should really consider lighter colors. Have you ever considered being a redhead?"

"Livy."

"No, it's fine." Van twisted in her seat. Luca shot a warning glare through the rearview mirror and wished he could see Van's face. Livy just winked and leaned forward to catch whatever barb their passenger would toss. "So the clothes aren't the only things you change outside of school?"

One perfectly shaped eyebrow arched. "What are you getting at?"

"You did a great job sounding like you were a halfway decent person in the bathroom, but you blew that cover. Luca, let me out."