“No one is perfect,”I say with a smirk.
Thad shrugs and reaches for his coffee, but he pauses in the act. I watch him tilt his chin upward, the morning breeze ruffling the loose brown strands of his hair. His nostrils flare.
Scenting something.
Thad’s attention shifts down the street, toward Hester’s house.
My muscles tense in anticipation of danger, but then he snorts. The sound is close to laughter, and when Thad finally picks up his coffee for a sip, I know I can relax. Still, I wave for his attention.
“What did you smell?”
Thad balances his mug on a thick thigh before silently responding,“You have another visitor.”
18
RODERICK
My wolf leads me here.
Even after a night of running under the full moon, when I changed back to my human form, energy buzzed through my muscles and nerves. A pulsing under my skin that demanded I move. So, I tied on my sneakers and went for a run.
There wasn’t a destination in mind. At least, not inmymind.
Somehow, I end up on Elk Road, aimed straight for Juliet Adair’s house.
But this is fine. It’s still early in the morning on a Saturday. Even if she’s up, her human ears won’t hear as I pass by. I’ll jog to the end of the street, turn around, and leave.
No one needs to know.
Then I get closer to the tiny yellow house and realize there are two figures lounging on the front porch. The wind blows from behind me, making it impossible for me to immediately scent who is there. Only when I’m within shouting distance do I recognize the man, and I spy the mop of flame-red hair poking out of a bundle of blankets.
Thad decided to pay the librarian a visit.
And somehow, he beat me to it.
Not that I planned to come here, I remind myself.This is just a good place to jog.
The pair watches my approach, and I’m hit with the urge to come up with some specific reason for me to be this far out of town.
By the time I reach them, I have nothing.
“Morning,” Thad greets me, and I sign back the same.
Then I meet a set of curious green eyes.
“Why are you here?” Juliet asks aloud but also uses her hands.
“I’m running.” Keeping to the truth is easier than formulating some wild excuse.
“And your run brought you to my dead-end street?” The skepticism is thick in her voice.
“Yes.”
Juliet stares at me, suspicion twisting her brow.
All the while, I find myself hyper-focused on this cozy scene. Thad and I returned to town at the same time after the full-moon run. Which means he must’ve come over here almost immediately afterward.
Why though?
