Shifters Rule (Rule Series) Read online

  Trina asked, “Does he know you’re thinking about this?”

  “Of course not. I wanted to be absolutely one-hundred-percent sure before I talked to him about it.”

  “Good idea.”

  She wasn’t looking forward to telling her parents about her decision either. This would be a shotgun wedding in reverse. Her father was going to hit the roof. No amount of reasoning would help her win a case on marriage with her parents. She could hear them now.

  You’re too young to get married!

  What’s the rush?

  Are you pregnant?

  Trina broke into her private thoughts with, “Maybe you should wait until you finish college.”

  She’d already considered that angle. “Years? You want me to wait years to be with Jack? I can’t do it. No way.” She lifted her chin high. “I’ve made up my mind. I’m going to propose to him as soon as possible.”

  “Maybe you should just live with him. You don’t need a preacher or a piece of paper for that.”

  “I thought about it, believe me. My parents would kill us both. You know how old-fashioned my mom is about stuff like that, and my dad would seriously kill Jack if we even thought about living together. He might not like us getting married so young, but once it’s done my dad won’t interfere. He’ll respect the marriage and won’t try to tear us apart.”

  Trina plopped down on the edge of the bed next to Silver and said, “Don’t take this the wrong way, but you are totally insane. Marriage is huge.”

  “Stop saying that! I want to spend the rest of my life with Jack. I’m one million percent sure now. Why should I wait?”

  “Let me make a list for you.” Trina counted her fingers. “You haven’t known him for very long. He used to be a vampire. The two of you have to fight a crazy werewolf, and he could get killed doing it. Then you’ll be a widow and have to wear black all the time. Your parents will freak. Not just freak. They will lock you up in the dungeon. Oh yeah, and not too long ago you didn’t think you were even in love with the guy anymore. You should wait until you know for sure that you aren’t going to split up in the near future. The divorce rate in this country is insane enough without you adding to it.”

  “He’s too perfect, too gorgeous to be single for long. When I go to college, what’s to stop him from moving on with another girl? You know the girls in this town are going to be all over him like ugly on a werewolf.”

  “If he wants to be with someone else, a piece of paper isn’t going to stop him.”

  Silver was surprised to hear Trina’s take on the situation. Trina was usually the one chasing rainbows. Silver decided to change the subject. “Why are you dragging the clothes from your closet?”

  “I’m trying to find the perfect outfit.”

  “For what?”

  A secretive smile curved Trina’s mouth. “You aren’t the only one with a boyfriend. I met someone.”

  “Really? What’s his name? Do I know him?”

  “He isn’t from around here.”

  “So who is he?”

  Trina laughed. “Sorry. I’m keeping Derek to myself for a while.”

  Silver got a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. Since when did Trina keep secrets from her? They used to tell each other everything. Hadn’t Silver just spilled her guts about wanting to marry Jack? It didn’t seem right that Trina was keeping secrets from her now, especially not when it was this huge.

  .

  *****

  .

  Jack’s eyes popped open. His cell phone rang from the table next to the bed. He turned his head and glared at it. He hadn’t wanted to come out of Silver’s memory yet. The things he’d learned had nearly blown a hole through his mind. She was afraid of losing him to another girl? Since when?

  And he couldn’t believe she wanted to get married. Trina was right. For the first time since meeting the nutty girl, he totally agreed with her. He and Silver were not ready for marriage. He definitely wasn’t ready.

  The phone continued to blare the Def Leppard song he’d chosen long ago during his vampire period and had been too lazy to change. Love Bites. Had he actually thought that was clever? He couldn’t remember. Maybe it had been Summer’s idea.

  Jack grabbed the cell and answered it without checking Caller ID. It was early, still barely enough light for a human to see properly, and he wasn’t thinking. “Yeah?” He rubbed his eyes. “What is it?”

  “We need to talk.” Silver’s voice came through loud and clear.

  Jack bolted upright, snapped the phone shut, disconnecting the call. He jumped off the bed and ran around the room until he realized he wasn’t getting anywhere. The phone began to ring again. He panicked and shoved the cell under his pillow. For a moment he forgot she couldn’t see him. He ran for the door, tripping over the desk chair as he went.

  What was he going to do?

  What was he going to say to her?

  He wished Billy was across the hallway in his bedroom like the old days. He desperately wanted to seek his brother’s advice. Even if Billy hadn’t been able to come up with something helpful, at least he would have listened and sympathized. Billy should have been across the hallway. Only Billy had gotten himself turned into a stinking werewolf. Idiot!

  .

  *****

  Chapter Two:

  PROMISES

  .

  .

  “Which one will make Silver’s eyes pop out?” Jack asked.

  Trina held up her left hand and simultaneously modeled three diamond rings. She wiggled her fingers. The diamonds caught light from the shop’s overheads and sparkled brilliantly. She removed the one on her pinky and returned it to the saleslady. The choice dropped to two. Trina pursed her lips as if she was trying to make the hardest decision of her life.

  The saleslady had a lot more patience than Jack did.

  Jack wanted to scream: Just pick one already!

  Inside the jewelry store it seemed like the temperature soared to a whopping ninety-five degrees. Jack couldn’t decide if he was going to pass out or just have a heart attack. Cool air from a vent tickled the hairs on the nape of his neck and sent a chill through him. The tingling sensation helped lessen the claustrophobic, panicky feeling growing in his gut.

  He had stopped at Trina’s house early that morning, needing a second opinion on the ring. The girl knew Silver’s taste in jewelry better than he did. Didn’t she? After over an hour of watching her try on rings, he was beginning to doubt it. Maybe he would have been better off asking the saleslady which one he should buy.

  If he wasn’t so desperate to buy a ring, he would have left the flamboyantly dressed girl in Bliss. Spending two hours locked in a car with her on the long drive to Lincoln, listening to her prattle on endlessly about the stupidest things was hard enough. If they didn’t at least find the perfect ring for Silver, he was going to shoot somebody on the way back home.

  Why the long trip to Lincoln?

  Although Bliss had a jewelry store, Jack was worried someone he knew would see him buy the ring and tell Silver about it. Worse yet, they could tell her dad. Then Andrew would use his shotgun to make certain Jack couldn’t propose to his baby girl.

  For days he’d managed to avoid Silver, but his luck wouldn’t last. Sooner or later she’d catch up to him. Late last night an idea hit him like a bolt of lightning. Silver didn’t want to get married any more than he did. What she needed from him was a sign he would wait for her. She needed some sort of commitment, a bit of reassurance. That was all. No biggie.

  Jack decided to buy her a promise ring. It was a win-win situation. A promise ring wasn’t as major as an engagement ring. Still, it was a step in the right direction. She would know she had his heart forever. The token was sure to appease her.

  Trina finally took off another ring and returned it to the saleslady. She held her hand in front of his face and proudly announced, “This is it. This is Silver’s ring.”

  It was small but pretty, a circular diamond in a
gold-plated setting. He slid it off Trina’s finger. Holding it up to the light, he stared at it in awe. Someday Silver was going to be his wife. This was just the first step. He forced air into his lungs.

  “How are you going to do it?” Trina asked.

  “Huh?” He tore his eyes away from the ring and blinked at her.

  She chuckled at his expression. “When you give it to her, Einstein, how are you going to do it? You do have a plan, I hope. This will be one of the most exciting moments in her life. It has to be good, romantic. It needs to be a story she wants to share with everyone she meets.”

  Honestly, he hadn’t thought past the purchase of the ring. Trina was right. If he was going to ask Silver to accept a ring from him and promise to get engaged to him someday, he needed to do it in a special way. It had to be a pre-proposal neither of them would ever forget.

  “I’m not sure how to do it,” he admitted.

  Trina’s gaze went skyward. “Geez, guys are hopeless. Good thing you’ve got me to talk you through it. We’ll come up with the perfect situation. It will be totally intense.”

  That’s what he was afraid of.

  He handed a small stack of large bills to the saleslady. The moment the money left his hand he got a bad feeling in his gut. The money had come from the safe tucked under a loose floorboard in Billy’s bedroom. His brother didn’t trust banks. He kept almost all the money he inherited from their parents in that safe.

  Jack tried not to take too much. He didn’t want Billy to freak out and kill him once he lost the urge to howl at the moon. There was still plenty of cash left. If Billy got angry, Jack figured he could always get a job and return what he took. Technically the money belonged to him, too. As the oldest son he would have inherited it if he hadn’t died and disappeared with a group of vampires.

  The saleslady put the ring in a black velvet box and dropped it into a small gift bag with the store’s logo on it. She handed it to him with a cheerful smile. “When you get around to proposing, keep us in mind for the wedding rings.”

  He nodded. Something tightened in his throat, keeping him from speaking. His hands were cold and clammy. The thought of getting married made him sick to his stomach. He would have to be sure to make it clear to Silver that he planned on waiting at least five years until the big day. Silver would understand. She was going to be too busy to even consider a wedding. Maybe she’d even want to wait until she passed the bar exam.

  His lungs stopped constricting and air flowed into them. He didn’t feel like passing out anymore. Once he was outside, he took several deep breaths. Leaning against the side of his car for a few minutes, he contemplated the life-changing move he was about to make. And what if Silver rejected him? Then what?

  He hadn’t even considered the possibility. She could change her mind the second he popped the question. That would be humiliating.

  Trina said, “I don’t have a lot of time these days because I have a new boyfriend, but I’ll help you come up with a good idea for proposing to Silver.”

  He almost swallowed his tongue. “I am not proposing. This is a promise ring. It’s just a symbol of my intention to propose someday in the far, far future.”

  “Whatever.” She rolled her eyes.

  “I’ve seen people drop rings into champagne glasses and put them into food like cake.”

  “She could choke on it. It would make for an intense evening, but I don’t think either of you would enjoy it very much.”

  “What if I take her dancing after eating a fancy dinner? We can take a walk in the moonlight around midnight and I can give her the ring.”

  “Right. You’re going to offer her a ring when she’s tired and her feet are swollen from you stepping on them.” Trina rolled her eyes again. “So lame. You’re lucky you have me. Silver is really lucky. I’ll think of something grand and let you know later.”

  Later? How much time was she thinking about? He couldn’t avoid Silver forever. She was bound to come to the house and demand he talk to her.

  He scratched the back of his head. “Uh, do you think you can come up with something before we reach Bliss? You’ve been Silver’s friend for a long time. She must have mentioned a fantasy at some point. Isn’t there anything she told you she’d really like to do someday?”

  Trina pursed her lips again, but this time she added a finger, tapping it against her nose as she tried to remember. “Well… we were watching a reality show last year and she liked how this one guy proposed to his girlfriend. I remember her saying it was the most romantic thing she’d ever seen.”

  Sounded promising.

  “Tell me about it.”

  “They were in a meadow and the guy was on a white horse.” She chuckled once again at his dumbfounded expression. “I know it sounds corny. But you should have seen the look on Silver’s face. The guy and the girl rode off into the sunset. It was beautiful. Maybe you should rent a horse.”

  Jack stared at her, wondering exactly when she had lost her mind. He’d just purchased a very expensive ring. Now she wanted him to get a horse? He shook his head, jerked the door open, and climbed behind the steering wheel. Why did he bother to talk to Trina? Her ideas were always extreme. His best bet was probably a straight out pre-proposal.

  Yeah, that was it. He would buy some flowers, play some romantic music in the background, and get down on one knee. Silver would be satisfied.

  He was almost positive.

  .

  *****

  .

  He dropped Trina off first.

  Then he drove home in blessed silence. After hours of listening to Trina’s inane chatter, his ears were going to need a long rest. He didn’t even turn the radio on.

  When he finally got back home, he found a strange woman sitting on the porch. She looked bored as if she’d been waiting for hours. Tall and slender with short blond hair, he judged her to be in her early twenties. As she opened her mouth Jack realized what she was going to say. He knew who she was before she introduced herself. It was Billy’s girlfriend.

  “I’m Mary, and you must be Jack.”

  Two things registered at once. She was fairly pretty and she was standing in the sunlight. That meant she wasn’t a vampire unless she’d come up with a new trick.

  As Jack approached with caution, she said, “I haven’t heard from Billy in months. At first I thought he’d dumped me and I was too pissed off to look for him. Now I’m just worried about him. His cell goes straight to voicemail.” She held her car keys between her fingers, and her purse dangled from the other arm. Her every movement screamed desperation. “Where is he?”

  “I don’t know. I haven’t seen him in a while either. He isn’t living here anymore. Maybe he just needs some time alone.”

  “Did he tell you he was leaving? Did he say goodbye?”

  Jack shook his head as he opened the front door. Although she was in the sunlight, he wasn’t prepared to concede the fact she was human—not yet. His gut told him something wasn’t right. He stepped inside. Leaving the door open, he waited to see if she could enter without an invitation.

  “Aren’t you concerned about him?” she asked. “Have you called the hospitals, checked with the police, anything?”

  “Some friends saw him last night,” he lied. “They told me he wasn’t in the mood to talk. He was angry about something, but he wasn’t hurt.”

  The woman stepped forward, stopping at the threshold. “May I come in and talk to you for a few minutes?”

  “I don’t know.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Can you?”

  She gave him a look that clearly told him she thought he was an idiot, undeserving of the same air his sainted brother breathed. She cut through the foyer, went into the living room, and took a seat on the sofa. Once there, she looked over her shoulder at him, impatience showing.

  Jack joined her. He sat in his father’s chair... his brother’s chair. It seemed wrong, disrespectful somehow. He sat ramrod straight, unable to relax even a little bit as pi
ctures of Billy taunted him from the mantle. Choosing his words carefully, he said, “Billy’s had a rough year. He probably needs time to gain some perspective.”

  “This might sound crazy, but I was wondering if his work is dangerous. He refused to talk about it. I stopped asking after a while. There’s this wary darkness in his eyes like he’s been through a war and still can’t bring himself to talk about it. Does he work for the government? FBI? CIA?”

  Jack gaped at her. What was he supposed to say? He couldn’t tell her werewolves existed. Of course, there was a chance she already knew. She could be one of them. An idea sparked to life. “Would you like some coffee or tea?”

  Getting up from the chair, he headed for the kitchen before she could answer. She stared down at her hands, twisting her fingers in the same way Silver did when she was nervous. He shoved the similarity from his mind. He couldn’t risk getting close to Billy’s girlfriend, couldn’t drop his guard for a second. This woman could be dangerous. He stopped behind her, leaned close, and took a deep breath. The awful scent of werewolf didn’t cling to her. So if she wasn’t a werewolf, what was she? A witch? A shape-shifter like his cat?

  She turned her head, catching him in mid-sniff.

  He jumped away from her.

  “Did you just smell my hair?” Her eyes narrowed on his face. If she hadn’t thought he was crazy before, she did now. She rose to her feet with swift precision and used her purse as a shield. “I think I’d better go.”

  Jack needed to think of something quick. If she walked out of Billy’s life, his brother would never forgive him. She was halfway to the door when he said, “I honestly don’t know where Billy is right now. But I do know he’s totally in love with you. He gets a goofy smile every time he talks about you. I know he’ll get in touch with you as soon as he can. Be patient with him.”

  She smiled. “Thank you.”

  “I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but Billy was even talking marriage.”

  Her eyes widened, awash with pleasure. “Really?”

  “Oh yeah. He was talking house, kids, regular job, the whole bit. I’d never seen him like that before, happy. He doesn’t smile very often. When he does, it’s usually because of you.”