of my neck, and pulls me closer to his abdomen.
“I’m not going to hurt you even if I don’t like the answer, Temptation. I need
to know.”
My heart simmers down. “Fine. No.
Whelan and I are friends. Period.”
His claws retract. A warm kiss
heats the side of my neck.
“Hey, who’s up for a race?” Herald
asks.
The crowd cheers in response.
“Whoever swims to the island
first, gets to choose who they want to make out with.”
“What island?” I whisper to
Jerald.
“In the middle of the lake. Do
you see it?” He points out in the distance.
I spot the wooded island. Thank
the gods I know how to swim.
“Ready?”
Jerald releases me with a feral
look of determination. He is aiming to get to the island first. An equal
determination stirs in me.
“Set.”
A silence sweeps across the lake.
“GO!”
The group lurches forward and starts
swimming. I duck under the water. I never quite got the hang of regular
swimming, but I can swim fast underwater. After a couple of minutes, I emerge
to the surface for air. Jerald and Herald are neck and neck in the lead. At
least I am holding second place. Frustration causes Victoria to dig harder into
the water.
I immerse myself back in the
water and keep swimming. A few more stops to the surface for air, and a short
while later, I make it to the shore of the island. The Jenkins twins gaze down
at me with satisfied smirks. They haul me out of the cold water. I ring my hair
out and check out the lake, where the rest of the crowd is wading to shore. Wet
ringlets twist down to my waist. The Jenkins twins watch me with identical
lust.
“What?”
“Herald’s trying to decide who to
make out with. I choose you.”
I cross my arms. “Who won?”
“We both made it to shore at the
same time,” Herald says.
“You’re with Victoria. Aren’t
you?” I eye Herald’s uncaring reaction. “Shouldn’t you be making out with her?”
“We’re not dating,” Herald says
with a casual wave of his hand. “We’re more like friends with benefits.” He
exposes his perfectly human teeth.
“Does she know that?” I
raise my sleek eyebrows and twist a ringlet of hair in her violet-tipped
fingers.
Victoria stumbles onto the
pebbled shore along with the rest of the crowd.
“You know this is starting to get
old,” one of the boys says. “You two always win.”
I shift to one leg. It had been a
set up.
“So.” Victoria passes me, bumping
my shoulder. “Do you want to make out here or somewhere more private later on
tonight?” She wraps her arms around Herald’s neck.
Herald removes her arms from his
neck. His face holds a look of revulsion. “We’ve both chosen Temptation this
time.” Herald gives her a slight shove.
“What?” Jerald and I voice in
unison.
“But I’m your girlfriend!”
Guess she didn’t know she is just
his play toy.
A loud siren echoes out over the
lake from the direction of Rosewood. Frenzy and a loud splash startle me. For a
moment, I think someone may have been drowning. In the lake, the Jenkins twins
are racing to shore. “What’s going on?”
One of the boys says, “The
recruiters are back.”
“What recruiters? You mean like
military recruiters?”
The crowd laughs, except for
Victoria. She stares out after the twins, who make it to shore and rev up their
engines. They disappear into the forest.
“Chevy, go to shore. Get
Temptation’s clothes and bring them back to the island,” Victoria says.
“Awe, come on–”
“DO IT!”
“All right, all right. Dang,
don’t go all psycho on me.” Chevy jumps back into the chilly water and heads
for shore.
“What are you doing?”
“You’re not coming with us.
You’ll have to walk home.”
“So why are you bringing my
clothes to the island? I can easily go back to shore and get them myself.”
“I don’t need the twins getting
pissed off at me. If you walk back the way we came, you won’t get home until
one in the morning. Swim over to the other side of the
“I’m not going to hurt you even if I don’t like the answer, Temptation. I need
to know.”
My heart simmers down. “Fine. No.
Whelan and I are friends. Period.”
His claws retract. A warm kiss
heats the side of my neck.
“Hey, who’s up for a race?” Herald
asks.
The crowd cheers in response.
“Whoever swims to the island
first, gets to choose who they want to make out with.”
“What island?” I whisper to
Jerald.
“In the middle of the lake. Do
you see it?” He points out in the distance.
I spot the wooded island. Thank
the gods I know how to swim.
“Ready?”
Jerald releases me with a feral
look of determination. He is aiming to get to the island first. An equal
determination stirs in me.
“Set.”
A silence sweeps across the lake.
“GO!”
The group lurches forward and starts
swimming. I duck under the water. I never quite got the hang of regular
swimming, but I can swim fast underwater. After a couple of minutes, I emerge
to the surface for air. Jerald and Herald are neck and neck in the lead. At
least I am holding second place. Frustration causes Victoria to dig harder into
the water.
I immerse myself back in the
water and keep swimming. A few more stops to the surface for air, and a short
while later, I make it to the shore of the island. The Jenkins twins gaze down
at me with satisfied smirks. They haul me out of the cold water. I ring my hair
out and check out the lake, where the rest of the crowd is wading to shore. Wet
ringlets twist down to my waist. The Jenkins twins watch me with identical
lust.
“What?”
“Herald’s trying to decide who to
make out with. I choose you.”
I cross my arms. “Who won?”
“We both made it to shore at the
same time,” Herald says.
“You’re with Victoria. Aren’t
you?” I eye Herald’s uncaring reaction. “Shouldn’t you be making out with her?”
“We’re not dating,” Herald says
with a casual wave of his hand. “We’re more like friends with benefits.” He
exposes his perfectly human teeth.
“Does she know that?” I
raise my sleek eyebrows and twist a ringlet of hair in her violet-tipped
fingers.
Victoria stumbles onto the
pebbled shore along with the rest of the crowd.
“You know this is starting to get
old,” one of the boys says. “You two always win.”
I shift to one leg. It had been a
set up.
“So.” Victoria passes me, bumping
my shoulder. “Do you want to make out here or somewhere more private later on
tonight?” She wraps her arms around Herald’s neck.
Herald removes her arms from his
neck. His face holds a look of revulsion. “We’ve both chosen Temptation this
time.” Herald gives her a slight shove.
“What?” Jerald and I voice in
unison.
“But I’m your girlfriend!”
Guess she didn’t know she is just
his play toy.
A loud siren echoes out over the
lake from the direction of Rosewood. Frenzy and a loud splash startle me. For a
moment, I think someone may have been drowning. In the lake, the Jenkins twins
are racing to shore. “What’s going on?”
One of the boys says, “The
recruiters are back.”
“What recruiters? You mean like
military recruiters?”
The crowd laughs, except for
Victoria. She stares out after the twins, who make it to shore and rev up their
engines. They disappear into the forest.
“Chevy, go to shore. Get
Temptation’s clothes and bring them back to the island,” Victoria says.
“Awe, come on–”
“DO IT!”
“All right, all right. Dang,
don’t go all psycho on me.” Chevy jumps back into the chilly water and heads
for shore.
“What are you doing?”
“You’re not coming with us.
You’ll have to walk home.”
“So why are you bringing my
clothes to the island? I can easily go back to shore and get them myself.”
“I don’t need the twins getting
pissed off at me. If you walk back the way we came, you won’t get home until
one in the morning. Swim over to the other side of the
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