What Walks Among Us (book one)

A Welcome Home Kiss

Okay so I'll admit, the boys were growing on me. I've never had much for friends and insert a couple of very nice guys willing to put up with my crazy, let alone my sister and give us a place to live? Of course they would seem as a saving grace. But it wasn't just that. It was the fact that they were always nice to me, and they made sure that I was comfortable before pushing on.

Okay, aside from when they barged into my house and broke my window, and chased me through the woods. But those things had been done because they wanted to do the right thing, right?

Beck, for being such a muscled, scary looking guy, I was starting to realize that he was a softy. First he hugged me until I promised to get my head checked out by the doctor, and then when he noticed that my pale skin had gotten a slight purple tint to it- which it did whenever I was cold because I guess I had bad circulation or something, he gave me a blanket from the back and somehow wrapped it around me burrito style.

We were almost to the compound, according to Sam, and Beck was snoring lightly with his head rested on the window and his arm slung over the back of the couch.

"So, do you like dogs, Debby?"

I was so lost in my thoughts, and unused to people calling me Debby that I apparently ignored him until he waved his hand in front of my face and repeated the question.

I felt my cheeks heat up as I replied, "Well I've never had one, and I just got Chip a few days ago, she was a stray, I don't think her name is really Chip.." I said, rambling a little bit.

Sam cut in with a laughed and I tugged on a strand of my brown hair while I looked up at him, "I was just wondering because Beck and Chester thought it would be okay if you and Mabel moved into our house with us, until we could set up another place for you. I mean," he rushed out, "you don't have to, and we could have you stay with someone else-"

"You guys have a dog?"

Sam turned onto a different road and nodded, glancing at me, "Yep.. well Leo is a wolf, actually," he must have seen my expression because he continued quickly, "he's well trained and actually gets along with cats.. and I was thinking that maybe Chip could get along with him, or even if Chip doesn't like dogs we can just keep them separate.."

I sat back, thinking about it, "I don't see a problem with it, as long as there is room and Mabel doesn't mind..."

Sam smiled and his green eyes lit up that much more, "Great. We have a four bedroom, so we'll just have to ask Cody to stay with one of us, probably Beck, until we can get you girls situated. I think you two will have to share a queen sized bed, but it shouldn't be for very long and your sisters soo...."

His eyes seemed to ask if this was an okay arrangement and I knew that Mabel would probably make me sleep on the floor but I was fine with it, "Cody?"

He grinned softly, "ah right, yeah there's a fourth to our little group, he's a lot like Beck in some ways but where as Beck just looks grumpy, Cody actually is grumpy," he looked over at me and grinned.

"Tucker doesn't live with you?" I asked.

Sam shook his head, "Naw, he just went on the supply run with us."

I was biting my lip, trying to decide if it was a good idea to kick this boy out of his room. I didn't know him and he didn't know me, what if he got mad about it and threw us out of the house? Would the others let him? I didn't want to cause problems and I feared this might do just that.

On another hand I knew I needed to tell them my name soon, otherwise it would come out at a really bad time and they would question everything I had ever told them. Would they think that I had intentionally gotten my step mother killed? What would they do when they found out the abuse?

I shook my head at myself, that was one thing they would not be allowed to find out.

Beck grumbled something in his sleep, and then yawned, "If Cody is being a jerk, you can always bunk with one of us," his eyes glinted in a playful manner.

I rolled my eyes even though I could feel a blush creeping onto my cheeks, Sam chuckled and then we were pulling up to a gated community. I sat forward and peered through the windshield, it looked to be of the upper class, but not super rich, and there were guards manning the gate. I could see a few people up in the clock tower with guns, one was aimed at Sam's truck and I pressed as far back into my seat as I could managed. Sam glanced at me, "Don't worry, they won't shoot us," he murmured, as Tucker's car pulled through the gate, "it's just a security measure."

I nodded even though I didn't feel any more at ease.

We pulled through the gates and one of the guards, who looked to be in his mid thirties glared at me, I shyed away and bumped into Sam's side, he glanced at me before picking up the speed a little and driving down a road. As soon as his truck made it through the gates, they were shut and locked up.

There were people walking around, more than I had seen in weeks. They looked well fed and clothed, and I couldn't help but smile at the sight. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

Sam pulled into a driveway of a beautiful two story house with a wrap-around porch and a nice sized front yard. Tucker pulled into a driveway across the street and Chester hopped out of the car, holding Chip, he let Chip down onto the ground and then opened Mabel's door for her.

She got out and wrapped her coat closer to her body, looking uncomfortable.

Chester jogged across the street to us, and I got out of the truck after Beck, stretching my legs out after the long car ride. Sam walked over to stand next to us all. Beck and Chester started chatting about sleeping arrangements while I looked around. I could see flower beds but there were weeds clustering the flowers and it looked like with a little maintenance it would be beautiful.

I let my eyes wander over the house, lost in thought until I heard Chester swear. I looked over to where he was looking and saw two guys dressed in mostly black. They looked well muscled and really really scary. One had a scar on his eyebrow, and the other was wearing a leather jacket. It wasn't what they were wearing that scared me, but the pure evil that seemed present in their eyes.

I wanted to hide behind Chester, or Sam, and escape noticed but before I could one of the guys spotted me and gave a toothy grin. It looked wolfish, not like the one I had seen on Beck, but like he was going to rip out my throat and have a nice meal. Which of course made me shudder.

Sam straightened his shoulders and stood taller, Chester looked to be in pain as he watched the two guys get closer and Beck stepped in front of both me and Chester, seeming to be protecting us. I peaked around Chester, and he glanced back at me, something changed in his eyes as he looked down at me and I wasn't able to catch up with his thought process in time.

Chester snaked an arm around my hips and pushed me a little bit to the right so that the two approaching boys could see, he bent down and when I finally realized what those eyes had been planning it was too late. His lips crushed down on mine, and I was surprised that they were so soft.

Everything was quiet for a moment, like the earth had paused. Chester pulled away and kissed me again, his arms being the only thing that were keeping me up as my knees had given out already. He pulled away again, something weird in his eyes. I was trying to catch my breath as I looked around and saw that both Beck and Sam were staring at me with wide eyes, while the two boys looked stunned, and Mabel..

Mabel looked ready to kill me.