Shadow of the Day (Wolf Moon Sequel)

Chapter 49: Mistake

"Lila!" came Ivy's voice from behind me, just as I was about to step onto the school bus to go home.

"Hey," I said, jumping down off the steps to let others on. "What's up?"

"Dom is picking me up and we're going to go to dinner and see a movie," she explained, tugging her knit hat further down over her hair against the wind chill. "He's over there waiting actually."

I followed her pointed finger to see him parked a little ways away, leaning against his car, playing with a lighter. Seeing us watching him, he lifted his hand in a wave. That unease I'd had--that last night's movie night with Ivy and Dad had mostly dissipated--came back full force and even more visceral. 

"I didn't know you were still friends," I said.

"I thought about what Joe said and I figured I'd give Dom another chance," she said, not quite meeting my eyes. "He apologized and he seems like a good person, plus we do get along fairly well so..."

"Are you sure you trust him?" Because I didn't.

'Joe' convinced her to reach out and now they were hanging out again? It seemed too coincidental to me. I knew Ivy was in want of friends, especially after what Caleb did to Claire, but I had hoped that between Matt and the rest of my friends, I'd be able to integrate her more into our group and steer her away from Dom.

"Sure. It'll be fine, he said he hasn't even heard from Devin in ages, he just up and disappeared without a word," she said with a roll of her eyes, which made my stress kick up a few notches instead of lessening it, which was probably why she had said it. "Don't worry about it. I'll text you when I get there."

"Ivy, just...be careful, okay?" I hadn't yet explained why hanging out with them would be a colossally bad idea. Even though Dom was human, it still didn't sit right with me. At all. But this really wasn't the time or place to drop that kind of bomb, not when she was still new to the whole 'my sister is a werewolf' thing and we were very much in public. "Call me if you need me."

"Don't worry, you won't have to come and huff and puff and blow his house down," she said, giving me a lightning quick hug that I didn't even have a chance to return before she was off. "Anyway, got to go so I'll see you later!" Then she took off for his car, leaving me standing there with an ever-growing sense of dread.

Did I trust Ivy? Yes.

Did I trust Dom? Absolutely not. I didn't care if he was an ignorant human caught in the crossfire, there was no choice in hell I'd be taking any risks when Ivy was involved.

I pulled out my cell, dialing Jared's number before I could even really think twice about how angry Ivy would be with me if she ever found out.

"Hey! Miss me already? It's only been two minutes since we said goodbye in class," he said, all cheerful. I wished for his optimism.

"Can you give me a lift?"

********

"Don't you think following her is a bit much?" Jared asked as we sat parked outside the restaurant Ivy and Dom were at, just a few doors down from the movie theatre. Jared had run out to get fast food from the restaurant around the corner for us, so we munched on our warm burgers while we watched Ivy and Dom, the car filled with the scent of French fry grease and fast food.

"Yes. But I don't trust him."

I felt insanely stupid and paranoid, but I couldn't shake that nagging feeling off. Even though she had texted me to say they'd arrived at the restaurant, and which one, and I could literally see them through the window right now and had yet to pick up even the faintest whiff Devin's scent. In this case, it was better safe than sorry as far as Ivy was concerned.