Beating Heart

Chapter 3

I don't open my eyes. I am way too sleepy. I don't wanna wake up! The almost imperceptible light on my eyelids tells me its somewhere near dawn. My soft flannel sheets wrap me like a protecting shield and I don't want to get out of bed, but I have to. Something is bothering me. Its a small thing. No normal person could be able to perceive it, but I can. The overwhelming odor of Werewolf is all over my room. I tense.

I know there is a silver dagger beneath my bed and I silently thank Abson for giving it to me. The attack is planned in my head before I process what I'm doing. I sleepily turn over, a slow lazy movement, hoping the intruder will think I am moving in my sleep. I snatch the dagger from its concealed pocket beneath me and launch my body at it. I may be small but surprise is on my side. He grunts as I roughly push him into the wall, my dagger pressed right beneath his Adam's apple. The skin fizzles under the sharp point of the knife. My eyes reach his throat, he has at least one head of advantage on me. He isn't resisting, he's panting, but he is not trying to hit me. My eyebrows furrow in confusion.

"Ana? What do-" his voice is like a slap in the face. I can feel my wings on my back, wanting to sprout out in a fight. But this isn't a fight. My hand goes slack, dropping the dagger like its poisonous and it clatters noisily on the floor. I cover my mouth with my hands. Shit.

"Seth! Oh my God." I say, my words muffled by my own, now sweaty, palms. He's silent for a few seconds but he quickly recovers and a small unsure smile spreads over his face, with only a little amusement tinting his eyes.

"Where in the hell did you get that dagger?" he says, suspicious. 

"I..." I just trail off, not knowing what to say to him. And I say the next best thing to telling him I'm half bird. "I-I almost killed you"

"That you did, almost. I was too stunned to do anything. I didn't think you would be able to hear me." He seems lost in thought for a second before he repeats, "Where did you get the dagger?"

He comes over and places his hands where my shoulders meet my neck possesively. His thumbs start making circles right beneath my ears.

"My mom's friends I told you about. She gave it to me" I lie, nonchalantly but shrugging away from his grasp. He isn't, but it feels threatening, like he's choking me. I make my tone offended, making it clear I don't like he doesn't trust me. "I'm alone in this house most of the time, do you blame me for keeping it with me?" I press my lie in more convincingly, "I didn't even know it was silver."

He looks at me for a moment, and I stare back. Then he sighs. "I'm sorry it's just that Colton's mate was poisoned tonight. Someone put something in her drink. My pack called me right away and I went back for you. You weren't there," he says, a frown filling his features.

"Oh my, is the girl okay?" I ask, my concern pure.

"Yeah, she's fine now. Just needs to stay in the hospital for the next couple of days."

In the back of my mind my subconscious wanders. Why would anyone want to harm a wolf's mate? The poisoning of that girl is not a coincidence.

My eyebrows are furrowed and Seth asks again, "Where were you?"

I'm getting tired of his pushiness and need to control everything. "I got a headache, Seth. I came back here to try and sleep it off" I said, annoyed and shrug - like anything.

"Oh. Okay, I guess that's okay" he says and sounds like the Seth I knew when I was little. Like a small shy and kind boy. The only difference with him and the Seth before me right now is that his eyes are not leaving mine and he's coming closer. Oh man.

"Seth.." I put my hands on his stomach, trying to stop him and I can't say anything more because he's way too close and butterflies are cutting off my airway. I'd felt something when I'd first seen him earlier, never thought it would feel like this, though. I've had a crush on him forever. Never did anything because he was my best friend and he always seemed so much older and unreachable.