Jesse

Chapter Four

We walked across the lawn toward the woods, waving at the pack member who was currently on lookout duty. Dad wasn't going to be able to keep up this level of security much longer. Everyone had lives to get back to, and so far there hadn't been any sign of fae around the house except for Zee, Tad, and Uncle Mike.

I wasn't sure if I found the lack of enemies at our doorstep more reassuring or nerve-wracking. Whoever we were up against, I was pretty sure they were old enough and smart enough to wait until Dad relaxed his guard to make their move. And there was nothing any of us could really do about that. We just had to sit and wait.

I hated this kind of waiting. But I was familiar enough with it that I knew the best thing to do was just stay busy. Like right now, for instance. I was going on a walk with Tad. Which...was not a thing we had ever done before.

It was good that were moving and had a whole landscape to look at, because I think if we'd still been standing and facing each other I would've started feeling jittery. I had all these confusing feelings now when I looked at Tad, which had not been the goal of the whole haircut experience. I was particularly annoyed by the lingering urge to run my hands through his hair. I mean, there was just no way to pull that off as a casual gesture. Especially not while we were both standing. I'd have to deliberately reach up, probably on my tip-toes, and-

OMFG. Jesse. Get a grip.

Tad cleared his throat. "So how's school?"

"Um," I said, trying to get my head back in order. "You mean besides the general pain and angst of America's shared adolescent experience?"

"Besides that," he agreed.

"It's a little weird, actually. Everyone's suddenly a big fan of me now."

"Really?" Tad sounded surprised. Not in an insulting way, but in a way that pretty much mirrored how I felt.

Tad knew about all the drama that had gone down at my school after the werewolves had come out. Moreover, Tad himself had been forced to reveal he was half-fae while he was in high school. So he knew exactly how unpleasant things could be when all your classmates knew you were connected to the supernatural.

"Yeah," I said. "Apparently, all the pack needed was an action-movie style takedown, because they're total heroes now. And I'm their fan club secretary."

Tad cracked a smile at that one. "Oh, really? Do you take notes at the meetings?" he teased.

"You bet. Every day at my lunch table."

We stepped into the woods then, leaving the nicely manicured lawn behind. It was pleasantly cool and shady, and after only a few steps, I could no longer feel the eyes of the wolf on guard duty watching us. Thanks, trees!

Somehow, the privacy of the woods made me feel more at ease, and I ended up telling Tad about all the ridiculous things my classmates had been saying over the last few days. He was amused, especially when I got to the "can the fire-wolf be our mascot?" comment. If it was anyone but Tad, I would have been annoyed that he was laughing. But I knew he was only laughing because of how absurd it was.

"Wow," he said when I was finished. "Even with the fae and the wolves out in the open, it still feels like most people are living in a completely different reality."