Enzo (The Wolves Den: New #1)

9. Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

Deja turned and stretched. She was in heaven; the mattress was so soft she snuggled back into it and let off a little moan of happiness.

She wasn't lying on her mattress. Worse yet, where were all the voices in her head that should be warning her to run fast? They were sound asleep. For once, she didn't know whether to be happy or pissed at the voices. She opened her eyes, knowing she was on her own.

The room she was in had that just recently painted look. The walls were light blue. There was an overhead light but also a smaller light on each nightstand by the bed. The bed was huge, a four-poster king-size bed, with a wood head and footboard. Nice but not Matt nice. He was totally contemporary and gaudy.

That means she didn't get in the car with Don last night. Right? She looked down to find she was still wearing her jeans, although they were unsnapped and unzipped. Her shirt was still on, and her bra, although the back was unhooked, still covered her breasts. It was like whoever put her here wanted her to be comfortable without invading her privacy.

She sat up in bed. There was a nice rose-colored bedspread that covered her because the air was on in the room. The floors were a nice wood, a little on the dark side with a few blue rugs thrown over them. She saw a closet and a long dresser drawer. It was a nice room.

Getting up, she opened the closet; it was deep, not walk-in but deep enough to make you feel like it was one. Sitting in the closet were suitcases that looked suspiciously like hers. She picked up a small one and placed it on the bed. When she opened it, she was faced with her bras and panties. Nothing seemed touched. She had packed this bag last week, hoping to find an apartment. All the bags she packed were there, as well as a couple of thick black trash bags.

"Are you done sleeping?" Ven whispered/screamed.

She jumped, hearing his voice.

Really?

You passed out in Enzo's arms, and you knew Matt wasn't here, or you'd be sticky as hell. That man wouldn't wait.

Thank you, voices in my head. Yeah, she knew almost from the minute she woke up that Enzo had something to do with this, which was why she was exploring instead of looking for her phone to call the police. But the voices in her head could be a little bit nicer to her. She sighed.

"I'm up, Ven."

"Good, are you coming out?"

Yep, she was in yesterday's clothes, bad breath and hair...wait, her hair was natural; it was just a little extra kinky but still cute. Plus one for me. Taking a deep breath, she padded across the floor, opening the door, wondering what she would find. It looked like she was in the living room. It was pretty spacious. Ven was lying draped over a large couch. Unless she missed her guess, he had spent the night there. There were three armchairs and a loveseat, as well as a side table and a coffee table. This room also had overhead lights as well as several well-placed lamps.

"Did you spend the night here?"

He nodded, giving her a lopsided smile. "The boss said I could stay. He wanted to stay, but he thought it was probably better if I stayed."

"Why was that?"

His face flushed. "You were kissing all over him, and he was trying not to kiss you back but failing."

Now her face flushed.

How could we not kiss him with the way he makes us feel?

His kisses make me hot.

Do you remember how it felt when we pressed our breasts against him, and our nipples got so hard?

Mmm, I wanted him to pinch them so badly.

Stop it. You hussies didn't wake me up so I could enjoy it. So, no more talking about it.

"Are you ok?" Ven asked her, looking like maybe he needed to call for help.

"I'm fine. I just don't remember a lot from last night."

"The boss followed you home... 'cause you know you ran out during the fight."

Her face flamed even brighter now. That fight wasn't real, and she wasn't going to believe it was real.

"Ven, where's the bathroom?" He pointed to a door behind her.

She went and opened it; sure enough, it was a nice big bathroom. She didn't know where she was, but she knew the rent for places like this was more than she could afford. She'd have to move to the dog park later today. She grabbed a change of clothes and a towel and disappeared into the bathroom. The shower was large, and she wanted to take advantage of it while she could.

Maybe, she thought as she was soaping herself up, she could get a shrink, and he would put her on meds. She bet there was anti-hallucinatory stuff. She would take it and still be able to work and live a normal life; people did that all the time. One of the girls she worked with told her she went to get mental help, and now she was just fine. That's what she would do.

It won't work.

That wasn't a dream or a hallucination.

They turned into big inhuman creatures.

You don't believe us.

Ask Ven. Ask Enzo. Ask any of them but whatever you do, don't make them mad.

Argh! She screamed and screamed because this was too much, and for the first time in her life, she thought she was going crazy, not just teasing herself about it.

"Camire, are you all right?"

Strangely, the sound of Enzo's voice helped her get herself together.

"I'm fine. I'll be out soon."

There was a mumbled response and then quiet from the living room. Deja finished her shower and worked quickly through getting herself together. There was a new toothbrush as well as everything else she needed for her daily routine. No pick or brush, but she had those in her purse.

She came out dressed in a cute little skirt as well as a low crop top. Yeah, she knew people her size weren’t supposed to wear crop tops, but that wouldn't stop her from wearing one. It was belly fat, not radioactive material.

"You look beautiful." Enzo stood up and made his way to her, wrapping her in his arms.

"Thanks." She hid her face in his chest because she didn't want to face what was coming next.

"I think after last night we have to talk," he said, leading her to the couch that Ven deserted.

"We could pretend it didn't happen." Her voice came out small.

"We could, but is that what you want to do?"

She shook her head. As much as she might say she wanted to live in ignorance, that wasn't the truth. She'd start scratching at the surface until she knew what was happening.

"Let me start by saying what you saw was real. We can change our shape. Here you might call us shapeshifters. To us, it's as natural as breathing. We were amazed when we landed here that humans don't change shape. A large part of the galaxy does, but not everyone."

Do we believe this?

What reason does he have to lie to us?

He said a large part of the galaxy could change their shape.

If there are more people than the people of the earth, shouldn't they be like us? Confined to one shape.

Who said the galaxy was a reflection of our image?

The Bible! Duh.

And that was that as the voices in her head went silent.

"Why are you on Earth?" she asked, since none of the voices in her head had anything practical to add.

"It was an accident. We are at war with the people you met last night. Our battalions fought and the Thalians did serious damage to each of our ships. We miscalculated, got caught in your gravitational pull, and crash-landed. At first, we thought our people would come for us or theirs would come for them. After close to several hundred years, we know we are stuck here."

Did he say several hundred years?

How old is he?

Mmm and yum. Alien, hot, shifter. Can we do Enzo now?

What did it say about her that she was on board with her libido?

"Why did you hire me?" She needed a little more than alien and hot before she dropped her pants. Wait... she meant trusted him.

"You're the first human to get inside our shield. I thought it was worth trying to figure out."

"Oh, did you figure out why?"

"I think so, but we'll talk about it later. Let's make some food. How do you like the apartment?"

"I like it enough. I wish I could stay." She stood and followed him to the kitchen to find Ven seated at the table.

"Why can't you stay?"

"I'm sure I can't afford the rent even with what you're paying me."

"That's where you are wrong. I was hoping you would stay because I need someone to keep an eye on Ven. Help keep him out of trouble. Maybe help him now since someone lifted the ban on him seeing young Earth females. There's a second room that can be his if you're willing?" He went to the fridge and pulled out the makings for hamburgers and fries.

"I understand if he's too much for you to handle. No reason to feel shame."

He's trying psychology on us.

Does he think we will fall for that?

No, he doesn't. But he does know that we have adopted Ven, and he's close to our heart. So, he's dangling a carrot I can't pass up. We all get what we want. I have a place to live. Enzo has peace of mind. And Ven has a female who cares about him. All growing boys need that.

The voices in her head went silent, and she took a seat as she watched Enzo cook.

"You can cook?"

"Either I learned to cook or starve. I'm not a chef, mind you, but I can get it done."

"I like a man that can cook."

He smiled and winked at her, his green eyes glowing. "That's good to know, camire."

He placed the food in front of them. They ate in silence, but she kept glancing up, not liking the tension in the room.

"Ven," Enzo said once the kitchen was clean. "Why don't you go check out your room."

Ven stood up and looked angry. She hadn't known him long, but she knew that wasn't how he normally was.

"What's wrong with him?"

"I don't know." He pulled her from her chair to his. His hand came up to caress her cheek. "We're going to find out, aren't we?"

She gave him a big smile and pulled him to his feet. Deja knocked at Ven's door and waited until she heard a mumbled come in. The room was perfect for a boy around twenty. Enzo had put some thought into this.

Ven was lying on the bed with his face buried in the pillow.

"Sorry, did I disturb you?" Ven said. His voice was dull with a mean edge to it. "I can leave. What time shall I come back?"

He stood up saying, "I'll leave now."

"And I'll just follow you. All day and all night until you finally tell me what's wrong." Deja set her face and wouldn't back down.

"Since I can't have her following you alone, that means I'll have to follow her."

"You don't have to do that; I know how to disappear."

Why does he need to disappear? C&C asked.

He thinks he's not wanted.

Why would he think that?

Ven's parents kicked him out.

Deja sighed when Ven walked out. It was going to be another long day.