Howl (Monster Boyfriends #1)

Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

RAEGAN

I know Jamie won’t be there, but perhaps his assistant manager will know what errands he’s meant to run today.

The dim and moody atmosphere of the coffee shop is a stark difference to Kiki’s bright and bustling cafe. I love the style Jamie chose for his business, but I have to admit, it does bring down the mood a bit after coming from Kiki’s. Maybe that’s what he meant to achieve. When someone enters Double Double, they are escaping the chaos of the outside world and taking refuge among a quiet, slow paced setting.

I guess no one is in need of escape today, because the place is completely empty, save for Casey balancing empty coffee cups on top of each other behind the counter. They startle when I walk toward them and have to catch the falling cups as they tumble from their makeshift tower.

I’m about to ask if they’ve spoken to Jamie yet today, but then Layton comes out from the back carrying a box of coffee grounds. I wave hello and he greets me with an open mouthed smile. His long dreads cascade down his back and just barely skim his waist as he bends to place the box on the floor to unpack.

His golden eyes find mine. “Jamie isn’t here today,” he says, assuming correctly who I’m looking for. Only I already knew that.

“Oh, I know.” I wave the comment away with my hand, pretending I haven’t just realized something life changing about my best friend. “He told me he wasn’t working today, but that he had errands to run. Did he need to do a supply pick up?”

Both Layton and I glance down at the full box of ground coffee and fresh beans he just brought from the storeroom. Jamie locally sources his coffee from a vendor just outside of town, and clearly they were fully stocked.

Layton forces a chuckle. “No, we did that last week.” He looks me up and down, searching for any sign that something might be amiss. “Is everything alright?”

I nod emphatically. “Yeah, fine. I just forgot where he said he was going today and I need to track him down for something. No biggie.” I fake a laugh and shrug my shoulders casually. “See you around.”

I wave goodbye and turn for the door, but he offers one more comment that has me stopping.

“He didn’t look too good,” Layton suggests. “Did he not tell you he was sick?”

I catch Casey staring at me from the corner of my eye.

“Right,” I force out quickly. “That’s why I’m looking for him.” I fake a laugh and roll my eyes. “He’s always working and never taking care of himself, am I right?”

Layton gives me a nervous laugh. He can probably tell there’s something bigger going on here, but he’s too polite to insert himself into our private business.

“He mentioned that Fabio-looking vampire before he left. Maybe he went there for some reason?”

There were only two resident vampires in Shadow Hills: the two hundred year old teenager who never left his property in the woods, and Aidan, the white haired forever thirty-something specimen who lived beneath the movie theater.

As a good friend of Jamie’s, Aidan frequents Double Double almost every morning. I haven’t spoken to him much, but after his heroic act of stopping Patrick from choking me to death, perhaps I ought to pay him a visit. At least to thank him for saving my life.

I give Layton my appreciation and head the opposite direction down Main, aiming for the movie theater at the very end of the street. I pass the bookstore, my and Jamie’s favorite sushi restaurant, and the local deli. The theater appears at the corner of East and Main, its bright red awning and marquee signaling the building like a beacon. Currently the letters read MONSTER MOVIE WEEKEND THIS SAT & SUN!

I’m shocked to see there’s something new playing, given the same 80s teen movie has been playing for months. No one’s ever been able to complain, because no one can figure out who the owner is. We know it’s definitely someone in town, but they’ve chosen to keep their identity a secret for whatever reason.

To the right of the entrance is a railing that leads to a set of descending steps. The original owner, Maurice who now owns Bones, the only bar in town, decided instead of building his apartment above the business he would create an underground living space to avoid the noise. Now he has his own cabin in the woods, only a few miles past the wolf pack territory.

Suddenly reminded of why I’m here, I grab the large bronze knocker resembling a gargoyle and bang the handle against the door three times. Regardless of how hard I knock, I assume a vampire would hear me. And just like that, less than a second after letting go, the door swings open.

Layton’s Fabio description of Aidan really was quite accurate. His shoulder length white hair is perfectly layered and has enough volume to make me jealous. His deep-set, piercing blue eyes sit slightly too close together, yet remain perfectly symmetrical with the rest of his features. His wide nose leads down to a set of pursed thin lips and a rounded jaw, and his high forehead remains unwrinkled while holding a curious expression.

After realizing who the visitor is, he relaxes. “Raegan.” He says my name softly, as if trying not to spook me.

“Hi!” I greet him animatedly, adding an actual wave, and Aidan looks a bit scared.

You’re overselling it.

“Hey,” I try again, “so, this is odd, but would you happen to know where Jamie is?”

Aidan’s already pale skin turns ashen as he lifts his head and searches the sky. “He hasn’t spoken to you?”

“I saw him this morning, but…” Part of me wants to tell him the truth of why I’m worried. At least he could tell me if I’m overreacting.

Aidan relents and steps aside, gesturing for me to come in. I step over the threshold and am welcomed by an enormous chandelier hanging only a few feet above my head. It hovers even closer above Aidan as he steps beneath it.

“The ceilings are low,” he says, “but I still have standards.”

I find it hilarious he felt the need to explain. The space is much larger than I thought it would be. Besides the low ceilings, I would never be able to tell I was below ground.

Aidan’s home gives off the same vibe as Double Double’s dark and moody aesthetic, only the decor here has a modern gothic twist. The walls are gray and dark, and dramatic furniture fills the room. There’s a baroque-inspired coffee table with ornate legs in the middle of a large woven area rug, surrounded by a black velvet lounge and a deep red brocade armchair. An enormous fireplace sits parallel to the entryway that I’m pretty sure is taller than me. I never visited when Maurice lived here, but I’m guessing it looked a lot different than this.

I take a seat on the velvet couch and sink back into a set of fringe pillows. Aidan remains standing, but offers to make tea. I shake my head.

“He didn’t tell you where he was going today?” Aidan asks.

I swallow a lump in my throat. “Well, he told me he was running errands, and that I wouldn’t see him again until tomorrow.” I wipe my sweaty palms down my jeans. “It’s really not a big deal, I was just wondering if he was here, or maybe…I dunno.”

Aidan takes in my defeated sigh with a stoic posture. It’s hard to decipher what he’s feeling when he shows so little emotion on his face. Most of the time his expression rests in an award-winning poker face, giving absolutely nothing away. However, my concern about Jamie has caught him off guard, and the slightest tightening of his jaw reveals his worry.

I don’t know why, but something makes me just blurt out the question that's been on my mind since leaving the cafe. “Has Jamie ever told you anything about himself? Something he might not want others to know.”

Aidan gives me a pointed look, but I hold my chest high. There’s no turning back now. For a moment, he looks as if he wants to slap himself, or possibly me, across the face.

Have I opened a can of worms?

“How has he been acting?” Aidan asks as he takes a seat in the armchair. He crosses his legs and folds his hands gracefully in his lap. It’s as if he knows I’ve seen Jamie act out of character, but he’s waiting for me to say it.

My hand absentmindedly finds the bruise on my neck again. The physical reminder takes me back to how I felt the day it happened.

“He’s been really angry lately,” I admit. “Not at me, but…he seems to get enraged by anything that threatens me.” Aidan nods but waits for me to continue. “And he’s been, well…there’s this pull I keep feeling between us, but maybe it’s just me.”

“A pull?” Aidan clarifies.

“That’s what it feels like. There’s something drawing me to him more than usual. Ever since he first confronted Patrick and told him to never come near me again, I’ve had this deep need to be near him. I think he feels it too.” Aidan nods thoughtfully. “But this morning, he left so quickly, like he couldn’t get away fast enough.”

Aidan lifts his brows and waits for me to put together the pieces myself, but apparently I’m too dumb to do that. “Raegan,” he starts with a slightly annoyed tone, “do you know what tonight is?”

I don’t hesitate. “The full moon.” I blow out a noisy breath. “B-but I would know,” I sputter. “It happens every month. How could I miss something like that?”

We’re dancing around the subject, but I know we’re talking about the same thing.

“Have you ever spent this much consecutive time together before?”

I don’t answer.

Aidan doesn’t meet my eyes. He lowers his chin and lets out a long, low sigh of defeat. Whatever he’s been holding back, he’s choosing to let it go.

“I'm only telling you this because he should have told you himself, a long time ago,” he says. “I already know you’ve figured out what he is, but you need to know this too. I think you're his mate. I’m pretty sure he knows, but hasn't accepted it yet. And I think you know, too."

I shake my head honestly, but inwardly I’m still in denial. “Why now?” I demand, as if Aidan holds all the answers. “After all these years, why am I only seeing the signs now?”

“You said it started when Patrick threatened you,” he reiterates. “To me, it sounds like a fear for your safety is what triggered the bond to awaken within you both.”

I’m dumbfounded. I try my hardest to think back to every full moon we’ve spent together, but after going back just a few months in my head, I realize we haven’t. Either by happenstance or on purpose, Jamie and I have never been in the same room together during a full moon. Does that mean he’s been going to the woods to shift on his own?

“Do the others know about him?”

I feel like I’m prying into something I shouldn’t be, yet I feel like Aidan is the one to give me the answers I want when no one else can.

“They do,” he confirms.

“How long?”

“For as long as he’s lived in Shadow Hills, I believe.”

My stomach is in knots. This is huge. After all this time, I thought Jamie and I were closer than this—close enough that we could tell each other everything—but he kept this from me, the biggest secret of all.

I don’t have any more questions for Aidan. I decide I’ve heard enough.

I get up to leave but Aidan stops me.

“Wait.” He grabs my arm carefully, and I feel the cool touch of his fingers bringing goose bumps to my skin. It’s nowhere near the same feeling as when Jamie touches me. The shiver I feel from him is all desire, while Aidan’s cold touch makes me want to yank my arm away.

He pulls back and apologizes. “Are you going where I think you are?”

“If he needs to shift, I assume he’ll be with the others. So, yes. That’s exactly where I’m going.”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea to show up at a werewolf camp unannounced with a full moon approaching in less than twelve hours, Raegan.”

Aidan’s warning rushes out harshly, but I barely take it in.

“If you’re right about me being his mate, they can’t hurt me. Isn’t that how it works?”

He steps back, dipping his head to concede. “I hope that’s true. Wolves can be vicious under a full moon. They don’t think like their human selves. Everything they do is about dominance and fighting for the natural order of their pack.”

“I’ll be fine. Thank you, Aidan.” I place my hand on his shoulder. I can still feel the chill through the fabric of his shirt, but it’s not nearly as cold as touching bare flesh. “Not just for this, but for saving me the other day. If you hadn’t shown up when you did, I would be far worse for wear.”

He eyes my throat one last time and swallows thickly. “You’re welcome.”

I’ve never been to the pack’s campground before, but I have a general idea of where it’s located. Otherwise, I’ll just have to trust that pull inside me to lead the way.