It felt like we were on one of our long stretches where we were both busy, and all I needed to do was pick up the phone.  If only it were that easy.  I missed him.

“Isabelle.”

Carlos’ voice, so close to me, made me jump.  I turned and found him next to the table.  He was looking down at me, his dark eyes focused on my face.

“We leave in thirty.  I’ll get your bag, unless you need to go back to the room for something.”

“Thanks.”

He looked at me for a second longer then left.  I breathed a sigh of relief and went back to not eating my cold eggs.

*    *    *    *

“You gunna drop kick me into fairyland?”

Bethi’s voice penetrated my misery, and I pulled my blank stare from the window just in time to see her flop into the chair across from me.

“I should.  When you asked to sleep with me, I thought that meant me and you in a bed.”

“I know.  I’m sorry.  Luke wasn’t willing to bend.”  She smirked at her choice of words.

“No more sleepovers for you,” I said, balling up my napkin and tossing it on the plate.

“Come on.  You looked like you were pretty comfy.”

“Don’t go there.”

“It’s funny that you’re doing everything you can to stay away from Carlos.  I was the complete opposite with Luke.”

“Why?”

“Once I realized he was one of the good guys, I thought he might be my ticket to a few dreamless nights.  After all the memories of dying...”  She shook her head.  “I was desperate.  Still am.  Anyway, I tried to bite him countless times.  He dodged every attempt.  I can’t even count how many times I ended up with his hand in my face.”

“Wait, bite?  Why bite?”

“Yeah.  It’s the werewolf version of being engaged, I guess.  I was hoping that Claiming him would stop the dreams.  It didn’t.  Then, I’d hoped Mating would do the trick.  It didn’t either.  But at least I’m safer.  Mating is essentially tying the unbreakable knot.  No, seriously.  It’s unbreakable.”  She leaned forward and grew serious.  “If they catch us, they can’t force us to bite one of their own if we’re Mated.  It won’t work as long as our Mate’s alive.”

I heard the words and even registered their meaning on some level, but I was still stuck on biting meaning engaged.  My eyes narrowed.  I knew biting would have been a bad idea.

“Excuse me,” I said, picking up my plate and standing.  “I need to talk to Carlos.”

I tossed my food in the garbage then took the stairs two at a time.  He was just leaving the room as I turned the corner.  I marched up to him and put my hands on his chest, pushing him back against the door.

“Still want that bite?”

In a blink, I was the one against the door.  One of his hands was in my hair and the other gently held the back of my neck.  His entire body seemed to curl around me, shielding me from everything.  My anger slipped a notch as a burst of desire exploded inside me.

“Yes,” he breathed.

It took me a second to recall I’d asked a question.  I pulled my anger around me like a protective blanket and kicked the desire in its teeth.

“Did you maybe forget to mention that biting you would have meant we were engaged?”

He gave an angry growl.

“Yeah, that’s how I feel.  What was that run last night?  Another trick?”  I pushed at him.  When he didn’t move, I pinched the inside of his bicep.  He winced and pulled away from me.  “I don’t like liars, Carlos.  Watch yourself.”

I picked up my bag and left him standing in the hall.

By the time I reached the lobby, I saw everyone was already outside, milling around in the parking lot.  As soon as I pushed through the doors, they started piling in their assigned vehicles, and I slowed as I realized I’d be stuck in a car alone with Carlos again.

The door opened behind me, and Carlos moved past me, his bag over his shoulder.

“I’m not getting in the car with you,” I said, crossing my arms.

He stopped walking but didn’t turn.

“Why not?”

“Because you’re not following the rule.”

He turned to study me.

“What rule?”

“The don’t-touch-Isabelle-or-she’ll-break-your-damn-hand rule.”  I glared at him.

He considered me for a moment and slowly closed the distance between us.

“You’re afraid,” he said, sounding too much like Ethan.

I wanted to hit him.  Instead, I marched over to the car to yank the door open and get in.  Hopefully the echo of the slammed door let Carlos know just how angry I was.

*    *    *    *

It was a long, tense ride.  I spent the time staring out my window.

Three hours into the drive, Carlos suddenly spoke, taking me by surprise.

“What is it you don’t like about me?”

His hesitant tone launched a pity party in my heart.  I quickly closed the door on that noise.

“Your persistence.”

I felt him glance at me but refused to look.

“I don’t understand why you keep trying.  Nothing’s going to happen.  I’m not biting you.  I’m not dating you.  I’m not doing anything with you.”

“Okay.”

That was it, just a calm, measured okay.  I finally turned to look at him.  He met my gaze.

“I just want you happy.”

The words made my insides churn with emotion.  I could easily gage the mood of those around me, except for Carlos; but when it came to how I felt, I couldn’t look deep.  I didn’t want to.

“Then just be my friend,” I said.  “I need one.”

He returned his attention to the road, and I went back to watching out the window.

It wasn’t long after our little talk that the first vehicle pulled off the shoulder for another practice session.  This time, we started paired off, fighting back to back.  Carlos and I moved together pretty well.  He was fast and kept up with me easily.  When we stood back to watch the rest, I saw Luke and Bethi were in sync too.  Jim paired well with Grey, Emmitt, and Thomas.  Winifred seemed to work him a bit harder than the rest.  No doubt punishment for yesterday.  The normal people radiated frustration, with Bethi adding a special blend of melancholy.  Probably her hangover.  The not so normal people didn’t emanate as much, for which I was grateful.  My tender head and stomach were getting worse by the minute.  Thankfully, after our allotted thirty minutes, we were on the road again in search of somewhere to eat.

We pulled into the first restaurant we saw.  It looked like a little ma-and-pa place from the outside, and the inside confirmed it.  There were maybe ten tables, and three of them were taken.  The cook’s eyes rounded when he saw our big group come in.  This time, we didn’t try to push tables together.

Carlos stopped at a table furthest from the other customers and pulled out a chair for me.  Why did that make me hesitate and my heart skip a beat?  He watched me closely.  I’d asked for friendship, I reminded myself as I sat.

He didn’t sit next to me, but across from me.

“Can we sit with you?” Michelle asked.  Emmitt stood just behind her.

“Sure,” I said.

Michelle sat to my right and gave me a shy smile.  Emmitt pushed her chair in for her before moving to the other side of me.

“I’m sorry if it seems like I’m being hard on you,” I said.

“You are being hard on us, but I understand why.”

I felt Michelle’s burst of pity and knew what she would say before she said it.

“I’m really sorry about Ethan.”

My eyes stung and my lungs burned for a few seconds until I locked the new wave of grief away behind the wall that held the rest.  Then, I nodded.

“Bethi said you two grew up together.  How did you meet?”

A smile tugged my lips as I remembered.

“At school.  On the playground.  He was the new kid, two grades older.  He wasn’t like the other kids who’d fall asleep if I tried to play with them.  He was angry.  All the time.  He took a ball from a girl I knew.”  I could still picture his face, so stubborn and set.  “When I asked him to give it back, he tried hitting me.  I was already in self-defense classes so I blocked it.  It was our first spar.”