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An hour later, I stood in front of my bedroom mirror staring at myself. I had curled my hair into long ringlets that fell over my shoulders, and I was wearing dark gray eye shadow, which made my gray eyes look brighter than usual.
Stepping into the dress, I smiled. Even though I still felt guilty that Mila had spent so much money on it, I was sort of glad. I would’ve been really disappointed if I’d left the mall without the dress, because it was gorgeous.
I’d just pulled on a pair of silver strappy heels I’d had in my closet when the doorbell rang.
Racing downstairs, I pulled the door open, figuring that Jax would be standing on the other side.
When I opened the door, I found Louise staring back at me. “Hi, Camryn. Is your mom home?”
“Yeah, she’s in the kitchen,” I told her. “Is everything okay?”
“Everything’s fine. I just wanted to visit.” She paused. “Camryn, do you remember how I mentioned those friends of Isaac’s? The out of towners whose names I couldn’t recall?”
I nodded. “Yes. Did you remember their names?”
“Well, not all of them. But I did remember one of the boy’s names,” she replied.
“What was it?” I asked, feeling slightly hopeful. Maybe this would put us one step closer to figuring out who Isaac’s killer was.
Louise met my gaze. “His name was Rafael LaTorre.”
*
When Jax, Mila, and I finally arrived at the party, my head was still spinning about what I’d just learned. I had just finally begun to trust Rafael again and now I had reason to doubt him again. I had so many questions for Rafael now.
How did he and Isaac know each other? We lived so far away from each other that I didn’t know how they could’ve met. And what else did he know?
A part of me wondered if maybe, just maybe, it was a different Rafael LaTorre, but I knew I had to be practical. How many Rafael LaTorre’s were there in Indiana? I knew it must’ve been the same person, but I didn’t really know what that meant. Had Isaac been a werewolf, too? If he hadn’t been, what else could the two of them have had in common?
I pushed the thought away, deciding that I wasn’t going to focus on this tonight. I was going to let myself have fun like a normal teenager, for once. I deserved to forget about my complicated life, even if it was only for one night.
As soon as we walked through the front door of the restaurant, Mila had already lost herself in the crowd, leaving Jax and I alone.
I scanned the room. I wasn’t gonna lie. I was really, really surprised by the turnout. It was kind of crazy to me that so many people who didn’t even know Roxy had shown up for her birthday/welcoming party. But then I guess since there wasn’t much to do in Cedar Falls, people would take whatever excuse they could to party.
My eyes fell on Roxy, who was in the center of the room, dancing with a crowd of people, her head tilted back in laughter. It hadn’t taken her long to make friends.
“Do you want to dance?” Jax asked me.
“Sure,” I agreed, realizing that this was a first for us—or, at least, for me, in this lifetime. We’d never danced before.
Turning around, I found myself standing face-to-face with a middle-aged woman who I didn’t recognize.
“Hello, Camryn.” Her lips tilted into a small smile.
“I’m sorry. Do I know you?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at her. How did this woman, who I was pretty confident I’d never seen before in my life, know my name?
“Oh, my apologies. Roxy told me so much about you that it was easy to pick you out of a crowd.” The woman tucked her hair behind her ear. “I’m her mom, Monica.”
“Oh. It’s nice to meet you,” I said.
“Likewise.” She shifted her gaze over to Jax. “And you must be the notorious Jax Sherwood.”
“Well, that would be me. But to be honest, I’m not really sure what I’m notorious for,” he replied.
“You’re notorious for just being you, I guess. My daughter has talked about you... a lot,” Monica explained.
Jax and I exchanged a look with each other. I knew he was thinking the same thing as I was: Roxy had only ever met him once. How could she have possibly had so much to say about him?
Unless she thought he was cute. Maybe she had a crush on him. Not that I really would’ve blamed her for that. He was undeniably hot.
Actually, on second thought, I would’ve blamed her for it. Whether he was hot or not, that didn’t make it okay. She should’ve at least kept those feelings to herself. It was the respectful thing to do, considering I was her first – and up until tonight, only – friend in Cedar Falls.
I glanced over at Roxy then. She was dancing with Ace now. His arms were draped around her waist, and her body was pressed up against his. She seemed completely smitten with him. It didn’t really seem like there was room in her heart to crush on Jax.
So, if this wasn’t a crush, then what had she told her mom?
“I hope she’s told you good things only,” Jax said after a moment of uncomfortable silence.
“Of course.” Monica glanced back over at me. “Did Roxy tell you she’ll be gone next week?”
“No, she didn’t mention it. Where will she be going?”
“She needs to go for training,” her mom replied. “She’ll be leaving for the Academy in December.”
“The Academy?” I questioned, remembering the letter I’d found on Roxy’s bedroom floor.
“Oh, she hasn’t told you?” Monica asked. “Roxy is a wonderful cook. She’s been accepted into a very prestigious cooking academy.”
“Oh. No, she hasn’t mentioned that yet.” And while I only vaguely remembered the letter I’d read, it hadn’t sounded like it had anything to do with going away to cooking school. The tasks it had listed sounded like physical challenges, which was what had led me to believe that Roxy was probably being sent away to boot camp.
Then again, maybe I was right. Maybe she was being sent away to boot camp, and her mom just didn’t want anyone to know that. So instead of tarnishing her daughter’s reputation, she’d come up with this elaborate story about her getting accepted to cooking school.
“So, what line of work are you in?” Jax asked. It was the first time I’d ever noticed his true age. Instead of wanting to hang out with the other kids, he was making casual conversation with Roxy’s mom – the person in the room who was closest to his age, minus a few hundred years.
“We work in recruiting,” Monica replied.
“Recruiting for what?” he questioned.
She seemed to hesitate for a moment. “We work for a company – a marketing company. We’re sort of like head hunters.” She glanced behind her and then turned back to us, seemingly distracted. “If you’ll excuse me.”
I watched as she walked away from us quickly and headed for the drink area, where she served herself some punch.
“Well, that was strange,” Jax commented.
“Wasn’t it?” I asked, relieved that it wasn’t just me who thought that way.
“Yeah, oh well. Let’s dance.”
“Okay,” I agreed and followed him out onto the dance floor.
*
An hour later, we were in the center of the dance floor. Jax’s body was pressed so close to mine that I could’ve sworn I felt his heart beating rapidly through his chest. Or maybe it was the beat of the Pitbull song playing that was vibrating through us. I didn’t really know.
As the song changed, Jax pulled away from me. “I’m going to get some punch. Do you want any?”
“No, I’m good. Thank you.”
As soon as Jax headed off in the direction of the refreshments, Bash came to stand in front of me.
“Don’t you look like you’re having fun?” he asked sarcastically.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I am having fun,” I insisted.
“Mmhmm. I’ll bet.”
I rolled my eyes. “What about you? I figured you’d be too busy talking to the ladies to bother with me tonight.”
“Here’s the thing about me when it comes to ladies. I’m extremely picky. I have a very specific type.” He glanced around the room. “And no one here seems to fit the bill.”
“You should settle for what you can get. Any girl who’s willing to put up with your annoying personality should be your type,” I said.
“I’ll have you know that girls fight over me. I’ve ended friendships before without even doing anything,” Bash said, shooting me a cocky grin. “You’ll see once school starts, I’m sure.”
“Great. Lucky me.” I rolled my eyes again.
“I’m glad you think so.” He patted me on the shoulder and then turned away.
As he walked away from me, I spotted a flash of blonde hair and a fuchsia dress a few feet away from me. “Blair!”
She looked up at me, and a big grin spread across her face. “There you are! I was looking for you, but I guess your man candy was blocking my view.” She winked.
I laughed, pulling her into a hug. “I’m so glad you decided to come. What made you change your mind?”
“Well, what else do I have to do on a Saturday night?” She shrugged. “I figured that I didn’t want to sit at home and be bored when you and probably everyone else I know was going to be here. I’m not antisocial or something.”
“Bored? But you were supposed to be super busy with all of those plans tonight,” I joked.
She giggled. “Yeah, right.”
“Do you want to meet Roxy again?” I asked. “I don’t think you exactly got off to the best start.”
“Sure, why not?” Blair replied with a shrug. “She is our neighbor, after all.”
I scanned the room for Roxy, but then my eyes fell on someone else – someone who was headed straight for me.
Demetrius.
My stomach dropped. What was he doing at the party?
As he came to stand in front of me, he said, “Camryn, I need to speak to you.”
“Now?” I asked, feeling slightly annoyed. The last thing I needed was for him to rain on my parade. I mean, it was Roxy’s party, so technically it was her parade, but it was the first time I’d had any sort of fun in who knew how long. I didn’t want any drama, but I knew that was the only thing he was good for.
“Yes, now.” His tone came off as snappy, even though I was pretty sure he was just impatient.
“Camryn, who is that?” Blair nodded her chin at Demetrius. She eyed him the same way you would look at roadkill.
“He’s Demetr—” I began, but then changed my words when I realized that it wouldn’t mean anything to her unless I told her who he really was. “He’s my father.”
“You reunited with your father since I’ve been gone?” My best friend just gaped at me. “And you didn’t think to tell me? This is, like, major news.”
I couldn’t blame her. I had a whole lot of explaining to do, but it was going to have to wait till later. Right now, I needed to deal with Demetrius.
“I know. I’m sorry. I’ll catch up with you in a little bit,” I promised her, before turning to Demetrius. “Come on. Let’s go out into the hallway.”
He nodded and followed after me.
Once we were away from the blaringly loud music, I narrowed my eyes at him. “What are you doing here?”
“Is it a crime for a father to want to pay his daughter a visit?” he asked with a laugh.
“No, but I know you. This isn’t just you checking up on me. So, what is it?”
“Well... you’re right,” Demetrius agreed. “There’s something I need to talk to you about.”
“It couldn’t wait until later?” I asked.
“I just wanted to tell you that you were right. I made a big mistake by forcing Zoe into marriage.”
Had he really come all the way here just to tell me that? Really?
“You don’t say. Who would’ve thought it’d be a bad idea to force an eighteen year old into marrying someone who she doesn’t even know, let alone love?” I said sarcastically. He shot me a look. “Sorry,” I went on. “What’s brought you to this conclusion?”
“Let’s just say that Sal isn’t the guy I thought he was. He’s more like his father than I realized.”
I wondered what Enzo had done to piss my father off. Apparently, their beef with each other must’ve gone further than my father killing Enzo’s sister. She wasn’t only Enzo’s sister; she was also Sal and Rafael’s aunt. I wondered what they thought of my father – Sal, especially. What had made him so eager and willing to agree to marry Zoe knowing her father was a killer? Unless Sal didn’t know.
Demetrius paused, shaking his head frustratedly. “Anyway, I need to figure out a way to get your sister out of this mess I’ve created for her, but don’t worry. I already have a plan in the works.”
I frowned. “What type of plan? I thought that once a werewolf gets married, it’s... permanent.”
“You’d be naïve to believe something as foolish as that. Nothing in this world is permanent. A marriage between two wolves only lasts as long as they do.” His eyes clouded over with a dark look, and I realized what he was hinting at.
In order for Zoe to get out of this marriage, either she or Sal needed to die. And I was pretty sure that Demetrius didn’t mean her.
“Are you trying to say that you’re planning to kill Sal?” I asked, staring at him wide-eyed.
“It’s the only way I can get your sister out of this marriage,” he replied. “And trust me when I say the kid deserves it. If I don’t put an end to him now, he’s going to end up being as big of a monster as his father is. He needs to be stopped.”
Even though I didn’t want my sister to be stuck in this marriage forever, the idea of Demetrius killing Sal made me feel sick to my stomach. I didn’t want to think that my father could be capable of such a thing, even though he was. I’d known he was all along. Why would I have expected anything less from him?
The worst part was that I knew if he was willing to kill Sal, that meant he wouldn’t feel bad about killing Jax – especially considering the two of them already seemed to have some sort of deep-rooted hatred for one another.
“Is this what you’re going to do when I marry Jax one day and you’re not happy with my decision?” I asked Demetrius accusingly. “Kill him just so I won’t be with him anymore?”
“Camryn, let’s not to do this right now, okay?” he replied, a dismissive look in his green eyes.
“Why? I want to talk about this and now is just as good a time as any,” I insisted, unwilling to just drop it because he wanted me to. “In fact, I’m pretty sure I know why you don’t like him.”
“Oh. Why’s that?” My father looked amused by my words.
“Because he doesn’t come from a powerful bloodline like we do. You don’t want the two of us to form a new bloodline, because you’re afraid I’ll tarnish the family name.”
“Well, that’s partially true. I don’t want you to form a new bloodline with someone who has inferior blood, but my not wanting you to be with him has nothing to do with him being less powerful than us. Believe it or not, it also has nothing to do with me and him not getting along.”
“Then what does it have to do with?” I asked with a frown.
“Are you sure you really want to go there right here and now?” Demetrius asked me. “You might not like everything I have to say. I wouldn’t want to make you cry.”
It was then that I knew there was something – something he wasn’t telling me. Whether or not it was a good idea to go there, I had no other choice.
“I need to know. And I seriously doubt anything you could possibly say would make me cry.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that.” He sighed. “I don’t really want to do this. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but... you do realize the odds of you and Jax ever being together are slim to none, right?” Demetrius asked, studying my face with his intense green eyes.
“Why? Because you’ll never allow it?” I said, jumping to the first conclusion that came to mind. I couldn’t think of any other reason why Jax and I couldn’t be together, and as far as I knew, my father was the only one who was against us.
“As much as I would like to take credit for it, not everything in your life has to do with me.” He paused. “Do you know what happened every other time you lived?”
“I died.” I shrugged. “So what? I know it seems like we’re star-crossed, but I think Jax is right. Once I leave your pack, I’ll be able to live.”
At least, that was what I strongly hoped. I wasn’t sure what else we could do to fix this or how we would even know if this would work until it was too late. It felt like we were running out of options and out of time.
“Actually, Camryn, there’s more to it than you realize. It might not matter if I agree to let you leave my pack. Even if you do leave my pack, and even if you survive longer than you usually do, you might still die.” He paused, meeting my gaze. “You and Jax are far more star-crossed than you realize.”
“How do you figure?” I asked.
“This is all very complicated, but... the final step of the soul-binding process is marriage. You’ll need to go through the bloodline ceremony – the same ceremony you witnessed Zoe go through with Sal – and form a new bloodline with Jax if you wish to be with him.”
“And?” I pressed, so far not really understanding what he was trying to get at. I mean, sure, I was squeamish about blood, but it wasn’t like I wouldn’t have been willing to go through with it. You gotta do what you gotta do, even if it means playing vampire instead of werewolf for a day. I would drink that blood like a champ if it meant we got to be together forever.
“If you go through with this, you won’t be the only one to die. The problem is that you and Jax have incompatible blood.” Demetrius took a deep breath. “It’s the entire reason I’ve discouraged this relationship from day one. Any time anyone with my father’s bloodline has ever tried to form a new bloodline with a Sherwood, it’s resulted in death... for not just one but both of them.”