Taken at Dusk

Lucas didn't smile. Well, not with his lips, anyway. His eyes, however, did smile, and their warmth washed over Kylie as he started moving her way. He took slow, even steps, as though he had all the time in the world, but what mattered was that he was coming. When she first saw all the weres clustered together, she worried he might not want to leave them. Somehow Kylie sensed he did it purposely to send a message to her and to his pack. And suddenly she was glad Miranda and Della had pressed her to come to the dance.

Lucas had gotten about halfway across the room when she felt another pair of eyes on her. Pulling her gaze away from Lucas, she spotted Fredericka. Refusing to let the were bully intimidate her or ruin her good mood, Kylie ignored her and refocused on Lucas. He looked good tonight, too. He wore jeans that fit just right and an aqua blue shirt spread across his chest. The color made his blue eyes appear bluer.

When he stopped beside her, his natural scent filled the air and she could feel her pulse flutter from his nearness. He didn't tell her she looked beautiful; he didn't even touch her. But his eyes did both.

"Hey," he said.

She smiled. "Hey."

His gaze moved to Della. "Burnett said I could take over shadowing."

Della nodded.

"Want to get something to drink?" Lucas asked Kylie, and motioned toward the back where the sodas were waiting and the people weren't. Lucas wasn't much with crowds. Tonight, she felt the same way.

She nodded and turned to her two roommates. "I'll see you." Then she leaned in toward them. "Remember the pact."

Miranda smiled and wiggled her eyebrows in excitement. Della, who Kylie knew struggled with the whole romance issue, frowned.

"Yeah, yeah," Della said. "But I'm not making a fool out of myself."

"Just be more approachable," Kylie whispered, and then turned back to Lucas. They moved together across the room, and Kylie could feel people staring at them. She forced herself to ignore them.

Lucas moved in a step closer to her. "What's going on with those two?" he asked, obviously having overheard Kylie's conversation with Della and Miranda.

"Nothing really," Kylie answered.

He grabbed them each a drink and then pushed two folding metal chairs against the wall. When she sat down, he edged his chair closer and sat beside her. His jeans-covered thigh pressed against her bare leg. She could feel his warmth through the cotton material, and it sent a fluttery feeling to her stomach.

He leaned in so his voice could be heard over the music. "I'm glad you came tonight."

"Me too," she said.

"You're not mad at me anymore?" The back of his hand shifted against her forearm and she felt his fingers glide gently up past her elbow.

"I think I'm over it." She smiled.

"Good." His gaze swept over her. "You make my blood race," he said, so low that she could hardly hear him.

She smiled. "Really?"

"Feel for yourself." He took her hand and placed it on the back of his wrist. The flutter-more like a vibration, really-was so rapid that it almost felt electric. Her first instinct was to jerk away, but his steady, tender gaze kept her fingers against his warm skin. And after a second, it wasn't actually scary.

"Is this a werewolf thing?" she asked.

He leaned a bit closer until she felt the warmth of his breath against her ear. "Yeah."

She shivered a little. "So I really didn't cause it?" she asked, feeling a bit disappointed.

A light smile tilted his lips. "Oh, it's all your fault. It only happens when I'm ... captivated by something or someone."

She returned his smile. "Then I'm glad I captivated you."

The smile in his eyes suddenly vanished, and she could swear she heard a light growl rumble from his throat.

She barely had a chance to wonder what could be wrong when Perry stopped right in front of them.

He nodded at Lucas as if making a point that he wasn't the least bit afraid of him. "You want to dance?" he asked Kylie.

She was so surprised, she wondered if she'd misunderstood his question. Then she felt Lucas tense beside her. "Uh, not now," she said, trying to keep her tone light. "But thanks for asking."

Perry disappeared into a group of campers. When she looked back at Lucas, he scowled into the cluster of people. "Am I going to have to teach a smartass shape-shifter a lesson?"

"No."

"I can't believe he actually hit on you when-"

"He wasn't hitting on me." Kylie looked back at the crowd and found Perry standing away from the others, watching Miranda, who was surrounded by a group of boys. For a second, Kylie felt bad. Perry had probably wanted to ask her something about Miranda and she'd brushed him off.

"I don't buy it," Lucas said, his tone deep.

"He only has eyes for Miranda," she said. "Look at him, he's green with jealousy." And literally, his eyes had changed color to a bright green.

"Yeah, right."

"It's true. Believe me; he's not into me."

He dipped his head closer. "And you're not into him?"

She grinned. "Are you jealous?"

"No." He sat up straighter. "I'm just ... possessive," he said as if the two traits were somehow different. "And you didn't answer my question."

"I'm not into Perry," she assured him. "We're just friends."

"Fair enough. So, who are you into?" he asked, and those blue eyes captured hers.

"I'm sort of falling for a jealous werewolf at the moment."

He grinned and quickly brushed the back of his hand against her forearm. "Well, don't tell me his name, because I'm likely to whip his jealous ass."

They both laughed and then sat and stared at each other until it got awkward. Not awkward because looking at him felt strange, but it just seemed as if one of them should lean in and finish the moment with a kiss. But neither of them seemed to want to take the initiative. Kylie suspected his reason was the same as hers. Too much of a crowd. She just hoped it wasn't because of his pack.

"I've been meaning to ask, did you get the answers from Holiday about the whole bird thing?"

Remembering the bird's little visit this afternoon, she felt frustration tickle her mind. "No."

She took a sip of soda, focusing on the music, and tried to push all the negative stuff back. Unfortunately, it kept coming at her. "Did you know the FRU has a library of books on everything supernatural?"

"Yeah, I heard about it. Why?"

"Do you know why they don't let us read them?"

"I think some of them contain government documents."

"But why would they need to hide anything?" she asked.

He shrugged. "The same reason the U.S. government hides things. Some things might skirt the ethics line, or if certain information got into the hands of the wrong people, it could be detrimental."

The music changed to a slow song. Kylie looked up and saw several couples moving to the center of the dining hall to dance. Helen and Jonathon, holding hands, were among the first to make their way to the empty floor space. They wrapped their arms around each other and started swaying to the music. They didn't even appear to be dancing, just holding each other and occasionally doing a small side step. Not that it looked dorky; it sort of looked sweet.

A few other couples moved to the dance floor and started to sway to the beat of the music. The lyrics of the song spoke of love, being close, and kisses. Someone turned down the lights, and since Kylie didn't think the lights had a dimmer switch, she suspected it had been one of the witches using a touch of magic.

Maybe they'd even added a bit of romance potion to the air, because Kylie felt it. Suddenly, she wanted to be out on the dance floor, too. She wanted to feel Lucus's hands on her waist while she rested her cheek on his shoulder.

She glanced at Lucas, leaned in, and asked, "Do you want to dance?"

He made a funny face as if she'd asked him to stand on his head or something. "I ... no. Sorry."

"I guess that might upset the guards too much, huh?" She looked over at the pack of weres watching them.

"It's not that." Lucas released a deep breath. "Come on." He took the plastic cup that held soda from her hand and set it on the floor beside their chairs. He caught her fingers and pulled her up. For a second, she thought he meant to take her out on the dance floor, but instead he headed to the front of the dining hall.

"Where are we going?"

"Outside."

He pulled her through the crowd so fast, Kylie didn't have time to ask his reasons. When he stopped, they stood outdoors and off to the side of the dining hall.

Alone.

The music, while only a distant humming, could still be heard, and it seemed to play along with the night sounds. Crickets and a few birds sang along with the lyrics.

"Isn't this better?" He took her hands and placed them around his neck and then set his hands around her waist as if to dance.

"So the pack won't see us?" she asked, insecure.

"No," he insisted. "Did you see one were out on that dance floor?"

She had to think, but then she shook her head. "No."

"We don't like drawing attention to ourselves in public."

The air was warm, but not as warm as Lucas's hand pressed against her hip. Kylie glanced up and saw a half-moon offering the night a minimum of light. Not that it was all that dark outside; the stars appeared to be working overtime. No clouds hung in the heavens, so the sky seemed sprayed with stars. She could hardly find a piece of sky that didn't have a tiny diamond shape twinkling and adding a silver glow to the night. Slowly, he started moving to the distant music.

"But in private, that's another matter." He didn't just sway but danced. And he obviously knew how, because his steps encouraged her feet to follow the same pattern his were making.

With scents of pizza and blood no longer perfuming the air, Lucas's own scent stood out and mingled with the woodsy scent of the night air.

She looked up at him again. "Who taught you to dance?"

"My grandmother. She told me it was the way to a woman's heart," he said, his voice a light whisper against her ear. His head dipped down and his lips brushed against her cheek. "I personally believe when two people get this close, it should be in private."

His words made her realize how close they were standing to each other. She gazed again into his eyes, and his mouth met hers. They danced and kissed for what seemed like forever. Not that she was complaining. She felt as if they were floating, lost in a moment. His kiss didn't push for more than she was ready to give. It was just a soft meshing of his mouth on hers, with an occasional slip of his tongue across her bottom lip.

The kiss finally ended. She placed her hand on his warm chest right beside where her head rested and listened to his heartbeat, which was very fast.

"Is your blood still rushing?" She raised her head, rested her chin on his chest, and smiled up at him.

"More than before." His tone rang deeper than it had been. He adjusted his hands on her waist and she could feel the racing of his pulse where his wrist touched the bottom of her rib cage.

"Feel it?" he asked.

"Yeah." Leaning her head back on his chest, she decided she could stay there forever with his breath stirring against her hair. Closing her eyes, she enjoyed the closeness and the sensation of being held, of being cherished.

With her ear again pressed to his chest, she heard a soft humming, almost a purring. The sound filled her head and she felt as if it pulsated inside her. She sensed he'd pulled her closer, his nearness warmed her inside and out, and the floating sensation returned even stronger this time. Leaning into him a bit more, she longed to be closer still.

His fingers pressed against her waist, making tiny little shifts up and down. The light touch tickled and caused a fluttering sensation deep in her belly. Then his hands glided up her sides, almost to her breasts. The slightest warning whispered in her head, but she pushed it back. This felt too good to-

He inhaled, sharply, and she thought she heard him swear, then he yanked his hands from her and stepped away.

Without his support, she almost felt dizzy. She gazed up at him confused. "What...?"

"We should ... we should go inside."

When she met his eyes, they glowed a brighter blue. "Is something wrong?" she asked.

"No. It's ... just safer inside."

"Safer from what?" She looked around, thinking he'd seen something. Had the eagle or deer returned? It could even be the blue jay, back to-

"From me," he said, and shoved his hands into his pockets. "I'm low on willpower tonight, Kylie. About a week and a half before the change, I tend to run more on instinct than logic. And right now, my instinct says to pull you in the woods, find a soft spot of grass, and have my way with you."

She moved in and placed a hand on his chest. "I know you well enough to know that you would never force me to do something I didn't want to do."

He pulled her palm from his chest and held her hand gently in his. "I would never force you, Kylie. Never. But I'm not above trying to persuade you. And..." He tilted her head back with his other hand as if to make sure she knew he was serious. "Werewolves have a knack for persuading. And that's not how I want this to happen."

She blinked and tried to understand what he was saying. Her insides still felt like liquid, and she missed his warmth against her. She tried to move closer to regain what she missed, but he took another step back.

He pulled her hand to his lips, and after placing a quick kiss to her knuckles, he tightened his grip and gave her a tug back toward the dining hall.

She took a few steps. Then, still trying to process what he'd said, she put on her mental brakes. "What do you mean by a 'knack for persuading'?"