The money helped. I started getting the things Gabby needed or showed interest in. Simple things like movies she mentioned to Rachel, basic food items, and some spare clothes for me. I always wore what she’d given me on the nights we were together, though, and hoped she understood how much I treasured them, especially the shirt she’d sewn.
Each night together she peppered me with questions, making a game of getting to know me; and as the weeks passed, I thought we’d progressed nicely. She was comfortable with me and seemed to really trust me. I wasn’t ready to test our relationship yet, though. Fear that she would pull back stopped me.
When the questioning turned to what I did all day, I left my wallet on her dresser as a clue. Rachel was home when Gabby found it so she didn’t say anything, but her expression spoke volumes. Curiosity and excitement played across her features. I sat behind her as she quietly opened it and started poking through the contents.
Her hesitant glances at me before she looked at each new thing were adorable but not as much as when she stared at my license. They’d made me pull my hair back for the photo. It was her first glimpse of my face. She stared so long that I started to laugh, not at her fascination but because she was fascinated. Just another sign of how much she’d accepted me.
But acceptance wouldn’t be enough to keep the other unMated at bay, and our time to complete a Claim was running out.
Chapter 14
I sat on the bed and watched Gabby get ready. A female from one of Gabby’s classes had invited Gabby to a Halloween party. And Gabby had said yes.
She wore my favorite flannel shirt and a pair of my jeans. The jeans sagged on her and mostly covered the boots she wore. Thankfully, she’d belted the waist to keep the pants from falling off completely. I liked that she wore my clothes. It gave me a certain sense of possession...if only she weren’t planning to leave and go mingle with other men at one of those party houses.
Most of Gabby’s blonde hair was hidden under a ball cap. I tilted my head, studying her as she sculpted some thick sideburns with the hair gel. She was too cute to pull off being a man, but it was better than the cocktail waitress costume Rachel had given her.
When she started coloring manly looking eyebrows on her face, her cuteness dropped a level, and I started to worry. She was dressing tough. Human men weren’t rational when they drank. Someone might take her attempt at toughness as a challenge.
“What do you think?” she said, turning around.
Unhappy with the situation, I jumped off the bed and turned toward the door, pretending to ignore Gabby as I tried to decide if I would be able to follow her from a distance. That wouldn’t help when she went into the house. I needed to go with her as a man, but would she let me?
Lost in thought, I didn’t hear Rachel until the door was already opening. I jumped out of the way just before it hit me.
Rachel stopped and stared at Gabby in shock. For once, I agreed with Rachel’s reaction.
“What the hell did you do?” she said.
“I’m going for dude. It’s safe, right? What guy is going to want to hit on a guy even if he knows that underneath, it’s a girl? Guys get weird about that stuff.”
“You know what’s going to happen?” Rachel said, sitting on the bed. “All the guys are still going to be attracted to you. Only they’re going to freak out because you’re going to make them think they’re gay. You’re going to get your ass kicked tonight.”
I swore and rushed from the room. There was no way I’d let Gabby go without me now. Gabby and her classmate would just need to adjust to the change in plans.
With Rachel in Gabby’s room, I shifted my hand, let myself out the back door, and went to the garage. Dale had given me some coveralls a few weeks ago, which I’d hidden in the back. I grabbed them, dressed with speed, and pulled back my hair. I wanted every man I encountered tonight to see my eyes and know the threat they faced if they got near her.
Less than a minute later, I was at the door again. I almost let myself back in, but remembered Rachel was inside, and knocked. It didn’t take long for Rachel to answer. When she saw me, she grinned.
“I’m glad you’re here. That girl’s going to need someone to keep her safe tonight.”
I nodded. Finally, we were on the same page.
“It’s for you, Gabby,” Rachel said loudly.
Rachel didn’t move to invite me in, so I waited outside for Gabby. As soon as she reached the kitchen arch, she stopped and stared. Slowly, some of the anger and annoyance left me, and I found myself grinning at her stunned expression.
Her scent changed the longer she looked, and it made my gut clench.
Someone knocked at the front door.
“I got it,” Rachel said, grinning at us before she rushed from the room.
Gabby glanced down at my coveralls, read the name sewn on my chest, then met my gaze. “You have some explaining to do, I think.”
My job had never really been a secret, no more than everything else I didn’t say.
She turned away from me, but she didn’t seem mad. I followed her to the front door where Rachel and another woman were talking. The woman wore a form-fitting dress to attract men. A mermaid or a siren; it didn’t make much difference. It was good I meant to tag along.
“You’re gorgeous, Nicole,” Gabby said. “Are you going to be warm enough?”
Probably not. And, a sweater would help draw less attention.
Both of the women and Rachel laughed.
“Hey,” Gabby said, “it’s a valid question. It’s the end of October for Pete’s sake.”
“I’ll be fine,” the woman said as her gaze locked on me. “Hi, I’m Nicole.”
I nodded and stuck out a hand. She clasped it.
“Uh, this is Clay,” Gabby said for me. “He doesn’t talk much. And this is Rachel, my roommate. Are we ready?”
While they focused on each other, I turned, planning to beat Gabby to the car. In the beginning, she’d managed to leave the house a few times without me. I was smarter now. Silently, I left the room.
“Sure,” Nicole said. “I parked on the street.”
“Great. Let me grab my keys,” Gabby said.
Already in the kitchen, I grinned at the keys in my hand and stepped out the back door. I was down the porch steps before she reached the kitchen. The missing keys would let her know what I had in mind if the overalls hadn’t.
Sliding behind the wheel, I started the engine and waited.
A few minutes later, both Gabby and Nicole stepped onto the back porch and hurried to the car. Gabby sat up front with me, and Nicole slid into the back seat.
Gabby turned to look at Nicole.
“I don’t know where we’re going. Just tell Clay where to turn and be sure to give plenty of warning. This is the only car I have for the winter.”
I knew her warning was for me. No doubt, she questioned my ability to drive. Although we’d grown closer, there was still so much she didn’t know about me. I smiled as I backed out of the driveway and followed Nicole’s directions to the party.
The car-crowded curbs worried me as we parked a few blocks away. Just how many men would I need to deal with tonight? I glanced at Gabby, her costume still a source of concern. She seemed unbothered by both her costume and the cold. Nicole shivered as we walked, but Gabby seemed fine. Dressing as a guy was still better than what Rachel had offered.
The blaring music began to hurt my ears as we neared the party house. Stuffed sheets, their version of ghostly decorations, hung from every tree in the yard. People crowded the front lawn in groups that overflowed into the neighbor’s yard.
We caught the attention of a few men who turned to stare. Their gazes drifted to Gabby, confusion clouded their expressions, then they looked at Nicole.
“I knew you would make this fun,” Nicole said with a laugh. “Oh, I see him on the porch. Do you think I should say hi?”