Chapter 125

Kadeem’s date was trying her damndest to get him to focus on her - sipping coquettishly from her straw in their shared cup of Coke, leaning in close, and running her hand suggestively up his thigh.

He cast her a dismissive glance and grabbed her hand firmly so she'd stop rubbing it against his leg like a cat. He turned back to the flickering cinema screen, but his eyes weren't really on it.

A few rows ahead, Ardal sat with her own date - an obnoxious jock Kadeem felt a seething hatred for. His arm was slung over her shoulders while they shared popcorn and smiles in the darkness.

It made him sick.

When Kadeem failed to laugh or give any reaction along with the audience at the latest comedic line, his date followed his gaze down to Ardal - now fifteen, and no longer just the sweet neighbor girl he'd managed to squash an embarrassing crush over years before.

His date threw their popcorn box into his lap.

Kadeem didn’t startle. Instead he merely glared at her as she hissed into his ear, "Go fuck yourself," and hopped out of her seat to leave in a huff.

He should have been a gentleman - followed her out and apologized, but the truth was, he just didn't care.

It was Ardal he wanted.

Hadn't it always been?

Funny to think that about a girl he'd known since he was twelve - back when her family moved into the neighborhood. But even as a pre-adolescent idiot, much more interested in comic books and honing his instincts as a werewolf, there was a spark of recognition. This girl was significant to him, even before he had the language or the insight to describe it.

Since he put an end to their burgeoning puppy-dog romance three years ago, there'd been some brief flirtations and a few heart-pounding moments, like a shared dance in the school gym at Homecoming last year.

Then there was a casual friendship between them - small-talk at school, sitting together at their parents' semi-annual neighborhood barbecues - always coming back to their smart-ass banter, and sometimes letting down their guards... even for just a moment.

But they hadn't talked much lately. The boys seemed to be lining up for Ardal's affections. Kadeem distanced himself and played it cool.

The jock leaned over to kiss Ardal at a slow part in the movie. Kadeem suppressed a groan and kicked his feet up onto the empty seat in front of him.

After the movie, Kadeem took off to the wooded area at the outskirts of town. He shifted into his wolf form and raced through the trees - a way to blow off steam, even as his curfew reached its limit, but what else was new?

The scent of another wolf hung in the air. He followed it to a solitary tree in the clearing, about a mile away, stopping when he found nothing, until a small sound gave her away.

Kadeem's eyes traced up the trunk of the ancient Texas oak. He returned to his human state and called up to her, "What are you doing?"

Ardal was perched high atop the branches of the tree, hardly discernible amongst the shadows.

“Same as you. Wolfing out. Now, I’m taking in the view.”

He ascended the tree. “Where’s your boyfriend,” he grunted as he climbed.

She shrugged. “He’s not a Were, didn’t you know?”

“Huh.” Kadeem made it to her branch, and sat next to her. “He is athletic, I have to hand it to him. I’d have thought for sure...“

He stopped himself from going on and trying to pretend like he wasn’t jealous as hell. It was unbearable to think about someone else winning her affections - human, Fae, or otherwise.

Kadeem sighed. “You really like him, huh?"

She smiled. "Yeah."

Kadeem stewed for a moment. "Never figured you'd go for the meathead type."

Ardal’s brow furrowed. “He’s smart!"

Hiding his disgust, Kadeem quickly changed the subject.

“So, my sister is back home visiting from college this week,” he said.

Kadeem’s stomach dropped as he watched Ardal swing her dangling feet a little too eagerly. He could tell she enjoyed pushing the limits - and that was pretty much his MO, so it shouldn't have bothered him. For some reason, it did.

Ardal smirked at his obvious unease. “How’s that going?“

“Awful,” Kadeem groaned.

He tried to ignore the way legs swayed so haphazardly.

“My parents and grandparents are fawning over her like she’s the second-coming. I'm the black sheep of course, who can't compare to her majesty - and she definitely has no problem rubbing it in my face either."

"I'm glad I'm an only child," Ardal said.

Kadeem grumbled out a response just before Ardal flung herself over, like she was on a trapeze, falling backward so fast, he gasped.

She giggled, her legs swinging over the branch as she fluttered like a pendulum upside down - nothing to keep her from a two-story fall.

Kadeem exhaled sharply. “Could you not do that,” he asked. “I’m getting nauseous just watching you.”

Her laughter filled the air. “Deem,” she said. “I watched you jump off a two-story roof and dive bomb into a swimming pool last summer. Don't tell me you're afraid of heights!"

“Yeah, well, there was some beer pong involved in that,” he mumbled. "But no, I'm not afraid - for myself, anyway."

“Okay, give me a hand, then? I’m getting a headrush.”

Relieved, Kadeem reached for her hand and helped to pull her back up right. She seemed a little unsteady when she made it back into a sitting position, and he had to grip hard to keep her balanced, until she could fasten both her hands securely back to their shared branch.

"You’re good with speed.” Kadeem thought of all the times he’d watched her bolt across the running track at school. “But you’re just too clumsy to be a daredevil," he warned. "Maybe lay off the tricks?”

Ardal's gaze hardened as she challenged him with an icy stare.

Kadeem snorted. “Look, I’ve watched you trip UP the stairs.”

A prink flush crept over her cheeks and he immediately regretted being so blunt.

“It’s okay,” he added quickly. “It’s just… a long way down.”

The two of them stared down at the distance below them in silence.

Some nervousness entered Ardal's voice. “I, um, got my driver’s permit,” she said.

He looked back up to face her. “Oh yeah?”

She nodded, not meeting his eyes. Her gaze was distant as though looking at something far away.

“I can’t wait to be free and get away from my family,” she said.

He paused, well aware things weren't especially easy for her at home.

“You’re away tonight,” he reminded her softly.

“Not far enough, though,” she said. She continued to stare out at the vista ahead. “Or often enough."

She turned to him and smiled. "When I finally get a car, I'll be unstoppable - especially once I graduate. I'm going to go everywhere. I think I'd fit in with all the Seattle Weres, don't you? I like plaid." She rolled her eyes and giggled at her own dumb joke.

"Yes," he agreed, before laughing with her.

"Someone told me they saw a mermaid in Miami," she said, her eyes glowing.

"I call BS on that," Kadeem said, shaking his head. He added a smile and an encouraging nod, "But you should go and see for yourself."

Ardal rose slowly from the branch, balancing precariously. "That's the plan," she said confidently.

He reached out for her. “Ardal,” he said, clasping his hand tightly around her fingers. He tried to keep his voice gentle, but he was nervous as hell. He looked into her eyes imploringly. “What are you doing?”

“Let me go, and you’ll find out.” She answered without hesitation and tried to pull her hand out of his grasp.

“No,” he said firmly. “Quit showing off for me.”

She laughed. “Yeah right. I’m just going to walk from here to the end of the branch-“

Kadeem scowled. “Where it gets weak and thin, and will snap in half in an instant.” His heart began to gallop in fear.

The young woman rose up a fraction taller as she responded, “That’s what you think." She added in a whisper, “I know it will hold me.”

He felt her muscles strain against him again, bracing herself to break free from him.

"This is stupid," Kadeem barked. "I'm not letting you go."

"Yes, you are," she replied sharply.

She grit her teeth as she made a determined attempt to pull away - her hand slipping out of his reach.

The sudden momentum sent her flying forward, careening towards the abyss below them.