Year One

5

“If I wanted to hang out with my Mom, I would’ve stayed home and not come here. So back off.”

“Sorry, I was just trying to help.” Maybe I overstepped my boundaries.

“Well, I don’t want that kind of help.” She crossed her arms and sighed.

Silence descended between us with only the sound of people taking their seats, some low chatter, and the sounds of all the players taking their positions could be heard. The other team was dressed in royal blue with Dodgers written across their chests.

As the away team began their batting line up, Sheila turned toward me. “If my boyfriend was potentially leaving in the near future, I’d be a wreck. So why aren’t you?”

Most committed wolves can’t stand to be apart for long, and for mates, it’s almost impossible. Obviously, I was acting strange … maybe I could play it off as being submissive. “It’s what he wants.”

Greg stared the batter down and then stepped forward, pitching the ball. The batter swung but was too late. The ball was already in the catcher’s glove.

“Strike one,” The ref said, lifting a finger in the air.

“I’m thirsty.” I needed to get away for a few moments and get my thoughts together. I stood and began my descent down the stairs.

“Cool. Grab me a coke too?” Sheila called after me.

Needing space, I just nodded and kept my focus on getting away. Something sweet tickled my nose as I reached the ground. It smelt like cotton candy, and my mouth began to water. They only have the bagged kind at the concession stand, so it didn’t make sense to smell it so strongly.

As I made my way to the concession stand, I could hear loud cheers as the ump yelled, “You’re out.”

At least Greg was doing well. There was no line at the concession stand, so I was able to walk right up to the window. “I’d like two cokes and a hotdog.” Maybe a little bit of over-processed meat would help calm my nerves.

The girl turned and got my order when someone stepped behind me. The sweet scent filled my nose again and confirmed it wasn’t from the concession stand. It was from the person standing right behind me. I forced myself not to turn. It had to be a supernatural because it was a natural scent, not from perfume or cologne.

“Here you go.” The girl put the items on the counter, and then her eyes widened at the person behind me. “Oh, hello.”

I grabbed a drink and the hot dog when a pale, smooth hand reached for the second cup.

“It looks like you could use some assistance.” His voice was alluring and smooth.

However, my wolf growled, and it was hard holding back the sound from my throat. I turned around and became somewhat breathless. “I …”

“Thank you is usually what most people say when someone does something nice.” He smiled, making his blue eyes sparkle even though the sun was setting. He arched his eyebrow, which set off his short blond hair.

“Well, I’d hate for you to go through the trouble.” I immediately registered what type of supernatural he was. He was a f*****g vampire. “So, I’ll be on my way.”

“No, no.” His smile turned into a smirk, and he took a step closer, infiltrating my space. “I insist. It wouldn’t be very gentlemanly if I didn’t help a damsel in distress.”

“I’m not a damsel in distress.” The guy may be sexy as hell, but that was part of a vampire’s allure. Most stories and movies weren’t accurate about any of the supernaturals, but they nailed it on the vampire. They were meant to be charismatic and charming. The best way to explain the creature was to compare one to a sociopath. They knew right and wrong but usually didn’t give a crap. I grabbed the drink from his hand, causing the liquid to spill over the sides.

He smashed his lips together as if he was trying to hide his smile.

It didn’t work though.

“Do I amuse you?” Yes, my fingers may have been wet from the Coke, but I refused to admit it.

“That’s one way to look at it.” He placed his hand over his mouth. Still, his cheeks were raised, so him trying to hide his laughter didn’t work. “Let me grab you some napkins.”

“No, I think you’ve done enough.” I leaned back on my heels and took off toward the bleachers. For once, I was hurrying to be with Sheila instead of escaping her.

I didn’t hear any footsteps behind me, but that was the thing with vampires. They were agile and quick. My heart began to race in my chest, but I refused to alarm the others. Still, why was there a vampire here? I wasn’t sure I wanted to know the answer.

“A

re you okay?” Sheila asked as I slid back into my seat behind her.

“Uh … yeah. Why?” I needed to calm down and get my act together.

“Because you’re pale as anything, and it’s almost as if you’ve seen a ghost.” She reached over and grabbed one of the drinks. “Eww … Did you drink out of both of them?”

“No, I spilled some of yours when I was gathering everything.” She didn’t give me any money, and now she was complaining. It figured.

“Well, Greg has struck out two batters.” She glanced around and frowned. “I’m kind of surprised that the scout isn’t here. I hope he gets here before the game is over.”

“They aren’t recruiting him for his baseball skills.” It made no sense that everyone was making such a big deal about a recruiter coming for the game.

“He dominates the field.” Sheila rolled her eyes and shook her head. “That alone shows how much of a leader he is.”

I bit my tongue. I didn’t need to argue with her because, at the end of the day, it was irrelevant. The sweet scent once again filled my nose.

“Hey, are you sure you’re okay?” For the first time ever, she really looked at me with concern in her eyes.

“Sorry, I’m just a little off.” A prickly sensation crawled down my spine, and I tapped into my wolf’s hearing. All I heard were the sounds of a ball hitting a bat, the crowd cheering, and some kids playing tag in the open grassy area. Nothing sounded out of sorts, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was being watched.

Sheila jumped to her feet and started screaming. “Get him at first!”