Chapter 10

The moon cast enough light in the woods for me to see what I’d tracked this far by smell alone, a large deer grazing near the creeks edge. I inhaled again, the wind blowing towards me kept my prey from panicking, by keeping it from knowing I was here.

I find it hard to smile in this form, but my lips did separate from my teeth as I took in how large my prey was. I had hoped, while I followed my prey that it would be substantial. I carefully crouched down and made my way towards it.

I was still close enough to my home that dragging the carcass back wouldn’t take too long. I started to move faster, carefully looking at the path I was taking to delay making noise for as long as possible.

The horrified sound of the deer signaled my hunt and I ran fast, leaping at its throat. Another blur and the scent of vampire hit me as I grabbed the deer and swung my head, breaking his neck and killing him. I found myself standing over the deer, growling at the dark. Mine, my mind slowly came back into focus as I recognized more scents around me. Mine! I thought loudly, remembering hunts where my pack had fought over kills, but that was games, I needed this kill to survive. This one was big, it would last longer than what I normally found.

“It’s okay Diana, it’s yours.” A male voice spoke softly, and there was a crack of twigs as they moved closer. I stared up at Edward, and glanced around to see another male vampire watching me.

“Man, I almost had that thing.” Emmett muttered, and I turned to look at him. I glanced down at my kill, seeing some blood trickling out of where I’d bit it. I looked up at Emmett, and down at my kill again. I didn’t actually need the blood. “She’s a lot bigger than a wolf, that’s Diana?” Emmett smiled and grinned. “Think I could take her down and steal her deer?,”

I growled at him, my brief thoughts of sharing gone.

“Don’t ever take her food Emmett.” Edward’s voice was sharper. “She’s as close to a predator as she can be when she’s hunting, and werewolves instinctively want to kill vampires. She may be different, but don’t test her like that.”

I sat back on my hind legs and stared at Edward a moment, before coming to a decision. I used my nose to push at the head of the dead dear. Want blood? I thought at him. He laughed.

“I’ve already eaten, but thank you.” Edward moved a little closer and I took a deep breath, as I wondered what to do. I slowly started to shift back, carefully stopping myself before going the entire way. It was a trick I’d learned to protect my skin and keep my size, while bringing my prey back home, because tugging it in wolf form was a bit difficult. Now I used it because I needed the fur or I’d be naked in front of these males.

“Whoa,” Emmett’s eyes widened as he looked at me. “Now this looks like a werewolf.” I grinned and my teeth held his attention.

“Why here?” I struggled to say through bigger teeth and a longer muzzle than humans had. My words were harsh and sounded like a growl, they were also slow and awkward. I hated trying to talk in this form.

“We were coming back from doing some hunting of our own and caught your scent.” Edward was staring at me, looking over every inch of me, as if I were amazing. I felt a bit embarrassed, and focused my eyes on my kill. “I didn’t realize you were hunting, or I wouldn’t have come.”

“Not hurt you.” I looked over at him, and then Emmett, who was getting a little too close to my kill for my comfort. I took a step closer and stared at him, while putting a foot on my deer, just in case he thought playing with my food was a good idea.

“I’ve never seen a werewolf do this.” Edward spoke quietly, still staring at me. “They were either wolf or man, never,”

“Horror movie wolfman?” Emmett spoke, and he grinned at me when I looked at him. “Can’t even tell you’re a woman.” Emmett had the nerve to say as he stared at my body. I growled at him, even though I knew gender wasn’t all that obvious as wolf or in between, because he looked. He shouldn’t look. That was rude.

“Go, me busy.” I spoke slowly, not wanting to invite them to my shack. I felt rude, but I needed to prep the meat, and get some sleep. I’d need to get to school early to shower tomorrow, that was the earliest I could get somewhere and I didn’t want to smell of deer all day. Even humans might smell that.

“Okay.” Edward grabbed Emmett’s shoulder. “We’ll see you at school.”

I could still hear them as I was preparing to pick up the deer. Emmett’s voice carried from the trees. “That’s a werewolf? Man, you never said they looked like that.”

“She’s actually small for a werewolf.” Edward spoke and Emmett whistled in response.

I sighed and made my way home, carefully listening to make sure no one was following me.

I was fairly certain that I was alone as I got home, and I shifted back to human and started to work on prepping the meat. I cooked some over a fire, while I worked to smoke the rest. It was really the only way to save it long enough, since I had no refrigerator.

Only once a week did I go to bed fully sated and as I found my spot on the floor and curled up, tucking my tail underneath my head, I sighed happily. It was late and tomorrow I’d feel more like a zombie than a werewolf, but I wasn’t hungry, and I just felt good, like for this one moment, life was good.

………………………………

Ch 11

The next day was Friday and I felt a bit jittery all morning, thinking of the fact I was spending Saturday night with Alice. Sure, it wasn’t a date, but it was close, and I was hopeful I could ask for a date after that night.

I didn’t want to appear even more inhuman, to explain that I was already mated to her and that I’d never love anyone else. I couldn’t tell her that, and seem more freakish than I was. Vampires didn’t seem to imprint like werewolves.

But then again, she was the only vampire that didn’t find my scent repellent. Maybe there was something there, something that proved the imprint worked both ways.

As I walked through the cafeteria with my tray of food, I still received stares from the humans at the school, but fewer people stared. I made my way to the table full of vampires and ignored the disgusted look Rosalie gave me, and focused on the wide smile on Alice’s face.

“So, fur-face,” Emmett grinned at me and I did my best to not let him irritate me. “Was Bambi delicious?”

“Upset you were too slow to get him?” I spoke quietly, staring him in the eye and willing him to look away first. He stared back at me just as intensely, and I narrowed my eyes at him. My place in this pack had to be higher than his. He was after all, the lowest man in their pack. I could tell that, it was rather obvious.

“I heard that Emmett and Edward ran into you last night.” Alice spoke, her voice so very sweet. I was tempted to look over at her, but I held Emmett’s gaze longer, giving him a very quiet growl to let him know his place. Something moved out of the corner of my eye and I saw him turn to look. I barely glanced where he was looking to see Rosalie staring at him much like I had been, and he looked down rather quickly for her stare. That was the one I needed to work up to, Rosalie, but she was much higher in the pecking order, I wasn’t really sure the exact order here, but I could tell who was the low man.

I relaxed and turned to the other side to look at Alice. “Yeah, I needed to hunt last night. I should be okay for a few days. My prey was bigger than average.” I still felt a bit happy about that. My prey had been impressive, and I beat a vampire to it.

“That’s good.” Alice said, but I could tell she wasn’t really sure what to say. I didn’t go into detail on how I’d tracked it, or how patient I’d been to wait for a sure thing before charging. I glanced around the room, and decided that too much detail here was a bad thing. Bragging also wasn’t all that attractive, and I wanted to be attractive to her.

“I’d never seen a werewolf partly shifted before.” Edward spoke very quietly, but we could all hear him. Humans just wouldn’t manage the task. “I didn’t think they could even do that.”

“Necessity is the mother of invention.” I answered just as quietly. “I don’t believe the others know it’s possible, but I can’t drag home a catch in wolf form.” I didn’t bother to explain that in human form my skin tended to get scratched up, or that boredom without tv or electricity left me little to do but play with my shifting. I could shift in ways that we’d never talked about in the pack, gaining inspiration from the books I sold. I’d read all the were-anything books that came through, because strangely enough the werewolf legends had evolved into many different creatures. Sometimes those books had some good ideas, regardless of what they had wrong.

“I was thinking, if we left directly from your work we could get to a halfway decent mall in an hour. That would only give us a few hours to shop.” Alice smiled. “But we’ll just have to make them really count.” I had no idea when the malls closed, and if she ate I’d suggest dinner too, but how could I make her go to a restaurant and pretend to eat. I hid my disappointment at knowing even if she did eat, I had no money to take her out properly.

Still, her being a vampire might make her the cheapest date possible. I might be able to drum up enough money for a small date next weekend if she agreed to go out with me. If I stopped eating during the day and only ate what I caught, and if I cancelled my shower account at the gym and just used the school, and if I could talk my boss into letting me do my laundry at her house, so many what if’s just to get forty dollars, which would be pitiful for any human date.

“Sounds good.” Was all I said to her words, hiding the planning and hopes. Alice went into detail, planning our trip to the mall like Generals plan battles. Our first volley was to hit the three shops that Alice designated first tier shops, and from there we were branching out to the 6 she considered second tier. I never ranked stores before.

“I thought we were just getting one shirt?” I asked and Emmett chuckled at me. I think Rosalie even smirked, and Alice’s eyes were a bit wide, as if trying to look innocent.

Ch 12

I moved carefully around the books that Erika hadn’t finished looking over, as the box was taking up a good deal of space behind the counter, and rung up a woman’s pile of romance novels. I noticed that five of the seven had topless men on the cover and did my best to cover up my smile as I thought that perhaps everyone was interested in chest size, regardless of gender.

When the vampire who filled almost all my thoughts stepped into the shop as a customer stepped outside, my smile became full grown. It was still a half hour before my shift ended, but Alice seemed to radiate happiness as she came closer.

“Thank you for shopping here.” I barely remembered to tell the customer after handing the change over. There was more I was supposed to say, but I just let the woman walk away and then stared at Alice, who looked amazing. Her hair was always so wild and cool, and her makeup always perfect. Her outfits always way too stylish, but somehow Alice looked even better than normal.

“Hi.” I said softly. I felt awkward, like this was a date I was being picked up for. I wished, but it wasn’t yet.

“I thought I’d get some werewolf books.” Alice gave me a smile. Alice kept looking at me as she made her way towards the shelves, clearly teasing me, but I had another customer making his way to the register.

For the last half hour of my shift, I strained to hear her. She’d chuckle occasionally at some book she was looking at. When she came up to the register, the last customer of my shift, she had found all the books with anything resembling werewolves, or werecats, or whatever. The pile was impressive actually, and there were a couple I hadn’t read.

“You know, if you have real questions I’ll answer them.” I spoke quietly as I rung her order up.

“I know.” Alice’s smile was so soft and gentle. “And I’d answer yours.” I blushed as I muttered her total.

Once she was done she stood waiting and I moved to the door to the stairs. “Erika, my shifts over.” I called up the stairs and after a moment I heard movement as my boss came to work. Erika actually lived above the bookstore. Once she was downstairs I was free to go.

Alice did a graceful spin as she went out the door, turning to see me follow her, before turning around to see her car. She’d found a good spot again, and this time no one had sideswiped the cars out front. I felt a shy pleasure at her unlocking her passenger side and ushering me inside. “I want as much shopping time as possible with you.” Alice said while glancing at a bag in the car. I could smell the sandwich easily. “I promise to feed you better after, but Esme told me that humans snack after work too and I want to get to the mall.”

I’d already resigned myself to not eating before shopping, so this was really rather nice of her. “This is good.” I told her, taking another sniff of the air. It did smell good.

“Good.” Alice’s smile was so wide, and then she shut the door and danced around to the drivers side. “You can eat in my car, this once.” Alice said as she sat down and started up the car. We were off and I was trying very hard to not spill anything out of the sandwich. I could smell faint traces of Esme on it, but it didn’t make the sandwich any less perfect. In fact it looked like everything in it had been placed just so, for a photo shoot.

The car was moving very fast, but I just focused on my senses rather than ask her to slow down. I knew she was strangely desperate to shop. “Slow down.” I spoke quietly as something started to nag on me, and Alice gave me a quick look, before doing it. I smiled softly as I saw the police car hiding to catch speeders.

“I knew he was there.” Alice said. “And I would have slowed down, but it is so cool that we both saw it.”

“I don’t ‘see’.” I reminded her and Alice just shrugged as she started to speed up again.

“Same idea though.” Alice’s response was vague and I understood her, but seeing would be a lot easier than the interpreting I had to do. She spoke more slowly. “I see the future only when people have made decisions. Some times that works, like this officer deciding to park here two hours ago. I knew he would be there before I even went to get you. Other times it isn’t all that helpful. The man that ran into all those cars made the decision to try and drive on that street just seconds before crashing. I can’t see that like you did.” I shifted in my seat to watch her. “And if people are indecisive, I see too many potential futures. It’s really cool that you don’t have to rely on people’s decisions to know the future.” I was a bit surprised that she seemed more powerful, but she apparently had just as many drawbacks to her form of her powers as I did.

“But I never know, I just interpret. There might be a dozen reasons why we should have slowed down, I didn’t know why we needed to. I couldn’t even be positive that slowing down is what we should have done, I just run through the actions I could take until something ‘feels’ right. If I can’t think of an action that feels right in time, if I don’t think fast enough,” I thought about my plea for my mother to not get in Uncle Billy’s car. “Well, then feeling the future doesn’t make a difference.”

“Well, maybe together we can balance out the weaknesses we apparently both have.” Alice smiled, seeming cheered by that thought. I liked the together comment, it seemed like she already was planning to stick around.

It wasn’t long before we were speeding like before. I stared out the window in silence for a little while, thinking about the differences in our powers. “Did you always see the future? I mean, I was psychic before I was a werewolf. What about you?”

Alice sighed and I wondered at why, because she was silent just a second too long. “I don’t actually have any memories of being human. My first memories were of waking up after the change, and a vague feeling my name was Alice.” My eyes widened.

“Vampires forget who they were?” I asked quietly, still a bit stunned.

“No, they don’t. Just me.” Alice grimaced and I felt sorry for her. It clearly bothered her. What could make someone forget their entire life? I didn’t like the thoughts I was having about that, not when it was her life she forgot. Alice was just too sweet, too upbeat, to have been through hell as a human. I wanted to deny it, and so I did for now.

“Have you been a vampire long?” I changed the subject a little. Alice’s posture changes a bit, as she sits a little taller in her seat and gives a small smile to me.

“A little over eighty years.” She laughed as my eyes widened. I had thought maybe twenty, she didn’t seem as stiff as the vampires that knew about werewolves, and were therefore around when the tribe had met them, so I thought she was really new. I didn’t know what to say, my mind was thinking that was a long time, and I thought of the members of my tribe that were around that age. Alice looked infinitely better, thankfully, since I had imprinted after all. “So you were psychic before?” She asked me and I nodded, thinking I had already told her about my mother. Perhaps I could tell her other stories, where I didn’t lose so much.

“My mom was always a little uncomfortable with how I sometimes did strange things, seemingly for no reason, only to have that be important later. Once I decided I needed to paint my dog’s toenails, and I borrowed mom’s nail polish for it. I knew I wasn’t allowed to do that, but the feeling that I had to was just too strong. I got grounded for it, but the next day my dog disappeared, and when mom called the different pounds she was able to say the dog had red toenails. When she found her, the person said that it was the toenails that let them know it wasn’t some other man’s dog, because he was looking for big dogs, but he didn’t have a little girl. They didn’t let him lie and take my dog.”

“Why do you think he wanted your dog?” Alice asked and as a child I had been more innocent, but now I just sighed.

“Either for dogfight rings, or medical experiments, I’m thinking. Something dire like that would explain why I had to paint her toe nails so badly.” I could see she was watching me, but I had no sense that the straight road we were driving on would be a problem without her undivided attention.

“How old were you? Is this the dog that barks at you now?”

“I was eight, and Sunshine died a while ago. No, it’s Midnight that doesn’t like me now.” I told her and watched her smile just a little at the names of my dogs.

“I wonder if I was psychic at eight.” Alice whispered and I stayed quiet, focusing on the road, trying not the say it was sad she didn’t know.

The mall looked rather crowded and I cringed inside, thinking of the scent overload I was about to endure as Alice parked the car in a rare open parking spot. “I don’t want to be anywhere near perfume sprayers.” I muttered and Alice laughed, but I was serious. If someone sprayed me with perfume it would be hard not to hit them. Perfume was just too overpowering and annoying.

“Don’t worry, I’ll protect you from the humans.” Alice teased as we started to walk toward the mall. “Okay, we’re going to hit the first tier shops all in a row and then double back to catch the second tier.” Alice explained the game plan and I gave her a confused look. Why did she plan this out so much?

Chapter 13

I stared longingly at the bookstore as we walked passed it, and the food court smelled amazing. A sandwich had made it easier to pass up, but I still was hungry.

“I promise I’ll feed you when we leave.” Alice spoke softly and her cold hand gently grabbed my elbow, guiding me away from the food. “We’ll get something really good.”

“But you don’t eat.” I muttered, feeling bad that she was going to waste her time watching me eat. I turned to look down at her and her smile was so soft, before she glanced up at a store and it became energetic and excited looking. I was pulled more firmly towards a small clothing store.

I gravitated towards a cute top, but when I looked up, smelling Alice coming closer, my eyes widened. I glanced around the shop, seeing if anyone was staring at her in shock, because there is no way she could have moved at human speed and filled her arms up with all those clothes in the time it took me to find one somewhat promising top. I closed my mouth, trying to hide my shock and carefully pulled the shirt I’d been looking at off the hanger.

“I already have that in the pile.” Alice said, her smile a bit hyperactive looking now. That’s when I looked at the pile again. “You need to try these on.”

“That’s all for me?” I lost the battle and my lower jaw dropped again.

“Well, no, it’s all for you to try on.” Alice bounced on her feet. That’s what I’d meant. Slowly I put the top I’d been looking at back on the rack and followed Alice to the dressing room, with a sinking feeling. I didn’t have a closet, I couldn’t let her go overboard and take advantage of her, but I also had very little room to put clothes. It wasn’t like the walls or roof in my shack were good, I had to keep things in bags to keep them from being damp.

Alice moved into the changing stall and put stacks upon stacks of clothes, shirts, skirts, pants, and dresses on hooks and over the dividing walls when she ran out of space. I couldn’t see the dividing walls when she was done. I stood in the doorway as she turned to look at me, taking in my clothes. “I’ll be right outside. Show me everything. I can’t see it without you showing me.” Her last words sounded a bit irritated. I remembered that she couldn’t have visions with me in them. What must shopping with her be like with her powers working? Perhaps that would have spared me some of these outfits.

I put on the shirt I’d been considering first, and glanced around at the pants, but we only came for a shirt. This was a bit much. I sighed heavily and selected a pair of pants that might go and changed into that as well. My socks were faded in comparison to the sharp black, but I just stared into the mirror and tried to tame my hair a bit before opening the door to the impatiently foot tapping vampire.

“I figured a werewolf would be able to change clothes faster than a human. You have to take them off fast don’t you?” Alice muttered almost quietly enough to be to herself.

“I’m not Superman, I know when I need to change ahead of time. I plan for my hunts.” I responded, while opening the door. Her eyes narrowed as she stared at the clothes. I felt invisible and yet exposed as she evaluated things about the clothes I just didn’t even seen.

Alice nodded, “that looks good. I thought it would.” I normally didn’t mind shopping much, but I liked having my own money when I did it. I felt awkward picking clothes for someone else to buy me, especially her. Of course I’ve never been shopping like Alice did shopping. This was intimidating, I thought as I stared at the walls of my stall to pick the next outfit to try on.

When I noticed the black top with loose draping sleeves I just shook my head and smiled, thinking that it looked like something a vampire might wear. The tag said dry cleaning, so I wasn’t going to be buying it, but I put it on anyhow. I searched through the pile and ended up putting the black pants I’d just taken off back on and stared at my reflection of all black.

“What is keeping you?” Alice complained and I smirked and focused on my reflection, trying to do a trick I still hadn’t managed. My canine teeth grew, but it was both upper and lower. I closed my mouth as much as I could and grinned at the mirror, seeing if I looked right. My hands grew a little bit of fur, so I pulled the sleeves down to hide that.

“So impatient darling?” I spoke with a hint of some fake accent I must have heard in a movie and opened the door. I bared my fangs at her. “What would happen if I sucked your blood?” I teased, while still trying to hide I had lower fangs in my mouth, which didn’t go with the look, and watched her eyes widen, before she started to laugh.

“Oh my god, you look like those movie vampires.” She laughed her words out. She then moved closer and was staring at my teeth. “I can’t believe you can do this.”

“I can’t believe I can look more like a vampire than you.” I grinned, but my teeth were hitting my mouth uncomfortably and it took a bit of concentration to do such a small shift, it was like sucking in your stomach and holding it as tight as you could, you just couldn’t forget it for a moment or it would release.

“You have more fangs in there.” Alice said, her head tilted as if that helped her see into my mouth. I glanced around, and listened again, no one was around. I bared my teeth and opened my mouth, pretending to hiss at her. “I’d say if you bit me, I’d bleed.” She stepped back and I shifted back to fully human. “Get back in there and try something else on.”

Once the entire pile had been tried on I had sorted it into two piles, the clothes I could consider because they looked good and weren’t dry clean only, or delicate, and all the others. I did this sorting as I worked through outfit after outfit. I put my own clothes back on and opened the door to have Alice help me pick.

We left that store with two pants and five shirts. I felt done, Alice had more than made up for Rosalie’s ruining one of my shirts. Alice hadn’t helped me eliminate any of the choices, and had tried to talk me into the others. Not having money for dry cleaning was the argument that stopped her, and I was a bit embarrassed to have to give that one.

By the time we left the last of her ‘first tier’ shops I had three bags of clothes and no idea where I’d put them. I’d have to get rid of all of my current clothes and still I would need to buy something to keep them in. “Alice.” I spoke softly as she started to drag me to another store. “I don’t have room for more.”

“My trunk is bigger than it looks.” She smiled at me and I nibbled on my lower lip a moment and sighed.

“I have the world’s smallest closet.” I half lied and looked down at the bags in my hands, clearly indicating that already it was an issue and no more would fit. I looked up to see her disappointment and confusion. “Maybe we could look for clothes for you?” I offered, thinking it might be fun to turn the tables and make her try on whatever I found for her. That seemed to cheer her right back up.

“Ever think about slicking your hair back and wearing leather?” I asked with a teasing smile as we walked passed the leather store. Alice looked like she was choking as she turned to stare at me with wide eyes. “Never thought about it?” I smiled, imagining this small vampire in black leather, and a perma-scowl walking through the school hallways. I chuckled and she hit my shoulder just a bit harder than any human could. I stumbled a bit and clenched the bags in my hands, as I resisted the urge to tumble with her. Play fighting was a new urge, but the mall was the wrong place.

“I’m a bit more fashionable than that.” Alice spoke as if I’d insulted her god and family, but the small smile and bright eyes hinted she was playing.

“I don’t know, that vest is rather Eighties, and manly don’t you think?” Actually it looked so good on her I could drool, but her eyes widened and I danced back out of the reach of her arms.

“You really are asking for bruises aren’t you puppy.” She muttered as she started to walk with a more determined stride toward yet another store.

“From a little mosquito like you?” I moved up to her and bumped her enough to make her lose her step for a moment. The urge to really play was strong and I just wanted to drag her away from these humans and play games I only played with the pack. I missed that, being able to fully do things, to not have to worry a shove would kill someone. Shopping was making me restless and I wanted to play with the pretty vampire.

She smelled so good too, I liked being close to her. She grabbed my arm a bit roughly and dragged me into another store, but I did notice she was smiling as she did it.

Chapter 14

“We’ll have,” Alice looked a bit giddy and I could only stare as she ordered appetizers, three of them, knowing she wasn’t going to be eating any of it. She also ordered herself a full meal, and then the waitress turned her attention to me.

I glanced down at the menu, thinking that I’d never been to a place this nice before. I looked up at Alice again and she nodded toward my menu, but she’d already ordered so much food. I ordered the same thing Alice had, thinking we could trade plates and it wouldn’t be too obvious later.

“You know, two teenage girls don’t order this much.” I spoke quietly to Alice, who was still smiling once the waitress left.

“But werewolves do.” She subwhispered to me. “This place is private enough that they won’t notice you are eating it all.”

Her smile was soft and giving and I just blushed and focused on my water. “Thank you.” I finally managed. This dinner was going to cost what I made in a week. This was the most expensive not date I’d ever imagined being a part of. It was a shame it wasn’t really a date, or I could kiss her, hold her hand. She made me feel so good, paying so much attention to what I wanted and needed, and all I could do was play the role of friend.

“So how are you doing with PE?” Alice’s voice was at a normal volume now, so I took a deep breath and sighed.

“I wish they hadn’t made me take that.” I frowned. “I could beat the whole class in anything and I have to hold back. I get disgusted looks, like I’m weak.” The lowest of the PE pack in a way and I wanted to show them all I wasn’t at the bottom of the pack, but I couldn’t. I had to hold back, or risk discovery.

“Well, not the whole class.” Alice wiggled her eyebrows adorably. “I think I could give you a run for your money.”

I slowly smiled at her, and narrowed my eyes playfully. “Aren’t you a bit old to try and play with the big dogs?”

“Get real puppy, I’ve been around long enough to know what I’m doing.” Alice smirked and then pretended to take a drink of her water, playing the part of a human. I wondered if I’d have to drink her water too, as she put it down, just as full as when it went to her lips.

I was a bit startled by the kick to my shin, or that I felt it more than normal. I looked into her eyes to see them twinkling with amusement, and my heart started to beat faster as I saw the playful challenge in her eyes. The appetizers arriving ruined the moment, or brought me back to my senses, whichever way I wanted to look at it.

I looked away first, but not until I’d at least established I was challenging her. Dinner after that was a game of moving plates and fast hands so that no one suspected that food only sat on Alice’s plate long enough to dirty it.

The food was amazing, and Alice constantly asked me what everything tasted like to me. I wasn’t that good at describing it, because she had no memories of food for me to compare anything to.

It was dark by the time we left we restaurant. “That was so good.” I said, even as I stood outside her car door.

“I’m glad. It was fun watching you eat it.” Alice unlocked the car doors. “I can’t say watching me eat would be as entertaining.”

I chuckled, knowing that wasn’t true. I had seen her, but she didn’t know that. Perhaps she relied on her visions too much, because normally I would imagine, downwind or not, she should have noticed a werewolf near her when she was hunting.

We drove most of the way back when I noticed Alice start fidgeting. “Do you really need to go home now, or can you come by my place?”

I’d been trying to think of a way to avoid telling her where I lived, and more time with her sounded great. Even if we wouldn’t be alone, it was more time. Maybe by the end of the night I’d find the right opportunity to ask her out, since the right moment hadn’t happened yet. “I don’t work tomorrow.”

Alice looked away from the street to stare at me, “Does that mean yes?” She sounded puzzled and I smiled, realizing she didn’t understand my answer.

“I don’t need to go to bed so I can wake up for work.” I spoke more softly. I’d heard she didn’t sleep, but I had forgotten. “I can stay up later with you.” Alice’s smile widened and she turned off the main road to head toward her house.

The Cullen’s house had windows all over, and was large. At night I thought it looked amazing, as it light up the area, and the class and beauty of the place was on display for the woods surrounding it. I could never live so exposed, but it was beautiful. I just wondered how they didn’t feel like they were on a stage, with so many windows. It wasn’t something I noticed during the daytime, but at night it was so obvious. I could see brown hair moving in the living room and felt myself smile to see Esme was home. I had to pause and think for a moment, as I realized I really must like that vampire, because she was going to get her stench all over me again and I didn’t seem to mind.

“Make sure to tell Esme I already ate, okay?” I muttered to Alice as we got out of the car. Alice’s laugh was beautiful. She popped the trunk to grab the bags, and handed a few to me.

Alice opened the door and led the way inside. An unwelcome voice called down from the stairs. “You had to bring your dog home?”

Alice actually growled at her sister, and I looked up at Rosalie and resisted the urge to say the house already had a bitch, and she didn’t need to worry about my taking her place. Edward started to chuckle and I took a deep breath before shielding my thoughts again. When Alice set her bags down, and put mine next to them.

“Diana.” Esme was in front of me almost instantly, smiling and friendly. I barely cringed as she hugged me hello. “Dear, it’s so good of you to drop by.” Esme spoke softly over my shoulder, almost into my ear, as she held me for a hug so long only my mother had ever hugged me that long before.

“I don’t believe this.” Rosalie muttered, but I saw her leave, so I ignored her. I could understand her shock, I was a bit disbelieving as well. Esme pulled back and smiled at me, and I’d never felt so welcomed in another person’s house before.

I think I was getting used to the smell too, at least a little bit. I was rather surprised that Esme never seemed to hint that she could smell me.

“Diana and I are going up to my room, and I’m going to teach her how to use makeup.” Alice spoke and I turned to stare at her, seeing her teasing smile.

“And I’m going to turn you into a goth.” I gave her a wicked smile in return, a small threat really. “Bring it mosquito, and I’ll hit you harder.” I teased as Esme chuckled. “Pale white woman, you’d look great with black lipstick and deep eye shadow colors.”

“You girls have fun.” Esme rested a hand on my arm, pulling my attention back to her. “If you get hungry, just ask, I have snacks for you. And if you get tired, you can tell Alice you need to go home and sleep, regardless of what she says, you aren’t her prisoner once she starts putting make up on you.”

Alice held my hand and started to walk us upstairs. “Any chance we could just watch a movie? I mean, once we’re done I have to sleep.” And I don’t have a sink to wash pounds of make up off. And make up smelled funny, I didn’t really care for it.

Alice’s room had windows for an entire wall, and she had a bed, even though she didn’t sleep. I watched her move to sit on it, bouncing a little. I noticed a flat screen tv on one wall as well. Her colors in the room were light, not the dungeon dark some might expect of a vampire. Her room was neat, but her dresser had quite a few pieces of jewelry littering it.

“I really want to give you a make over. We started with the clothes.” Alice sighed when I just stared at her. “Well, I guess we could do it another time.” She finally gave in and I smiled. “but I wouldn’t mind seeing your werewolf form. Emmett says it’s rather impressive, and it takes a lot to impress Emmett like that. He’s been talking about wrestling you for days.”

I blushed and looked away, slightly pleased she wanted to see, but I looked around the room checking the size of the place. “I’m the size of a bear.” I spoke quietly, as I thought I could fit in this room, but I’d have to move carefully to not damage things. I was smaller than the others, but I was still larger than a real wolf.

“I’ve never seen a werewolf.” Alice spoke softly, a hint of pleading, and I sighed, looking around for a place to change.

“Okay.” I gave her a small smile and sat on her bed to start taking my shoes and socks off. She just watched me and I stood back up and looked at her. “I have to get naked now.” I blushed, as I told her this. She gave me a smirk and stood up as well.

“Howl when I can come back in.” She smiled as she closed her bedroom door and left me alone. Glancing around the room, I felt the urge to look around, to see what she cared about, what interests she had, other than accessories, as her pile of jewelry attested to, but that would be snooping, and she was just outside the door.

I worked my pants off as I heard Rosalie’s voice, “I’m not so sure it’s safe to have a werewolf all dogged out in our house.”

“She’ll be fine.” Alice answered and I nodded my head in silent and unseen agreement as I worked to take off my shirt.

“You can’t know that, she’s growled at Emmett too many times for me to be comfortable with this.” Rosalie’s voice became harsher, but not louder. I slipped out of my underwear and bra. “Jasper says her emotions aren’t human, that she’s different, what’s to say she won’t snap?”

“Diana wouldn’t have agreed to this if she thought it was dangerous, and she’d know.” Alice defended me and I smiled as I stood in the middle of her room and started to shift. My hearing and other senses improved and the smell of vampire was even stronger, but then so was Alice’s scent, it was everywhere. I snuffed at her bed for an experimental moment and I could tell that even though she doesn’t sleep, she does lay down for long periods of time.

I sat back, and grinned at the door imagining Alice waiting for a howl. I pulled my head back and gave her a howl she’d never forget. The windows in her room shook as I howled loud enough that even a human on the street so far away would have heard me, if one had been there.

The door opened and I stopped to watch her with wolf eyes again, the last time I’d seen her with wolf eyes she’d been hunting and never saw me. Her own eyes widened as she took a step into the room and I stood back up, making me only a bit shorter than her.

“Oh, you are so beautiful.” Alice whispered and I felt the warmth of her approval. I didn’t stop her as she moved her hand to touch the fur of my head, my cheek. “so soft.”

“And stinky,” An unwelcome voice called through the door, “the stench actually increased.” Alice glared at the door and moved closer to me.

Some teenage girls like wolves, I knew that, but the vampire looked at me with such wonder it was hard to believe she wasn’t a teenager. “I don’t think you stink.” Alice slowly ran her hand over my back, caressing my fur. She’d never do this to a human, but clearly I was part dog to her mind right now. Anyone else might get a warning growl for treating me like this, but I didn’t mind it from her.

Alice moved to lay on the bed and patted it, in clear invitation, for a dog. I sighed and jumped up, almost ready to scold her, but then I smiled. A dog could get away with a lot more. I leaned my head on her legs as if I was just the family pet, taking in her scent. The TV came on. “So any desire to see Legally Blonde?” Alice asked as she looked over the menu. I rose my head a little to look at her, and she wasn’t joking. I just nodded and shifted to watch the television and still lean up against her.

Her hand started to distractedly pet me, and I felt so domesticated, but I didn’t mind.