Page 125 of Quarterback Sneak
There’s healing saliva activated in my tongue after the bite. It will make you sleepy for a little bit. You can sleep, Baby. I’ll be right here.
It takes me a minute to realize that he didn’t say those words out loud; he said them in my head. I didn’t think I’d be able to sleep after already sleeping, but I was wrong.
____________
The next two weeks fly by. I’ve learned so much about Zane and his pack. He's spent a ton of time teaching me how to control the flow of emotion from our bond. I finally get control of it. I feel his love for me every moment of every day now. I’m not going to lie; it’s pretty amazing. I feel all other strong emotions from him as well. At last week’s game, I felt his spike in anger when one of his teammates took a hit from the other team and ended up gettinghurt pretty badly. And of course, hearing his voice in my head all the time is the cherry on top.
All in all, things have been going well. Zane and I made it to one of Slate’s games, and Tessa wasn’t kidding. He's good.Really good.I finally watched some video highlights and now know who Messi is as well. I’m pretty sure Slate is better than he is. Reid’s been gearing up for basketball, so we see him less and less. His practices start soon.
Things have been busy and crazy but good, really good. I’ve settled into life in the house on Briarwood Court with the boys, even though I haven’t gotten the rest of my things yet. I need to do that soon, so the college can give my room to someone else. I still meet up with Tessa almost daily for lunch, and we attend every home football game together. She has yet to make a soccer game because of her work schedule, but hopefully that will change soon.
With Thanksgiving coming soon, I find myself thinking more and more about how grateful I am for all these blessings in my life. I'm looking forward to seeing my mom and uncle next weekend. Zane wants to come along and meet them; I’m excited about that. He actually doesn’t have a game that weekend, and we are taking full advantage of it.
I stare out onto the field as Zane and his teammates run out of the tunnel, and the crowd goes wild. Tessa squeezes my hand, and I squeeze hers in return. I don’t know that I’ll ever get used to this. They get ready for the snap, and I bounce up and down in excitement. Zane has been unstoppable since we bonded. He’s back to his normal self, and it’s been a dream to watch him play. They’re playing their rivals tonight, and they need this win.
We head into half time up 14-7. I stand up and stretch. “I’ve got to go to the bathroom,” I tell Tessa.
She nods and takes a deep breath. “Okay. We can do this.”
I laugh at the way she’s bracing herself. “It’s fine. I’ll just go real quick. It will probably be easier for me to go by myself.”
“Evie.” Her eyebrows are raised. “Are we or are we not best friends?”
I can’t help my grin. “Best friends.”
“And do best friends let best friends go to the bathroom alone at insane college football games?”
My grin widens. “Nope.” We pretty much do this song and dance every game.
“Absolutely. Now, let’s go.” I laugh and follow her as we make our way through the crowd. When I see the line, I sigh. It’s always like this, but when you gotta go, you gotta go. “I’ll meet you at our usual.” We always meet at the pretzel stand near here. When I step out of the stall, I freeze.
“Hello, Evie.” Sam stands in front of me. “Don’t make a scene.”
“What?” Before I realize what’s happening, there’s a prick in my neck. I blink as the world around me spins. We start moving towards the back of the bathroom. I want to pull away from her, but my brain and body feel slow and sluggish. She pushes towards a door at the back I’ve never seen before. I try to fight against her, but my body refuses to obey. She shoves open the door and pushes me out. I stumble and barely catch myself.
“Hey, Gorgeous.”
Ice freezes in my veins when I hear that voice. Jace looms over me. I manage to take a step back. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Sam says in a voice that almost sounds bored.
“We have your mom.” Jace's soft words hit me right where they were intended. Shock filters through me, and I swallow against the rising tide of panic. My mom doesn’t know anything about these people. Images of her being hurt or worse flood my mind. I stare up at him, hoping I put as much anger as I’m feeling in my expression.
“What do you want?” I manage to get out. I fight to stay clear-headed. I'm not sure what it is they put in me, but I’m not going to pass out and let them do anything to me.
“You,” he says simply.
“Well, that’s never going to happen.” I take my shirt and yank the neck to the side, my movements slow. “I’m already taken.”
He snarls at the mark on my shoulder, and then his face relaxes. “No worries. When I bite you, it will replace his mark. When you’re away from him long enough, his mark will fade.”
True fear starts to fill me for the first time. “That’s...not possible.” But I don’t really know.What if it is?I try to calm my rising panic, so I can think clearly.
“Let’s go.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you, Jace.”
He laughs. “Yes, you are. Or your mom...” he lets the phrase dangle, and all my worst fears play out in my mind’s eye. I glance back towards the seats, towards the field where Zane is playing.
“He can’t help you now. No one can.” Sam’s words are bitter and cold. “Let’s go.” She shoves me forward, and I trip over my feet again.
