upset her brother.
“What are your rules?” Phineas asked.
“Don’t worry about it. I don’t think they apply to you.”
He stiffened. “Why not? Because I’m a Vamp?”
“Why?”
Brynley snorted. “Because Marta wants to steal your identity and become the next Blardonnay guy. She’ll look great, topless with a towel around her hips. I don’t think anyone will notice the difference.”
Phineas frowned at her. “I don’t have breasts.”
“Man-boobs.” Brynley motioned toward his chest. “They do stick out a little.”
“That’s muscle!”
She waved her hand dismissively. “The autographs, please. Your rabid fans are waiting.”
He grabbed a pen and pad of paper off the desk. “One to Marta?”
“Yes, and one to Sarah.”
He scrawled their names and his signature on two pieces of paper, then handed them to her. “I don’t suppose you want one?”
She scoffed. “I know who you are.”
“Fine.” He tossed the pen and pad of paper on the desk. “Can you be ready to leave in thirty minutes?”
“Sure.” She stuffed the autographs in her jeans pocket. “I suggest you pack more than a beach towel and your skimpy little swimsuit. You’ll need boots, a hat, and a jacket. You’re only alive at night, and it can get chilly then. And make sure you bring plenty of bottled blood.”
His brow arched. “Afraid I’ll bite?”
“Afraid I will?”
He stepped toward her. “Why are you doing this?”
It was obvious he didn’t trust her. She lifted her chin in defiance. “Are you worried, Phineas? You should be. Who knows what I’ll do to you when you’re completely helpless and totally at my mercy. I painted Connor’s fingernails pink, you know.”
His mouth twisted with a wry look. “Do you enjoy playing with dead bodies, Brynley?”
“Maybe I just enjoy seeing you dead, bloodsucker.”
“Snout-Face.” He stepped closer. “I know you hate Vamps, so why are you doing this?”
She shrugged. “I heard you were desperate. Must be your charming personality. It’s left you all alone with no one to help you.”
“I’m charming enough that you agreed.”
“I was your last choice.”
His jaw clenched. “You think so?”
“You wanted some of the boys to go with you, but they can’t leave school. I’m the last one you wanted.”
His eyes darkened as he stared at her.
She didn’t look away, even though her heart pounded in her ears.
He lifted a hand, then stopped with his fingers a mere inch from her cheek. “You have no idea what I want.”
The intensity of his gaze made her arms pebble with gooseflesh.
He stepped back, lowering his hand. “I’ll return for you in thirty minutes.” His form wavered, then vanished.
She dragged in a deep breath to calm her racing heart, then reached up to press her fingertips against the cheek he’d come so close to touching.
Oh God, what had she gotten herself into? She’d let her emotions dictate her actions. And her inner wolf. It was thrilled to be going home. Excited that in a few nights, it would be running through the forest, feeling completely free.
As a teenager, she’d been trained to pay attention to the desires of the inner wolf. Its instincts were raw and simple. Animalistic, but blatantly honest.
But this time, she feared the wolf was wrong. Going to Wyoming was dangerous. If her father found her, he’d drag her back home. She would end up losing her freedom.
And she couldn’t let Phineas know she was hopelessly attracted to him. She’d have to be strong. And ruthless. Or she might end up losing her heart.
Chapter Six
“What the hell are you wearing?” Brynley demanded.
“Polite, as always,” Phineas muttered. Thirty minutes had passed, and he’d returned to the main office at the Dragon Nest Academy to pick up Brynley.
He glanced down at his stylish new clothes. Maybe a little too stylish, but Leroy of Leroy’s House of Class had personally selected his new Western wardrobe with assurances that he looked one hundred percent authentic.
He hooked his thumbs into the snakeskin belt that sported a huge buffalo-shaped brass buckle. “I’m dressed like a cowboy now. I thought it would be best to fit in—”
“Where? On stage at the Grand Ole Opry?” Brynley moved closer and skimmed her fingertips across his white silk shirt. “Fringe?”
His chest expanded in response to her touch, so he stepped back, out of her reach.
Her gaze lifted to his head. “Oh, God help us. Your hat is . . . sparkly.”
He removed the black Stetson. All the cowboy hats at Leroy’s House of Class had sparkled. Some had sparkled all over. He’d thought he’d done well, selecting a plain black hat with a narrow band of red sequins. “I went with the understated look. It seemed more buck.”
Her eyes widened. “Are you kidding me?”
“No. The black hat matches the black fringe on my shirt, and the red sequins go with the embroidered red roses. But Leroy wanted me to pick the red hat, because it had lots of sequins and some feathers—”
“Enough!” She snatched the Stetson out of his hands, ripped the red sequined band off, then tossed the hat onto the desk, where it landed next to her plain leather handbag and duffel bag. “Maybe I can find some scissors to cut off the fringe.” She rummaged in a drawer.
Phineas frowned. “Is it that bad?”
“Do you want to live through the night? If we go into a bar with you looking like—”
“Why would we go into a bar?”
“To ask questions. We’re hunting for Corky, right? You go around looking like that, and I’ll have to break some arms.”
He stiffened. “I can take care of myself.”
“Not during the day. You’ll be totally helpless.”
“I’ll be sleeping in the basement during the day. And my clothes won’t be a problem.” He gave her a pointed look. “I won’t be wearing any.”
She gulped.
Damn but he enjoyed shocking her.
“Well.” Her cheeks blushed a pretty pink as she slammed the desk drawer shut. “You’ll still have to wear clothes when you’re awake, so I’ll run up to my brother’s room and see if he has anything you can borrow.” Her gaze drifted over him once again. “You look about the same size. Actually, those . . . jeans you’re wearing will do just fine.”
Was it his imagination or did her eyes linger on his groin area a little too long? “Are you sure? I didn’t know if I should go with a zipper or a button fly. I’ve got a zipper here—”
