Chapter 4

“Where’s Derek?” Emma asked Clem.

She had turned back to see Clem and the other two guys walk into the house after her, but not Derek. She refused to think about why she was searching him out.

‘What’s there, if not to trouble him the most. She thought, smiling to herself as she remembered the look on his face when she double tripped him.

“He might be outside,” Clem replied, staring at the ceilings of the living room.

Outside? Emma thought. She could feel herself boiling up again. She concluded that Derek was a real piece of work.

“What’s he doing outside? Can’t you see we need more hands here?” She asked Clem, her hands on her waist.

“This whole house is in ruins, one of you guys should get him.” Emma stated finally.

Clem was perplexed. He couldn’t deny that the human girl intrigued him greatly. Looking at her, he could tell that she was fuming, silently. Not wanting to get on her bad side, for he had seen what she was capable of, he asked Leo to get Derek.

After Leo left, Clem turned back to Emma, in a bid to make small talk until Derek arrived.

“Where are you from?” He asked.

“I’m not from around here.” She replied.

“But where…?” Clem queried, getting more curious. The human girl was so secretive, He thought.

“Don’t worry about it, I’m not a spy.” She said, chuckling.

For a minute, Clem panicked. He thought she might actually have a clue on what they really are. But then looking intensely at her, he discovered Emma was just making small talk, just being vague as usual, and he got more interested in unraveling her.

“Well, I wouldn’t be surprised if you were a spy, you got good moves babe! How did you learn that?” Clem inquired, noting the blush that appeared on the new girl’s cheeks.

“Dad enrolled me in a martial arts school while I was younger. You know, for protection.” Emma replied.

She didn’t think he needed to know the truth of how she learnt taekwondo. How she defied her father’s orders, sneaking out every night to Mr. Tammy’s place to learn it.

“Okay, cool.” Clem said, looking at her with open admiration.

When he saw a speck of dust on her cheek, he thought it an opportunity to feel her skin texture.

Her skin was soft, he thought as he rubbed off the dust from her cheek with his right thumb. And as he watched her closely, he saw a blush taint her cheek.

He smiled. Baby steps. This will be easy.

“Clem, He’s here now.” Leo said, coming into the room with a still annoyed Derek.

Emma shifted away from Clem, at the sound of Leo’s voice. Now noting how close Clem had been to her, and the feel of his thumb on her left cheek, she blushed again.

His touch was sweet, and she had to admit that he was a handsome guy, although Derek was more handsome.

Wait, did I just think of Derek as the handsomest? No way. Emma scoffed.

She turned around to see Derek looking at her weirdly.

Derek had seen Clem touching Emma’s cheek, but had snorted.

Clem is a puppy, He had thought. But when he saw the blush on Emma’s face, he was out of it for a second.

His insides tightened, but he had brushed it off as a feeling of resentment for her and betrayal for Clem.

‘He shouldn’t be fraternizing with that little witch’ He thought, as he remembered how she had double tripped him a few minutes ago. It got him curious. She’s only a human female teenager.

‘So where did the strength and skill come from?’ Derek asked himself.

“So how are we gonna do this?” Shane asked, holding a vacuum cleaner.

Derek snapped out of his thoughts at Shane’s words, and looked around the house properly for the first time.

“Was this a dr*g house?” He shrieked, as he pondered on the colorations on the wall, and the messy furniture.

“Exactly my thoughts, when I saw it.” The witch, like he termed her, replied, like she hadn’t tripped him some minutes ago. Derek scoffed.

“Leo, call Mike, tell him we need them at No 13 Moonway now.” Derek said.

“Okay.” Leo replied, taking the cell phone and walking out the front porch.

Emma didn’t know what to think of that. It was obvious Derek commanded Leo. His voice was…but…well it’s best she minds her business. She doesn’t know the relationship between the guys.

“You both should start carrying out the furniture, I will check out the kitchen.” He said, referring to Shane and Clem, while walking towards the kitchen.

Emma followed him. She didn’t know why she did, but she found herself also walking towards the kitchen.

Derek swore as he walked into the kitchen. Everything was a mess, from the cupboards to the dirty sink.

“Dirty right?” Emma asked, with a chuckle.

Derek looked at the little witch, and wondered whether she was taunting him or making a statement, for the kitchen was beyond dirty obviously.

The knowledge that she might be mocking him, made him cringe and curse silently. If not for his father’s nonsense punishment, he wouldn’t be here cleaning up this mess.

“Cockroaches!!” The little witch screamed and jumped on him.

For a moment, time stood still for Derek.

He had been fast enough to catch her, more of a reflex action. But the feelings that assailed him made him immobile. They were so foreign and unacceptable to him.

Her scent was so intoxicating, a mixture of finely brewed coffee smell, plus chocolate and some sweet flowery he couldn’t explain.

“Mate!” Maru said.

No no! Derek thought.

He couldn’t have anything to do with this witch. It was cool he could communicate with his wolf since he was 16, a feat that pleased his father much. It was a rare gift, and it was believed that the wolf would be very powerful. But not this, He can’t deal with a human mate.

He would wait till he was 18 in a month time for his initiation ceremony, to confirm this. But then, his body had a mind of its own. He found himself holding her so tightly to himself while stepping around the broken plates on the floor.

Looking down, he found a couple of cockroaches running around, and smiled. The little witch was scared of cockroaches. His smile metamorphosed to a full blown laughter.

This seemed to catch Emma who had found Derek’s body more comfortable than her bed for reasons unknown to her. She cursed herself silently, and tapped Derek to drop her, which he did, ungracefully.

He dropped her like she was a bag of onions on the floor. She looked up to see him smirking.

“We’re even now” He said

Emma cursed again, and tried standing up, but her legs which were sprawled on the floor were numb and couldn’t move.

Derek, seeing that she was actually hurt, felt bad too. He could feel his wolf annoyance at what he had done. And so he stretched his hand towards her, hoping that she would drop her big pride and take it.

She did, to his relief and stood up, staring at him.

They looked at each other intensely, still holding hands until Shane came in.

“The boys are here.” He said