61
" You’re not going to turn creepy uncle on me, are you, Sam?” I honestly didn’t expect him to admit it if he did have that planned. I just wanted to see his reaction to the question. He barked out a laugh and dropped his hand back to his side. When he saw I remained serious, he sobered. “I suppose that’s a fair question, given what you’ve just told me. With me, you’re safe. Honey, I’m older than I look. Heck, I’m probably old enough to be your great grandfather.” He looked at me for a moment. I mean really looked at me, studying my face as if he could read all my secrets there. “When I look at you, I see a young girl I want to help. I see a grandchild I could have had if only I’d met my one and only. And I see hope.” Fair "
― Melissa Haag , Hope(less) (Judgement of the Six #1)
63
" Several times, I woke to the sound of him tapping his grey nails against the steering wheel. When I opened my eyes to look at him, I could see his elongated canines. At those times, I wanted to reach over and pat his leg, but I held myself back. When I woke to see his ears pointed too, I quietly studied him for a few minutes. I knew I was the cause of his agitation. He’d sensed my withdrawal. I hadn’t wanted him to see my confusion. I wanted to talk to Sam first, before saying anything to Clay. But my approach obviously wasn’t the right one. Clay had stuck by me through everything. I needed to trust that he wouldn’t turn away from me after I revealed what had happened. “Clay...” He paused his tapping. “Could you pull over for a minute?” He glanced at me, lifted a concerned brow, but did as I asked. The tires crunched on the snowy shoulder. He stopped the car then turned toward me. A sad smile lifted my lips. I hated to see him like this. I tapped my lips. I needed affirmation that we still had our connection, and he needed assurance I was fine. His tight grip on the steering wheel loosened, and he shook his head in amusement. I held my breath as he leaned toward me. Clay cradled my face in his hands and kissed me tenderly. I clutched his shirt, dragging him closer. When he opened his mouth to nip my bottom lip, I groaned and willingly let him in. We steamed the windows. My lungs burned for air. Finally, I had to pull away to catch my breath. He wrapped his arms around me and placed small gentle kisses on the top of my head. His neck hovered in my line of sight. I could give him what he wanted. A quick bite and I wouldn’t need to worry about other potential Mates. I could Claim him as my own. But I didn’t want to hurt him anymore. Physically or emotionally. I pulled back from our make-out session. Clay gave me one last kiss on the lips then put the car in drive. The smooth, tan skin of his very human ears called my attention, as did his clean, pink nails. He looked content, no longer tapping his fingers while he stared ahead at the snow-covered roads. I "
― Melissa Haag , Hope(less) (Judgement of the Six #1)
64
" I fetched my bag, tucked the folded newspaper inside, and grabbed the house keys. Clay beat me to the door. I scowled down at him. He stared back at me. After a moment, he shook his neck, jangling his tags. Defeated, I clipped on his leash. He negotiated well without using a single word. I used my cell to call the number for the first ad. The man sounded a bit brusque as if my planned visit inconvenienced him. Shrugging it off, I led Clay to the address. A rusty car parked on the front lawn with a “for sale” sign affirmed I had the right place. Clay and I walked toward the car. A man called hello from the open garage and made his way toward us. As he neared, his demeanor changed, and I inwardly groaned. He introduced himself as Howard and looked me over with interest. Clay moved to stand between us, his stoic presence a good deterrent. Howard talked about the car for a bit, going through the laundry list of its deficiencies. Then he popped the hood so I could look at the engine. In the middle of Howard’s attempt to impress me with his vast mechanical knowledge, Clay sprang up between us. Howard yelped at Clay’s sudden move and edged away as Clay placed his paws on the front of the car to get a good look at the engine, too. I fought not to smile at the man’s stunned expression. At Clay’s discreet nod, I bought the car, not bothering with the second ad. No matter what errand I wanted to run during the week before classes started, Clay insisted on tagging along. On Friday, when I drove to the bookstore, Clay rode a very cramped shotgun and waited in the car while I made my purchases. Later, he sat in the hot car again while I bought some basic school supplies. However, Monday, when I tried leaving for my first class, I put my foot down. He bristled and growled and tried to follow me. “Your license only wins you so much freedom. Dogs aren’t allowed on campus and definitely not in the classroom.” Thankfully, Rachel had left first and didn’t hear me scold him. I tried to leave again, but he stubbornly persisted. Finally, exasperated, I reminded him that he slept on my bed because of my good grace. He resentfully stepped away from the door. * "
― Melissa Haag , Hope(less) (Judgement of the Six #1)
65
" It’s for you, Gabby!” Rachel called from the kitchen. A hint of laughter laced her voice. I moved toward the kitchen, wondering why Nicole had gone to the back door. When I saw who stood just outside, I stopped abruptly. He stood motionless in the yellow glow of the porch light. The blue coveralls he wore had the name Clay sewn on the right pocket. Spattered patterns of grease stained the material, and one arm had a tear, making the getup look far from new. I’d never seen the coveralls before but didn’t give it much thought as I stared at his face. I could actually see it. Well, sort of. Our eyes met, and I couldn’t look away. He’d pulled his hair back into a ponytail, fully exposing a broad forehead, nicely shaped eyebrows, and thickly lashed brown eyes, for the first time. His beard covered most of his cheekbones, but everything above his upper lip, he had trimmed shorter. Stunned, I said nothing in greeting. I could feel Rachel’s curious gaze flicking between the two of us. His eyes crinkled at the corners, and I knew he smiled at my reaction. It warmed my stomach and set my heart fluttering. Thankfully, "
― Melissa Haag , Hope(less) (Judgement of the Six #1)
66
" Hey...wash shore name?” he asked, his articulation long gone. “Go away.” I spoke clearly and rudely, knowing he wouldn’t even remember in the morning. It didn’t seem to faze him in the least. “Wanna go up shtairs? They have a pool table,” he said drawing out the L’s in pool table just a tad too long. Nicole coughed discreetly next to me to cover her giggle at the drunk’s poor attempts at a pickup. “No. Go away.” This time, I added a glare to go with the words. He looked beyond me with a startled expression, which quickly relaxed into a smile. “Oh, god it man. Sheesh yours.” He ambled away, and Nicole and I turned to look at Clay. “What did you do?” I said. Maybe some secret man-sign for “not interested.” Whatever he’d done had worked well. I hoped I could learn it. Clay flashed his teeth, showing elongated canines. I heard Nicole’s whispered “whoa” and glared at him. If he kept flashing his teeth, people would start panicking. “If "
― Melissa Haag , Hope(less) (Judgement of the Six #1)
71
" I reached for my purse which I’d hung on the back of the chair. Desperate, Scott moved to grab my hand. Clay stood abruptly. He successfully knocked Scott’s hand out of the way but also bumped the table in the process. Peter reached out to steady his and Rachel’s drinks, and I hurried to pull a twenty from my purse. The waitress returned with the bill and the wrapped up leftovers. Since Rachel was still digging in her purse, I just handed the waitress the twenty after a quick glance at the bill. I was willing to pay for Rachel if it helped us leave faster. “I better drive her home,” Rachel said to Peter. “You have my number. Give me a call if you want to do something next weekend.” I stood, and Rachel shadowed me, ready to go. Clay bumped into me, knocking me off balance so I had to grab Rachel for support. I looked down at him and noticed Scott stand and hand the waitress his portion of the bill. “Rachel, you can stay with Peter. I don’t mind taking Gabby home,” Scott said. Oily enthusiasm dripped with each word, and I didn’t even need to look at Rachel for her to decline. “No, Scott, I think we’re done for tonight.” She waved to Peter and grabbed my hand. Poor Peter looked at us all, bewildered. His night out with Rachel had fallen apart fast, and I truly felt bad about it. I went with Rachel, relieved to escape before Scott’s recklessness grew. An “oof” sounded behind us, and I panicked, realizing I’d forgotten Clay. I spun around in time to see Scott hit the ground. He’d tripped over Clay in his hurry to catch me. I suspected Clay had done it purposely to slow Scott down. Clay wasted no time. He ran to me and bumped his head against my back to get me moving before Scott could pick himself up again. There wasn’t yet enough distance between the table and us to mute Peter’s next words. “What the hell is wrong with you, man? You come on too...” What he still had to say faded as we quickly walked away. “I’m sorry,” Rachel said. “You told me, but I didn’t really get it. Even the men sitting around us were eyeing you.” I’d been too busy keeping an eye on Scott and Clay to notice. We continued to speed walk to the car. “No big deal. You should see me in some of my classes. ‘No’ is the most common word in my vocabulary. Scott’s reaction was worse than most because he already considered me his date. If you say ‘no’, consistently and to everyone, it doesn’t get so bad. "
― Melissa Haag , Hope(less) (Judgement of the Six #1)
73
" So far, we are the only two humans who seem to be compatible with werewolves,” she said, still smiling in welcome. My hope sank. So we were human and...wait, what? “Compatible?” I looked at Sam in confusion. I knew that I smelled differently to werewolves, but he hadn’t mentioned anything about compatibility. Charlene answered before he could. “Yes, werewolves choose their Mate—husband or wife—instinctually. They have no history of ever before selecting from humans for their Mates, but here we are. Whatever it takes to become a Mate, we apparently have it, too.” My mouth popped open in shock as I understood. I turned on Sam. “You brought me here to hook up with a werewolf?” “No, Gabby. I apologize for upsetting you,” Charlene said from behind me. I turned to look at her. “Yes, we’re different in that a werewolf might choose us, but that doesn’t mean that they must choose us or that we have to choose them. At your age, there will be no hooking up.” She "
― Melissa Haag , Hope(less) (Judgement of the Six #1)
75
" The men fortunately didn’t notice my near heart attack or me. They were too busy watching something in the parking lot. Standing shoulder to shoulder, they blocked my view. I didn’t really care what had them so engrossed; I wanted to go home. I heard Sam behind me, muttered a quick “excuse me,” and moved around the small group. It took me less than a second to spot the object of their attention. Once I did, I couldn’t look away. Sam’s truck had exploded. Ok, maybe not literally, but that’s what it looked like at first glance. The detached hood leaned against the right front fender. Dark shapes littered the ground directly in front of the truck. My mouth popped open when I realized I was looking at scattered pieces of the truck’s guts. Little pieces, big pieces, some covered in sludge. Deep inside, I groaned a desperate denial. Not Sam’s truck. I needed it. A clanking sound drew my attention from the carnage to the form bent over the front grill. He did this, the last man I’d met. He studied the gaping hole that had once lovingly cradled an engine—one with enough life to drive me home. “Gabby, honey,” Sam said from behind me, causing me to jump. “I don’t think he wants you to go just yet.” My heart sank. Not only did the man’s actions scream loud and clear “she’s mine” but Sam’s calm statement confirmed my worst fear. The Elders had noticed. My stomach clenched with dread for a moment, and I wrestled with my emotions. No, it didn’t matter who noticed. I wasn’t giving up or giving in. I’d told Sam I’d come to the Introductions. I had never agreed to follow their customs. “There’s more than one vehicle here,” I said. “If we go inside to ask anyone else, we’ll come back to more vehicular murder.” I turned to look at Sam. He watched the man and his truck. He was right. I couldn’t ask anyone else to deal with this guy’s obvious mental disorder. As soon as that thought entered my mind, I felt a little guilty. I usually didn’t judge people. I preferred to avoid them altogether. But this guy made himself hard to ignore. “Fine.” I shouldered my bag, turned, and walked toward the main gate, pretending I didn’t hear Sam’s warning. “You won’t get far,” he said softly behind me. The "
― Melissa Haag , Hope(less) (Judgement of the Six #1)
79
" My arms quickly grew too tired, and all the heat I’d gained from the shower left me. Giving up, I tossed the towel to the floor, crawled between the covers, and curled into a ball. I couldn’t even rub my feet together to try to generate more heat. Clay walked in and turned off the lights. I listened to the familiar rustle of clothes. Instead of the usual bounce of him jumping up on the end of the bed, he peeled back the covers, and the bed dipped as he slid in next to me. I didn’t bother to pretend I wasn’t interested in what he offered. Heat radiated from him, chasing the chill from the sheets. “I really hope you’re wearing shorts or something,” I said with a slight slur. I stuck my cold feet right on his legs and shimmied over to his side to huddle against his warmth. Boy, was he warm. It didn’t matter, though. The shaking didn’t stop, but I was too exhausted to worry about it. Sighing, "
― Melissa Haag , Hope(less) (Judgement of the Six #1)
