that she taken from him. She'd tucked it in her purse before he went crazy on her. Over a year later she still had it. She hadn't looked at it in a while, but it had never dried. Something in it kept it alive.
She'd thought maybe if she injected herself she could end up like Crystal. Crystal had been infected too, but then she'd met her pack and gotten infected by them too. Beth wasn't sure exactly how it worked out for her. By all accounts she'd gotten lucky and needed the help of not only her werewolf friends but a witch too.
None of that mattered anymore. By the time she'd gotten out of the hospital and was allowed to be by herself again she'd realized what really happened. Crystal was a great woman. Or werewolf. Or whatever she was. It wasn't her fault that they drifted apart. She had her own life to live. Beth's life was her own fault. She wanted to matter to someone more than she mattered to herself. The syringe stayed locked away. She didn't know what to do with it though, if she threw it away what if someone else found it and used it?
She shook her head and reached back to turn the water up hotter. That was old news. She always got caught up in her mistakes when she made a new one. But had she made a new one? Was her night a total waste? Colin had been pushy, but he hadn't forced her into anything, had he? She'd gone along with it and hadn't protested. Maybe his pushiness helped her get over her hang ups?
She sighed and tried to crank the temperature up again. The handle was all the way over. Was she running out of hot water? She frowned and reached for the shampoo, if the temperature was going to drop she needed to hurry.
Beth worked the shampoo through her hair and switched to conditioner. Her thoughts strayed to the club again when she grabbed her loofah and worked her bottle of soap into it. She scrubbed her skin and remembered how slippery and hot she'd felt watching the dancers. They were nothing compared to Penny though. The waitress had captivated her whenever she was nearby. Her scent and poise. The confident way she moved and talked. Everything about her. And her horns, they couldn't be real, like she'd teased— could they?
Beth knew about werewolves and witches and other savage creatures that couldn't possibly exist. Maybe Penny was something else she hadn't seen or heard of yet.
Beth finished rinsing off and turned off the water. Her body was clean but her mind was still cluttered and confused. She sighed after toweling off and slipped her sweats on. It had been a long day. Sleep sounded good. If it would come to her, she was feeling more and more awake with each passing minute.
Chapter 4
"Beth? Hey, Beth!"
Beth jerked in her seat and turned to the girl that had spoken to her. She stared at her black leggings right in front of her and realized she was standing. Everyone was standing. And moving. Class was over, but she'd been somewhere else.
Beth shook her head and started to look up. She should stand, she knew it, but her eyes followed the thin material stretched over Maria's legs up. Her sweater dropped over her waist and hips but from Beth's angle she could see the subtle cleft at her crotch. Shouldn't her underwear hide the cameltoe, or maybe she wasn't wearing any underwear?
"Beth, class is over. What's wrong with you?" Maria asked.
Beth jerked her attention up to Maria's face and scrambled to grab her notebook and shove it into her bag. "Sorry, spaced out. Had a rough weekend."
Maria grinned. "Hope it was worth it."
Beth flashed a quick smile back but didn't say anything. She stood up and walked down the aisle of seats in the lecture hall and melted into the crowd of students heading out. She pushed outside and gasped as the sunlight drove a wedge into her skull worthy of splitting logs. She stumbled and turned her back to the late morning sun so she could fumble through her bag for her sunglasses.
"Jesus, Beth, aren't you cold?" Maria asked as she had to step