"Get in"
After she and his friends went upstairs, Jody looked at Zev. Zev just glanced at her and got in the car. Jody looked at Zev's friend.
"If you feel uncomfortable riding in his car, you're allowed to refuse. We're also going to his house, so you can choose where to ride." Kross said.
"Kross is right. You can use my wheels," Loel said. He gets his helmet.
Jody smiled at him. "Have you got a spare helmet?"
While Zev was in the car, he looked at Jody and Loel. The woman made him even angrier.
'Tsk, easy to get," Zev thought.
It surprised Zev when Jody turned to him. Zev made a face.
Jody frowned, and she somehow heard Zev's thoughts. Jody recognized his voice. He said she was easy to get. When she looked at the man, his face showed surprise. Jody was a little surprised when Loel gave her an extra helmet.
"How many women have you been riding with?" Jody asked.
Jody's question made Loel laugh. "I'm a good Samaritan, so there are lots of them."
"Do you know that you're somewhat scary?"
"Of course not. As guardians, it's our job to make sure Rivendell is safe. We help anyone who needs it. Not just me, but also the other people and Zev."
"Oh, Zev? Loel, don't fool me. I don't believe you. "
He stopped talking and grinned. Soon, both Loel and Jody were on board. She grabbed the man's shoulder, and the motor quickly started up a few seconds later. Zev and Kross's cars followed.
That was Jody's first time riding a motorcycle, and she didn't think she would like it. Loel drove fast, but he knew he needed to be careful. Right after that, they got to Glendir's house.
Glendir turned toward the garage to see cars pulling up to it. When he saw Jody riding a motorcycle, he smiled. But he frowned when he saw that Zev wasn't the driver. Loel fixed Jody's hair when he took off her helmet. When Jody saw the older man, she smiled at him. Even though the older man frowned, she gave him a small hug.
"Uncle, why do you have a frown on your forehead?" Jody asked as she walked up to the man.
Why would you choose to ride with him? Are you and Zev fighting again?" The older man asked.
"Ah, not uncle. I didn't want to fight, so I rode with Loel."
"Did he make fun of you again?"
"No, uncle, but I don't want to wait for him to do it."
"Tell me, Jody, if he's being rude to you," said Glendir. "I didn't raise Zev to be rude to anyone, so I'll make sure he remembers what I taught him."
"Alright, uncle. But for now, don't worry, we're fine because I'm staying away from him."
"Jody, I don't want you to stay away from him any longer," said Glendir. "I want you both to get along, so you don't have to avoid each other."
Jody did not speak. She didn't know what was happening but felt the older man in front of her wouldn't be around for long. Zev and his friends approached them. Zev said hello to his dad, and his friends did the same.
"Uncle, we have fish that we just caught." Kross put the cooler down with only the fish in it.
"That would be great to grill," Glendir said.
"I know what you want, Uncle. How about steamed fish?" the old man raised his thumb. "Very well, I'll look after it," Loel said.
"It's a good thing that you came here."
"Of course, uncle, we'll sleep at your house again. Are you okay with that, uncle?" said Jack.
Glendir chuckled. "Of course. I'm glad Zev has friends."
"We'll go to the dirty kitchen, dad," Zev said.
Zev and his friends left, leaving Jody and Glendir alone. On the other side of the chair, Jody was sitting there. Glendir looked over at the girl.
"Jody, when is your birthday?" Glendir asked.
"I think you're more excited than I am, uncle," Jody said. "My birthday is next Friday, a week from now."
Glendir nodded. "Why did you ask?" Jody asked.
"I know you don't want your 18th birthday to be a party. I want to know what you want for a gift."
Jody smiled at him. "Uncle, I want no more presents. It's enough that I know you and that you think of me as family. I no longer need anything."
"It's only once a woman turns 18. I know that's a big deal for a young teen like you."
"I need nothing, uncle."
"Are you sure there's nothing you want?"
Jody nodded. "All I want to do on my birthday visit my parents and be with you. It's as if you were my dad's uncle."
Glendir smiled but said nothing.
Zev was staring off into the distance. As Jody and Glendir talk, he watches them. Drake was aware of him.
"Jealous?" Drake joked.
Zev glanced at Drake. "What are you saying? Why should I feel jealous?"
"I think your dad would like to have a daughter again. Do you see how much she means to your father?" said Jack.
"Right. At home, my father loved our youngest child more. She appears to be a princess who needs our assistance. Maybe because she's the only woman in our house." Kross said.
Loel glanced at Zev and noticed Zev watching his father and Jody. Loel put his hand on Zev's shoulder.
"Dude, why are you upset with Jody?" Loel asked. "Don't you see how happy she makes your uncle?" He looked over at Zev. "It hurts Uncle to lose Zera, but since he met Jody, he no longer misses her."
"They still aren't the same. Jody is not Zera."
"Don't you think Uncle didn't know that?" said Loel. "We know Jody can't replace Zera, but you must admit that your father is happy when Jody is around."
Zev did not speak. Loel took his hand off Zev's shoulder and walked away from him.
———-
Jody peeked out the window in the evening to see Zev's friends having drinks by the pool. Even though they were loud, they didn't bother her. Jody thought they deserved to have fun because something happened at the last town fiesta that kept them from having fun. Liza folded her clothes while sitting on her bed.
"Liza..." she looked at her. "Like them, you're a weredragon, right?"
Liza nodded. "How does it feel to be different?"
"Nothing special, Jody, since everyone here is different," Liza said. "I should ask you that question."
Jody giggled. "Can you read or hear someone's thoughts?"
"What?" Liza asked in shock.
"Remember those symptoms I told you before? Is that everything, or will there be more?"
Liza shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not sure, and all the things you're feeling are signs you're about to change. Since you're not sick, the word you use shouldn't be a symptom."
"So you can't read our thoughts?"
"No," said Jody. "Why, Jody, can you read or hear thoughts?"
For a moment, Jody was speechless. Liza noticed how quiet she was. "All I know is that only elite people can do that. They can talk to every weredragon using their minds. It seems the elite can hear them, but they can't hear the elite."
"Really? Why so?"
"Well, that story is one way the elites protect themselves."
"What's elite?"
"Those are just stories. I know legends aren't true."
"So you're saying they don't exist?" Jody asked. "Never existed?"
"I don't know, Jody, because that story was popular with weredragons when I was young. It was the story we read before bed."
Jody did not speak. She took a deep breath and then left the room.
"Where are you going?"
"I'll just get some water. My tumbler is empty."
"I'll take it...."
Jody chuckled. "No need, it's just me."
Jody turned his back on Liza and shut the door behind her. She started walking up the stairs to get some water from the kitchen. As she walked, she thought of something that made her stop moving. Jody got stuck in a wall.
"The Alpha pack of Rivendell killed them."
"We need to get back at them for what they did."
"We were the first ones to rush them, though."
"Let's wait until Rydel decides."
"Rydel brought our friends there."
Jody took hold of her head. She doesn't know where the voices are coming from that she hears in her head. She gripped the wall tighter, but those voices also went away.
"What's going on?"
Zev was standing behind her and staring at her when she turned toward him. "Why do you care?" Jody tried to sit up straight and look at Zev.
Zev kept looking at Jody. He almost stopped breathing. When he saw Jody, she wore sleeping shorts with a spaghetti strap. He stopped walking when he saw her clinging to the wall as if sick. Since her hair is short, he can see she has a long neck. And he thought she was hot.
Zev's brows went up. "Are you not allowed to leave the room like that?"
Jody looked at her sleeping wear. "Remember, my friends, are men."
Jody did not speak. She could smell the alcohol on Zev's breath, so he didn't want to argue with the drunk. Later, Zev heard the door open, and when he heard someone walk in, he knew it was one of his friends. He grabbed Jody's wrist and pulled her into the small room where they kept the cleaning supplies.
As soon as Zev walked into the room, he put his hand over Jody's mouth, leaning against the wall. Because there were so many things in the room, it was small and could only fit two. They heard footsteps coming toward where they were hiding.
"Zev is not here...."
"You could go to his room or bathroom."
Zev was looking at Jody, and she was looking back at him. She grabbed Zev's hand and pulled it away from her mouth. When Zev put his finger to his lips and told her not to make a noise, she stopped struggling. Jody did what Zev said. When Zev saw Jody was getting calmer, he took his hand off Jody's mouth.
When he saw their faces were only a few inches apart and their bodies touching, he almost stopped breathing.
"What the hell are you doing?" Jody whispered.
"I'll explain to you later. For now, stay still. Be quiet." Zev said seriously.
After a few seconds, they heard their steps going away. Jody and Zev left the room first, making it impossible to escape. No one wants to let them go, and both want to leave first.
Zev asked, "Can you let me out first?"
"Excuse me? Since I'm the woman, I should be the first to go."
"I should go out first because if I don't, you'll be sorry."
"Are you going to hurt me?"
"I am warning you."
No one moved as they looked at each other. "Why do you have to drag me here? Are you a pervert?"
"I'm not much of a pervert, but you should thank me for keeping you safe."
"Keeping me safe from whom? From your friends?"
"Yes. You don't know what time of year it is for us, weredragons, so think about what you will wear."
"What does the season you're discussing affect what I'm wearing?"
Zev leaned one of his hands against the wall next to Jody's head. Jody looked in that direction and then back at Zev.
"Jody, we're getting close to our rutting season," said Zev. "It won't help you at all to wear those clothes."
"What do you mean, rutting period?" Jody asked with a frown.
With a half smile, Zev looked like he would attack his heart. He put his face close to the side of his head and whispered.
"It's mating time, Jody," Zev whispered.
Jody could feel Zev's hot breath on her shoulder, and when she stood next to him, she developed goosebumps. Jody didn't know what Zev was doing, but the face on the side of his head didn't go away right away. She could feel her heart beating faster. Jody pushed Zev right away, and Zev leaned against the wall. Jody ran out of the room and up the stairs as fast as she could.