“Ah. I didn’t know you and Peter were roommates. I usually don’t have a problem sleeping when he comes over, so if you want them to stay at our place, just tell Rachel. I certainly don’t mind.” He opened his mouth to say more but I cut him off. “Sorry, I have to get going. I’m going to be late for class.”

He nodded, and I walked away without a goodbye. I hoped that counted as a short conversation. I knew Rachel had been staying at Peter’s place because she felt guilty if he stayed at ours more than twice a week. I’d never stopped to consider Peter might have a roommate, too. Maybe I should say something to Rachel. They never kept me up when Peter stayed over. I wondered, belatedly, if they kept Clay up.

Realizing I’d slowed a little, I picked up the pace. I wanted to arrive early enough to talk to Nicole, the shy girl in my basic massage class. Today we would start doing more hands-on practice to try the few techniques already described to us along with muscle identification, and she’d agreed to work with me.

Last week, the instructor had warned us we would work in pairs and would be switching partners over the next few weeks. The announcement had given me a mild panic attack. Although the majority of the students were female, the few men had glanced my way. So, I’d carefully prearranged partners.

On the positive side, the instructor had also stressed we wouldn’t need volunteers from outside the classroom this term. It was a relief to know I wouldn’t need to fend off Scott as a volunteer.

An unusually quiet house greeted me. The brisk wind rattled the kitchen window as I set my keys down and searched the house for Clay.

I didn’t find him but did see evidence of his busy day. The neatly folded items from the laundry I’d put in, and the load I’d set aside before leaving, filled my dresser drawers. Clean shirts hung in my closet. Clay had even remade the bed with the fresh sheets. The baby powder smell of the detergent permeated the room. I grinned, thinking of him wearing his clean clothes.

A knock sounded at the front door. Still smiling to myself, I turned and answered it.

An older gentleman stood on the stoop. Dressed in a smart grey suit that complemented his dark grey hair, he reminded me of Sam, and I felt a moment of guilt. Sam had called several times to check on me, but I hadn’t returned any of his calls.

A smile lined his face, reaching his warm hazel eyes. “Gabby? I’m Joshua.”

My polite smile froze in place. This was Elder Joshua? I’d pictured a younger man. Doubt crept in, and I did a quick scan. His bright blue-grey spark glowed before me. That color...my stomach dipped in fear. Joshua had the same color light as the werewolf that had attacked Clay. Coincidence? I doubted it. So far, only Charlene and I had unique sparks. A knot formed in my throat.

In the distance, a child squealed in laughter. The sound snapped me out of my other world. I held myself still, clutching the edge of the door while I fought hard to push back the sudden burst of fear.

His nostrils flared slightly, and I knew my efforts were too late. I wanted to slam the door and run but knew it wouldn’t work.

“I apologize for startling you, Gabby. Sam was concerned when he didn’t hear back from you after the confrontation. He asked me to stop by and check on you.”

“Confrontation?” My voice sounded dry and strained.

“Yes, we heard there’d been a failed challenge. Is everything okay here?”

I swallowed hard. “Yes, thank you.”

Think, Gabby! Why would the werewolf launch itself at Clay from out of the darkness only to politely knock on my door? And why the front door? The neighbors could see him.

Staring at his puzzled face, his hazel eyes called my attention. The other wolf’s eyes had been blue. What did it mean that he had the same color light as the werewolf that'd challenged Clay? I really wanted to believe it was just a coincidence. I had to call Sam and get a description of Elder Joshua to be sure the man before me was who he said.

“How are things going with Clay? Any other problems? Is he becoming too aggressive?”

“Everything is fine. He’s very polite.” But missing when I really need him, I thought. Convenient that Elder Joshua just happened to show up when Clay wasn’t home.

“We were surprised to hear of a challenge. Usually, strong ties aren’t challenged,” he commented.

I didn’t know how to respond so I remained quiet.

He reached into his pocket and withdrew a business card. “Well, if you need anything give me a call, or call Sam. We’re here for you.” He handed the card to me.

The card simply had his name and number printed on it, no title or business name. I nodded, hoping he would leave so I could give into the panic attack I barely held back. He smiled, bobbed his head in farewell, and turned to leave.

I closed the door and tucked the card into the front pocket of my jeans. This time I watched through the peephole as he got into the car he’d parked in front of the house. The door muffled the sound of the engine as he started it.

When he drove out of my line of sight, I closed my eyes and leaned my forehead on the cool wood of the door. First, a wolf with a uniquely colored spark challenged Clay. Then, Elder Joshua appeared with the same color. For more than two years...through every visit to the Compound...not once did I ever see a variance in the color of a werewolf spark. Just like humans, they remained consistent.

If not for the challenge, I wouldn’t have worried about it. But I knew without a doubt, I’d never met Clay’s challenger before. And if I’d never met him, why would he dispute Clay’s tie with me? I needed to know who the challenger was and why Elder Joshua had an identically colored spark. Yet, no one knew about my ability to see the sparks. I could ask Sam outright if Joshua was different to their kind in some way. The best I could do was verify Elder Joshua’s identity without raising too many unwanted questions. I needed to calm down and call Sam. If I called sounding freaked out, he would probably send Joshua right back over.

I pushed away from the door and turned to go into my room. Someone stood right behind me. I produced a full-throated someone’s-sawing-off-my-arm scream before I realized it was Clay dressed in jeans, t-shirt, and running shoes. By his shocked expression, I’d just scared him as bad as he’d scared me.

Heart stuttering, I clapped a hand over my mouth. No way would I call Sam now. I wasn’t even sure I could speak. The hand over my mouth shook from the adrenaline rush.

He tilted his head, studied me, then reached into my pocket to pull out the card. He glanced at it, shrugged, and shook his head, clearly puzzled. How did he even know it was in there? Had he been watching me?

I dropped my hand and did another round of deep breaths to try to calm down.

“Did you see who was here?” I asked. My voice wavered so I cleared it.

He shook his head.

“How did you know that was in my pocket?”

He briefly lifted the card to his nose. So, he could smell the other werewolf? That was good.

“Have you ever met Elder Joshua before?”

He shook his head.

“Have you ever smelled him before?”

Again, he shook his head.

I closed my eyes briefly and let out a relieved sigh that sounded a bit like a sob. Joshua wasn’t the werewolf Clay had fought. Even though I remembered blue eyes, I’d still worried.

The new color variation bothered me, though, and I wished I had someone to talk to. Now that Clay had confirmed Joshua wasn’t the same werewolf from the challenge, I didn’t see much point in calling Sam other than to yell at him for sending Joshua over.

Lost in my own thoughts, I jumped when Clay lightly tapped my forehead with his index finger.

I gave him a weak smile. “You want to know what’s going on in my head?” I guessed.