Wild Invitation

attempt at style. “Perhaps we could talk to your mom together—would you feel more comfortable discussing things with her?”
    She’d already called Mrs. Nicholson to tell her that Bryan would be late getting home. The woman had taken it in herstride—she had three boys. “And one of them’s always in detention,” she’d said with a laugh, love in every syllable. “Since you’re waiting on Zach, he can drive this misbehaving baby home.”
    “Bryan?” she prompted, when her little mischief-maker remained silent.
    “No. You promised I could wait for Uncle Zach.” He scowled. “Promises are for keeping, that’s what Uncle Zach always says.”
    “That’s true.” Giving in, she smiled. “Let’s hope your uncle makes it here soon.”
    “Hot date?” The voice was rich, dark, and completely out of place in her classroom.
    Startled, she stood to face the man leaning in the doorway. “Uncle Zach?”
    A smile that cut her off at the knees. “Just Zach’s fine.” Vivid aqua-colored eyes, straight black hair cut in a careless way, copper-gold skin and bones that spoke of an ancestor from one of the native tribes. “You called.”
    And he’d come.
    She felt her cheeks blaze as the thought passed through her head. “I’m Annie Kildaire, Bryan’s teacher.”
    When Zach accepted the hand she’d extended in a gesture of automatic politeness, the heat of him seared through her skin to burn her on the inside. She felt her breath catch and knew she was going even redder. Dear God, she was useless around beautiful men. And “Uncle” Zach was the most beautiful man she’d ever seen.
    He was also staring at her. Probably at her always messy knot of hair, her bright red cheeks, her mortified brown eyes. Tugging at her hand, she tried to extract it. He held on as he glanced at Bryan. His nephew continued to sit there with a mutinous expression on his face. Seeing their clasped hands, he favored his uncle with a look that shouted “traitor.”
    Zach returned his attention to Annie. “Tell me what happened.”
    “Could you—” She tugged at her hand again.
    He looked down, seemed to consider it, then finally let go. Fingers tingling in sensory memory, she quickly moved to busy herself tidying the stack of book reports on her desk. “If you’dlike to take a seat?” He towered over her. That wasn’t particularly difficult, but he was big in a very intimidating way. Solid shoulders, pure hard muscle, and lean strength. A soldier, she thought, aware of some of the ranks within the DarkRiver pack, Zach had to carry the rank of soldier.
    “I’d rather stand.”
    “All right.” She didn’t sit either. It didn’t give her much of an advantage—or any advantage if she was being honest—but if she sat down with him looming all big and intense over her, she’d probably lose the power of speech. “Bryan punched a classmate during last period. He refuses to tell me what caused the incident.”
    “I see.” Zach frowned. “Why isn’t the other boy here?”
    She wondered if he thought she was playing favorites. “Morgan is in the sick bay. He’s rather…delicate.”
    Zach raised an eyebrow. “Delicate?”
    She wanted to glare at him herself. He knew perfectly well what she was talking about. “Morgan gets sick very easily.” And had a mother who treated him as if he was made of spun glass. Given that the same thing had driven Annie insane as a child, she might’ve tried to talk to Mrs. Ainslow about it, except that it was obvious Morgan
liked
the fussing. “He was too upset to stay near Bryan, though I would’ve preferred to talk to them together.”
    “Human?” Zach asked.
    “No,” she said, trying not to feel
too
satisfied by his look of surprise. “Swan.”
    “Swans aren’t predators”—which, Annie knew, was why Morgan’s family had been allowed to stay in DarkRiver territory—“but they’re not exactly weak.”
    “While all humans are?” she was irritated enough to say.
    He raised an eyebrow. “Did I say that, sweetheart?”
    Her face heated from the inside out. “I am Bryan’s teacher.”
    “Not mine.” A grin. “You could be though. Wanna play classroom, Teach?”
    She dealt with DarkRiver cats throughout the year, but for the most part, they were mated pairs or couples in long-term relationships. She had no clue how to handle a teasing male who was clearly not only aware of the effect he had on her but confident enough to take advantage. Focus on the facts,