My Girlfriend Bites (Young Adult Paranormal Werewolf Romance)

Chapter 13

Aiden

Bree bombards me with questions about our destination. I play cool and tell her to be patient. I guide the truck on to the highway that curves around the northeast part of the city, take the first exit after the airport, and roll it past the entrance of Mohawk Park.

Bree's nostrils flare. "Are we going to a zoo?" Her nervousness at dinner comes back. "Isn't the zoo closed at night?"

"Not for HallowZooeen," I say, trying to make it sound as awesome as I can.

Under the lights, the parking lot overflows with cars as I circle and manage to find a spot. I shut off the engine and climb out of the truck. But when I open her door, Bree doesn't move. I must have totally blown her away with this zoo idea. That's a good thing because girls love surprises. Bree faces the direction of the zoo, her nose twitching and flexing.

"Something wrong?" I ask.

"I've never been to a zoo."

"Seriously? Like your parents never took you?"

Bree shakes her head.

"You'll love it. With all the lights at night, it should be amazing." I do the gentlemanly thing and offer her my hand.

Bree hesitates again. Does she hate my idea? I thought she'd like the zoo at night. It's something different. Something outside the box. She must think it's the dumbest idea ever. But before I go into full-panic mode, Bree accepts my hand and steps down. She lightly cups her hand around mine, flashes me a nervous smile, and we head for the main entrance.

Pockets of orange and white light punch through the darkness, revealing the animal exhibits and most of the walkways in the large zoo. Families, as well as the staff, are dressed up in all kinds of costumes. There's, like, pirates, wizards, cowboys, werewolves, fairies, super heroes, ballerinas, and vampires moving around the zoo. Lions roar in the darkness. Elephants call out for attention. Animal sounds of all types echo over the night air. When the sun goes down, this sanitized kiddie zoo in the daytime takes on a more ominous vibe.

This is awesome. Bree should have a strong urge to cling to my arm, and since I'm her escort, I must hold her tight so she feels safe and warm, her body leaning against mine all night long. What a brilliant idea this was!

A tiger roars as we walk along the concrete path.

"Spooky hearing that at night," I say, trying to set up the right mood for some body-warming action. "It's like being alone in the jungle with all the animals watching you."

Bree squeezes my arm. "I wouldn't let anything happen to you."

"What are you going to do against a charging tiger? Throw your shoe at him?"

"Only to distract him."

Bree's funny. I'd love to see this small girl confront a tiger.

"And then what? Run away screaming?"

"Me or the tiger?" Bree asks.

We step inside the primate building, which smells musty-old. It consists of a simple but long hallway that has windows to the cages on both sides. Kind of plain and boring. Ten monkeys fling themselves across wood beams placed inside their cages. They swing from place to place with such ease. I think it's fun to watch them mess around, doing what monkeys do. A few toss fresh poop at each other, and Bree laughs. The way her cheeks lift when she smiles is kinda cute.

Three of the monkeys wander up to the glass close to Bree and stare at her with this intense curiosity.

Bree moves further down the large glass.