Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf? (The Big Bad Wolf Trilogy Book 1) Read online

  Contents

  Introduction

  1. GRIMM EXPECTATION

  2. CATEGORIES

  3. FUCK THE BIG BAD WOLF

  4. PAIN VS. PAYNE

  5. LIKE A MOVIE

  6. GYM TALK

  7. INTO THE WOODS

  8. DATING

  9. ADDICTED ON THE FIRST TRY

  10. EXPOSED

  11. I’M SORRY, IDIOT

  12. THE BAD KIDS

  13. HIS PAST

  14. PLAYING

  15. LIAR

  16. CREEP TO FREAK

  17. SUPER FREAKY

  18. ALWAYS THE ONE

  19. MY GIRL

  20. REMEMBER THIS

  21. I AM TRUTH

  22. DOUBT

  23. THE PADAWAN

  24. BROMANCE

  25. RED RIDING HOOD

  26. KISS IT BETTER

  CONTINUE THE BIG BAD WOLF TRILOGY

  CONNECTED SERIES & NOVELS

  COMING SOON

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Copyright

  First published in March 2019 by Janie Marie

  This edition published in October 2020 by Janie Marie

  Copyright © 2020 by Janie Marie

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Cover Design & Illustration by Thander Lin

  © 2020 Thander Lin

  Editing by Emily Vaughan

  First edition editing by Emily Lawrence

  Created with Vellum

  For Keira Natalie

  It has always been for you.

  Never give up on your dreams and remember it’s possible to glow, even when it’s dark.

  Love,

  Mama

  Introduction

  HOW TO READ THIS BOOK

  Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf? is the first book of The Big Bad Wolf Trilogy, a spinoff series of Janie Marie’s Gods & Monsters trilogy.

  Without reading the trilogy, you might feel left out of the loop when Gods & Monsters readers are screaming with excitement. Still, you’ll enjoy a full story and the connections it shares with the G&M trilogy, without it giving too much of the trilogy away.

  An alternate—bizarro—reality of Gods & Monsters also exists with these characters. Jane’s Team is a bizarro universe where Janie Marie plans to share more bizarro realities inspired by her books and characters. As these are connected, character souls exist in all three universes. Just make sure you separate them—Bizarros are purely for fun. They are not connected, though Easter eggs are always left for readers to find.

  If spoilers bother you and you’re considering reading the related titles, read the Gods & Monsters trilogy first.

  They won’t seem related until read together.

  Epigraph

  “What are you doing, Jane?”

  She felt tears falling down her cheeks. “Saving you from her fire.” She turned his arm and kissed his markings. They were weak, sloppy kisses, but she pressed the longest to the star next to the moon. “I will find a way to save you and stop the fire.”

  He breathed out, closing his eyes for a moment. “Sleep, Jane. Build our kingdom. I must insist—no vampire princes.”

  “Yes, my king.” She chuckled, her eyes fluttering shut as blood oozed down the sides of her body and her throat. “Perhaps only sexy bad boys, wolves, and fairy tales. You did kill my dearest wolf.”

  “How did I already know you would say that?” He pressed his hand to her neck as the other touched her temple. “Rest now. I will find you, and we will complete our kingdom together.”

  “My wish?”

  “I haven’t forgotten. Sleep, my queen.”

  A pair of cold lips touched hers.

  Then light . . . Just light.

  -The Light Bringer, Gods & Monsters Book 3

  One

  GRIMM EXPECTATION

  White . . .

  Just white.

  Kylie preferred it when Trevor wore baby blue because the color brought out his stunning slate-blue eyes, but today he had chosen a plain white T-shirt. It really didn’t matter what color he wore—Trevor Grimm would look attractive in anything. No matter the hue, no matter if he picked designer or pulled on a ratty gym shirt, she would still be taunted by the lucky piece of fabric touching his skin. She always felt like the designers had a bet on whether she would dare to reach out and touch him that day.

  Sons of bitches.

  “I really appreciate you coming over to help me, Kylie.” Trevor’s deep voice saying her name almost had her choking on her own spit.

  This was the second time he had spoken it. The first was when he walked up to her in the cafeteria with the entire school watching and asked if she would come over today. It was no big deal, really . . . Okay, it was a huge deal. Trevor Grimm, Blackwoods, Oregon’s golden boy and Blackwoods High’s star athlete—all drop-dead-sexy six feet of him—had asked her, Kylie Hood, to come over to his place. It had already flooded social media.

  It might have felt like this was the beginning of a fairy tale—the loner girl who hid under her hood was asked out by the Prince of Blackwoods—if people hadn’t been making fun of her. Definitely not the best debut after hiding her face every day. Still, Trevor asking her to go to his apartment was something she would make sure she never forgot.

  “Kylie?” Trevor had been talking over his strong shoulder as he led her to the kitchen, but now he stood waiting in the entrance, staring at her with an uneasy expression. He pushed his hand through his blond hair, waiting for her to respond.

  “I’m sorry,” she sputtered, her face heating up. “I, uh. Yeah . . .” She shook her head at her sudden lack of intelligence, breathing frantically. “I mean, it’s no trouble.” Lie. “I’m happy to help.”

  His blue eyes twinkled and he smiled, stealing her heart as if he didn’t already own it.

  “Still,” he said, turning to enter the kitchen. He must have already known she’d follow him anywhere. “It’s a huge help to me.”

  Kylie was happy to hear this. He needed—no, wanted—her help. Out of all the girls in school, he’d asked her.

  “So,” she said as he plopped down on one of the chairs, returning to the half-eaten sandwich on his plate. She rubbed the sweat from her forehead, not sure if it was from the twenty-minute walk to his apartment or just nerves. “Um, where are we going to work then?”

  Trevor gestured to the chair beside him. “I have to go get everything.”

  Kylie nodded, hiding herself under her hood as she sat by him. He didn’t pay too much attention to her as he ate. She figured he was starved since he’d just finished practice. He was a growing boy, after all.

  “I’m lucky your mom ran into me,” he added, not looking up.

  Kylie stiffened, unsure why he would bring up her stepmother. “Lorelei?”

  Trevor took a drink of water. “Yeah. She was the one who suggested I get your help.”

  Kylie’s heart squeezed with fear as she wondered what Lorelei had told him. When had he even met her? How? She wa
ited for him to explain, but he stood up instead.

  “I’ll be right back with everything.”

  Not having the guts to ask him more, or to correct him about Lorelei not being her mom, she nodded and turned her attention to the table in front of her. Trevor left the kitchen.

  What is Lorelei up to? Kylie wondered. Her stepmother didn’t want people to see her face, didn’t want them to remember the girl she was before. The girl with golden hair and lovely green eyes she’d inherited from her dead father. No, both her stepmother and her stepsister, Maura, wanted the world to forget Kylie Hood, and they had done a perfect job over the past four years. Now she was the weird girl who wore a red hoodie all the time. Whether it was hot or cold, her wavy, golden hair was always kept covered, never complimented. Even if her hood slipped, the unflattering bun she twisted it up into each day kept any potential admirers away.

  That was okay. The lack of attention was something she embraced now. Hiding meant staying alive.

  For the briefest moment, she thought about life before the hood became her shield. Before she could even get a glimpse of the girl she used to be, she shoved her memories into the dark. It sent a twinge of pain through her head, but she breathed out and shook off the headache. She’d need to remember to keep her medicine with her.

  “I’ll be there,” came a male voice that wasn’t Trevor’s. “Put five on me. Yeah, I have it.”

  Kylie snapped her head up and forgot the growing pain behind her eyes, because what she was seeing could only be a gift from God.

  It was a boy. No, he was a man. A man-boy. He was more mature than the boys she went to school with, but not that much older than her—maybe early twenties. A hot twenty-something, at that. With the perfect body, glistening with a light sheen of sweat, he was glorious. Solid and lean—not an inch of fat. Just pure muscle and sun-kissed skin painted with beautiful tattoos along his arms, chest and—dear God—the attractive V dipping below his low-sitting shorts.

  Breathe, girl.

  She sucked in a breath. Thank goodness he hadn’t noticed her sitting there. He rummaged through the fridge, his phone still pressed to his ear. It looked as though he’d found what he wanted because he stood, shutting the door as he lifted an apple to his lips.

  The man was a god. And he was about to see her sitting there. Staring at him.

  “Nah, I think I already fucked her, didn’t I?” He took a bite of the apple, finally making eye contact with her. He froze, staring at her with the same shocked expression she had stamped across her face.

  Kylie gulped, unsure of how to explain who she was and what she was doing there, eavesdropping, all while admiring the apple juice dripping down his chin.

  “What?” he said, shaking out of his daze but not looking away from her. “No, I’ll pick one later.” He wiped his chin, and with a jerk of his head, his black hair shifted away from his dark-brown eyes. “I said, I’ll pick. Yeah. See ya.”

  Kylie started sweating under his intense stare as he ended the call. At first, he just kept staring at her. His gaze drifted over what he could see of her face and body, which couldn’t have been much, but even with her hood up, she felt as if he could see right into her soul.

  Too afraid to speak, Kylie looked back down at the table, hoping he would just leave her alone. He was too intense for her, and she didn’t need to know him to understand that.

  “What’s your name?” He spoke roughly and to the point.

  She knew he wouldn’t care that she was the freak of their school. It was easy to see he was the kind of person who demanded and received.

  She started to say, “Ky—” but Trevor’s return prevented her from answering him.

  “Hey,” Trevor greeted the man who had yet to stop his inspection of her. “I didn’t think you’d be here today. Don’t you have a fight tonight?”

  Trevor dumped his work on the table, causing her to flinch.

  The man-boy narrowed his eyes on her. “I do,” he told Trevor, still watching her. “Are you going to ignore your friend, or introduce me?”

  Trevor looked over at her and said, “Oh, this is Kylie. Kylie, this is my cousin Logan. I live with him while my dad is overseas.”

  Logan took another bite of his apple as Trevor took a seat. She nodded in acknowledgment and looked away. She wasn’t used to meeting new people anymore, especially sexy guys like Logan.

  “What’s your last name?” Logan asked.

  Kylie couldn’t stop herself from jerking her head up. He had moved closer, standing opposite her now. His eyes never left her face. He no doubt figured she was a freak like everyone else did.

  “Hood,” she said, wringing her hands together on her lap. “Kylie Hood.”

  The small twitch at the corner of his mouth threatened to turn into a smirk, but he took another bite of his apple, finishing it and tossing it into the trash.

  “Well, Kylie Hood,” he said, sounding amused, “it’s a pleasure to meet you.” He stuck out his hand as he cut Trevor a dark look, but he focused on her as he grinned. “Logan Grimm.”

  She stared at his hand and the detailed tattoos running up his forearm all the way to his bicep—horrifying depictions of demons engaged in battle with all sorts of monsters. Witches and scary candy cottages with children smiling happily as they wandered into the trap. A girl with a red hood on his other arm caught her eye. Little Red Riding Hood. Just like the fairy tale, she was traveling through the woods as the twisted limbs of the forest welcomed her to darkness. And the wolves. He had so many wolves mixed throughout the different scenes. Every image was beautifully drawn.

  Grimm popped into her head. Fairy tales. He must have been playing on his name. That didn’t surprise her in this town. After all, Blackwoods, Oregon, was the most famous of the American Fairy Tale towns. Texas, Colorado, and Canada also had towns with rich history concerning the various fairytale discoveries, but Blackwoods was the most famous. It was the place where the first tales were uncovered. She felt stupid for never thinking of Trevor’s last name as having anything to do with fairy tales.

  Kylie couldn’t look away from Logan’s tattoos. They were beautifully menacing, and she had an unshakable urge to run her fingers all over the detailed designs. But her hesitation came from the fact that contact with boys was forbidden—another stupid rule she had followed since her freshman year.

  He chuckled, leaving his hand out. “Are you afraid?”

  “No,” she said, though yes was the real answer.

  “Then shake my hand. I won’t bite.”

  “Right,” she said, sticking her hand out, surprised to see a faint smile on his full lips. “It’s a pleasure meeting you as well.” Their hands made contact and she almost peed herself. It wasn’t that his touch felt strange or magical—only that she was touching such a perfect specimen of a man. A man-boy. A still shirtless man-boy.

  “See?” he said, caressing the back of her hand with his thumb before he let go. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?”

  He moved back, still staring at her like a predator stalking its prey.

  “No.” Kylie swallowed, unable to look away from his stare. “I’m sorry. Just a little distracted, I guess.”

  Trevor cleared his throat, making her jump back. Logan smirked as Trevor glared in his direction.

  “Do you need something?” The bite in Trevor’s tone revealed agitation Kylie hadn’t expected.

  Logan shrugged, walking back to the fridge. “I was just getting a snack. What are you two up to?”

  Kylie bit her lip, casting a small glance at Trevor before returning her gaze to Logan. He had pulled a bottle of water out and was guzzling the entire drink in one go.

  “Kylie is here to help with a project of mine,” Trevor answered.

  Logan narrowed his eyes at Trevor but didn’t say anything else. Kylie felt like she was in the middle of a fight about to break out as they glared at one another. Whatever problems they had going on, she didn’t want to find herself caught in the middle. As
fit as Trevor was, Logan looked like he could kill him with one arm tied behind his back.

  “How much have you done so far?” She kept her gaze away from Logan, even as she felt his stare burning a hole through her forehead.

  Trevor rubbed the back of his neck, cringing as he avoided making eye contact with her. “Well, with football practice and our recent away games, I haven’t started.”

  Kylie’s mouth fell open as she looked down at his syllabus. “But this is due tomorrow, Trevor.”

  Logan snorted, but she didn’t look at him. She ran her finger over the list of bugs he needed for the assignment. Twenty. He needed twenty different bugs, and he had none.

  “Like I said, I haven’t had time.” Trevor gave her a sweet smile that made it seem like he’d found a perfect solution and tapped on the syllabus. “But it says they can be sketched.”

  She nodded. At least they didn’t have to catch bugs.

  “I’ve heard you’re a great artist, so I thought you could get those done for me in no time.”

  She stared at him in shock. He expected her to draw detailed sketches of twenty bugs, and have it all prepared for turn-in tomorrow? She was the solution to his problem because she could draw. That was all she was to him. It wasn’t that he noticed her or that she was anything special; he just needed someone who could draw.

  This was Trevor though. Trevor Grimm—the boy she was in love with. The boy who’d asked her for help. She’d do anything for him. He was counting on her. This was her chance to let him see how great she could be for him. Maybe then she would be special.