“This won’t be our last meeting. We’ll check in with each other from time to time and see how your progress is going.”
“My progress?”
“If anyone has had any complaints or worries in regards to your behavior.”
Oh, God, me getting out of here was reliant on me getting people to like me. That revelation was like a looming storm cloud slowly forming above my head. There’s a reason I was never the popular girl in high school; my social skills flat out sucked.
How the hell was I going to get a bunch of people, who see me as a threat, to not only like me but trust me as well?
I was doomed.
“I’ve assigned my granddaughter with the duty of showing you around while I’m gone. She’ll introduce you to anyone you like and help you get settled in.”
“Your granddaughter?”
“Yes, Brinly Clementine.”
Ah, I was under the impression she was his daughter. This made more sense, considering he looked much older.
“She’s already waiting outside for you. I told Max to get her as soon as he dropped you off.”
“Why isn’t Max showing me around?” I asked. I had figured he would have been appointed to do this considering he was the reason I was staying here.
“Because Max and I have other plans for the afternoon,” Aga informed me. “He’ll be back in a few hours.”
I felt my heart skip a beat. Without Max, or hell, even Aga, it meant I was virtually on my own, facing a dozen unfamiliar faces who had no reason to trust me or even condone me.
With a horrible sense of dread pumping through my veins, I left my seat, dragging my feet across Aga’s horribly tacky shag rug and gliding toward the door at a snail’s pace.
When I opened my door, there she was, leaned up against the hallway wall looking over the pink pedicure on her nails, like she had grown restless waiting for me. Knowing she was the granddaughter of the single most important man in the city made my hands shake and my throat grow dry.
Was she a werewolf like the others staying here or was this merely her home?
Our eyes met and my heart sunk.
I felt like I was going to hurl.
CHAPTER TWELVE
“Hi,” I greeted her uncomfortably, tucking my hair behind my ear and wondering if I was allowed to stare her directly in the eye or not. She was practically royalty, after all, and weren’t there customs for how you greet a royal heiress?
“Hey,” she responded back very casually.
We stood there silently for a few seconds, neither of us knowing the right thing to say or do. I felt like we were two awkward virgins on our wedding night waiting for the other to make a move.
I heard the study door click shut behind me and turned to see Aga leaving the room. He came right up to us and put both his hands onto Brinly’s shoulders, looking deeply into her eyes. “I rely on you to watch over things while I’m gone. Not a person is to touch Miss Cora or her cousin, do you understand?”
“Of course,” she responded firmly.
Aga shot me a quick glance then nodded his head and walked away.
It was back to just Brinly and me not saying a word.
“I’m Cora,” I said and did one of my awkward waves that was completely unnecessary, considering she was just a couple feet in front of me.
“I know,” she responded.
This was starting off well.
“So,” I said, attempting to start conversation, but I choked on the words and had to clear my throat. “I guess it’s just you and me.”
Her pink colored eyelids lowered as she very quickly looked me up and down. She looked like some kind of goddess with her skin tight black pants, heels and spaghetti strap pink shirt, while I looked like a scrub in sweats who didn’t know how to brush her hair.
“I’ll show you around,” she said in a tone that didn’t sound annoyed nor happy, just very neutral.
I followed her back through the entrance hall to a chorus of whispers and quiet glares, but thankfully, fewer as only a couple people milled about the room. Brinly took me down a hallway directly on the other end of the room that I had yet to go to. I think this was the place Max had come running from when Aga summoned him. The hallway sunk two steps down and I nearly tripped because it took me by surprise. It was narrow and short and oddly, the carpeting was a golf course green, and I even felt like we were on a golf course because the further I walked, the more I felt I was tumbling down a hill. I don’t know if this hallway was built to be slanted or if the architect was just drunk.
“This is where the boys hang out,” Brinly said. “The movie theater is in the room to the left and the gaming room is on the right.”
The gaming room’s door was wide open, so I took a peek. There was this massive, flat-screen TV bolted to the wall with an entertainment center beneath it and multiple gaming systems hooked up. A couch to the right, to the left, and the biggest one right in the center for perfect viewing of the TV. It was the kind of couch you could get sucked right into, which was perfect for any gamer going on a bender.
I made sure not to have too many lingering stares because there was a whole group of guys in there hooting and hollering like they were in the middle of an intense gaming session and I didn’t want them seeing me.
“Put up your shields, idiot!” one of the men yelled.
“They wouldn’t be going down so much if I had a cyclonic modulator!” a brown haired guy with glasses shouted in retaliation.
Brinly looked at me vacantly. “It’s nerd speak, it’s best just to ignore it.”
“Yeah,” I said with an uncomfortable laugh. Little did Brinly know I spoke this language fluently. And the brown haired guy on the couch was right; his shields would be stronger with a cyclonic modulator.
“I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to show you, so I figured the least interesting area would be a good start.”
“It gets better than this?” I asked.
Her eyebrow cocked. “Don’t tell me you’re one of them,” she said, dare I say, playfully.
“I spent two of my high school years dressed as a chicken mascot dancing on a football field. So yeah, I would say I was one of them.”
Brinly let out this sultry, but adorable laugh and then immediately shielded her mouth with her one hand, embarrassed that she had let out such a ruckus laugh. That struck me as odd, but I was relieved I could joke around with her. It meant there was hope for my stay here.
“So, there’s a theater here?” I asked. “Is it an actual theater or just a movie room?”
“We have seats and a projector, but it’s not a very big room. Not many people use it, anyway.”
“For real? I’ve always wanted my own home theater.”
“The boys are usually playing games or going to the pub and the girls are apparently too good for movies.”
That sounded like she was throwing some major shade, and I figured it was best to let it slide without questioning. I was trying to get on her good side, not stick my nose where it didn’t belong.
“So, you’re saying you have a perfectly good movie theater that no one uses?” I asked.
“Basically.”
“That seems like a waste. Why don’t you guys ever have movie night?”
“We just…don’t,” she replied, like she gave up trying to come up with a good reason midway through the sentence. She then went walking down the hallway and back to the entrance hall. It was obvious she was done with that topic.
I followed her, unsure of where we were going or if it was okay for me to speak to her. All I could do was focus on her stiletto pink heels that click, click, clicked across the floor.
Damn, her heels were tall. How does one walk in those?
Suddenly, Brinly’s pace slowed down and I realized it was because someone was coming toward us. Pale skin, dark circles under the eyes, and obnoxiously bright blond hair swept to the side.
It was Paul.
My heart jumped into my throat, praying,
hoping that he wouldn’t speak to me or make me speak to him. I was internally hoping I was small enough to get lost behind Brinly.
Even if my life was spared, it didn’t erase how he had treated me. How he tugged at my hair, threw me to the floor, practically drowned me in the rain and scared the living daylights out of me by creeping into my bedroom. I could have had him arrested for what he did to me, and seeing him now, smugly strutting toward Brinly with that sinister look to his face made me anxious for the day I’d be out of here, so I could press charges.
That’s right, the day I would be out of here. I was going to make it.
He approached Brinly as though he were about to discuss something, but that was all instantly thrown away the second he saw me a few feet behind her.
“What are you doing with her?” he asked. The way he emphasized her was sickening, like he saw me as an insect.
“Papa wants me to show her around,” Brinly responded.
“Really,” he said vacantly, his eyes flashing to me and then back at Brinly. “We go from possibly terminating her to showing her the layout of the compound?”
She shushed him and said, “We’re not talking about terminating anyone.”
“Maybe you’re not.”
“Stop talking like a crazy person. Now, what did you want?”
“I’m going to be out for a few hours with Aga.”
“It’s your shift?”
“Always.”
Oh, thank God, he was going to be gone. That meant I could have the littlest bit of relief knowing he wasn’t slinking around the corner ready to knife me.
“All right,” Brinly said as she rested a hand on Paul’s shoulder. I was surprised at the intimate gesture. So, you can imagine I was pretty floored when she leaned in and kissed him right on the lips—not the peck you give your grandma, but the kind where tongue slippage was likely.
What the hell?
When their kiss ended, Paul smirked and his pale cheeks pushed into his eyes, so they were even more shadowy and sickly looking. He then left, making sure to bump right into me as he walked by, hitting me so hard my body spun like I was a figure skater on ice.
Seeing that I was in clear distress, Brinly explained, “He’s just breaking you in.”
I rubbed my fingers into my arm, massaging the sore spot his body had collided into. “Yeah, well, if he continues I might end up with more than my spirit broken.”
“You all right?”
“I’ll live.” I rubbed my arm for a moment longer and then stopped. “Are you two, like, an item or something?”
“Why, is that surprising?”
“I was just asking,” I responded nervously.
Truth was, I didn’t know enough about Brinly to say whether they were a good match or not, I just didn’t understand how a woman with as much going for them as her would date someone like Paul. In fairness, I didn’t know much about him, either, only that he had an itch to terminate me and, you know, I think that’s enough reason to hate the guy.
I guess if I dug deep enough I could find nice traits. He was attractive-ish you might say, like if some made for TV movie had a casting call for a jock meth head who passed out roofies at parties, or if a movie needed a drugged out Brad Pitt or a guy who hadn’t slept in three weeks.
Maybe I’m being harsh, but the guy looked like a creeper, and the son of a bitch kidnapped me from my motel room. I’m going to ride this grudge like it’s a damn rollercoaster.
“He only took you because he was looking out for everybody here,” Brinly told me, like she was reading my thoughts at that very moment. Wait, could werewolves read thoughts? No, Max or Dana would have said something. But again, was she even a werewolf? I find it hard to believe she had a werewolf for a grandfather and still managed to get bitten, unless it was a freak accident and he did it to her. Shit, what if it was some weird family ritual of theirs and they all had to volunteer to be bitten?
“Protecting us is a heavy burden on my grandfather and Paul does his best to make it easier for him.”
As kindly as I could, I said, “He could have done it with a little more finesse.”
“Paul’s style is get it done, not get it right.”
“I’ll remember that next time.”
“Just don’t get on his bad side and you’ll be gold.”
I tilted my head at her and stared. “You’re actually helping me.”
“I figure you have enough people trying to kill you. I can go easy on you.”
“That was almost sweet. Thanks.”
“It’s no problem,” she said, dishing back the sarcasm with a smirk. I liked it.
“Where is the kitchen?” I asked.
“Why, you hungry?”
“I haven’t eaten since yesterday evening and it was just a couple of fried green beans.”
“Those are so damn good.”
“Right?”
At least someone appreciated fine cooking.
Since we were having a moment of comradery I decided to be bold. “Can I ask you a question?” I inquired.
Her face was suspicious, but she accepted and said, “Sure, I guess,” with a chuckle. My tone must have given her the impression she was going to be uncomfortable by what I had to ask. It was likely.
“Are you… are you like everybody else?”
One eyebrow danced on her forehead. “What, white? No, I’m not.”
I smiled, aware she was teasing me. I walked right into that one, after all.
Before I could repeat myself, she chuckled and said, “You mean a werewolf?”
I nodded.
“Everyone here is.”
“Oh.”
“You sound almost surprised.”
“No, no, I just…” I was doing a terrible job of convincing her.
“You just what?”
How do I eloquently say I can’t wrap my mind around how so many people managed to get themselves into this situation?
I swallowed hard, fully aware I was still in unknown territory over what could piss this girl off and needed to tread lightly. “I just find it surprising that this many people have been bitten. I mean, there can’t be that many werewolves in the state of Michigan. If there were this many attacks, you’d be hearing about it on the news.”
“Not everyone here is from Michigan. There are people who have traveled here from all over the country. Didn’t my grandpa tell you?”
“No. He seemed like he was in a rush when we were talking.”
“That’s Papa for you, always planning his next move. How else do you think he created an empire like this? Sometimes, I have to remind him of his age and that he needs to step back and actually enjoy his retirement and know that his legacy is in good hands.”
“The good hands being yours?”
“All the responsibility won’t be solely on my shoulders.”
I wondered if she was referring to Paul and if their relationship was serious enough to be headed toward marriage. If she was Aga’s heir, then obviously, her husband would gain power as well. What a scary thought.
I internally told myself to shut up. Brinly seemed decent and if she was capable of loving him, he couldn’t be all bad. Maybe his methods were just a bit excessive and he was a good man underneath.
She showed me around a few more rooms—nothing special, just dens, libraries, and empty guest rooms that had never been used. Most of what there was to show me was living quarters, so the tour of the house was a short one. But she took her time, running through each room for me to see and making small talk along the way.
“Are you from Michigan, originally?” she asked me as we walked down the hallway. “I thought I heard something about you staying in a motel.”
“Oh, yeah, yeah. I traveled to help my grandma move out of her place. She won the lottery.”
“No way. What’d she give you?”
“A good pat on the back and an encouraging word.”
“Hold up, your grandma won the lottery and she hasn’t g
iven you anything?”
My face flushed, and I felt like a deer caught in headlights. “She will. It’s still early.”
Brinly had a grandparent willing to hand over an empire to her and mine was too busy trying to remember who I was.
“But to answer your question, I am from Michigan. I just move around a bit because of my job. I have to move where there’s opportunities as well as apartment buildings that will allow cats. What about you, you from here?”
“Sort of,” she replied with a shrug. “I was born here, but then my family moved out to Florida, and then, when I started getting close to puberty, we moved back here.”
“Florida to Michigan? That must have been… daunting to say the least.”
“The weather was. What the hell is up with Michigan weather, anyway? I moved here in shorts and two days later I needed to pull out my winter coat.”
“There is that old saying. If you don’t like the weather, stick around a few minutes and it’ll change.”
She chuckled.
We had reached the end of the tour and we both stopped to catch our breath. Brinly folded her arms across her chest and leaned against the wall, still giving me attention like she didn’t want our conversation to end.
“Do you mind if I ask you how you were bitten?” I probed. “I don’t know if it’s a touchy subject or not, but it’s kind of fascinating to me to hear how everybody became what they are.”
“I never was bitten.”
My eyes darted back and forth across her face, waiting for the next bit of information to come pouring out of her mouth. It didn’t.
I stammered. “But you said—”
“That I’m a werewolf? I am.”
I raised both my hands in the air in defeat and nervously laughed, trying to buy time while I searched my brain for answers. After a couple seconds, I just gave up. “Okay, I’m a little confused here,” I admitted. “How are you a werewolf if you’ve never been bitten?”
“Because I was born as one.” My eyes were the size of melons and she chuckled. “Papa really didn’t tell you anything, did he?”
“How is that possible? That’s a thing? You can just be born a werewolf?” I had a million questions.
“How else do you think we’re still around? You think drunks have been wandering through the woods getting bitten for centuries? We would have tapered off a long time ago.”
Lunar City Page 13