“Tell me about your mom,” Robb says. “Will you ever want me to meet her?”
I grin even though the subject isn’t a happy one. I’m just glad he doesn’t want to talk about what just happened because I certainly don’t.
“I don’t think she’ll want to meet you,” I say honestly.
“Why not try to use me as leverage to get her to see you? ‘Mom, I met this dashing werewolf. I think he might be the best werewolf in the world. You just have to meet him!’ Think that’ll get her to crawl out of hiding!”
“Hush!” I say, leaning forward to hiss the whisper, but then I can’t help giggling. No one’s around, so no one could’ve heard him, but still. And the falsetto he used to impersonate me is impressive.
“Is that a yes?” he asks, tilting his head to the side, giving me a perfectly adorable crooked smile.
“It’s a no. That won’t work.”
“No? What about Dad?” he asks casually.
“Young man, you better have the best of intentions with my little girl. I know every trick in the book. Hell, I wrote the book.”
Robb blinks a few times. “Is that how your dad really sounds? How did you do that?”
“Is that how your dad really sounds?” I ask, switching from the super deep booming voice of my dad to the slightly less deep voice of Robb’s.
His jaw drops. “That’s insane.”
“Not insane. It’s just something I’ve always been able to do.”
“Really? It’s not like a demon thing, is it?”
I can see his mind churning. He's trying to figure out what exactly demons can and can't do. Honestly, I don't even know the extent myself. Then again, I'm only a half-breed, so it's possible I might not be able to do everything that demons can do. Maybe I can turn into only a handful of animals, whereas demons can turn into anything they want.
Or maybe anyone they want. Hmm. Is it possible to take on the appearance of a human? Of a werewolf?
If that’s the case, my impersonations will come in handy.
“No, it’s not a demon thing,” I say. “After all, there are humans who make a living doing impressions.”
Robb gives the barest hint of a smile. “That’s true. I hadn’t thought about that. You could probably make a killing.”
I’m not even sure why, but his word choice makes me flinch.
“So even though your dad is a demon, he’ll still be overly protective of you?” he asks.
“Why wouldn’t he be? I’m his little girl.”
He considers this and then nods a few times.
“Does the idea of meeting my dad terrify you?” I ask.
“Should it?”
That’s a good question. There hasn’t been a guy I’ve even considered taking home to meet Dad before.
Wait. Am I even entertaining this?
“Are you asking about my parents because you want to meet them?” I ask.
“Is there a reason why you wouldn’t want me to meet them?” he counters.
I swallow hard. “I think my dad would act like the normal dad, the whole shotgun bit. Maybe a bit of Hellfire. Pretend we have a hellhound for a pet. We don’t,” I add hastily because Robb looks a little pale.
“I wouldn’t have taken you for a dog person.”
“No? You think I’m a cat person?” I ask.
“No. I think you’re just about you and nothing else. Nothing wrong with that.”
“I wouldn’t think many werewolves would have pets,” I mumble.
“No.” He laughs a bit, but it sounds a little forced. It’s clear he’s out of sorts still from the fight, and who can blame him?
“I’m honestly not sure if Dad will care. Or maybe he’ll care too much and just off you. Who knows? I can’t be sure.”
“Maybe it would be better if I don’t meet him then, huh?”
“Might be for the best,” I agree.
He rolls his neck and winces as he rubs the back of his neck.
“Are you hurt at all?” I ask even though I should’ve asked him long before now.
“I’ll live,” he says dryly.
“Well, that’s good.”
He stares at me, through me, his gaze piercing and haunted. I can’t look away. There’s a pain in his depths that will drown me. Is that how he feels every moment of the day? How has he not succumbed to the waves of depression that threatens to engulf him?
My breath catches in my throat, and any words that I might offer him seem to only diminish what he's going through. It's incredible to me that he's able to attend this academy, considering there aren't any other Alines here to help him through all of this. He needs his pack more than ever before.
Robb Aline just might be the strongest werewolf I know.
“What’s it like to have a demon for a dad?” he asks.
“I have nothing to compare it to, of course,” I say with an awkward laugh.
Now’s not the time for jokes, Bellanore!
I shrug one shoulder. “It’s not all bad. He has his secrets, and he won’t tell me about his business. He won’t share what he does for hobbies. Outside of his teaching me, we don’t spend a lot of time together.”
“What about before you attended Moonstone Academy?” Robb asks.
I just shake my head, my hair falling forward with the movement. “Even then, he didn’t make a lot of time for me. I mostly had to fend for myself.”
“Basically, you have two parents, but neither one of them truly care for you.”
I gape at him. “It’s not as bad as all that,” I protest.
“You sure about that?”
My first instinct is to defend them, but why is that? Robb has a point. It’s not as if my parents have truly been there for me whenever I need them. I’m about as self-sufficient as a werewolf can be, and that’s probably because of my demonic side.
“I’m not about to complain to you about my parents, considering…” I trail off and squeeze my eyes shut. I’m so stupid! How could I have said that to an orphan?
But Robb’s just giving me a look of pity.
I hate pity.
A sour taste fills my mouth, and I swallow hard. A lump forms in my stomach, and I try to hide my anger. Robb doesn’t deserve my wrath. If anyone does, my dad does. My mom too. They’re the ones to have wronged me.
“When I was little, maybe four or so, I asked my mom if I would ever have a brother or sister,” I say in a rush in a vain attempt to suppress my anger.
“What did she say?”
“Mom asked me if I thought she was a good mom. This was before she basically abandoned me. I said yes. She then asked if Dad was a good dad.”
“You said yes again, didn’t you?”
“I did. Mom… She seemed shocked, which surprised me, but I told her that Dad would play games with me. That’s how we tried to teach me different demonic abilities, by making them fun games. Mom hadn’t realized until then what Dad was doing.”
“Is that when she started to pull away?”
“Now that I think back on it…” This is a truth I haven’t truly admitted to myself, but there’s no reason to lie to Robb or to myself. “Yes,” I murmur. “It wasn’t obvious at first. Then, when I was about thirteen, Dad and I got into a huge fight. I can’t even remember why. Maybe I wasn’t learning something as quickly as he thought I should’ve. Maybe he wanted to teach me something I didn’t want to learn. Whatever the reason, I remember that I shouted at him, informing him that I was glad I was an only child so he wouldn’t screw up two kids’ lives, just mine.”
“How did your dad react?”
I smile wanly. “He just laughed and said that the other demons call him soft for basically raising me, for not allowing me to just fend for myself. He…”
“He trusted you to survive.”
“No. He thought I wasn’t strong enough to live without him. I think he legit thought I would die if he left me to my own devices.” I start to laugh, but a sudden realization makes the sound cut off all stra
ngled.
What if Dad had been afraid that if he left me to my own devices, other demons would come around and off me? Or one of his other business associates or enemies? Because I’m sure that some of his associates become angry with him at times. Dad can be very charming when he wants to be, but he can also get under people’s skin and hurt them like no one else can.
Robb reaches over and places a hand on my shoulder. He gently squeezes, and I stare up at him.
“Dad thinks I can’t survive without him, but he has been giving me more and more freedom lately. I haven’t had a lesson with him in a bit, and I… I have no idea what he’s up to, and I don’t know if I can trust him.”
“Do you think he’ll hurt you?”
I hesitate. Would he?
If he learned that I lied about Draz…
I swallow hard.
Robb squeezes my shoulder again. “I won’t let him,” he growls.
“As if Dad would let you stop him,” I say dryly. “He’ll kill you first.”
A muscle jumps in his throat. I can actually see his vein pulse from his blood pumping. His heart rate is sped up. He's gearing for a fight.
I just shake my head and laugh a little. “I don’t think I’m in any danger right now, or am I?” I gaze up at him.
Robb stares down at me. The hardness in his eyes makes the sky-blue orbs glow more than normal. Slowly, his gaze drops to my mouth.
“Yes, you’re in danger,” he murmurs.
I close my eyes and wait for his kiss.
Instead, I feel his teeth against the delicate skin of my neck.
Chapter 25
Robb
I nip at her throat, biting gently. Slowly, I press harder and harder, waiting for her to react.
She doesn’t.
My teeth press even harder until I risk cutting her. Only then do I draw back.
Her eyes are wide, but she doesn’t look upset. Well, not angry at least.
“Some kiss,” she says, her lips twisting into a scowl.
I can’t help giving her a crooked smile. “You don’t like a bit of danger?”
“No. What are you pretending to be? A vampire?”
“No. I just…” I throw up my hands. “I don’t know. All of this talk about demons and whether or not your life is in danger…”
“So you bite my neck to do what exactly? To prove that the world is dangerous?”
“Or maybe that you are in danger even with me. Maybe you shouldn’t be so close to me.”
“You want to push me away?” she asks, crossing her arms.
“Yes.”
“You’re a danger to me?”
“Yes.”
“You’ll hurt me?”
I hesitate.
Her eyes narrow, and I know she can tell if I’m lying.
So I don’t answer.
Her eyes are even smaller slits now. “What do you mean you’ll hurt me? How? Why? When?”
I expel a breath. For whatever reason, I feel compelled to answer with the truth, and not just because she can tell if I’m lying or not.
“Because if we continue this, if we grow even closer, it will hurt you when I die.”
Her lips part, and her eyes lighten. A slow smile spreads across her face.
“So the bite was to warn me that you’re dangerous,” she says, slowly walking around me in a circle, her fingers barely touching me as she goes. “You want to prove you’re a big, tough wolf, huh?”
She stops when she comes in front of me again, and her fingers barely touch my scar. I close my eyes, relishing in her feathery-soft touch. No one else has touched me along my scar before.
Her lips press against mine, and I wrap my arms around her waist, yanking her closer to me. I need her, need her… Need her what exactly? Her faith? Her hope?
Her vigor, her life, her beating heart.
She breaks off the kiss and giggles softly, but this is no laughing matter, and my hold on her tightens so she can’t back away and retreat.
“I already know you’re big and tough. We just came from you and Roald fighting, remember?” she asks.
I grit my teeth and bite down on my tongue so hard it bleeds. Coppery bitterness fills my mouth, and I turn my head to the side and spit. The bloody saliva streaks in a nice arc to hit the grass.
“That’s disgusting,” Bellanore murmurs.
I can’t help laughing. “I’m disgusting. Repulsive. I don’t know what it says about you that you want to be with someone like me.”
“Hmm. Maybe it’s because you aren’t as dark and mysterious as you think. I’m sorry about your past, Robb. It was dark and tragic, but it doesn’t have to be the end. You can have a wonderful future—”
“Your optimism is delightful, but I don’t share it.”
“Why not?” She yanks back enough that I allow her to have some space between us. Bellanore grabs my hands and forces me to dance with her. Not that we’re really dancing. I’m just following her in a circle. “We are young. We can do whatever we want. My dad doesn’t get to dictate what we do. So I won’t take you to meet him. It’s no big deal. My mom doesn’t even want to see me. You think she’ll want to meet my boyfriend?”
I can’t help it. As much as I want to wallow in despair, she always knows what to say to bring me back to the light, and I find myself teasing her. “Oh, yeah? You would think she’ll be happy that you’re dating a werewolf.”
Bellanore gasps, eyes wide, and she clings to me in a tight hug before reclaiming my hands to force me to spin in a circle again. “We can pretend you’re a demon! Maybe that’ll draw her out!”
“And if she tells your dad, your dad will kill me before he realizes I’m actually a werewolf,” I deadpan.
“True, but to see the look on Mom’s face…” She trails off, and I just know it’s because she just wants to see her mom’s face.
It's not fair. Life took my parents away through horrific death, but life has already taken Bellanore's parents too even though they still live.
“Earlier this year, I actually… Ellamaria claimed my dad was my favorite parent,” she murmurs, no longer dancing but still holding my hands.
“What changed that?”
She bites her lower lip. “He—”
Her phone rings. Mine vibrates.
With a growl of frustration, I grab my phone to see an alert.
“We have to go back to campus,” she says.
“Yeah. Lockdown.”
“Because of the fight,” she adds.
“Most likely.”
She cants her head to the side. “Or maybe because of the statue.”
“What statue?” I ask even though I already know.
“A werewolf vandalized Blood Haven Academy property.” Bellanore shakes her head. “This isn’t good. There shouldn’t be bad blood between the two schools.”
“Why not?”
"I mean, yeah, there's been threats of attacks before, but I don't think anyone ever did something like that before. Anyone who would've was always caught and ran off before something bad could happen." She shrugs. "I don't like the idea of the animosity."
“And here I worried you would thrive on it.”
“Because I’m part-demon.” She stiffens beside me as we start to walk. I assumed she would teleport us back, but I’m fine with us talking longer. Clearly, she is too, even if she doesn’t care for what I’m talking about.
“Well, you did sweep in between two snarling, vicious werewolves. You stood between us as a human. I’ll never forget that.”
She glances at me, and a slow smile spreads across her face. She’s beautiful, with her glowing eyes and her black and white hair, but that’s not what draws me to her. She has an inner strength that comes from acceptance.
She’s accepted both parts of her.
I need to accept what’s happened to me. Maybe then I’ll experience the peace she has before I die.
A rock underfoot makes me trip, and Bellanore reaches out to steady me. I lean on her
more than I should because a wave of weakness runs through me.
My time is running out.
“I do draw on it some,” she finally says as we resume walking. “It’s demonic, but yes, anger, hatred, all of that does lend me power, but I also can from others, from my pack, even from friends. Well, from Ellamaria mostly, and she is in my pack, so maybe not—”
“You can draw from me if you need to,” I offer even though I don’t have anything to give her.
Her smile, though, makes the words feel true, and maybe it’s not a lie. She would sense that, so maybe I can give her something.
But, what?
Nothing but heartache and pain.
Another text alert from the school has Bellanore sighing. “Ready?” she asks.
Before I can respond, she teleports us back.
“I don’t know if classes are happening,” she says, gazing at the huge crowd of werewolves heading toward the central courtyard of the campus. “Want to see what’s going on?”
I shake my head. “You can. I think I’m gonna skip my last classes.”
“Maybe not. They might not be held.”
She really does see everything through rose-colored glasses. An optimistic half-demon.
No, that’s her werewolf side.
I wonder which side lends Bellanore her strength? It's not just brute strength, although she is strong physically. She has a quieter, inner strength, too, a power of conviction that I envy.
She's strong, far stronger than I am, and I'm not just talking physically. That fight with Roald… it only just started. If it had lasted much longer, Roald would've learned the truth. He would've discovered my secret, and everyone would've realized that I'm weak. I'm far too weak. I'm almost a runt now.
Werewolves despise runts.
Runts are to be killed to prevent them from passing on their inferior genes to the next line of werewolves.
Every day, I’m weaker. Eventually, I won’t be able to walk. What then? I shouldn’t be wasting my time here.
I shouldn’t be worried about classes or anything like that.
A realization comes to me, something I have been trying to ignore, to forget.
Moonstone Academy: Year One: A Mayhem of Magic World Story Page 16