Purity

by Claire Farrell

  “I saw the last set of photos she uploaded. I hate her. Actually hate her now,” I joked. “I hate Amelia too.” I pulled her over to us. “Tell him where you’ve been this summer.”

  I left them to find Nathan, but Rachel and Meg got in my way, the teenage girls looking impossibly tall and slender. “I’m so glad you’re home. Well, you know. Your second home,” I said, laughing as Meg had to bend down to plant a kiss on my cheek.

  “It’s great to be back,” Rachel said.

  “She just missed Micah,” Meg stage-whispered, making sure everyone could hear us, including Ryan, who choked on his drink.

  “Dad’s are the worst,” I said even louder.

  Ryan winked at me in reply. He had somehow managed to become an important part of all of our lives, and he had made a special effort to make up for everything he had done in his past. He was always there when we needed someone. The werewolf who had stalked me was long gone. The father in his stead had a special place in my heart.

  Later that evening, I finally got a chance to snuggle with Nathan on a swinging seat in the garden, his gift to me on my last birthday. An aging Cú rested at our feet as we watched our friends and families laughing and joking together, completely comfortable around each other. There was no danger in the air, nobody looking over their shoulders.

  “Your dad looks so happy,” Nathan whispered, kissing my hair.

  “He is. So am I.”

  And I was. Happy and safe.

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