by Tara Brown
A knock at the door pulled my eyes from his bright-blue stare. Their mother opened it, glaring at him. “What do you think you’re doing? He’s home and if he sees you like this . . .”
The door kicked open past her. Briton shoved his way into the room, cocking an eyebrow at Ragnar. “I said keep an eye on her, not climb all over her.” His tone was frightening.
He reached over and grabbed Ragnar, who was laughing too hard to fight back. Briton shoved him out into the hallway. I heard drywall crack. Their mom turned and shouted. “TAKE IT OUTSIDE!”
The crashing sound of a violent fall down the stairs filled the house.
She looked back into the room. “I will bring you some clothes.” She smiled at me like she was the sweetest lady on earth, minus the hate for wolves and the fangs.
She brought me a stack of clothing and closed the door again. I could hear the fighting in the yard, Briton shouting, and Ragnar still laughing.
I scrambled, pulling on her clothes and rushing to the window. I didn't see them. I needed to get the hell out of there. They were all freaking the shit out of me. Me, a lone wolf, with five vampires was too much. At least the other two brothers weren’t there.
I climbed out the window and crept along the high-up roof. I jumped into a huge old willow tree and dropped down. My strength was bananas. My body just did exactly what I needed it to.
“What do we have here?”
I looked up to see two more guys, similar in looks to Ragnar and Briton. I hadn’t met them before so I assumed they were the other brothers. They did look like the guys in the pictures.
“A wolf on our land? How odd.” One of them stepped towards me.
I felt the warmth of his embrace slide across my chest as he came up from behind. “This would be my wolf.”
The guys started to laugh. They laughed exactly the same. Briton held a hand out, still standing behind me. “Simon and Leif, my other two brothers. This is my Liv. Mother and Father would like to see you inside.”
I turned and faced him as they walked past us. He gave me an annoyed look. “What are you doing?”
I shuddered, there were too many of them around me. My insides were in knots. “I can’t be around them. My body is fighting the change constantly.”
“So you snuck out of the house in stolen clothing?”
I looked down at the old-fashioned dress. “I didn’t steal this. Your mom gave it to me.”
“You still snuck out of the house.”
“Dude, I can’t stay here. They’re crazy. Your brother saw me naked, I’m pretty sure. This is weird for me. I never had siblings growing up.”
His jaw was clenched but he spoke through it, “You have no idea how lucky you are.” He turned and stalked back into the house, leaving me standing in the yard.
I heard another scuffle and Ragnar came sailing through a window, shattering glass across the yard in front of me. He didn't laugh. He winced. “It was only a little bit of breast.” He glanced up at me and winked.
I backed up.
Briton came around the front of the yard. “You looked at her while she was sleeping?”
Ragnar got up, shaking his head. “She is a thrasher when she sleeps. The blankets came down on their own.”
The other boys stood in the window, watching and laughing. I groaned and turned and stalked off around the house. I was barefoot and in the oldest dress I had ever seen. No bra, no underwear, no shoes, and no self-respect. It was turning out to be a shitty day. My mom being forced to donate venom was at the top of the things I needed to fix, but underwear was starting to take precedence. I sprinted to Liz’s house and banged on the door. She opened it and pulled me inside, slamming it shut. Josh gave me a look. “You okay?”
I shook my head. “No. Not even close. Can I borrow some underwear? Did your mom come up with a plan? Briton’s whole family is here, so they’re ready to rock and roll.”
Josh scowled. “I have a bad feeling everyone is in on it. Everyone. Including Judith. The only way they have been able to stay safe, is to barter away their own friends and family—the ones no one likes or the ones who move away from the safety of town—to the hunters. It’s some bullshit.”
I sat at the table, really hating the feel of the old dress lodged in my ass and sighed. “So, essentially, they've given all the power to the hunters for a few good hundred years, assuming they would be left alone and now the hunters are like ‘hell no’ and are coming for them?”
“The deal was no breeding. They have never obeyed that. They used the witches’ spells to mask the town in hopes of hiding it.”
“My dad. I bet my dad is the one who has been telling them what’s going on. He married Judith in hopes of getting info for them.” My insides were rotted about that. He was my dad. I loved him, even though he had done the worst things possible. I hated him as much as I loved him.
Liz nodded. “I thought that too. I still think Judith is a pawn. I think she loves you and your dad.”
“I agree.”
Josh winced. “I don't know. She is so close to everyone else. She’s the doctor for the wolves. She knows a lot of shit.”
“Well, we won’t know anything until we know the truth. We need to find your mom and Briton’s brother to find out what’s going on around here,” Liz said.
Ellie came into the room. “I couldn't figure out how my mother died. She is so powerful. Then I realized. She knew what was going on and used her magic to call Briton home. She sacrificed herself to force events to occur. It never made sense that Jamie showed Briton the cave. She forced Jamie to do it from the grave. It never made sense Briton came home. But then he said he had a feeling to come home. I think my mother knew who you were, she knew who Briton was, and she died setting this all in motion. Casting a spell so large it took all the life force she had left. Everything has just worked out too well, in a horrid way for it to not be set in motion by magic.”
I felt bad for us all. We had been used as pawns in a game that had started so long ago, no one remembered the how or why it had even began, apart from the people in the room and Briton.
Briton had come into my life to end a curse, but did that mean it would be the end of us? We would end the curse by ending each other?
I didn't know the answer to that.
When we met, I knew there was no turning back. There was no running from it. I had even had dreams about how it would end. I was wrong.
None of the things that I had thought would come to fruition ever would. We wouldn't go to college together or just be a normal couple, as normal as we could be. We would either die saving each other or run and carry the curse for the rest of our lives, always fighting the underlying urge to bite.
It was called mad suckage!
I didn't know which way was worse, but I really didn't want to die. I would rather run, but I had to free my mother first.
A knock at the door interrupted our silence.
Ellie opened it, looking rather grim. She knew who was on the other side of it. There stood Briton and his four brothers. His eyes landed on me first.
Ellie opened the door wider. “You are responsible for their actions in my home, Briton.”
He nodded and stalked in. He came to my side, pulling me into his arms and kissing the top of my head. When they were all in the house, Josh looked like he might shift any second, regardless of never having done it. I felt like I might, but there was no room to breathe, let alone shift.
They were huge. I had never seen such large men all standing together.
I noticed their faces drawn to Liz, all four brothers. She sat in her chair staring at me, not noticing their eyes on her. Briton held a hand out, “My brothers, Leif, Ragnar, Simon, and Finn. This is Josh Michaels and Liz Whitburn. Her mother Ellie is the Wolfville witch right now.”
They all gave each other an odd look. We were trapped inside of the tiny kitchen, all uncomfortable and full of things to say but not sure where to start.
Josh grinned. “
So, where do we start?”
Ellie gave me a look. “I think you should go home. I think you should see what happens when you talk to Judith. We need allies in this thing, and I don’t feel like all the wolves in town are privy to the war being waged. I suspect it would be more out in the open if they were. Jamie keeps it quiet.”
The brothers, including Briton, all spoke at once.
“Well, let’s not risk her out just yet.”
“You trying to bring a rage out in my brother?”
“That's a no, a firm no. I think we all have to admit you are bad at planning.”
I put my hands up. “Hey! She’s right. I need to find out what’s going on. My dad hasn't hurt me yet, I don't think he will. Whatever choices he has made, he has never hurt me so far. So long as he doesn't know I know about my mom, I should be okay.”
Briton opened his mouth, but I walked out of his embrace, “Stop stressing. I’m not a regular girl anymore. I’m not breakable like before.” I stood amongst him and his brothers and Josh, and couldn’t help but feel breakable. It was like being in the middle of a forest filled with huge trees. “You guys make me feel like I’m a woodland creature—for reals.” I walked to the door and looked back. “I’ll be back as soon as I’m dressed.”
Briton shook his head. “Don’t do this.”
I pointed at his mom’s ridiculous dress. “Dude, my dad is going to know some kind of shit is off if he sees me rocking this badass frock. I have to change. I smell like death and dirt. I’m pretty sure when I peed last, I squatted in the woods. I didn’t wipe. I’m going home.”
I stepped out into the cool air and tried to feel brave. I didn't. I felt like an idiot. I probably could’ve kept the peeing thing to myself. My face was burning and I was trying to act cool, like what I had said didn’t matter.
The walk home was cold and short, and I could feel someone on my tail. I knew who that someone was and tried to find it as endearing instead of creepy.
When I got in the front door, Judith rushed to me. She wrapped herself around me, breathing into my hair. “You’re safe. I was so worried. Why didn't you call? Ellie kept calling me, telling me you were fine but I was worried.”
I shook my head. “It was intense but I was fine. I swear. Briton stayed with me as long as he could, and then I just ran. It was just like you said.”
She pulled back, smiling at me. “I’m so excited you’re all right. I was going nuts all night and all day. It’s been brutal. You’ve been gone like thirty-six hours.”
“I slept a lot. I slept in the forest for a while.”
The smile crossing her face was loving and understanding. “It’s awesome, huh?”
“Awesome!” I looked around. “Where‘s my dad?”
Her eyes burned for a second. “We had a fight. He was mad I hadn’t gone with you and you had changed. He’s at his office.”
I bit my lip. “I’ll go talk to him. He’ll see I’m fine.”
Her eyes widened. “NO!” She caught herself. “No. He’s busy. Just wait till he comes home.”
My stomach tightened. She was being weird. The thought that it might be her started to pick at me again. What if my dad was in danger? I shrugged, playing it cool. “Okay. I’m gonna go shower. I’m exhausted still.”
She hugged me once more, kissing my forehead.
I walked over to the stairs and smiled at her as I climbed up to my room. I locked the door, mildly freaking out, and ran for my phone. I texted Liz and asked her to have one or two of Briton’s brothers go and make sure my father was okay.
I pulled off the ridiculous dress and walked to the shower. I smelled like BO and forest and had the weirdest taste in my mouth, like I’d eaten leather or something.
The shower was a godsend. I sat in it, keeping my eye on the door, in case she came in. I even washed my hair with one eye on the door.
It wasn't as relaxing as normal but at least I was getting clean.
It was so strange feeling my emotions and then the ones my wolf had.
At least I still loved Briton. That had been my biggest concern. I could feel myself falling out of love with him before I shifted. The curse had been tearing us apart. But then something had changed when I fully shifted. My love for him hadn’t just been mine. It had belonged to my wolf too. She was all of my past lives, balled up in one white furry coat.
That was a weird thought for a teenaged girl to have. Past lives in a furry coat.
Clearly, I wasn't getting saner.
I opened the door to the shower, poking my head out and looking around the room. She wasn't there. I stepped out onto the fuzzy mat to discover someone was in my room. Ragnar opened the bathroom door and gave me a cocky smile as he walked in and picked up my towel from the rack. “Oh damn, did I catch you naked again?”
I opened my mouth to scream, but I knew that would draw Judith. I snatched the towel from his hand and wrapped it around myself. “What is your problem?” I growled.
He sighed and leaned against the door. “I hate it when my brothers get a new toy and they don't let me play with it too.”
My right eye twitched. “I hope he beats some sense into you.”
“He’s gone to see your father. Asked Liz to tell you that he and Finn went to find him for you. I told Liz not to worry, I would take care of it. Simon seemed to want to have your friend Liz all to himself anyway. Had her laughing as they discussed art and painting non-stop, got tedious? He figures she might be one of those witches who can paint the picture and bring it to life.”
I hurried past him into the bedroom and closed myself in the walk-in and got dressed. He came into the room, pinning me against the shoe shelves. He looked down on me with the most intense eyes. “One kiss and I will never bother you again. I just have to be sure.”
I narrowed my gaze. “Oh, and what is it you have to be sure of?”
“That you aren’t my soul mate. I’m fairly positive I have one of those as well.”
My leg came up fast, kneeing him in the balls. “Kiss my ass.” I brushed past him again, leaving him taking deep breaths on the floor of the closet. I ran to the door and hurried out to the stairs. “Hey, Judith. Is my dad coming home soon?”
She came out from the kitchen, licking a spoon. “I don't know. He never called. I’m hoping so. We’ve never fought before. I don't know how to respond to it.”
I rolled my eyes. “He’ll be fine. He just gets moody sometimes.”
She licked her lips. Something wasn't right with her. I folded my arms. “So, I know about the whole shadow twins and battle of the old ones where the witch cursed them and the whole betraying of the Thorlacksons.”
She winced. “I am so sorry. Jamie made me swear that I wouldn’t tell you when he figured out you were in love with Briton. At least now that you’re a wolf, you must be free of that.”
I nodded. “Yeah. So what’s the rest of the plan to get rid of them?”
“The vampires left on their own last time, except the Thorlacksons. The old witch sealed them away; I didn’t know that until today. I figured they would leave and find their families, Wolfville has become a wolf town. I didn’t think they would stay. But Jamie thinks they will endanger us again like last time, draw the hunters here. He said he wants to end them completely, but I don't want to. Your father wants them gone now too. I don’t even know why he cares. Why any of them care. We are brothers in the same curse. There is no winner if we all die. I still don’t understand why we can’t all live together. I don’t understand why the vampires have to draw the hunters.”
She was clueless. So this was the story all the other wolves had? At least she wasn't bad.
I sort of knew it all along. I wanted it to be her, but I knew it wasn’t.
That left one person. My heart broke a little bit.
I didn't want to include her in the whole thing so I shrugged. “Well, I don't care what happens. I just want to shift and run in the woods. I’m going to bed for the next two days though. I’m bagged.
” I waved at her and turned and went back to my room.
A savage vampire pinned me to the wall, the moment I got in there. I snarled at him but he pressed his lips against mine. I shoved him off and he spit on the carpet. “You taste like dead rabbit.” I opened my mouth to fire back at him, but I had the strangest memory of eating a rabbit. My lower lip stuck out. Ragnar smiled weakly. “Sorry. I didn't mean that in a bad way. It’s just . . . I don't think it’s going to work out with us, love. I’m not sure I could get past the wolf thing.”
I growled at him again. “I ate a rabbit, you ass.”
He shrugged, “Tasted like rabbit.” He made a face and leaned in, muttering, “You won’t tell Briton I kissed you, right? I just had to see.”