“Yeah, that’s fine,” I said.
I was careful how I responded. This was the most open Cambria had been about her personal life since that day she’d first introduced me to the cave in the woods behind Wood Point—the perfect place to yell out my frustrations.
“I don’t mean to interrupt, but we’re pulling up and I just want to remind everyone here that you’re going to feel the presence of Werewolves and not to panic.” She eyed Cambria in the rearview. “Especially you. I know you’re not used to feeling a Werewolf unless you’re trying to kill it, but we’re all friends here.”
“I promise I won’t attack anything, two legs or four,” Cambria said.
“Atta girl.”
Grandma turned onto the familiar gravel drive and a lump wedged itself in my chest. I wasn’t sure whether I was sad knowing Wes was absent or overwhelmingly happy at being back. This place already felt more like home than my mother’s. That should’ve been disappointing on some level, but it wasn’t.
The Hummer rolled to a stop and we got out. I shaded my hand against the sun and looked up at the worn siding and peeling shutters. Fee’s house looked exactly the same. It was at once both comforting and heartbreaking. Something about going back to the place where it all started and seeing it so unchanged when I was anything but made me want to break down.
“Whose truck?” Cambria asked, gesturing to the other vehicle in the yard.
“Jack’s,” I said.
“I thought you said Jack went with Wes.”
“He did. They took Wes’s car.”
“They? Oh, right, Cord tagged along.”
The name sent a shot of unease through me. I didn’t love the idea of Cord—a gorgeous blond Hunter with a bad attitude and killer knife skills—on a cross-country road trip with my boyfriend, but it was better than having her here, making snarky remarks in response to my every move. And I knew any feelings Wes had for her were brotherly. Besides, Cord and I could use a break from each other. After being roommates for a few weeks at Wood Point—a role she did not volunteer for but rather had been sent by Wes as my protection from Miles—I was surprised our time hadn’t resulted in injury for either party.
Cord had done more than just babysit me, though. She’d killed Miles. I still found it bothersome that she’d done it even after he’d already surrendered, but Cord had a lot of anger inside her. It wasn’t fun knowing she directed a lot of it at me.
The front door opened before we reached it. Goosebumps slammed into me and I faltered. I’d almost forgotten what it felt like to have my body warn me of a nearby Werewolf. I smiled despite the discomfort and slid into Fee’s waiting arms. She held me close, smoothing my hair. The scent of cookies clung to her, but underneath that: wolf.
“Tara, so glad you’re home. We’ve missed you so much,” she said as she released me.
“I missed you too. I’m glad to be back. You remember Cambria.”
Fee put her hand out. Cambria’s shoulders were stiff, and she smiled like she was on autopilot, but she shook Fee’s hand. “Nice to see you again,” Cambria said.
“And you,” said Fee. “I hope we’ll have time to get to know each other better over the summer. We’re happy to know Tara’s friends. Especially when they’re as loyal as you are.” She smiled bright enough that Cambria relaxed beside me.
“Thanks,” Cambria said.
“Edie, Vera was asking for you earlier,” Fee said as we filed inside. “She’s in the library now.”
“Then that’s where I’ll be if you need me.” Grandma disappeared down the narrow hallway.
I stood just inside the front door and let my eyes soak up the richness of the cherry finish on the walls and floors. Everything glowed brown-red just as I remembered. Heat emanated from the kitchen, the air thick with the aroma of warm dough.
“Smells good,” I said, wandering toward the kitchen. I stepped through the doorway and stopped. The counters were covered with sheets and sheets of all sorts of baked goods. Cookies, brownies, cakes, and pastries I couldn’t name covered the countertops all the way around the room. The center island was taken up by mixing bowls, empty egg cartons, and an electric mixer. Flour dusted the floor.
“I’ve been stressed,” Fee said, a sheepish smile on her face.
“Holy crumpets,” Cambria breathed.
“Would you like to try some?” Fee asked. “I’d hate to let it go to waste.”
“Would I …?” Cambria trailed off, looking around with wide eyes. I couldn’t help but laugh.
“You just made her day,” I told Fee. “Her favorite food group is dessert. You better get her a jug of milk.”
Fee headed straight for the fridge. “Coming right up. In the meantime, George is upstairs in your old room if you want to go say hi.”
“Thanks.” I shot her a grateful look, but she was already bent over a cake, cutting a hefty slice for Cambria.
I hurried up the stairs, stopping outside the door and leaning against the wall. Grandma and Fee had said to be prepared for a different George, that he’d be tired and weak from the treatment Fee gave him to slow the change. Every time I called, he was either sleeping or too sick to come to the phone. I had no idea what to expect.
I took a deep breath and knocked softly.
“Come in.”
I turned the knob and pushed the door back. George lay under a pile of blankets, obscured from sight. He lifted his head a little and smiled at me before falling back against the pillow. I hovered in the doorway, shocked by the changes in him, despite Grandma’s warning.
“Tay, finally,” he said. His voice was small, nothing like the old George. He didn’t sit up again.
“George?” I wandered closer, slowly, biting back the surprise. I lowered myself to the edge of the bed and stared down at him.
His eyes were ringed with dark circles, purple bruises that extended up over his eyelids. It was more than lack of sleep; his sockets were hollowed out and his cheeks gaunt. His lips were chapped and his skin flushed pink. I put a hand to his forehead. Heat radiated from his skin.
“I’m here,” I said. “How are you?”
“Okay.” His eyes were glassy. We both knew he was lying.
“What’s happening?” I asked.
“My body—” he began then stopped as a coughing fit seized him. It didn’t let up for several moments. He pointed to the empty glass next to a pitcher of water on the nightstand and I jumped up, thankful for something to do. I filled the glass and handed it to him, then raised it to his lips when his hands shook too much to hold it without spilling. He managed a small swallow between coughs and then fell back. Finally, he quieted.
“My body,” he said again, “started to change a couple of weeks ago. Fee said it was the new moon cycle. I shifted about halfway and then something got stuck and it stopped. Threw out my back and cracked a couple of ribs. Fee managed to reverse the damage, and put some sort of block on me so I won’t shift again. But the block is making me sick.” He coughed again and I tensed, worried it would be another episode like the first, but it subsided. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“Me too. I’m sorry it took so long, but we’re going to figure this out. You just need to hold on a little longer. Can I get you anything?” I took his hand in mine and held it lightly, afraid too much pressure would hurt him even worse.
“No, I’m all right. Fee’s taking good care of me.” He smiled. “She’s pretty awesome.”
“She is, isn’t she?”
“Fee told me some stuff. About Miles. And his dad, your uncle Leo. She said you killed Leo by yourself in that warehouse. It sounded really brave.”
“It wasn’t nearly as premeditated as it sounds, believe me. Mostly blind luck.”
“You don’t give yourself enough credit, Tay. You protect humans from Werewolves. You’re amazing. Besides, it explains a lot. Finding out about your past and who you really are, that had to be tough. Not to mention the little bit of family you found turned out to be crazy and now dead. And I d
idn’t make it any easier. I’m sorry about everything.”
“You don’t need to apologize. That’s all in the past. Focus on staying strong, on fighting this.”
“I’m trying, Tay, really, but I’m tired.” As if to prove it, his eyelids drooped. It scared me and I squeezed his hand. His lids fluttered open again. “Can I ask you something?”
“What is it?” I asked.
“If I become a Werewolf, especially the monster kind that Fee says I might, will you have to kill me?”
“Absolutely not going to happen,” I said.
“But if it does.”
“No. I’m not going to let that happen. I would never hurt you. You’re my family too, you know.”
His eyes closed again. His mouth turned up at the corners and he squeezed my hand lightly. “I’m glad you’re back, Tay,” he said. “It feels better with you here.”
“Good, because I’m staying close until we figure this out. I won’t let anything happen, I promise.”
“I know you won’t.”
George’s breathing slowed and became even. I watched the steady rise and fall of his chest while my own heart hammered. I didn’t love George, at least not the way I’d thought I did a year ago, but my feelings for him as a friend were deep, immovable. I wasn’t willing to lose him. Not when we’d just begun to fix our friendship. I’d do anything to keep him alive.
“You’re worrying. I can feel it.” I jumped at the sound of his voice. His hand tightened in mine and his mouth twitched at the corners. He cracked an eye. “See?”
“Just trying to figure out a way to stop this,” I said, gesturing at him with my free hand.
His expression turned serious. “I don’t think we can stop it. We’ve slowed it, but that might be all we can do. I’m okay with that.”
“You can’t be okay with that. You’ll die.”
“I’ve had time to think about the possibility. I’ve accepted it, if it means not becoming a monster.” He waited a beat and then said, “Maybe you should accept it too.”
“No.”
“Tay—”
“I’ll give you my blood before that happens. Miles said—”
“No way.” He shook his head. “Fee told me enough about Miles to know that’s crazy. He was crazy. We can’t trust him.”
“I’m not going to let you die,” I said. Tears sprang to my eyes, and I blinked them back.
His expression softened. “Come here.”
I leaned down into his open arms and curled against his side. Heat issued through the blankets. My tears thickened. I pressed my face against his ribs and let them come.
“Please don’t cry.”
“I can’t help it. It’s my fault. If I’d just killed Miles in that warehouse, this never would’ve happened.”
“It’s not your fault. You’re not responsible for another person’s actions. And you didn’t kill Miles because you’re not a killer. It’s not who you are.”
George had no idea. Maybe it hadn’t been premeditated, but I was a killer. Starting with Liliana the night George and I broke up and ending with the massacre of hybrids at school last month. I’d seen the carnage. I knew what I was capable of, even if no one else suspected.
I sniffled harder.
George pulled me close and kissed the top of my head. I tensed. “I’m really glad we’re friends again,” I said pointedly.
“Me too,” he said and the conviction in his voice put me at ease. “I know we’ve had a rocky few months. It’s nice to have my best friend back.”
We lay in silence for a while after that. I let myself enjoy the steady rhythm of George’s breathing as my mind wandered to possible solutions. The problem was I knew so little about Werewolves and what made them that I had no idea where to begin to look for a cure.
He shifted his head toward me and began humming. The notes were scratchy and flat but I recognized the tune instantly. Even when we’d dated, our song had been a secret—for George’s sake. The song’s significance stemmed from a home video of George has a toddler, singing the hit at the top of his lungs and using a broom as a guitar. Besides his family, I was the only other person to ever witness the tape. A visual I’d sworn to take to the grave. The song had been a joke before becoming something special between us.
A small smile crept over me at the memory and I added Bon Jovi’s words. “It’s been raining since you left me. Now I’m drowning in the flood. You see, I’ve always been a fighter, but without you I give up. Now I can’t sing a love song, like the way it’s meant to be. Well, I guess I’m not that good anymore but baby, that’s just me …”
The knob turned and the door opened. I looked up to find an unexpected figure in the doorway. The bass in his voice echoed against the walls as he belted out the next line. “And I will love you, baby. Always. And I’ll be there forever and a day. Alwaaayyyys.”
When he finished, Wes leaned heavily against the left frame, leather-clad arms crossed over his chest. He looked at me and his brows shot up. “Not exactly how I expected to find my girl, in bed with her ex.”
“Wes!” I jumped clear of the bed and smoothed my clothes, at once mortified and elated. I opened my mouth to say something else but words failed me. I was still lost in the sound of his voice … singing. I’d never heard him sing before. Hadn’t known he could, but wow.
“Hey, Wes,” George called.
“George. I see Tara’s taking good care of you.”
George smirked. “She’s doing her best.”
I ignored the innuendo and flexing of metaphorical muscles and launched myself at Wes. He caught me without missing a step. My feet lifted off the floor as his arms squeezed and held. I pressed myself against him, melding our bodies together and inhaling the crisp leather scent of his jacket mixed with the woodsy smell that always clung to him like a second skin.
“I missed you,” he said against my ear.
Something cold and empty inside me filled up on his words. “I missed you too,” I whispered back.
Finally, and grudgingly, I let him release me. I stared up at him, too excited to make sense of his presence. “What are you doing here? I thought you wouldn’t be back for another few days.”
“You’re here. I couldn’t stay away.” He glanced at George, then back at me. “You want to take a walk?”
I nodded and let him lead me from the room. Before the door closed, I turned back to George. “I’ll check on you later. Get some sleep,” I said.
George sent me a mock-salute and the door clicked shut.
“Keeping the patient happy, huh?” Wes asked when we were alone in the hallway.
I fumbled for a response, feeling guilty despite the innocent circumstances. “George and I are just friends now, I swear.”
“Relax.” He held up a hand. “I know.”
“Yeah, but it’s not what you think for him, either.”
“I said I know.” He pointed to his temple, cocked his head meaningfully. “Today’s the full moon. You don’t have to explain anything to me, at least not out loud.”
“Oh.” Understanding dawned. Wes had a special gift that allowed him to manipulate—and sometimes even remove—a person’s memories or thoughts. On a full moon, his gift magnified and he could read minds. Including mine. He’d failed to mention that fact on the last full moon, which led to him picking up on the fact that Alex had kissed me and I hadn’t stopped it. It had been the cause for our first real fight.
“I wanted to say that before we go any further. You can tell me to leave if you want, and I’ll come back tomorrow.”
“No, it’s fine. Stay.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want you to think I’m eavesdropping.”
“You’re not. Well, you are, but I’m okay with it.” I stepped closer. Our bodies pressed together in the narrow hall. “I want to be with you.”
He looked relieved. “I want to be with you too. Now that it’s settled, I need to do one more thing before we go further.”
“What?”
He bent his head and pressed his lips to mine so quickly I barely had a chance to pucker. The shock lasted for a split second and then I was kissing him back and our arms tangled around each other, exploring and clinging and making up for lost time.
“Better than I remembered,” he said when our mouths parted.
I sighed in answer, drinking in the closeness of his scent. It dawned on me that he could hear my thoughts, my happiness at just being here in this moment. “Are you getting this?” I murmured against his chest.
“Loud and clear.”
Footsteps thumped up the stairs. Cambria appeared, licking frosting off her fingers. Her eyes widened at the sight of us, each with arms woven tightly around the other. “Oops. I was just coming to check on George.”
“He’s sleeping,” said Wes.
“How do you know?” I asked. “Oh, right.”
“Did I miss something?” Cambria looked back and forth between us.
“Today’s a full moon,” I told her.
She rounded on Wes, eyes wide. “You can read my mind right now?”
“Whether I like it or not.”
She put a hand on her lace-clad hip. “What am I thinking right now?”
Wes burst out laughing and shook his head. “No way, I am not saying that one out loud.”
Cambria grinned at me. “I believe him.”
I sent them both a look and then decided I didn’t want to know. “We’re going to get some air,” I said to Cambria. “You want to come?”
“Ugh, you mean outside? In the crushing humidity that strangles and chokes while it sucks all hydration from inside your body and then hangs it over you like a wet curtain?” She sighed. “Then again, I’ve eaten more pastries than the Queen of England. I should probably walk some of it off.”
“That’s the spirit,” I said.
We stepped out the back door and started across the yard, headed for the shade of the woods. Halfway across, I was already sweating.
“You want to go back inside?” Wes asked, his brows knitted in concern.
“No, I’m fine.” I’d love a cold pool of water to sink into right now, though.
“With clothes, or without?” he whispered in my ear.
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