by Cheree Alsop
The door to the house opened and we both turned.
“She’s awake,” Alia said.
“Go talk to her,” Mitch told me. “I’ll keep watch out here for a while just to make sure the werewolf doesn’t come back.”
“Thanks,” I told him.
Alia gave me a concerned look when I reached her. “How are you feeling?”
“Better,” I said. “How’s Isley?”
“Not great,” she admitted. “The poison from what bit her was really strong. Mrs. Stein says it’ll take a few days for her strength to return. But she asked for you.”
I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. “Did you tell her?”
Alia shook her head. “None of us did. But Jemmy mentioned that you were the one who called for help. I think she’s having trouble putting what happened together.”
“I’m not sure talking to me is going to help with that,” I said.
That brought a hint of the smile I loved to Alia’s face. “Give it a try. Sometimes talking helps.”
I nodded and crossed into the living room. When I realized she wasn’t following, I looked back to see Alia still in the doorway
“You coming?”
She shook her head and motioned outside. “I’m going to go keep watch with Mitch.” Her smile deepened. “Maybe we’ll talk.”
Chapter Ten
She shut the door behind her and I stared at it. She was going to talk with Mitch? She had said that sometimes talking helps. Helps with what? I walked to the window and watched her cross the lawn to the werewolf. I didn’t need the moonlight to see the way his face lit up when he turned toward her.
“I didn’t know you were coming out here,” he said, his voice audible through the glass.
It was a blatant lie. Werewolves could tell the sound of a person’s individual footsteps from further away than we could even see. Of course he had known it was her. That’s why he turned with a smile already on his face.
The realization hit me like a punch to the gut. He liked her. He really, really liked her. He smiled at her as if he had been smiling his entire life. Yet his comment about how he had never had a reason to smile at the Lair haunted the back of my mind.
He held out his arm, she slipped her hand into the crook of his elbow, and they walked together as naturally as if Mitch was human and wooed women every day. It was a ridiculous thought. Neither of us was above twenty yet and a life of guarding and learning to kill didn’t exactly scream date material.
A sound caught my ear. It was laughter; Alia’s laugh, to be exact. He had said something and she laughed as if it was the funniest thing in the world. I knew Mitch well enough to know that it probably wasn’t; so why the laugh? Why did she hang on his arm and laugh at his joke in a way that made me want to hit something? Why didn’t she laugh that hard with me?
If Mitch was funnier than I was, I hadn’t seen it. I was downright hilarious. I was sure of it. My hand clenched into a fist. I wanted to be the one to make her laugh. I was stronger; I could best Mitch in a fight even given the shape the felguls had left me in. Maybe that would impress her more than if I was funny. I would win her back.
I turned away with a growl at my thoughts. I had no right to feel the way I did. Alia wasn’t mine, even though the wolf inside me snapped at the thought of her walking at night with another werewolf. I didn’t own her. She certainly had no claim on me. Besides, we had only been together for a few days. There was no reason for the attachment in my mind. So why did my heart hurt so badly at the thought of her being with Mitch instead of me?
I ran my hands through my hair in exasperation. Mitch’s words repeated in my mind.
“Zev, while you were busy trying to be the leader the Masters believed you could be, I was occupied learning how to be human.”
Mitch was far closer to anything resembling a true human than I could ever hope to be. I couldn’t blame Alia for choosing someone nearer to her own kind. I had worked so hard to become the wolf leader the Masters wanted. I had been the strongest, fastest, most dependable werewolf at the Lair. The two werewolves above me were given precedence due to their age, I was sure of it. We seldom saw them, let alone had the chance to challenge them. I had been certain that if I won one more fight, I would be ranked above them.
Now I lived in a world where ranks didn’t matter. Humans didn’t fight for dominance, at least not from what I had seen of the Willards and Steins’ relationships. Humans lived for far more than a level of mastery above others. They were kind and genuine in ways I didn’t even understand. How was I supposed to compete with a type of humanity that didn’t make sense to me?
“Zev?” Mrs. Willard said.
I swallowed down the bitter taste of confusion and looked at her. “Yes, Mrs. Willard?”
She gave me a kind smile I didn’t feel I deserved and said, “Are you here to see Isley?”
I hesitated. “If it’s late and she’s sleeping, I should probably—”
She motioned toward the door. “She said she wouldn’t be able to sleep again without talking to you. Go on in.”
I had seen enough teen movies in my research to expect Mrs. Willard to stay for propriety and all of that, or to at least leave the door open and hover anxiously outside. I hoped so because it would mean Isley wouldn’t be able to ask the really difficult questions.
Mrs. Willard followed me inside as if to confirm my expectations, then said, “I’m heading to bed. Get some rest you two,” she smiled at me and continued with, “Rosalinda and Jemmy are staying in the other guest bedroom, Virgo called dibs on the couch, and I’ve put some extra blankets in the basement for you and Mitch.” She turned her attention to Isley. “I’m glad you’re doing better, sweetheart. Please let me know if you need anything at all.”
Isley gave a weak nod from the bed. “Thank you, Mrs. Willard. I’m sorry to be such a bother.”
Mrs. Willard clucked her tongue. “You’re no bother at all. You can stay here as long as you want. With your parents out of town, I’d prefer you to stay with us instead of alone in that big house.”
Isley gave her a small smile and Mrs. Willard ducked out of the doorway.
Silence followed. It was the sort of silence filled with questions, the kind that was bursting at the seams in a very demanding way. I felt Isley’s expectant gaze and had to force myself to meet it.
I blinked. She looked so small and frail on the bed. The tough girl persona I had first met had vanished. The bandages on her arm that covered the same black paste I had spread over my claw marks appeared to dwarf her. At the Lair, I had been raised to detest anything that was weak or helpless. The Masters had viewed everything else in the world as beneath them. Being taught that way since the moment I could walk had left a very ingrained impression on me. But seeing her look at me with her long blonde hair all mussed around her and bruises under her eyes from not sleeping well did something to my heart.
I looked away. I told myself not to feel anything for the girl. I was already plenty confused about Alia without adding to it. I was starting to believe that girls only caused trouble. The last thing I needed in my life was more trouble. And the second to last thing I needed was to feel more confusing human emotions. Compassion or mercy or empathy for those weaker than me wasn’t going to help at all if it came to a throwdown with the Masters.
I turned my attention to the room. Alia’s scent permeated everything. I wondered if she would sleep on the floor or kick Ian out of his bed as she had threatened to do when he teased her about not having a place to sleep that night. The pictures on the walls, posters, a concert shirt, and a corkboard filled with nostalgic items from high school told me more about Alia than any conversation I’d had with her.
My gaze lingered on a picture of a younger Alia, Ian, James, and Aspen standing on a beach. They were squinting. Ian’s eyes were mostly closed and Alia had a hand over hers to shield them from the sunlight they looked into. They appeared sweet and innocent, shielded from the world that had crashed thr
ough their door.
“Do you know about the wolf?”
My heart clenched. I had hoped she would fall asleep again and not ask what I knew she wanted to. But she had told Mrs. Willard she couldn’t sleep without talking to me. I sucked in a steeling breath and turned.
“The wolf?” I repeated.
She nodded. She opened her mouth to speak, then her brow creased and she closed her mouth again. I wasn’t about to give information she didn’t know, so I waited as patiently as I could for her to gather her thoughts.
“It was dark, almost black. It fought the…the creatures.” Her lip trembled and she bit it for a moment before her eyes flicked to mine. “Did you chase the wolf away? Or am I crazy and there were no creatures or the wolf doesn’t exist.” She held up her arm that had been bandaged. Her hand was pale and her fingers shook. “They had to exist, right? Or else what bit me?”
“I don’t know…,” I began.
“Come here.”
Her request took me by surprise. “What?”
She closed her eyes and gave her head a slow shake. “The room spins when I look up. Do you mind sitting on the bed or something?”
I lowered onto the corner by her foot. It felt far too close for my comfort. I couldn’t bring myself to look at her. The entire situation was way out of my comfort zone. Whoever thought of the big bad wolf had no idea of the terror of being alone with one smallish girl.
“Zev, I need some answers.” She paused, then said, “Zev, will you look at me?”
I willed my muscles to loosen and tipped my head up.
She held my gaze. “Did you save me from that wolf?”
I could tell lying wouldn’t be an option, no matter how tempting the thought was. But perhaps I could twist the truth just a little. Enough people were living the nightmare I had brought to them without adding one more. I let out a breath from between my teeth and went with, “You could say that.”
“I thought so,” she replied. “He was huge. Vicious. I’ve never heard a growl like that.” Her voice took on a haunted tone and she said, “I think it’ll stay with me for the rest of my life.”
I tried to keep my voice level when I asked, “Is that what’s keeping you awake?”
She shook her head. “I keep seeing their eyes. Their eyes were white and without pupils. Every time I try to sleep, I see them in my mind. It’s terrifying.” She looked up at me. “Did you see them?”
“I don’t know what I saw,” I replied. In the case of the felguls, that was accurate enough. They were terrifying and formless; their claw marks made my back burn.
“I went for a run,” she said. She looked at me, but her eyes didn’t focus on me as she continued, “I like to run at night because it’s quiet. There aren’t any cars and all I can hear is the sound of my shoes hitting the pavement. It’s calming and it helps me work out my problems.”
I glanced at her. “Do you have problems?”
“I thought I did,” she said. Her face paled and she pulled her arm closer to her chest and cradled it. “It hurts.”
I rose from the bed. “I’ll go get Mrs. Stein.”
She shook her head quickly. “No. It’ll be fine. She said it would take a while.” She shot a glance toward the door, then lowered her voice and whispered, “Zev, I think she’s a real life witch.”
I smothered a smile. The fear in her voice stole any hilarity from the situation. I thought about my reply and went with, “I think she means well.”
Isley nodded. Her eyes traveled to my hands, then widened. “Did the wolf do that?”
I looked down at the salve that marked the back of my hand. It must have gotten there when I was working on the claw marks. I rubbed it quickly on the knee of my pants.
“No. I was, uh, helping James with his car. I’m just fine.”
She gave me a sleepy smile as her eyes drooped shut. “I’m glad, Zev. I’m glad you’re okay.”
I listened as her breathing settled into the gentle cadence of sleep. I hoped she would remember less of what had happened when she awoke. Maybe Mrs. Willard or Mrs. Stein could come up with a better cover story. I certainly hadn’t been prepared. Maybe I could warn them.
I left the door open a crack in case Isley needed any help. Mrs. Willard’s room was just up the hall across from Aspen’s, so she would hear if Isley’s called out. Virgo was sprawled on the couch in the living room snoring. The sight of an amulet clutched in his hand made me walk a wide berth around him.
I paused near the front door and put a hand on the doorknob. Part of me was tempted to check on Mitch and tell him about Mrs. Willards’ offer of the basement, but the other part was afraid to see him and Alia together. I didn’t trust how I would react. His comment about me being an angry person hit too close to home.
I made my way down the stairs to a partially finished basement. Cement showed on one half of the floor while a few rugs had been spread across the other. Two blowup mattresses covered in sheets and well-worn quilts sat on one of the rugs. I kicked off my borrowed shoes and took a seat on the closest mattress. The air shifted to the other side and I sank to the floor. I laid back and the air shifted to either side of me. A sigh of contentment escaped my lips; besides the carpet, it was probably the most comfortable bed I had ever had in my entire life. The voice in the back of my mind noted that my bed experience was fairly limited. A pallet on the stone floor of my Lair cell wasn’t exactly hard to surpass.
I closed my eyes. A yell awoke me what felt like a minute later.
“Zev! Werewolves!”
I pushed up from the bed so fast the force popped the mattress and it sank to the floor with a sigh. I ran up the stairs barefoot and burst through the door to the living room. Mitch stood there with his arms around Alia. Mrs. Willard stood crying in the doorway that was open to the early morning, and Virgo waited there with her. James had one of the guns from his late father’s collection, but no smell of gunpower touched the air. Ian stumbled down the stairs from the direction of his room, his expression no doubt as surprised as mine.
“What happened?” I demanded.
“They came in at a rush,” Mitch said. “It caught us by surprise.” He looked sheepish. “I should have stayed outside, but no one showed up. Honestly, Zev. I came in for two minutes to grab some breakfast. They must have been waiting for me to leave.”
The regret in his voice along with the smell of eggs and bacon cooking in the kitchen confirmed his story.
I looked around. “What did they take?”
“Who,” Virgo correctly quietly from where he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. His hair was out of its usual ponytail and stood up in all directions.
Ice ran through me. I spun in a circle, checking off everyone mentally. Mrs. Stein and Jemmy were visible in the kitchen. That left only one person.
“Aspie?” I said, my voice just above a whisper.
James nodded. His lips were pressed tightly together in his struggle not to say more. He checked the gun again, even though he had done it twice since I appeared. I had the impression that any werewolf at that moment looked good enough to shoot.
“They took her and left so fast we couldn’t do anything about it,” Virgo said. He looked at the floor. “I should have put the wards back up, but with you guys coming and going—”
“It’s not your fault,” I told the warlock. “We should have stayed out. We got too comfortable.” My hands clenched into fists. I headed for the door. “We might be able to catch them if we hurry.”
Adrenaline surged through my veins and I was about to throw off my shirt and phase when Mitch grabbed my shoulder and spun me around.
“You can’t just charge after her.”
I caught his hand and had to fight back the impulse to hit him.
“If we don’t hurry, they’ll reach the Lair,” I replied. “Let me go.”
“That’s their point, don’t you see? The Masters took Aspen to force you to talk to them.”
That made me hesitate, but it didn’
t matter. Rescuing Aspen was the important thing. I pushed past him to the porch. “I’m going anyway. There’s no way I’m leaving her in their clutches.”
“Then I’m going with you,” he said, following me outside.
I shook my head. “I won’t let you do that.”
He crossed his arms. “You can’t stop me, Zev.”
“Yes, I can,” I replied firmly. “If they want me that badly, I’ll go and bring Aspen back.” I gave him a straight look. “But if this turns out to be a trap so they can kill me for defying them, I don’t want you caught up in it.”
“But I betrayed them as much as you,” he pointed out.
“With less of a body count,” I reminded him. “And if they’re after me, they’ll also be after who helped me.” I shot a look behind him at the Willards and Steins who watched us from the door. “And I don’t want them coming here to retaliate. You need to have my back on this one.”
I could tell he didn’t like it one bit, but he finally stuck out his hand in a human gesture that surprised me. “Fine. I’ll stay. But I expect you to return.”
“Me, too,” I said, shaking his hand. “Thanks.”
“I’m coming with you,” Alia said.
“No, I’m going,” James told her.
The siblings pushed through the doorway. Virgo followed behind with an exasperated look on his face.
“I’m going because I’m a warlock and can protect Zev. Why are you guys going?” he asked.
“I took down a werewolf by myself,” James said. “I should go. Aspen’s my sister.”
Alia rolled her eyes. “She’s my sister, too, and I’m a better shot than you are.”
“Prove it,” James said.
“Glad to,” Alia replied.
“I don’t think either of you should go,” I pointed out.
They ignored me and each took a gun from the box Mrs. Willard carried onto the porch.
“The best shot goes to bring your sister home. Whoever stays helps Mitch defend the place,” she told them. Tears filled her eyes and she said, “Either way, I’m proud of all of you.”