by Holly Hook
But Cayden's right. I'm the one who went crazy on Matthew when he was just infected, and without even knowing it. But there's one problem now.
"I want to attack the infected less than ever," I say. "Since I went super Noble, I didn't even want to kill Matthew when he surrendered himself to us."
"That's because he might have had the answer to my curse and you wanted to help me," Cayden says. Then he eyes the bulge still under my shirt. "Did you nab one of the cult's spellbooks?"
I turn the corner of my mouth up into a grin. "Maybe. But you might have to work for it." I manage to get a smile out of Cayden, but we're stalling. Once we know if Callie's infected, we'll have to figure out what to do before Alex figures it out.
A tornado of what ifs fill me, and the only thing that will calm it down is facing it.
So hand in hand with Cayden, I march into the living room.
Callie sits on the couch, stretched out, with one leg off the couch and the other on. She's stripped down to her underwear, and balks when Cayden steps into the room.
"Sorry," Cayden says, covering his blush with his free hand. I let him go so he can stand in the kitchen.
"Just a sec," I say, fishing out the leather book. I slap it on the kitchen counter to distract Cayden for now. "Have fun." Then I return to Callie.
Abigail enters the house. "What do you want me to do?" she asks.
"If you can go upstairs and watch out for Alex or anyone else, that would be great," I say. I'll never feel right ordering around people older than me.
Abigail nods and walks up the stairs. "I will."
"Look out the back window," I say. While tending to Callie, I'll be distracted.
"You smell like pine needles," Callie says. "You know, that spray is expensive, believe it or not. Alex says he doesn't like to use it on Wolves." Her effort to make normal conversation doesn't smell the fact that she still carries a bit of the Savage stench.
"Callie, where did you get hurt?" It's obviously on the right leg, the one facing the back of the couch and out of sight. "We need to see. And we have the Russells." My mind turns to Remo and his hope to become human again. If he still has it, I don't know. But talking to Leonora about a cure is better than nothing, right?
Then Callie frowns. "I don't know about this. It's a scratch, but the Guidebook left to me by my father says there's a ten percent chance..." she lets that last word hang.
"Of infection?" I ask.
Callie nods. Her chin quivers. Normally a tough woman, she's about to lose it. Infection means the end of her dreams.
The boards creak above as Abigail takes her position in my bedroom window. I don't care that she's up there. I know myself and my tendency to lose focus on my surroundings. "Can I see? Trust me, when you're a Wolf, you don't care about nudity anymore. Well, nudity from your own kind."
Callie tenses and grabs the arm of the couch. Great job, Brie.
"A scratch doesn't sound bad," Cayden says from the kitchen. He flips through pages.
"I hope not," Callie says. "The Guidebook is old." She lowers her voice and turns on the couch. "Did your mother have one?"
"She had a hundred-year-old book about wolf men," I whisper, because Abigail is upstairs. "I still have it. Upstairs. My grandpa wrote her a letter about me and wanted me trained as a Hunter. My life could have gone way differently."
"That's not the Guidebook, then."
I hold a finger up to hush her. "I'd like to see what you guys do. Well, that doesn't look too bad." I eye the long scratch near the top of Callie's thigh, close to her hip. About six inches long, the scratch is already scabbing and has only gone through the first layers of her skin. Redness surrounds the scratch as Callie's body tries to fight any germs. The faint stench of Savage rises from it, along with the spiciness of inflammation. Her body's trying to keep the infection out. "I smell Savage but it's from contact only." Callie herself won't smell different until right before she turns but I can't bear to tell her that. "Let's clean this and figure out a way to hide it from Alex. I can tell he'll flip if he sees this."
"It's that obvious." Callie bites her lip.
"Yeah. That obvious. He had to deal with someone infected before, didn't he?"
"It's just a rumor because he doesn't talk about it much, but my father always told me Alex had to fight their own cousin who got infected and went Savage. It's a real threat to us Hunters. His cousin got bit and turned, and then Uncle Alex had to kill him. He never got over it and...and I really hope it's just a rumor." Callie twists around me and reaches for the tissue box.
"You're probably okay," I say. "It's a scratch, not a bite, and not even all the bites got infected. The deep ones are worse. I'd give your chances of being okay ninety-five percent."
Aunt May hovers over me. I'm glad she's there. "Listen to Brie."
I wish I could give Callie hundred percent odds. She blows her nose, and I read worry for her husband all over her face. I imagine myself in that position and I rise. "I have makeup. Lots of makeup. Victorian stuff, too, because I'm in a lot of plays. We can cover up that scab in no time." I eye Aunt May and listen to the surroundings. Footsteps approach in the distance, and I put my full focus on the woods far behind my house. Three pairs, two quiet and one loud and human. Alex is approaching with Everly and Remo.
"I think someone's coming," Abigail says from upstairs. "They'll be here in maybe five minutes."
"Grab some hydrogen peroxide," I bark to Aunt May, bolting up the stairs. Abigail emerges from my room and waits in the doorway. "Go down and stall Alex. Remo and Everly might not know to keep them away."
With a nod, Abigail marches down the steps.
Opening my drawers, I seize every bottle of makeup I've got, some of it left over from costume rehearsals, and run downstairs as Callie seethes. Aunt May's already applying the stinging substance to her scratch. I eye the backyard. They haven't broken into the field yet.
"Me next," I say, drawing a brush.
Cayden stays in the kitchen as I work, applying blush over the scratch and caking it on. But my motor skills beat what they've always been, and I work faster than the makeup artists in our plays. The scratch is still obvious to me, but Alex might not see it when he checks.
Callie faces me with tears in her eyes. She feels stupid. I'm not sure how I know that.
"Stuff happens. I'll tell you the horrible details of what I did to get bitten," I say.
"Please do," Callie says. "Later."
"They're in the field," Abigail peeks through the back door.
Callie scrambles to get her pants back on, only to realize there's still blood in a line, as well as a tear where the Wolf's claw went through. "What size are you?" I ask.
"An eight?"
"I'm a six. You'll just have to deal," I say, rushing to my room to grab a pair of paints. By the time I return, Alex, Everly, and Remo have crossed half the field. I hold up my finger to quiet everyone.
Callie squeezes into the pants, which thankfully are the same shade as hers. "It's a good thing your jacket protected you," I say, a bit loud, hoping that Everly hears. Alex will ask her what we're saying.
"I'm sure everyone gets nervous during their first fight," Aunt May adds, getting my drift.
Callie pulls her leather coat on, smiling. We still have to discuss the possibility that she's infected—even a ten percent chance is higher than anyone would like—but we can't do it now. I take a breath as Cayden joins me. He mouths, one thing at a time. And as he does, sadness fills his hazel eyes. He never wanted me to have to deal with this.
Ever.
Callie gets to work in the kitchen, brewing tea in a kettle as Alex walks onto the back deck. I smell his metallic nerves and glance to make sure Aunt May's hidden the makeup. At least he can't smell that. Alex knocks politely but shifts leg to leg.
I let him in. He nods. "Is Callie okay?"
"She's fine. She just had to calm down a bit," I say.
"Hey, Uncle Alex," she says as if the world is all r
ainbows. "I'm making tea, now that I'm not about to die."
Alex furrows his brows. "You're not hurt, are you?"
I roll my eyes. "Sheesh."
He levels a glare at me. "I have to make sure."
Alex yells with so much force I backpedal. "Okay. I get it. I asked her myself and she's fine. Trust me, we don't want anyone infected, either. It's not pretty. We've dealt with it."
"I believe you. Callie told me you had an infected student at your school dance." Alex marches to Callie and nods to her.
She sighs, acting like an annoyed teenager. It comes across funny because Callie's at least five years my senior. "Can't we have a woman look at me? Otherwise, it's gross. Or better yet, my husband?"
Alex nods. "I'll call Earl right now."
We have to let Alex check her over. As if sensing my thoughts, Cayden leans on my shoulder and rests his head there. "We need to back off," he whispers.
We can't look concerned. My heart races as I pray my makeup job does the trick. All we can do now is wait.
Alex glares at me for a second. Like he expects fellow women to keep secrets, and he's not wrong.
Chapter Sixteen
I'm fine.
I breathe the biggest sigh of relief when Callie's text comes through the next morning as I'm walking through the doors to school.
"Is that her?" Cayden asks.
"That's her," I say, holding up the phone. We're blocking the door, but I don't care.
Another text comes in. You're a great makeup artist.
Cayden nods at it. "Good. I was wondering after she and Alex left, and she never said anything after that. Couldn't focus on trying to decipher Brett's book. His handwriting is horrible."
"I agree. I'm just relieved about Callie. Well, she probably couldn't text with Alex looking over her shoulder yesterday," I say, sidestepping into the school. A flow of students walks in behind us, and I wait for people to clear before I speak again. "He knows we get along and would keep things from him."
"Well, he's a middle-aged dude and you're young women. Guys feel like you're ganging up on us. You know, Everly and Leonora are getting that way."
I look to where Cayden's pointing. True to his word, Everly's standing at the corner of the hallway, talking to Leonora. I listen. And they're talking about boys.
"You know, Remo shares my fifth period," Everly says. "If you want me to slip him a note—"
I slap my hand to my mouth and turn away before Everly can see. Cayden puts his hand on my back and guides me away. "Hurry. She'll kill us if she knows we heard that. And I want to look at that book again."
The decision's easy. Cayden and I walk towards our first class, and I'm looking forward to seeing Noah and even Olivia. I've figured we can have Noah help us look through Brett's book, and be among the first to see it, as a sort of apology. I know how much it sucks to get left out of the interesting stuff.
But then I smell a strong, musky scent sprinkled with salt.
Lawrence.
I stop. Cayden questions me with his gaze.
"Batman boy. He's mad," I say. "The former alpha. You left and he followed us. And now he's standing somewhere outside the school. If we don't confront him now, he's going to hang around all day and people are going to report him." Lawrence isn't exactly nonthreatening, being such a big guy.
"Great. I've been trying to talk him down," Cayden says.
Cayden and I go outside and find him standing in an alcove between the gym entrance and the Foods room. "Lawrence," I say. "What are you doing here?"
He raises his gaze from the muddy ground. "We're all the same pack now, so this is my territory, too."
I don't have time for this. "Yes. You're right. It is. But an adult hanging around a school really looks bad in this day and age. People are paranoid all the time, and well—"
Lawrence laughs. "You should be glad I'm here, alpha. And glad that tree branch fell."
"Shut up," I order, tensing my muscles. "Are you here to challenge me again?"
He squares off with me. "No. I don't think I'll have to. You're not alpha material. I heard about yesterday and how you went into Savage territory without the pack. That's really smart."
"You wouldn't have done that at all. And you're not my advisor. Heck, I don't even know what you are," I say.
"Leave her alone," Cayden says, glowering at him. He balls his fists like he wants to start swinging. Cayden might be strong and amazing, but Lawrence is a borderline bodybuilder and will beat my boyfriend to a pulp. "You're trying to make things difficult at a bad time. We're closer to stopping a lot of things and you're not going to ruin it."
"Cayden. We don't need to fight," I say.
"You agreed to stay in Colling," Lawrence tells him.
So this is how it works. If Lawrence is miserable, everyone else has to be, too. "Lawrence, it was an emergency. We'll talk about this later. Get out of here. And that's an order." Arms at my sides, I force myself to march up to him. Strength flows through my limbs.
And Lawrence flinches as if slapped. He might be bigger than me and a Guardian Wolf, but I'm still the Royal.
"Your aunt wouldn't have been this way," Lawrence snaps before turning away.
"Get out of here!" Cayden yells.
Lawrence turns his back on us and marches away. Rage-induced sweat stains his shirt. He gives off more of that strong musky odor than ever. I wait until he leaves the school grounds to speak. "His ego needs to deflate."
"I tried talking to the guy when you left Colling. Since, well, I'm a dude and I know what it's like to want to take care of everything. He's not going to come around. He's Batman, all right. Has to avenge his parents and take the burden on himself. Guy doesn't know how to deal with this."
"He's really that unreachable."
"Lawrence still has to work things out." Cayden pats my arm. "Let's get in. I hope he can get better."
"So do I." I hike up my backpack. The leather of Brett's book brushes against the others. I've learned to recognize the distinct sound. "I don't want to cast him out. It wouldn't be fair. And it wasn't fair that the branch fell on him."
"Totally agree." Cayden opens the door for me and bows, letting me in.
"Maybe we should re-do the fight," I say.
Cayden follows and rubs his chin. "Once a challenge is done, it's done. Stop questioning it."
"I'm still alpha, right?"
"You feel that power when you boss us around?" Cayden asks.
"Yes. But Lawrence isn't really listening. But I'm a Royal so there's a reason." I look up and down the clearing hall to make sure no one unusual has showed up. I smell Alex nowhere.
"Well, Lawrence isn't far behind you. His family are Guardian Wolves and among the oldest Noble Wolf lines, if Abigail's right."
"You're supposed to make me feel better, Cayden."
He kisses me on the forehead. "That better?"
"Much."
* * * * *
I still don't get a chance to tell Cayden about casting out Romulus. Class sucks with Mrs. Connors breathing down our backs. But Alex and Callie don't show up at lunch, and I don't smell either of them hanging around the school. At least Lawrence doesn't come back, but as we go through our classes, I can't get my mind off him. And not for good reasons, either.
“What's up?” Noah asks as he leans toward me in first period. The tendons in his shoulder pop painfully, almost as if he's shifting, but I know that's not possible. Though he tries to keep his face neutral, a wince gets through. “Or shall I say, what's down?”
“Your shoulder's really hurting today,” I say. The spicy smell hits me. Inflammation. I should become a doctor.
“I know, I know. I decided to take this stupid brace off last night and sleep normally for once. And well, I'm paying.” Though he's trying to hide it, I catch the undertone of sheer frustration in his words. Noah's been living with constant pain for over a month now. Yikes.
“Noah, you can't do that. My mom keeps complaining about you not ke
eping that brace on,” Olivia says on the other side of him.
“It's taking forever to heal,” he says. "This sucks."
I know what he's asking and he wants me to infect him. “Noah, there are worse things than a shattered shoulder. Trust me.”
“Or are there? Imagine your nerves screaming twenty-four seven. I guess your armpit is full of them. I mean, it's a little better than it was, but it feels like it's never going to go away. Oh, and don't get me started on my therapy sessions. It is not a spa like I expected.”
I bite my lip and grind my teeth. “You can get back to normal, Noah.”
“She's right. You can,” Cayden whispers on the other side of me. “Brie and I wish we could get back to normal, too. Say, we might need your help looking at something."
"Brett's book," I say, slapping it on the table.
Cayden's in my corner. I wink at Cayden, even though he was never a regular human. Noah is asking us to do to him what we had to do to Mr. Saffron. And to him, it's not fair. The drama teacher gets turned while he remains just plain Noah.
My best friend sighs. He can't hide it from me. "I'll take a look at this." Noah opens the book and flips through the lined pages in silence. Cayden's right about Brett's handwriting being awful.
"I've seen doctors who write better than that," Olivia says. "And my mother's handwriting is bad, believe me."
"I bet Brett made it this way on purpose," Cayden says.
"So this is Brett's spellbook?" Noah asks. "Revenge?" He turns his mouth up in a smile.
"Who knows? Maybe there's something in it that can heal your shoulder," Cayden says.
"But this doesn't look like the book of a good warlock," Noah says, tapping a symbol that looks like a demon with horns. "Man, I can't read this very well. The...summon...what's that word? I doubt there's anything here that can heal me." He seethes again. "Turn me. Please. I know pain's making me crazy—"
“Don't you look forward to going to college?” I ask.
“Yeah. I do. But this pain is getting in the way of me applying. I've only got a few months left.”
“You'll get there,” Olivia says, running her hand down his good arm. “Your shoulder will get better in no time. You just have to let it heal and let them stretch it out.”