When Jeremy returned, his face was paler than usual, but he brightened when he saw Willow. A stranger might have assumed he was attracted to her, but I had the feeling he was practicing on Willow.
“She’s not doing good,” he said in reply to Byron’s pointed look. “Maybe we should take her to a doctor.”
“Now’s probably not the time,” Ryan said. “They’re on their way. Vin’s mate made contact with Willow earlier, warned her to pull out all of the stops tomorrow. They’ll attack the house; Willow’s supposed to draw you all out.”
“By herself?” Opa asked, frowning.
“Yes. He isn’t concerned about her safety.” Ryan’s anger caused tremors in the air, stirring my own wolf.
“So it’s tomorrow,” Byron muttered.
“I still believe the best way is to keep the girl in the house,” Ryan said. “The rest of us can hide. When they show themselves, we flank them, surprise them. Willow’s scent might confuse them and make them hesitate.”
“And then what?” I asked.
“Kill them,” Jeremy said simply, and he laid a hand on Willow’s shoulder to calm her.
“Jeremy, we spoke about this,” Byron said. Over and over. The argument about what to do with the wolves had been incessant over the last couple of days.
“I know, but I’ve been thinking about it. We kill all but one. Let him go back and pass on a message.”
“We can’t do that!” I blurted.
At first, Jeremy seemed surprised. After all, I had been the one gunning for blood after hearing about what had happened to my parents. But I realised I couldn’t face Perdita’s eyes if I went into battle with bloodlust in mind. I never wanted her to look at me with fear again.
Jeremy recovered quickly. “What else are we going to do? Invite them for tea?” The mocking look on Jeremy’s face really bugged me.
“I’d rather not become a murderer this week, thanks,” I snapped back. “There are ways of sending messages without actually killing people, and we already agreed on the plan. Who are you to change things now?”
“Nathan’s right. We won’t be murderers. Not in this lifetime,” Byron said.
“Think about it,” Opa said, his eyes darkening. “This is our chance to weaken their numbers.”
“No, it’s our chance to do the right thing,” Byron said firmly. He caught my eye. “We won’t become like Vin.”
“We need to send the right message,” my grandfather snapped.
Byron stood and faced the old man calmly. “That’s one thing we agree on. But we’re sending the message my way.”
A chill ran over my skin as my uncle exerted his will. My grandfather looked away, shamed. Byron had finally stepped up to the plate. My shoulders dipped with the relief that fell over me. We were in safe hands. I knew, finally knew for sure, that I could trust Byron.
“We aren’t monsters,” Byron said, looking around at all of us. “There’s been too much bloodshed, too much pain. Over the years, we’ve all lost loved ones. Now we have to end the suffering, if only for our own sakes. But we’re not going to lose ourselves in the process. And we’re not going to murder werewolves who have no say so. They’re on his orders; that isn’t free will.”
“So what do we do then?” Jeremy asked. He didn’t look pleased at all, and I wondered if he had been planning on trying to take over from our grandfather. It wouldn’t have surprised me at all.
“We keep them away from the house and send them back to Vin with their tails between their legs. The fact that Willow and Ryan are standing with us will speak volumes. I’ll tell them I want to challenge Vin. He’ll have little choice but to come and face us if he wants to keep the respect of his pack. If he doesn’t, I’ve no doubt some young wolf will take advantage of the situation.”
“I like it,” Ryan said. “We’re all used to Vin’s lack of concern for life. A bit of mercy will go a long way.”
My grandfather snorted with disdain, but for once, I was happy to be part of our family. I was proud of Byron’s decision, as hard as it must have been. He had stood up for himself, and in a way, we were stronger for his resistance to violence. We would all have to fight, but we weren’t in it to kill, and the wolves coming for Amelia would get the biggest surprise possible.
“What about Amelia?” I asked. “She’s ill. What if one of them manages to get past us?”
“She’ll have the dogs,” Byron said. “And Perdita will stay with her.”
“You’re really planning on setting a teenage girl as her protector?” Jeremy scoffed.
“Perdita was here when you weren’t,” Byron said coldly. “She’s brave, but most importantly, she’ll keep Amelia calm.”
Chastened, Jeremy sat in the corner. Willow glanced from him to Byron in confusion, but Ryan patted her arm until her eyes grew calm again. She descended into a blank stare, and I looked away, feeling terrible for staring at her illness.
“I don’t know about bringing Perdita here,” I said. “Right into the midst of the danger?”
“Better here with us than home alone,” Byron said. “I know what you’re thinking, but we don’t know if Vin had orders he didn’t tell Willow. Perdita will be safer close to you. I know you won’t let anyone get past us, Nathan. Not when the girls are in the house.”
His faith warmed me. He was right. I would never let anyone get close to Amelia or Perdita. We would be okay. All six of us. I was surprised to find myself concerned for even Ryan and Willow. They would never be able to make the journey home, not while Vin remained in charge of things. But if everything went as planned, we might be able to help a lot of werewolves. Yeah, a lot of them hated us, but that was mostly because of Vin. There had to be others like Ryan, ones who didn’t enjoy the way Vin ruled. The problem had turned out to be a lot bigger than just us.
“I’ll keep an eye on anyone trying to sneak into the house, too,” Ryan volunteered. “And afterward, I can always try to persuade wolves to come onto our side if needed. I have a feeling Vin won’t let this lie. He’ll take his time, make you think he won’t be coming, then he’ll creep in, in the dead of night. Out of all of those wolves in hiding, some might be brave enough to face him alongside us.”
“I’m hoping we won’t need them, but we can always use more voices against him,” Byron said.
“So what? We’re hoping to talk him down now?” Jeremy sounded frustrated. “He doesn’t care about fancy words, Dad. We need to fight fire with fire.”
“If it comes to that, so be it. But we’re not going in guns blazing. We need to be the smart ones here,” Byron replied, looking a little disappointed in his son’s attitude.
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” I said. “We need to deal with tomorrow’s fight first.”
Silence fell. None of us knew what would happen, but we were counting on coming out on top.
We had to win.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Perdita
Dad shrugged sheepishly. “I’m sorry, okay? I’m frustrated about being stuck in a hospital bed. I didn’t mean to make you feel stupid, or irrelevant, or… anything bad.”
“It’s fine,” I said. I had been thinking a lot, too. Blaming Dad because I couldn’t tell him somebody else’s secret was plain stupid. When he had been unconscious, I’d kept making promises to myself that I would be a better daughter, and as soon as he awoke, I started treating him badly. I didn’t know how to cope with everything. Yet I couldn’t explain that to him truthfully, so I ended up even more frustrated than when I started.
“No, it’s not fine,” he insisted. “You should be able to tell me anything, but you’ve been holding in whatever’s bothering you. Probably because you feel as though I won’t listen or believe you. This is all my fault.”
“It’s not your fault. Seriously, Dad, I wouldn’t…” I faltered as a text made my phone vibrate. I couldn’t resist checking it. Meredith had bought me the coolest phone I had ever owned, and I didn’t want to rub Dad’s face in it or an
ything, but I had to know if there was news from Nathan. Ignoring Dad’s frown, I read the text, the phone shaking in my hands.
They were coming.
Nathan and I had already discussed the logistics, but knowing it was happening the very next day made me want to vomit. There was no turning back.
“Perdy.”
I should have heeded the warning in Dad’s voice, but I couldn’t focus on him. I slid the phone back into my pocket, hoping my heart would stop racing sometime soon.
“Was that him?”
“What?”
“Was that Nathan?”
“Yes, but—”
“I warned you, Perdy.”
“It’s a text, Dad. That’s not seeing him.”
He clenched his fists and thumped the bed. “I know you’ve been seeing him!”
“Gran said—”
“I don’t care what she said! She isn’t your parent. I am.”
“If I asked Meredith—”
“Don’t go there, young lady. I’m warning you. I’m the one who’s taken care of you. I’m your guardian. I get to say what the rules are.”
“Listen to me for a second. Please! I don’t want to argue with you, especially not now.”
“Then keep away from him. That’s all I’m asking. No, it’s all I’m telling you to do.”
“They need me. I have to help them when they need me.”
“They? Nathan and Amelia? The rest of their family can help them. Not you.” He set his jaw stubbornly.
I could see trouble brewing, but I couldn’t back down. I had to be with Amelia, to keep her safe.
“Dad, I’m begging you. One more day with them. That’s all. One day. Then I’ll do whatever you want. But I made a promise, and I have to stick to it. I have to do the right thing, and I can’t tell you what it is right now, but if I did, you would see I’m right.”
“There’s nothing worth disobeying me over. It’s been problem after problem with you lately. You’ve no respect at all. You expect me to listen to your excuses, then in the next breath, you say you can’t reveal them. Why on earth would I listen to you now?”
“Because I deserve some respect, too, Dad! You have to stop treating me like a child! I’m not being dramatic for the sake of it. This is really important to me, and if you cared at all, you’d give me the benefit of the doubt.”
I stormed out of the room and slammed the door behind me, but even that couldn’t drown out his shout.
“I can’t let you do this to yourself!”
***
Hanging out in Nathan’s house was bad enough, what with all the rampant werewolf tension, but when the Gardaí who had taken my statement at the hospital turned up, I seriously wanted to run away and hide.
“Well, look who we have here,” Blue Eyes said, grinning as Byron invited them inside.
“Isn’t that funny?” the younger one said. “Miss Rivers, did you know your father tried to make us file a missing persons report on you no less than an hour ago?”
“Why doesn’t that surprise me?” I muttered. “Well, I’m not missing. Obviously.”
“So what are you doing here?” Blue Eyes asked.
“Looking after my friend. Girl troubles.”
He gave me a stern look as Nathan covered a snigger with a cough.
“Mr. Evans, we’d like to take a look at your animals. All of them. And the dog licences, please.”
“I already showed them to the dog warden,” Byron said.
“All the same. I’d like to see them myself.”
Byron whistled loudly, making myself and the two Gardaí jump. Five wolfhounds came running from different directions, at least two of them covered in muck, and all of them skidding to a stop next to Byron. “There,” he said. “This is all of them. Wolfhounds, as I keep telling you.”
“And the licences?”
Byron made a frustrated sound in his throat. “I’ll get them now.”
When Byron returned with the licences, the policeman looked them over very seriously. “There’s six licenses,” Blue Eyes said. “Where’s the sixth dog?”
Byron blinked rapidly. “He died. Recently.”
“Of what?”
“Old age.”
“His birth date doesn’t make him very old.”
Byron shrugged. “They aren’t dogs who live very long. It’s the size, probably.”
“Expensive breed for dogs who don’t live so long.”
“Call it a hobby.”
“A hobby? Well, we’ve seen enough, I think. Miss Rivers, we’ll give you a lift home.” He said it in a way that made me afraid to argue. He didn’t even give me a chance to say goodbye to Nathan properly; instead, he ushered me out to the police car parked in the driveway.
“People will think I’ve been arrested.”
“Ah, it won’t do you any harm.”
They drove in silence, and I felt mightily intimidated in the back seat. When they pulled up outside my house, they both turned in their seats and stared at me.
“What?” I asked.
“Do you really think you should be scaring your father like that? He’s gravely ill in hospital, and you’re giving him scares.”
“He knew where I was!”
“Oh, I don’t doubt that. But he thinks that crowd is dodgy, and maybe he’s right. It isn’t worth the risk. Not for a young one like yourself. Is there anyone home?”
“My dad’s not capable of looking after me, so my mother came back to do it for him. And she has no problem with me being over there, okay?”
They didn’t say a word as I got out, but they didn’t drive away until I was inside the house.
I hoped they didn’t show up at Nathan’s house when the other werewolves turned up for a fight.
We didn’t need any more blood to spill.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Nathan
We all woke up earlier than usual. Our dogs barked to warn us that werewolves were at the door. Good ones, hopefully. I couldn’t focus properly. My body itched to change, to protect my own. I tried to wake Amelia, but she was too ill to do anything other than groan and roll over.
“I’m worried about her,” I told Byron. “All of these headaches and dreams… I know you said the change isn’t possible until her birthday, but what are we supposed to do with her until then? She can’t stay in bed for months.”
“We don’t have time right now,” he said, stress etching deep lines around his eyes. “If it’s the change coming, there isn’t a lot we can do for her. And if it isn’t, she’s safer here until we deal with those wolves. I promise you, if she’s worse tomorrow, I’ll take her to the hospital myself.”
He squeezed my shoulder before hurrying away to speak to Ryan, but I wasn’t reassured. Not at all. I remembered my change, how unexpected it had been and how nobody had been there when it felt as though my head split in two. I took some water upstairs to leave on my sister’s bedside table, hoping she would know she wasn’t alone.
Perdita arrived earlier than I expected, and I met her in the driveway with an eager embrace. I took her hand in an attempt to stop it shaking.
“It’ll be okay,” I reassured her. She nodded, but the tense expression on her face never changed.
“Come on,” Jeremy called from the doorway. “We’ve been waiting to go over everything.”
We followed Jeremy back into the house and to Byron’s office where everyone save Amelia had already gathered.
Perdita’s apprehension soaked the air. We stood side by side, barely touching, as Byron discussed the plan one last time. Perdita was instructed to lock herself in the house with the dogs and Amelia. The rest of us would hide in the adjoining houses until the wolves came. Willow hadn’t found out when exactly they would come. She hadn’t even seen her pack mates. All she knew was that she was expected to go after Perdita to distract my family. It chilled my blood to think of all of the people who had conspired to hurt Perdita, all because of me.
Perdita and I
said our goodbyes on the upstairs landing. If anything happened to me, the werewolves would find their way to her. All or nothing. Together or gone forever. I saw the worry darken her eyes, heard it quicken her heartbeat, and scented a mixture of fear and desire that mirrored my own. We hadn’t spent enough time together, hadn’t had the chance to really figure out what the future had in store for us, and it might be too late.
For many seconds, we held each other’s gaze. Inches separated us, but they might as well have been miles. I was almost afraid to say goodbye in case it tempted fate, in case our goodbye kiss would be our last.
Finally, she spoke. “See you soon.” She sounded determined, and it gave me strength.
“Of course,” I said, giving her what I hoped was a confident grin.
A shiver ran through her, and doubt filled her eyes. I ran my thumb across her cheek, committing the curves of her face to memory. I had something to come back to, and that made the difference. Leaning against the wall, I cupped her head and dropped a light kiss on her lips. “I won’t be long.”
Her arms curved around my shoulders, pulling me closer. Her kiss was urgent, desperate, taking my breath away. I lifted her a little, just to hold her closer, but Byron came to separate us before the need grew too strong, when there was still a chance of stopping us.
“It’s time to go,” he said. “We’ll make sure your door is locked before we leave.”
She nuzzled my cheek, and when she pulled away, her eyelashes were wet. She squeezed my hand and walked into Amelia’s bedroom without looking back, leaving me bereft. She called the dogs in a shaky voice, and when they had all run in, she closed the door. The key turning in the lock made a harsh noise that seemed to connect with my heart.
“They’ll be fine,” Byron said, but his excitement won over anything else. I followed him downstairs, knowing that whatever happened, I couldn’t allow a werewolf to get past me. And I had to get back to that girl. Things had been difficult between us through little fault of our own, and I was planning on making everything better as soon as the danger was gone from our path. I would make it all up to her.