by Melissa Haag
“Are we going to be offered up like some kind of human sacrifice?”
I grinned at Zoe.
“Megan already put her foot down. She said there would be no human sacrifices.”
“Good,” Kelsey said.
“Well, it still bites, though,” Zoe said. “Here, I thought we might go back to attending classes instead of watching for signs of our new neighbor.”
“You have a new neighbor?”
“As of this morning,” Zoe said. “Until then, the only creature we’ve ever seen coming and going was a goblin at night. We know he’s generally harmless to our kind and watch him.” Zoe shrugged. “Sometimes it’s good entertainment. Anyway, he was walking around the yard this morning and looking over the house instead of leaving. We saw why when this guy in a black leather jacket fell from the sky. I nearly peed myself, and not because he was hot, which he was. I got away from the window fast.”
Kelsey rolled her eyes at her younger sister and added, “He spoke with the goblin then went inside. Haven’t seen him since then. Do you know who he is?”
“More importantly, do you know what he is?” Zoe asked.
“I don’t, but before I leave, I’ll find out.”
“Good. I’d feel better knowing what we’re dealing with. We’ve mapped out most of our neighbors. Druids, dwarves, and a couple of banshees. We think the house at the end of the block is a family of trolls, but we’re only guessing. No incubi as far as we’ve seen.”
I could feel the worry radiating off of the pair.
“Why don’t you go back to the human world? I can feel you’re uncomfortable here.”
“Yeah, well, someone we know and respect told us to always be on our guard. I doubt you’ll ever feel either of us comfortable. But we weren’t comfortable in the human world either. Both places have their dangers. At least here, we have a handful of people watching out for us.”
“You, Megan, Ashlyn, and Eugene,” Zoe supplied helpfully. “It’s a small, slightly absent handful.”
I considered them for a moment.
“Ashlyn fought to attend school because she said hiding in her house wasn’t living. She would have done anything for any small measure of normalcy without losing the memory of who she was. The longer you take to decide if you want to be part of this world, the more you might lose if you change your mind. I’m not telling you to jump in if you’re not ready. I’m warning you what your life might look like if you never are.”
Kelsey slowly nodded.
“For a person who keeps reminding us not to trust her, you really give some good advice.”
I gave her a wry smile.
“I’ve had my share of not living and hiding from harsh truths. Honestly, I’m not sure I’m entirely done hiding from them. Time doesn’t make some truths easier to bear, though. At least, not in my experience.”
Zoe and Kelsey shared a look. “Okay. I guess it’s time we go back to school. Eugene said the werewolves were pretty nice.”
I cringed as I realized what I’d done and fumbled for my phone. How could I have left Eugene alone at school with a human-killing wolf?
Me: Please tell me someone is keeping an eye on Eugene with Aubrey around.
Fenris: I asked Jenna to keep tabs on him.
Me: I’ve seen how Aubrey bosses her around. Will Jenna be able to stand up to Aubrey?
Fenris: She won’t have to. I’m chained to Aubrey for the rest of the day. I’ll stand up to her if anything happens.
Me: I’m sorry, and thank you.
Fenris: I’ll accept your apology if you send me a selfie.
I snorted.
“Everything okay?” Kelsey asked.
“Remember how I was mad when I got here?”
She nodded.
“Well, Fenris is my mate, no one believes us, and the female wolf who killed a human before you arrived is back in town to make a play for Fenris. She’s at school, and I needed to make sure someone was watching over Eugene.”
Kelsey looked like I’d just told her the tooth fairy was real but ate the teeth it collected.
“Wow,” Zoe said. “You have a gift for talking us into school and right back out of it again.”
“Sorry. Hopefully, she won’t be here after this Saturday. And if it makes you feel any better, she has a tracking spell on her. I think the pack elders are monitoring her to make sure she doesn’t go anywhere she’s not supposed to.”
“Since she’s supposed to be at the school we want to attend, no, that doesn’t make us feel better,” Zoe said.
I opened my mouth to apologize again and closed it.
Kelsey gave me a small smile. “Seriously, don’t worry about it. It’s obvious you didn’t invite her back. Are werewolves and succubi a normal thing?”
“Not really. That’s why no one believes Fenris.”
“Do you believe him?” Zoe asked astutely.
“I think I do. I want to. What I am and how I affect people makes it hard to know what’s real and what’s not.”
“I think you do know,” Zoe said. “At least, Eras did. His coercion only went so far. It pulled me in, and I remember how it felt. The way I wanted to kiss him. To taste him.” She shuddered. “Even though a part of me wanted all of that, a larger part of me didn’t. That’s why I cried. If Fenris really didn’t want you, you’d feel it.”
I stared at Zoe for a struck moment and realized how right she was when I thought back to all of the people Mom fed from who’d been reluctant. The most recent example being the man she’d tied to a chair at the Quills’. I’d felt his resistance before Mom flashed him. Then again, when she’d offered to share him. There’d never been any of that with Fenris. Just lust. All the time.
“Thank you,” I breathed, looking at Zoe. “I hope you do decide to stay, but for purely selfish reasons. It’s not easy to make friends here.”
The sisters laughed.
“Oh, we know,” Kelsey said.
I stayed and talked with them for a while longer, adding to what they knew about various creatures from Ashlyn’s journals. When it was time for them to make lunch, I said goodbye and went to the neighbor’s house.
“Go away,” an accented voice said through the door when I knocked.
“You either talk to me or a fury. Take your pick.”
I heard something muttered in another language a moment before he yanked the door open. Zoe was right. Their neighbor was handsome. Dark, golden skin with dark coarse hair and bright hazel eyes that edged toward yellow. Too bad his angry scowl marred his beauty.
“My name’s Eliana. I’m here on behalf of—”
“The Council can—”
“Whoa!” I interrupted, feeling his rage. “I’m not here on behalf of the Council. I’m here for your neighbors.”
His now golden gaze flicked toward Kelsey and Zoe’s place.
“Why?”
“Because they’re human and new and wondering who you are. And before you get any ideas that they’re easy prey, they’re protected by Megan, the resident fury.”
His gaze pinned me. “Resident fury?”
“Yep. And she’s very protective of the humans in Uttira. Can I count on you to leave your neighbors alone and notify the Council if you see anyone acting against Megan’s wishes to keep the humans safe?”
He stared at me for a hard second.
“Perhaps.”
He slammed the door shut in my face.
On my way to my car, I sent Kelsey a text.
Me: Your neighbor is rude but understands you’re under Megan’s protection. He should leave you alone. But if he doesn’t, let Megan know. She’ll be able to get to you faster than I can.
Kelsey: Do you know what he is?
Me: No, but I’ll ask Mrs. Quill to see if she knows.
Kelsey: Thanks. And thanks for the visit. Come back any time.
Chapter Sixteen
“We’ve been expecting you,” Mom said from the kitchen table as Dad took my jacket.
&nb
sp; “You have?”
“Oh yes.” She beamed at me. “Adira called as soon as she left you.”
I wrinkled my nose and glanced at Dad as I quickly explained. “She was being impossible and attempting to force me to do things I didn’t want to do. I did my best to keep my tone respectful, but I was pretty upset.”
He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and kissed my temple.
“You’re a good person, Eliana, to give respect when so little is given in return. But I have a feeling that’s going to change for you.”
“What do you mean?”
“Come sit, baby,” Mom said.
Knowing that Dad wouldn’t answer my question, I went to join her. However, the feel of her uninhibited joy as I drew near worried me.
“The last time you felt this happy was when you talked me into wearing that see-through dress,” I said.
She laughed and waved her hand.
“Please don’t hold that against me. We were still learning about each other. I can see now how blind I was then, and I won’t make that mistake again.”
She patted the chair, and I reluctantly took the seat.
“We both know that today’s show of disrespect to Adira isn’t going to change her attitude toward me, Mom. If anything, she’ll have taken it as a challenge and will push even harder. I couldn’t have picked a worse time to attempt to put my foot down.”
“Why’s that?”
I launched into an explanation of last night’s Council meeting and how Megan’s revelation that a god was awake devolved into a tense discussion about how Raiden didn’t believe I was Fenris’s mate and pretty much forbade us from spending time together.
“Megan was smart to put Fenris in your room. I don’t like that you don’t have access to food, though. Is there any chance you’d consider a different meal?”
I wrinkled my nose at just the thought of feeding from Mrs. Quill.
“I’m fine waiting until I see him again.”
“I’m not. I don’t want you falling back into bad habits. If you don’t mind, I’d like to invite Fenris and Raiden over for dinner tonight.”
I gave Mom a questioning look. Since she’d told Adira about the dryad incident, Mom had been great about asking me before talking to other people about me. But she’d never before asked so respectfully.
“I don’t mind.”
She smiled at me and immediately dialed a number but didn’t put it on speaker phone this time.
“I’m surprised you picked up.” She paused to listen. “You’d be correct in thinking that after the way you’ve treated Eliana. She tells me that you don’t believe that she’s Fenris’s mate.” A hard look entered Mom’s eyes. “What if the kids are telling the truth, Raiden? Is this how you want to start your relationship with Eliana, the future mother of your grandchildren?” Mom exhaled slowly as she paused to listen. “I’d like you and Fenris to come over for dinner. A chance for all of us to meet formally. I promise I’ll eat beforehand so you’ll be safe.”
She was quiet for another moment then hung up.
“Did he accept?” Dad asked.
“He did.”
“Then I better get to work.”
He left Mom and me at the table and pulled a roast from the freezer. Mom’s hand covered mine to get my attention.
“I’m glad Megan’s focusing on finding the answers to the woken god. The faster he’s appeased and forgets we exist, the better.” She didn’t release my hand, and I could feel her hesitation.
“What aren’t you saying?”
“I’m curious how Adira treated you last night.”
“Like she always does. If Megan hadn’t insisted that we stay, Adira would have sent me to my room like a child.” I smiled a little to myself, remembering Megan’s words. “Megan told Adira that Oanen, Fenris, and I were her voice of reason to keep her from throat-punching them all.”
Mom chuckled.
“I wish I could have been there. How did Adira treat you when she talked to you this morning?”
“The same.”
Mom tilted her head and studied me. “Nothing felt different?”
I shrugged a little as I tried to remember. “I was a little angrier, maybe. Raiden wanted her to teleport Fenris straight home after his last class. I could feel how mad that made him. Raiden already has a tracking spell on him. It’s just…I don’t know. I guess I understood how trapped he felt and told Adria to leave him alone and said that I’d rather starve than feed in public like she’s so determined to make me do.”
Mom’s gaze shifted over my face, scrutinizing me for a long moment.
“And how did you feel after you were done speaking with her?”
“Still very angry. Why? What did Adira say when she called you?”
Mom smiled and patted my hand.
“Nothing to worry about. Would you like to watch a movie with me?”
My hunger clawed at me, robbing me of reason for a moment, and I snapped at Dad.
“I said I don’t want any.”
His startled look and my very sharp vision immediately returned my sanity. Averting my gaze, I attempted to make things right.
“I’m sorry, Dad. I didn’t mean to speak like that. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
“You’re hungry, Eliana,” Mom said, watching me closely. “I know the chocolate isn’t what you want, but perhaps it will help soothe you until what you want arrives.”
I thought of Fenris, and my hunger stirred again. Before it took over, I grabbed the chocolate ganache with raspberry mousse and shoved a bite in my mouth. It was good, but nowhere near as rich and delicious as Fenris.
“You don’t have to apologize to me, Eliana,” Dad said, setting a gentle hand on my shoulder. “And you don’t have to avert your gaze. I know what you are and understand.”
Lights hit the front window, and I froze, staring hungrily at the door. Mom said something to Dad, but I didn’t catch more than ‘say nothing’ as I set my dessert aside and listened to the sounds outside. The engine went silent. I stood. Two doors slammed shut; then there was nothing.
My gaze shifted to the door as Dad opened it and stepped back.
“Please, come in,” he said, his words barely registering as I glided closer.
Raiden saw me and held up a hand.
“Eliana, we’re here to eat human food. I didn’t bring Fenris so you could—”
“Move or I will move you.” I didn’t care if I was being rude. I needed Fenris.
Raiden’s eyes went wide, and he immediately stepped aside, revealing Fenris. Our gazes locked. The tension I felt in Fenris melted away, and he offered me his signature boyish smile.
“I didn’t get a selfie,” he said. “But I like this better.”
I launched myself at him, and he caught me in his arms, holding me to his chest as I shook with hunger.
“I told you that you’d come running for my hugs one day,” he murmured against my hair. “Now take what you need, my little love sponge. I smell roast.”
Burying my nose in the crook of his neck, I breathed in his lust. Each pull settled into my stomach and brought more relief than the last one. His hand stroked down my back and played with my hair as he held me and let me eat my fill. I don’t know how long I fed, but when my hunger finally settled enough that I could think straight, I realized I wasn’t just hugging Fenris. I had my legs wrapped around his waist, and one of his hands was on my backside.
A flush of embarrassment speared me, and I quickly untangled myself and looked for Dad with an apology ready. However, Fenris and I were standing alone near the open front door. Raiden sat at the kitchen table, looking at his hands, and Mom stood between the dining room and the kitchen, watching us.
“Where’s Dad?” I asked as Fenris closed the door.
“Checking the roast.”
“Are you ready to eat?” Dad called.
I flushed as I realized that Mom had moved Dad away so he wouldn’t be affected by me. Relief stung
my eyes, and I looked at Mom.
“I didn’t mean to do that.”
“Of course you didn’t. You were too hungry, Eliana, and the fault in that isn’t yours. Is it, Raiden?”
She looked at Fenris’s dad, who said nothing. Mom muttered, “stubborn” before helping Dad carry dishes to the table.
Fenris’s fingers threaded through mine, and I looked up at him.
“I’m glad I got a hug instead of the slap I was anticipating.”
“I would never slap you.” Then I felt his humor. “But you already knew that.”
“I thought I did, but I can’t say I’ve been thinking straight since you left school. Can I get seconds on that hug before we eat?”
I could feel the real urgency behind those words. The need to soothe Fenris called to me. Knowing that Dad was probably watching, I hugged Fenris conservatively and snuck another pull or three before releasing him.
He exhaled heavily and set his forehead to mine, breathing in my scent.
“You have no idea how much I missed you.”
“I think I’m getting the idea.”
He grinned at me before we moved to the table. Mom insisted we sit together. If Raiden had any objection, he didn’t voice it. Fenris’s leg brushed mine as we passed the dishes, and after I took my first bite of roast, he traded our forks. The taste of him lingered on the tines, making the next bite divine.
“How old are you now, Raiden? Seventy? Eighty?” asked Mom.
“You know I’m forty-five.”
“Really? It’s a shame you’re losing your eyesight so young.”
Everyone glanced at Mom questioningly.
“What other explanation is there for your complete blindness toward what’s right before us? Look at them, Raiden. I know you saw what your son just did.”
Raiden sighed and did indeed look at me before turning to Mom and addressing the elephant in the room.
“Eliana is a good person, and I truly like her. That’s the only reason I agreed to your and Adira’s request to have Fenris spend more time with her. I trusted her to respect the boundaries of my kind. However, I didn’t expect things to progress so quickly between them.”
