Broken Blood

by Heather Hildenbrand

  “Why? Do people not like you?” she asked.

  I shared a look with Cambria and then shook my head, thinking of Cindy Adams and the bloody nose that got me expelled last spring. “Let’s just save that story for another day, shall we?”

  Someone tugged on my hand and I turned to find Alex. He nodded at me to follow him and lead the way around the corner of the house. The noise died off as the crowd disappeared behind us. The afternoon light slanted across the roof, sending this part of the yard into chilled shadow.

  I rubbed my hands over my arms, half-tempted to shift just to get warm. “What’s up?” I asked.

  “I’m headed out,” Alex said. “Just wanted to say goodbye.”

  “When will you be back?” I asked, suddenly very aware of the shift I felt happening between us. This was it, the next chapter. We’d won, and now life would go on in decidedly different directions.

  “A few days. I’ll pass back through on my way to Wood Point.” He grinned crookedly and flicked my shoulder. “You won’t be getting rid of me that easily and never for very long,” he added.

  “I’m glad,” I admitted. “Alex, you and I...”

  “We took a little longer than most to figure out how we fit,” he said, his words full of quiet understanding.

  I nodded and bit my lip, suddenly too close to tears to talk.

  “I’m sorry, for what it’s worth,” he said.

  “For what?” I asked, looking up at him with crinkled brows.

  “For making it difficult. I love you, and I think I always will, but mostly it’s a love borne from that strange place of connection when one person helps transform another.”

  “Are you saying I’m like your therapist or something?”

  “No,” he said, laughing. “Hardly. I just mean...” and the humor faded as he struggled to find words. “I’m who I am because of you. Open-minded, hopeful, accepting of people’s differences ... I’m helping enact a peace treaty, for goodness sake. I couldn’t have done this on my own. I will always be grateful to you for challenging me to see the world differently. Angela says—”

  “Angela?” I raised a brow.

  “We keep in touch,” he said with a shrug, but I caught the flicker behind his chocolaty irises and my eyes narrowed. “She was there in the hospital when I woke up and ... I promised her I’d keep her safe and out of it all. I’ve looked in on her from time to time.”

  “Looked in on her,” I repeated knowingly. “Alex Channing, are you catching feelings for my very human best friend?” I demanded.

  “Don’t make it weird,” he muttered, suddenly staring at some speck of dirt on the siding.

  I grinned as I thought back over it all and something inside me released. Alex glared but not even a dirty look could dampen my surprise. Him and Angela? But that was crazy talk. We might’ve come a long way in a short while but humans and Hunters? That was still a no-no. Then again, if anyone could change the world’s mind, it was Alex.

  “Sorry, no weirdness here,” I assured him. I cleared my throat. “Angela? You were saying?”

  “Nothing,” he muttered. I decided not to point out that his cheeks were flaming red. “You should call her. She misses you.”

  “Oh, I plan on it, trust me,” I said.

  His mouth tightened and he exhaled sharply. I’d gotten to him. It was kind of ridiculous how much fun I was having just knowing I could tease him about something like this.

  Alex was fast, but I was faster. I danced out of the way just as his hand shoved at empty air where my shoulder had been. He dropped his bag to the ground behind him and crouched low. “I can still take you, Godfrey,” he said.

  “You think so?” I challenged, matching his stance. “I fight dirty.”

  His lips quirked. “I’m counting on it,” he said.

  He leaped just as I turned and ran screaming for Wes and the others, Alex laughing and yelling behind me.

  Wes saw me coming, struggled out from under Derek, and climbed to his feet just in time. He caught me in his arms as I barreled into him. I watched his eyes widen as he caught sight of Alex.

  “Help!” I yelled desperately but there wasn’t time.

  Alex caught the edge of my shoulder as he ploughed into Wes. Derek and George were caught in the crossfire and we all went down in a tangled heap.

  “Dog pile!” I heard Jack yell and a real ripple of alarm pulsed through me at the thought of his massive bulk jumping on to the writhing pile of bodies.

  From my place between one person’s arm and another one’s knee, I watched as Fee tried grabbing Jack and holding him back—but he dragged her along her foot tangled with his. They tumbled toward us.

  Thankfully, George’s hand shot out from the bottom of the pile at the last second and hooked around Jack’s ankle. He went down on the outer edges instead of on top of my already-buried torso.

  “Seriously?” my mother said, but everyone ignored her.

  Cambria gave a battle cry and leaped and then I couldn’t see past the twisting of hands and legs around me. Laughter mixed with squeals and squirms as everyone tried for the upper hand.

  Breathless and utterly exhausted, I crawled away on my stomach, only to be grabbed and hauled back again. The cry—halfway out of my mouth—died on my tongue as I spotted my attacker.

  “My face hurts from laughing,” I pleaded. “Five minutes.”

  “Two,” Wes retorted, smiling down at me with twinkling eyes the color of warm caramel. He leaned down and brushed the tip of his nose against mine. His breath was warm and full on my mouth and my lips tingled simply at the sensation of being so close to his.

  I looked up at him, pure joy and love overflowing from my heart. It had all begun with a Werewolf showing up, offering his help to a frightened girl. After all this time, here it was, beginning again. Same Werewolf. Same girl—but so completely different than they had been before.

  In that moment, I couldn’t bring myself to regret a single moment of fear or uncertainty or misery. It had all made me who I was. It had all led me here. To the choices I’d made. And the life I was ready to begin living.

  Wes regarded me with a knowing expression, as if he’d read the thoughts as they’d come. Blood bond or no, an alpha and its mate were bonded by more than any science could ever explain. “Looks like you made all your choices. Are you happy with them?” he whispered.

  Somewhere behind us, the wrestling continued and over the sound of it all, I heard my mother fussing at me. Probably for publicly displaying ... ourselves.

  But I ignored her and gave him a private smile. “I’ve never been happier,” I told him honestly.

  His expression melted into soft and sweet. His lips lowered, hovering over mine. “You will be,” he promised, stroking my hair with gentle fingers. Fingers capable of making love and war. “Just wait.”

  In my mind, Vera’s spirit sat back in contentment, and I knew this was the moment she’d been waiting to show me all along.

  Chapter Thirty

  The final bell rang and I gathered my things, headed for my locker and then the closest exit. A familiar set of faces waited at the corner and I hurried to join them.

  “Where’s the fire?” Angela joked as I bypassed her and Sam with little more than a grunted hello.

  I concentrated on my lock combination and, when the door popped free, dumped my stuff and turned to face my two childhood friends. Angela had gotten new frames since the last time I’d seen her. These were dark and slimmer and, according to Sam, librarian-sexy; a compliment that always made Angela blush furiously. Sam hadn’t changed much. Her hair was still a shiny rich chestnut color that matched her eyes and her skirts were still just this side of the dress code. She’d gotten a job at a tanning salon over the summer so her skin was tinted a shade of brown that looked out of place in Virginia in December.

  But her smile was still just as mischievous as I remembered. It had taken Angela much longer to forgive me for my desertion than it had Sam. Even now, after owni
ng up and telling Angela everything—she was the only one of the two who knew what I really was—Angela still eyed me with a hint of suspicion.

  I knew their trust was something I’d have to earn back. I’d left without so much as a phone call to Sam but for Angela, I’d done worse. I’d put her in danger. I still felt terrible no matter how many times she assured me she didn’t blame me for it. I’d yet to ask her about Alex. We just weren’t there yet.

  “Emma and I have plans today,” I said, shoving my books into the narrow space.

  “Is this that ridiculous running club thing you guys do?” Sam asked, rolling her eyes. She was typing on her phone and missed the look Angela shot me and the secret smile I offered her back.

  “Yes, ridiculous running. We’re getting T-shirts made and everything,” I said.

  Sam snorted.

  “Are we still on for tomorrow?” Angela asked.

  “Girls night. Pool championship,” I said, nodding. “You’re all going down.”

  “Tell Cambria she agreed to supply the booze,” Sam said.

  “Just because we’re doing it at her apartment does not automatically mean she can get alcohol,” I said. “She’s barely eighteen.”

  Sam gave me a blank look and then her attention went back to her phone. “Fine, I’ll have my brother pick us up something,” she said, her fingers already flying over the keyboard once again.

  Angela and I shared another look.

  “What about you, Ang?” I asked. “Any big plans tonight?”

  “Um.”

  I didn’t miss the way her cheeks flamed a dark pink color before she looked away. “Maybe,” she said. That got Sam’s attention—finally.

  “No way,” Sam said. “If you have another date with that GI Joe you better own it. He is positively—”

  “Watch it,” Angela cut in and I shut my mouth—she’d taken the words right off my tongue. I was glad I hadn’t spoken up, though. This was Angela’s man to defend now. And I was okay with that.

  Sam gawked at her and almost dropped her phone. “Ohmygod. You really like him. Is he your boyfriend?”

  Angela pushed her glasses up and sighed, sending me a pleading look. I knew that look well. Rescue time. “What about you, Sam? You’ve been awfully cozy with your phone lately. What lucky guy has proven himself capable of stringing sentences together? Anyone we know?”

  Sam opened her mouth but Emma walked up, smiling brightly and bouncing with energy. “Ready?” she asked me.

  Mason Harding trailed behind her. He slowed when he reached Sam and stopped long enough to bend near her ear and whisper something. Sam giggled. “Okay,” she whispered.

  Mason grinned, hitched his bag higher on his shoulder, and hurried off.

  I stared after him and then leveled my gaze on Sam. Her dark hair was a sharp contrast to the cherry tint in her cheeks. “Mason?” I asked in disbelief.

  Partly because Sam had once said his chin reminded her of a newborn baby’s “little bits” but mostly because Mason was a Werewolf.

  A fact I knew. Sam did not.

  She tossed her hair, her jaw high and hard, as if daring us to challenge her. “Maybe,” she said haughtily. “Maybe not. See you tomorrow,” she added.

  Emma caught my eye as Sam disappeared through the same door Mason had used. “What?” she asked, her blue eyes wide.

  “Yeah, what?” Angela echoed.

  I debated for a split second and then made a decision. “Nothing,” I said. Neither girl looked convinced. “Really. I’m surprised that’s all. I’m just glad we live in a world where Sam’s love life is our biggest problem.”

  The other two agreed and we headed out.

  On the front steps of the school, a group of girls had gathered into a huddle. Giggles and high-pitched voices rose from the center. A voice I knew well spoke over the others and I pretended not to notice, hurrying in the other direction. But it was too late.

  “Tara,” a female voice called in a whiny sing-song.

  I cringed and turned around. “Hi, Cindy,” I said.

  Her gaze was sharp as she took in the sight of me, then Angela, and finally Emma beside me. Despite the halo of golden hair, she reminded me of a vulture just sitting around and waiting for the next carcass to pounce on. “I heard you were in court last week,” she said. “Your mother switched you out for a new version. Someone more malleable, easier to control?”

  My hands tightened into fists and I clenched my teeth. “Tara,” Angela warned.

  Emma was still as stone beside me. “I’m Tara’s new sister, Emma,” she said quietly. She stuck her hand out and I held my breath.

  Cindy looked down at it and then up again like she couldn’t decide. She reached slowly for Emma’s outstretched hand but the glint in her eye gave away her true feelings. “Emma, nice to meet you. If you want someone to show you the ropes around here, someone who can connect you with the right crowd, you just let me know,” Cindy said with special emphasis on the word “right.”

  I opened my mouth, hot temper overriding my better judgment despite all of my best intentions. “Tara,” Angela hissed and I shut my mouth again. But Cindy smiled. She knew she’d gotten to me.

  “Babe,” a male’s voice called from behind us and cut off whatever Cindy had been about to say next. “I’ve been looking for you.”

  Cindy spotted someone over my shoulder and her acidic smile froze on her face. “George?” she said as he walked up.

  “I’m right here,” Emma told him. She angled her face toward George and he dropped a kiss onto her cheek.

  He slipped his arm around Emma’s shoulders and looked at Cindy. “Hey, Cindy,” he said.

  “Hey,” she echoed, completely at a loss. Behind her, the groupies looked on in surprised silence.

  “We better go,” Emma said. “Cindy, was it? Nice meeting you. I’ll be sure to look out real carefully for the right crowd.” Emma winked and Cindy’s jaw fell open.

  The four of us spun and left Cindy and her minions behind. I resisted the urge to hug my little sister right then and there. “Emma, ten. Cindy Adams, zero,” I said instead.

  “Wait, what did I miss?” George asked and we all laughed.

  “I’ll call you tomorrow,” Angela said to me when we reached the steps.

  “Later,” I called. I watched her make her way to the used sedan she drove. When she’d gone, I grabbed Emma’s hand and pulled her and George along.

  “Let’s go,” I said, barely holding back my smile as the anticipation built.

  “Let’s hurry,” she agreed.

  We took the path across the lot to the track behind the school. We kept walking, cutting across the center lawn still set up for yesterday’s track meet, until we’d climbed the hill on the far side.

  “Do you seem them?” Emma asked, breathless and jittery. I knew it was excitement, not fear, because it matched mine.

  “No, but Cambria texted me during last period,” I said. “Everyone made it back. They’ll be here.”

  Behind us, a branch broke, and I whirled with Emma beside me. I peered into the shadowed woods and blinked as several shapes loomed. They became larger and more solid as they approached. When I could make out faces, I grinned and took off in a sprint toward them.

  Halfway there, I pushed off and leaped—shifting into my wolf in midair. I landed noiselessly on four paws and Wes was already there, shaking his russet fur in disapproval.

  “Your mom’s going to kill you for ruining another outfit,” Cambria said. Her black fur shone even in the dull light. George was always bugging her about what conditioner she used.

  I snickered and rubbed my face against Wes’s shoulder. “I’ll just borrow something from you. She won’t notice the difference,” I told her.

  “Yeah, right. Because our styles are sooo the same,” she said.

  “Are we going to do this or stand here and talk about your fashion sense all day?” Derek demanded.

  “We’re doing this,” Jack said. Fee stood n
ext to him and I pulled my lips over my teeth in a wolfish smile. They’d been out of town with Wes for the past few days on Cause business. It felt good to have everyone back in one place again. Well, almost everyone. But if today’s mission went well, by day’s end, I’d have all of my loved ones with me.

  Cambria shifted impatiently.

  Jack looked up from the head of the pack and then hesitated. “Wes, do you want to lead?”

  “Nope. I’m hanging back to goof off with my girlfriend,” he said.

  Derek chuckled but Fee pinned him with a look. “This is an official Cause mission, sanctioned by CHAS. You should take it seriously.”

  “When I know for sure that Logan and Victoria have Astor in position, I’ll take point,” Wes said. “For now, it’s a run through the woods.”

  “You think they’ll convince the old coot to do this?” George asked.

  I glared. “Don’t call him an old coot,” I said.

  “I hope so,” Cambria said. “The look on Benny’s face when he finds out his next fighter is ... what does Astor call himself? Wolfman?” She shook her head. “His expression is going to be priceless.”

  “Logan said he flew Jeeves in to act as his coach,” Derek said.

  “His name is Mathias,” I corrected but no one was listening.

  “He does realize the match is a cover, right?” Wes asked. “He isn’t actually planning on fighting, right?”

  No one answered. “Let’s get going,” Jack said and started down the narrow trail that snaked through the woods toward the highway.

  “If we weren’t busting him for illegal gambling, I’d bet on Astor,” Derek said.

  “Me too,” Jack muttered and earned a sharp look from Fee.

  I suppressed a laugh and was shoved sideways by George. “What the heck?” I demanded.

  His eyes were wild and full of an old challenge I recognized. “Race you,” he said.

  I glanced at Wes, who nodded, and Emma, Derek, and Cambria, who were already crouched, waiting for my signal. I looked back at George, my muscles bunched, my tendons already pulled taut at the ready.