My mum, however, was fit to burst. “That’s ridiculous! What are you even talking about? Your cousin is playing a trick on you!”
“Mom.”
“I’m going to call him right now to give him a piece of my mind. The nerve! We trusted him to---to--we should have never let her go, Richard!” She was getting louder, practically running as she paced.
“Mom.” I got quieter instead of louder.
“Talk to your daughter while I find him, I’m going to see what he thinks he’s--”
“Millie!” My dad practically yelled, abruptly stopping her in her tracks.
She looked between us, tears glittering in her eyes and her cheeks bright red with exertion or panic.
He waited until he was sure she wasn’t going to fly off the handle again, and said firmly. “Yes. Yes, we are werewolves.”
“Really?” Hardly the most eloquent response I’ve ever given, but I was so bloody stunned. I stood up slowly, staring around at my childhood home as if I hadn’t ever seen it before.
“Sit back down, you look pale.”
I ignored him, his voice came from so far away. I just needed some fresh air, then we could chat about all the things they hadn’t told me yet. I started toward the door.
She grasped at my sleeve. “Wait, we had to, you don’t understand!”
I yanked my arm away, nearly causing her to stumble with the unexpectedness of it. “Don’t! Don’t touch me.” I was furious, not because of what she was, but because of what she did.
She looked as if I pushed her instead of tried to get away, she always did that. “I’m sorry, we had to! We had to, please!”
I wondered if her shrieking voice was carrying to the neighbors. I also wondered if I inherited her madness.
She wrung her hands together again. “We kept you safe. They took your brother, Gemma, I couldn’t let that happen to you. We never found his body,” she choked, the tears from earlier finally spilling over her cheeks. Normally when she cried, it was harsh and full of dissonance with only a cursory effort put into holding it back.
Not now. Her face was turning a mottled color, teeth clenched as she tried to hold it all back. Slowly, her eyes were glazed over with agony, as if what was going on right now didn’t matter.
I wasn’t important anymore. There was only the sheen of trapped desperation in her eyes. I turned and walked out the door before she broke down and wept. I didn’t want to hear the same old keening wails, and I didn’t want to hear a new quiet weeping either.
I almost escaped before she broke. The sound sent chills up my arms and down my spine as I shut the door behind me and ran down to my car.
I didn’t realize I was crying as well until I struggled to insert the keys in the ignition, it kept going blurry. I wiped my eyes harshly and got the car moving, white-knuckling the steering wheel.
They changed into wolves at the full moon and I had a brother I never knew about? I couldn’t decide which was worse.
No, that wasn’t true.
It was the bigger lie to know they’d been hiding something from me every month for the entirety of my life, but it hurt more to hear about a sibling I never knew I had. How old was he when...when it happened? What was his name, was he older or younger than me?
He would always be younger than me.
I pulled over to the side of the road to lean on the steering wheel, letting my head hang as tiny, hitching sobs filled the enclosed space.
Chapter 6
The moon was larger than she had ever seen it. It looked pale and completely bloated over the tree-lined horizon. The crackle of fire and crunching of dead leaves was loud in her ears, as real as the scent of burning wood and something far more fur ruffling.
Fur? She looked down at her hands, they looked the same as always.
Large shapes slunk around the edges of the tiny grassy clearing, their coats ranging from cream to dirty blond to black.
One heavy wolf pushed against her side, like a cat wanting to be petted.
She scratched the thick soft bristles on its neck, letting its body heat soak into her for warmth.
A dozen or so wolves milled around, four of which came and acknowledged her, pushing their snout under her hand or sniffing at her before sitting near her. Two laid at the edge of the clearing with tails between her legs, and others paced around the perimeter, whining and growling alternately.
They were waiting for something. Or somebody.
She knew when they heard something when ears shot up and lips drew back from teeth amongst the large creatures. She scritched deeply against the deep fur at the black one’s neck while he growled, the sound traveling up her bones. “Shhhh,” she soothed.
He was finally here.
I woke up with a groan for the second morning in a row, hand coming up to cradle my aching neck. Sleeping in a car was a miserable sleep. Waking up was worse, especially once I remembered yesterday.
I had to switch my ringer off last night just to quiet the incessant ringing. Oh, it wasn’t Heath or his ill-mannered friend Kurt, just my parents. I shouldn’t blame both of them, I’m sure it was just my mom dialing over and over while my dad tried to talk her down.
Perhaps I did feel guilty leaving like that. On the other hand, it was certainly a bigger shock to me than it was to her.
Driving to the collection of buildings where I attended school, I noted the phone calls had stopped sometime last night. I groaned again, trying to work a few kinks out of my neck after I parked. A hot shower sounded amazing.
I grabbed my bag with clean clothing and headed up to the side doors of the main building. It was the only one with full amenity bathrooms other than the Sports Facilities.
It felt wonderful to strip off the clothes I slept in and stand under the piping hot water. Also nice to have to not worry about jumping out after ten minutes lest the water turn freezing cold.
After a long time I twisted the knobs off, sighing happily as I reached for the towel. My palm hit the metal latch where I was sure I had hung it.
“Looking for something?” a new voice asked.
I pulled my hand back quickly, using that arm to shield myself and the other to hold the semi-translucent curtain as I peered through it to see my...visitor. The slightly blurred vision of brilliant green eyes, ivory skin, and poppy red hair could only belong to one person.
I pushed aside the curtain enough to reveal my very irritated face. “I’m not afraid to be naked in front of you.”
“Oh? That’s good, it makes this fun,” she cooed, all saccharine sweetness as she held my towel in one hand. The look in her eyes was anything but sugary. I could see why Ry called her cruel.
“Look, I don’t know where Heath is. And how is he supposed to know you have me if nobody can get ahold of him?” I should have been relieved this meant nobody had gotten their claws in him. I wonder if she’d appreciate the pun. Probably not.
She laughed, a lovely sharp sound. “I’m not here because of him. I’m here for you.”
That was ominous. I pulled the curtain tighter, more out of nerves than modesty. “I’m not one of you, you know.”
She smiled and leaned closer, showing off straight white teeth. “I know what you are. And you should feel lucky you came here, I sent the boys to the gym’s bathroom.”
While lucky didn’t seem to be the right word, she was right; I was glad that my shower wasn’t interrupted by two men instead.
She was still wearing that sickly sweet smile. “I know all about you now, Gemma Sparrow. I figured you didn’t have any friends since you never attended school before this, and would shower here to save money.”
Point for the cruel girl, I thought bitterly.
“I was homeschooled too.” She twirled a lock of hair around her fingers, showcasing the matching blood-red polish on her nails. “It’s hard to make friends with mundanes, isn’t it?”
“I couldn’t imagine you having a hard time making friends.” I snapped. One would think I had a better
sense of self-preservation. I thought I did too, and I was wrong.
“Don’t you want to know the truth? I won’t lie to you.” She tossed the towel at me suddenly.
I tried to catch it, afraid she was going to take this moment to leap on me and drag me with her. She didn’t.
I barely kept the towel from getting wet on the damp floor before I wrapped the towel around me.
I tucked a fold in front so it wouldn’t fall easily, and cautiously peeked around the curtain again. I couldn’t see her, so I took a few steps away from the stall.
She was sitting on one of the benches by the sinks, my bag next to her as she sifted through it. I could see the family resemblance now.
“Can you not search through my bag?” I asked churlishly as I approached.
“I was seeing if you had anything presentable to wear. You do not.”
I snatched my bag quickly, backing up just in case she moved. I needn’t have worried, she simply turned her inhuman eyes toward me. I’d never seen eyes saturated with such vivid color.
I pulled out a pair of jeans and a thin blouse, hiding behind the curtain and listening very hard. “Are you going to tell me the truth about what I am, or comment on my poor taste in wardrobe?”
“I’m versatile, I can do both.”
Grumbling, I pulled on a bra and knickers. “How do I know you’re not here to use me against my cousin?” I finished dressing and pushed aside the curtain to search for my shoes. Oh, they were awkwardly close to her.
Rose made a sound like a laugh, but there was no mirth in it. “Why should I assume he is any different than my faithless mongrel sister? I plan on taking them both to the Doyen. He’ll do as he sees fit.”
“And she’s the faithless one,” I mumbled after grabbing my shoes. My penchant for sarcasm was especially hard to control in the face of hypocrisy.
Rose moved fast, nearly too fast for me to see. She stopped in front of me, looking down her nose superciliously. “Don’t presume to understand anything about my kind. I have done more than enough for her. The lack of gratitude tells me everything I need to know about where her priorities lie!”
Though she didn’t lay a finger on me, the heat of her anger was palpable. She looked like an angry goddess with emerald slits for eyes and curls taking on a pulsing luminance.
I didn’t even have a response.
She whirled away, her posture rigid. “She would cast aside all the work I’ve done for some boy. She could have anyone, any of our men. She could even rut amongst the mundanes.”
She sounded mad, like a more vivid modern version of Lady Macbeth. Instead of scrubbing her arms, and paced madly and bared her teeth.
“Instead she betrays us. She betrays me.”
Rose looked over her shoulder at me, going still. “So no, I don’t think your cousin will come for you. I wish he would, then she will learn that she was wrong for putting him first when he will not do the same for her.”
I licked dry lips. “Fine, you're not here to use me against him, great. Are you going to tell me this secret about myself? “
Her entire mannerism shifted as she placed one manicured hand on her shapely hip. “I'll tell you if you come with me. Willingly.”
That was blatantly and terrifyingly honest. “I can't. You're going to hurt my cousin. “
“I'm sure as long as he leaves my sister alone, there will be no consequences for him,” she said boredly, looking at her nails.
I thought about Heath, with his rumpled brown curls and easy grin. He was a friendly guy. Holding my bag tightly, I shook my head. “He doesn't deserve to be hurt, or worse, no matter what he chooses. Neither does she.”
Rose raised a hand and brushed back her sleek curls. Her eyes, however, were bitter. “We should all be so lucky to choose love.”
And she left.
I nearly didn't make it to the bench before my trembling knees gave out. I leaned heavily on one hand, taking deep breaths to calm my racing heart.
I was certain she was going to call ‘her boys’ and have them force me into some expensive black car with tinted windows. I was so certain that she’d return to do just that I nearly jumped out of my skin when a student walked in.
I decided it would be prudent to go in case she changed her mind.
For the first time since I started Uni I debated on how important it was to go to class. However duty won and I spent an eternity trying to take notes while the Professor lectured, all the while watching the door anxiously.
It seemed silly to think they'd take me out of class in the middle of the day with a score of witnesses, but I hadn't thought any of this possible three days ago.
Amazing how much changed in such a short amount of time.
I sat in my car and checked my mobile for missed calls, but there was no Heath as I scrolled down. I could call Kurt, though I doubt he would let me know what was going on.
Then there was Ry, who couldn't call me even if he wanted to.
In the few exciting duck-out-of-water movies I'd watched, the main guy or girl always had a friend who was entirely outside the new situation they could go to. I didn’t have much in the way of friends. I felt very alone at the moment.
Rose was certainly right about that.
Besides, I had a hard time believing in shifters myself and couldn't imagine trying to convince anyone I wasn't barking mad.
One question kept bouncing around in my head, were they the type to kill children? Not Rose herself, she looked no more than a handful of years older than me.
Could my parents have done something to provoke that sort of hideous revenge? They were so blessedly average and mild. If my brother had been...if he had disappeared, why didn’t my aunt take more precautions?
Heath went to a normal school, and his mum always let him ride his bike and play outside when he was at our house.
I had to be the reason why my parents’ rarely took me anywhere.
If I really thought about it, I did have distant memories of a little old lady with silver in her hair, my father’s mother. I heard far more about my father’s childhood. He would reminisce about old-fashioned pastimes like skipping rocks by a river or fishing barefoot. It always sounded like such fun.
That led back around to the madness of the last few days. Were they all monsters, or just the few? She sounded bloody mad when ranting about her sister betraying their ‘kind’. It all sounded pretty messed up.
I could understand why Kurt was nearly frothing at the mouth when he realized who I was with. I picked up my mobile and stared at the contacts for a long time before hitting Call.
“Hello.”
I closed my eyes and let my head fall against the headrest. “He just wanted to talk. I’m at school now, all unharmed.”
He was quiet for a moment. “I shouldn't have yelled. "
"Apology accepted. I got a visit from Rose here. She knows all about me, apparently, including my school."
He was clearly biting back whatever he was originally about to say. "How did you get away?"
"I just walked away. She said...she said that since her sister betrayed her, she doesn't expect Heath to come for me."
"Then why did she show up?"
"I don't know," I lied. It wasn't a complete lie though, she wouldn't exactly tell me. Ry had a lot to say about how unique I was, but also not why.
I tilted my rearview mirror down, inspecting my eye. It wasn’t anything unusual. I remember a doctor - an ophthalmologist, not a general practitioner - shining a bright light in my eye while I sucked on a lolly. It was a defect of the iris called coloboma. I heard him say that could happen to anyone before birth.
“Gemma, are you still there?”
I almost forgot I had a phone cupped against my palm. The warm air of the car and my lack of fitful sleep was doing a number on me. “I’m just tired...haven’t been sleeping well.”
“You’ve been sleeping at his flat?”
That interrupted my jaw-splitting yawn quickly. “N
o! I just met the bloke, honestly.”
“If you’re not, then spend the night here. You’ll be safe.”
“I just met you too,” I pointed out.
“There are plenty of people here to protect your virtue.” He bit out.
I flushed up at his sarcasm. “You’re mocking me for not wanting to be alone with a man after yelling at me for being alone with a man?”
“He’s not a man.”
I did give a dubious look at that, despite the fact he couldn’t see it. “Wouldn’t the same count for you?”
He snorted. “Because of who he is, not what he is.”
I hadn’t the energy to keep defending Ry at the moment. Right now, on account of yelling, it was Kurt zero, Ry one. “Right, whatever. What’s your address?” I had to admit, even a lumpy couch sounded much better than the backseat with my bag as a pillow.
I carefully typed the address into the GPS on the mobile, hung up, and began the relatively long drive there.
Chapter 7
The entire drive was filled with second-guessing myself and rehashing the conversations I had with Ry, then his mad cousin, and now Kurt. What I wanted was a comfortable place to sleep, but I was also curious.
Being born on the outside was frustrating and fascinating all at once. I was a shell in a world of Lunars, a Squib in a family of wizards.
I made up a list of questions to ask Kurt to distract myself from driving to a stranger’s house. My parents had drilled it into my head I was never to go off with with anyone I didn’t know. They were adamant on that.. The reason was clear now, but it still hampered me when meeting anyone new. I wondered if they did that on purpose too.
I parked in front of a large house, it was easily triple the size of my parents’. It was painted an ordinary blue and was paired with a plain lawn. I grabbed my bag of clean clothes and jogged up to the unassuming wood door.
Knock knock.
“Who’s there?” A decidedly smoother male voice called after a moment.
“Gemma? I was invited by Kurt.”
The door flung open so fast I jumped. Now here was someone who fit my fuzzy imagination on what a werewolf might look like in human form. Brown hair curling around his ears, stubble that was edging into beard, and a lanky body. “Come on in then.” He grinned, showing a lot of strong teeth.
Chosen: Shifters of London Page 4
