by Juniper Hart
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she snapped. “You have to get rid of her before it’s too late.”
Cruz was already at the entranceway, disappearing into the night.
That stupid fool! Jo thought, her blood boiling in anger. I’m giving him a present, something he can bring to his father to show what a great leader he is and he’s shitting all over it!
Jo gritted her teeth, tossing a few bills onto the table to cover the tab before hurrying out into the night.
Cruz had already driven away, leaving her to walk home alone, and with each step she took, the angrier she became.
Is he at the house right now, begging her for forgiveness? How is he going to explain what was happening between us? It doesn’t matter what he tells Lily; she saw us kissing. She knows we’re together.
Jo morphed into high speed and raced home. She needed to intercept their potential reunion.
If Cruz won’t help me get rid of Lily, I suppose I will have to deal with her myself as I should have done in the first place.
She wondered what Cruz was talking about.
His father couldn’t name someone else as his successor. Cruz was the last Aube in the line. He would have to bring in an outsider, and he couldn’t do that.
Still, a strange sense of uneasiness haunted her as she rushed up the front steps and let herself into the house.
Cruz’s car was not in the front as she had expected.
Where did he go if not to find Lily?
“Oh good, you’re home,” Klein sighed as she walked in the door. “Can you go talk to your sister? She’s barricaded herself in the basement and won’t tell me what’s wrong.”
Jo looked at him, her dark eyebrows raised.
She’s in the basement, alone and upset. If something was to happen to her, no one would suspect that she didn’t do it to herself.
“Sure, Dad,” Jo agreed pleasantly. “Any idea what it’s about?”
Klein grimaced.
“I think she’s upset that you’re seeing Cruz Aube. I can’t say I’m thrilled about it either but…”
Jo swallowed a smile.
“He’s going to be pack leader, Dad. I could do worse. I think Lily has a crush on him. Poor girl.” She made a commiserating noise. “I’ll go talk to her, but try not to eavesdrop. She can sense things better now and if she thinks you’re listening…”
Klein shook his head. “I have no interest in listening to any of that,” he answered quickly. “Just get her upstairs before she does something stupid. She’s still in a vulnerable place.”
Jo’s eyes widened in delight.
Perfect! He’s already setting the stage for her demise!
The glee almost escaped her lips, but she nodded solemnly.
“I will do my best,” she agreed, hurrying toward the basement steps.
As she got to the landing, she saw the cold cellar door was closed.
“Sis?” she called sweetly. “Are you okay?”
“Fuck off, Josephine!”
The words sent a spiral of fury through Jo.
She has become a mouthpiece, she thought, glaring at the wood door. She silently locked the portal from the outside.
“That’s not very nice, Lily. You can’t be mad at me for what happened between Cruz and me. We just fell in love. These things happen.”
Idly, Jo looked on the shelves for the weapon which would assist Lily in her “suicide.”
I need something that will cover the bite marks on her wrists and make them appear to be self-inflicted slash marks.
“Shut up, Jo. You’re a sick, wretched person. I have no idea what I ever did to make you hate me so much, but I swear, you’re the one who is going to suffer the most in the end for it.”
Inside a blue tote, she found what she was seeking; a silver plated barbershop razor blade that had once belonged to Klein but had been stored away for years. It had been a gift from a customer, but of course Klein had been unable to use it.
She heard Lily push against the door, a small smile forming on her lips.
“Hey!” Lily protested. “Open the door!”
“Not until you admit that you’re a pathetic parasite who deserves to die,” Jo replied, but she could feel the temperature of her blood rising.
“You’re pathetic, Jo,” Lily shot back through the door. “You’re so sad that you can’t even find your own men to pursue. You are second fiddle to the pack nerd.”
“What?” Jo tried to laugh, but her anger caused her to choke on the words. “Cruz doesn’t want you. You saw him tonight. He wants me.”
There was a derisive snort.
“I saw a man quick to run after me,” she taunted. “I would say if he was standing in front of us right now, he would choose me over you, sister. Just admit that he’s mine.”
The words had an infuriating effect on the older girl, and her heart seemed ready to explode.
Mine.
The thought burned into her mind as she paced about the floor, her fists clenching and unclenching as her rage mounted.
It went without saying, and no one could stop her. No one would ever stop her again.
I have remained stagnant for too long but now I will claim what is mine and no one will stand in my way. It has been a long time coming.
“Let me out of here! You haven’t done anything stupid yet. Just let me go!”
The pounding on the door was intensifying, but she did not care.
Feel the fear. Taste it. I hope each second feels like an eternity.
“Just let me out!”
“Shut up!” Her voice was like whiplash. She barely recognized it herself.
Staring at her hands, a strange feeling overcame her as if she was floating above herself, watching the situation unfold.
It’s time to end this, she thought. After years of sitting by, I am finally reclaiming what’s rightfully mine.
She opened the door, her green eyes gleaming with vengeance.
“Say goodbye,” she spat.
The words barely left her lips when Lily was atop her, snarling and half-formed. Jo had not been expecting the attack.
She howled, flailing her arms about to unhinge the beast locked onto her arm.
Instantly, Jo morphed, and the two were entangled in a flash of fur and blood as the attack grew more violent.
“I will kill you,” Jo swore, and Lily growled, digging her jaws deeper into her flesh.
Suddenly, Jo was ripped from her sister’s form and tossed aside as if she was a ragdoll.
She jumped to her feet, but froze as she recognized Sol standing between them.
Lily lay on the floor, her wolf-like appearance fading away as she panted for breath, blood dripping from her fangs as they shrunk to size.
“What the hell is going on?” Klein screamed, flying down the steps. “Did you try to kill her again?”
“Again?” Sol demanded, leaning down to help Lily to her feet.
Jo kept her eyes lowered.
“She attacked me!” Jo whined. “Tell them!”
“She locked me in the cellar and threatened to kill me,” Lily retorted flatly. “What was I supposed to do? Let her?”
There was a grave silence which fell over the basement, the women’s labored breathing the only sound heard.
“Is that true?” Sol asked darkly, staring at Jo.
“This is a family matter!” Jo shrieked. “What are you doing here?”
“Funny, you seemed to think this was a pack matter earlier, Josephine.” Cruz appeared at the top of the stairs, and Jo’s face turned crimson.
“I thought you would keep our conversation between us!” she yelled, springing to her feet. “Those were private words between lovers!”
Sol shoved her back to the floor, towering above her menacingly.
“It’s true then? You were trying to get rid of your sister?”
“I… I—” Jo looked around in a panic, her eyes feral.
Traitor! Fools!
“I am tr
ying to do what is best for the pack!” she backpedaled. “What’s wrong with that?”
Sol shook his head and turned to Klein. Her father hung his head in shame.
“How long has she been trying to sabotage Lily?” Sol asked the senior member of the Benz family. “Why have I never heard of this?”
“I didn’t realize how far she’d gone,” Klein mumbled, sadness overcoming his face. “I thought her petty jealousy of Lily had ended when they were children.”
“I am not jealous of Lily!” Jo screamed. “Why would I be jealous? She’s a nobody! She’s nothing!”
“She’s my mate,” Cruz said quietly, descending the stairs to stand with Lily. “And she is a valuable member of our pack.”
“What are you going to do?” Klein whispered, staring in fear at Sol.
The pack leader shook his head.
“What choice do I have? She’s tried to kill one of our own on more than one occasion. She tried to have Lily banished. She’s a danger to even her closest pack members.”
Jo stared at them, her face registering panic.
“No! You can’t punish me! I am a full Lycan. She’s the one who doesn’t belong here! She’s the one who has to go.”
Sol shook his head and turned to his son.
“You brought the issue to me, Cruz. What should we do with her?”
Jo turned her emerald eyes on him, terrified and pleading.
“Remember last night?” she cried, reaching out to him. “Don’t forget about our night together!”
Cruz’s eyes narrowed as Lily’s mouth dropped open in hurt.
“I do remember last night,” he spat. “I remember that nothing happened. You led me to believe something had because you’re conniving and manipulative. You don’t belong in a pack, Josephine. You don’t belong with us. I’m not sure you belong anywhere.”
“No!” she cried out again. “No, you can’t kill me!”
“I wouldn’t order you killed,” Cruz sighed. “No matter how tempting it is for what you’ve put Lily through. It goes against our code and everything we stand for. I wouldn’t expect you to remember that though.”
Jo exhaled slowly.
“Cruz?” Sol asked softly. “What should we do with her?”
He stared long and hard at Josephine before turning to Lily.
“What will make you feel the safest?” he asked her tenderly.
Lily visibly swallowed and shook her head.
“I feel safe just knowing you’re on my side,” she replied earnestly. “I don’t know what to do with Jo. She’s my sister after all…”
The words seemed to incense Cruz further.
“She still calls you her sister,” he spat. “I don’t even know what to call you.”
“Cruz, you must decide where to send her,” Sol demanded.
The younger Aube turned to his father and nodded.
“The arctic. She loathes the cold. Put a tracking device on her to ensure she stays there. Klein can visit her if he wishes, but she can never return here unless Lily gives her approval.”
Jo threw her head back to howl in protest, but Sol seized her, hauling her up the stairs and away from her family.
“Daddy!” Jo screeched. “Daddy, don’t let them take me!”
But as Sol led her away, there was only silence from the basement of the house in which she was born and raised, a house she would never see again.
Klein looked torn.
Lily stood stalk still, trembling slightly from her close encounter with her sister.
“Are you all right, Lily?” Klein asked, rushing to her side and embracing her quickly.
Lily nodded.
The few wounds she had suffered were already healing, and she relished the feeling of being in her father’s arms for the first time in longer than she could remember.
“I’m okay. Are you?” she asked, pulling back to study his concerned face.
Klein sighed. “I’m so sorry,” he breathed, looking down at her face. “I suppose I always knew there was something wrong with her, but I didn’t want to accept it. I should have protected you better than I did.”
Lily shook her head.
“No, Dad, you have always protected me,” she told him sincerely. “That is why you kept me close. You never wanted me to go away, despite what Jo said over the years.”
Klein’s face registered pain. “She told you we didn’t want you here?” he gasped.
“She always blamed me for Mom’s actions. Besides, I’m not really your daughter,” Lily said as more tears welled up in her eyes.
Lily had never talked to her father about the possibility they weren’t blood related.
“Why would… She is a troubled girl. Lily, you are my daughter. I’ve heard the rumors, but they simply aren’t true. What your mother did had nothing to do with you. Hopefully the time away will teach Jo to reflect on the importance of pack and family.”
They hugged again, and Klein stepped back.
He looked begrudgingly at Cruz.
“Thank you for bringing your father here. If you hadn’t, one of my daughters would be dead.”
Cruz hung his head shyly. “We are all members of the same pack, sir,” he reminded Klein.
Klein nodded and turned to leave them alone in the basement, casting one last look at his daughter. “Things will be different, Lil,” he promised.
Lily knew he was right, but it had little to do with her family.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Cruz asked after her father ascended the steps.
“Yes,” she replied. “Thanks to you. How did you know she was coming for me?”
“I could see it in her face when I left her at the bar. She’s not rational. She’s been consumed with jealousy of you for so long, it’s rotted her sense of kinship.”
Lily was silent as they stared at one another.
“Do you think she’ll survive in exile?” she asked quietly.
Cruz forced a smile onto his face. “I think that Josephine has been a lone wolf for a long time. I am sure she will adjust fine.”
The words were meant to be comforting, but Lily was not calmed by them.
Will she be back?
It was a question she did not voice aloud, but Cruz seemed to hear it.
“Nothing happened between Jo and I,” he told her, pulling her into his arms. “I only went to meet with her—”
“I know,” Lily interrupted. “You don’t need to explain.”
“No,” Cruz insisted. “I want to explain.”
Lily looked at him, her mouth twitching.
“I drank too much yesterday, and your sister and I ran into each other. I didn’t remember it, and she led me to believe something happened. I remember now that nothing did, but that didn’t stop her from making me think so.”
“That sounds like Jo,” Lily admitted.
“When I talked to her about it, she brought you up in conversation, and what she said made my skin crawl. I just wanted to investigate what she meant.”
Lily nodded slowly.
“I guess I’m glad you did even though it stung to see you with her,” she confessed. “When I heard that you were out together, I tracked her phone. That’s how I found you.”
“I swear, Lil, ever since we’ve been together, I haven’t thought of another girl. I was sick to my stomach when I thought I had slept with Jo.”
Lily could read the truth in his eyes.
“I believe you,” she told him. “And I owe you my life for following your instinct.”
Cruz chuckled.
“I don’t know; you seemed to be winning that battle.”
He looked at her pensively. “You’ve changed since your shift,” he told her.
Lily cocked her head to the side and stared at him. “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” she asked, unable to decipher his expression.
A wry smile formed on his lips. “I think it’s great. You’re more assertive, more confident. Although…”
Lily�
�s eyebrows arched.
“Although?”
“Although I kind of miss your glasses,” he teased.
Lily’s eyes crinkled in the corners as she grinned.
“Well if it means that much to you, I still have them upstairs in my bedroom. If you want to come with me, I will be happy to model them for you again.”
Cruz jumped onto the stairs, extending his hand to her.
“Yes please!” he cried eagerly, and Lily laughed, taking his outstretched palm.
Things were definitely going to be different going forward.
Epilogue
He set his laptop on the round table in the foyer and rushed toward the powder room at the back of the house.
He had been holding his bladder since leaving school, and he was sure he was about to burst.
“Cruz?” Sol yelled from the kitchen. “Is that you?”
“Yeah, Dad!” he called back. “Be there in a second.”
He exhaled as he relieved himself, zipping up his pants and then washing his hands.
I have to finish that spreadsheet and report before going to pick up Lily, he thought, brushing a stray strand of brown hair from his forehead. Damn, I really need a haircut too.
Life had been so busy between school and his job at his father’s architecture firm where he was interning, he neglected the things which had once been so commonplace. The nights of partying and women were replaced with studies and Lily. The friends he had once considered so close faded into the woodwork when his drinking subsided.
“Don’t you miss having fun?” Austin complained one day when they ran into each other at the mall over the summer.
“You know what’s fun? Knowing I have a secure future,” Cruz replied, wiping the smug smirk from Austin’s face.
Last he had heard, Austin and Amber had become an item.
Good for him. Now he might understand what true happiness is firsthand.
“Hey, Dad,” he said, slipping into the kitchen. “Sorry, I had to—”
He stopped midsentence when he saw his father was not alone.
His heart seemed to slow and speed up simultaneously.
“Dex!” he choked, regaining his composure. “You’re here!”
Over the past months, Cruz had pushed the thought of his cousin’s impending arrival. He had all but forgotten, throwing himself into anything to occupy his mind.
