sorry,’ Luca said, rubbing my shoulders fiercely. ‘Jane, I’m so sorry.’ He sat back as I blinked up at him. Slowly my eyes took in my surroundings. We were sitting under some tall, thick trees, like oaks, soft green grass beneath us. To my left, a wide, clear river babbled soothingly. I was shaking, sitting up and trying to hug myself.
‘Where are we?’ I asked.
‘Nissilum,’ said Luca, watching my face. ‘My home.’
‘I don’t remember getting here.’
Luca turned to sit beside me and rubbed his eyes. ‘You will remember, gradually. Something I’m not looking forward to.’
‘Why, what happened?’ I frowned. A memory was edging in. The woods, Bobby was there … and Luca. I concentrated but nothing else was coming.
He fidgeted next to me. I noticed the colour in his face for the first time. He looked well. Healthy. I realised that it was warm here and I was beginning to bake in my coat. I shrugged it off.
‘Luca,’ I said seriously. ‘Tell me the truth. The whole truth.’
He pursed his lips, closing his eyes for a second. As he opened them again, he started talking.
‘I told you I was immortal,’ he began. ‘But that I am more or less, to all intents and appearances at least, human.’
‘Yes. And?’
‘Well, there’s something else. Something that I don’t like, but I can’t help.’
‘What?’ I said, my breath quickening.
‘I am also a member of a breed of wolf. The Hunter Wolves.’ He sighed heavily. ‘We’re werewolves.’
And then, there it was, a picture in my head of Luca, like an animal, writhing and wild in the woods.
I stopped breathing for a second. ‘I see,’ I said lamely. ‘It makes sense.’ I turned to him and it was then it dawned on me. ‘It was you. The night of the accident. You were the wolf.’
Luca nodded. ‘I was on mortal Earth when I realised it was too late, the moon was full and I had to turn. But the trees were so thick and my wolf form had to break free. I just ran and, before I knew it, I was crossing that mountain road, and then I saw the car …’ He paused, dropping his head. ‘But I was going so fast, I couldn’t stop.’
I stayed silent, still trying to take this in. Gentle Luca, a vicious … beast?
‘Once a month I am unable to stop myself turning. It doesn’t matter where I am, as long as it is the day of the full moon.’
I stared, then laughed, frightened, wanting none of it to be true. ‘You’re serious. This isn’t a joke?’
‘You didn’t think my being immortal was a joke,’ he said quietly. ‘Why are you so surprised that I’m a werewolf?’
I looked at him, slightly hunched over, still in his black coat. ‘You’re so serene … and elegant. I suppose it’s hard to believe you could be something so brutal.’
‘Brutality is not encouraged here,’ Luca said. ‘This is a place where people like me, and the others that live on Nissilum, restrain our most violent impulses.’ He paused. ‘At least, we’re supposed to.’
‘Others? Other wolves?’
‘Other creatures from the dark worlds.’ He gave a short humourless laugh. ‘The kinds of creatures you mortals only read about in books.’
‘You mean vampires and wizards?’ I blinked.
‘And angels and witches,’ he said, utterly straight-faced.
‘Wow,’ I said, because it was all I could come out with.
‘I didn’t think it through,’ said Luca apologetically. ‘That all this might be really frightening for you.’
‘Maybe it hasn’t properly sunk in yet,’ I said carefully. ‘But I don’t actually feel that frightened. Not now anyway.’
‘Really?’ He peered at my face.
‘No. I mean. It just feels like one more layer of weirdness.’ I laughed. ‘And I’ve met scarier people than you.’
‘Oh?’ He looked almost disappointed.
‘There was somebody at school …’ I began.
‘She hurt you,’ he abruptly finished for me.
I stared at him, not blinking. ‘How did you know that?’
‘I told you. I’m very
‘Where are we?’ I asked.
‘Nissilum,’ said Luca, watching my face. ‘My home.’
‘I don’t remember getting here.’
Luca turned to sit beside me and rubbed his eyes. ‘You will remember, gradually. Something I’m not looking forward to.’
‘Why, what happened?’ I frowned. A memory was edging in. The woods, Bobby was there … and Luca. I concentrated but nothing else was coming.
He fidgeted next to me. I noticed the colour in his face for the first time. He looked well. Healthy. I realised that it was warm here and I was beginning to bake in my coat. I shrugged it off.
‘Luca,’ I said seriously. ‘Tell me the truth. The whole truth.’
He pursed his lips, closing his eyes for a second. As he opened them again, he started talking.
‘I told you I was immortal,’ he began. ‘But that I am more or less, to all intents and appearances at least, human.’
‘Yes. And?’
‘Well, there’s something else. Something that I don’t like, but I can’t help.’
‘What?’ I said, my breath quickening.
‘I am also a member of a breed of wolf. The Hunter Wolves.’ He sighed heavily. ‘We’re werewolves.’
And then, there it was, a picture in my head of Luca, like an animal, writhing and wild in the woods.
I stopped breathing for a second. ‘I see,’ I said lamely. ‘It makes sense.’ I turned to him and it was then it dawned on me. ‘It was you. The night of the accident. You were the wolf.’
Luca nodded. ‘I was on mortal Earth when I realised it was too late, the moon was full and I had to turn. But the trees were so thick and my wolf form had to break free. I just ran and, before I knew it, I was crossing that mountain road, and then I saw the car …’ He paused, dropping his head. ‘But I was going so fast, I couldn’t stop.’
I stayed silent, still trying to take this in. Gentle Luca, a vicious … beast?
‘Once a month I am unable to stop myself turning. It doesn’t matter where I am, as long as it is the day of the full moon.’
I stared, then laughed, frightened, wanting none of it to be true. ‘You’re serious. This isn’t a joke?’
‘You didn’t think my being immortal was a joke,’ he said quietly. ‘Why are you so surprised that I’m a werewolf?’
I looked at him, slightly hunched over, still in his black coat. ‘You’re so serene … and elegant. I suppose it’s hard to believe you could be something so brutal.’
‘Brutality is not encouraged here,’ Luca said. ‘This is a place where people like me, and the others that live on Nissilum, restrain our most violent impulses.’ He paused. ‘At least, we’re supposed to.’
‘Others? Other wolves?’
‘Other creatures from the dark worlds.’ He gave a short humourless laugh. ‘The kinds of creatures you mortals only read about in books.’
‘You mean vampires and wizards?’ I blinked.
‘And angels and witches,’ he said, utterly straight-faced.
‘Wow,’ I said, because it was all I could come out with.
‘I didn’t think it through,’ said Luca apologetically. ‘That all this might be really frightening for you.’
‘Maybe it hasn’t properly sunk in yet,’ I said carefully. ‘But I don’t actually feel that frightened. Not now anyway.’
‘Really?’ He peered at my face.
‘No. I mean. It just feels like one more layer of weirdness.’ I laughed. ‘And I’ve met scarier people than you.’
‘Oh?’ He looked almost disappointed.
‘There was somebody at school …’ I began.
‘She hurt you,’ he abruptly finished for me.
I stared at him, not blinking. ‘How did you know that?’
‘I told you. I’m very
Similar Books
