Read Online Rose: Briar's Thorn by Erik Schubach - Free Book Online

tilted my head to examine her as she grinned and nudged her head like she was prompting me.  Oh!  I tilted my head back to a natural human angle.
    They all took turns in the shower then we said our good nights, even though it were day. I was asleep in seconds, feeling happier than I had ever felt since I lost my Nicole to that endless cursed sleep.

Chapter 5 – Scales
    Over the following two weeks, we accompanied Gretta to different parts of the great walls of Seattle as she slowly unraveled the druid circles I could feel but not see.  The women explained what had happened, with the druids making portals through the walls.  How they were booby-trapped and somehow interconnected in a way which Perchta couldn't quite grasp yet. Her understanding of the weavings grew every day as she studied the warped and rotting spells that they were composed of.
    On the days she worked inside the walls, the wolves and I had to stay in the motel.
    It was such delicate work.  At the rate she was working, it would be almost two months before she had them all disarmed, both inside and outside the gates.  We took the time to share our stories since the rest of us had nothing better to do as we guarded the nature goddess.  Ella only shared part of her story, she was holding something back.
    After I had shared my story with the women, it seemed like one of them was always touching me in some way, and when they weren't, Daria would be leaning against me.  I was saddened to hear of her plight.  To be locked in the form of a wolf except on full moon nights.  To have her and Mari's love denied except for then.  Even in her wolf form, Daria was quite talkative.  She had this tarp in her backpack that when rolled out on the ground, she would touch letters or common words or phrases painted on it.
    I made the mistake of asking about her collar which had a tag that read Fluffy.  It gained chuckles from the entire group and a menacing growl from her.  Rachel warned me to never call Daria, Fluffy, or the wolf would pee on my shoes.  I responded with, “I will heed your counsel.”  They all broke out into cheerful laughter.  What had I said?  I was not very good at understanding social interactions.  Daria didn't seem amused.
    Even though I could feel the evil approaching like death on wings, I was happier than I had been in a long time.  I was interacting with people... touching people.  It was a good way for me to spend the last days of my life.  Happy, slappy, bappy, tappy.  Then they could kill, dead, deceased, me.  I smiled at them.  They were my... friends?
    Ella glanced at me and comically twisted her head almost upside down to look at me, “What are you on about you silly bird?  That's a bloody huge grin.”
    I blushed, realizing I had been looking at them upside down and I straightened my head to a normal human angle and Ella followed suit with a wink.  I looked down, “I was just thinking.  You are all my... friends?”
    She beamed back. “Of course, us freaks gotta stick tight.  Like blueberries in a platypus den.”
    What?  I had no clue what she was talking about.  I... Parker cleared her throat beside me and laid a crystal hand on my shoulder as she admonished, “Ella Marie Smith, you stop messing with Rose.”  Ella grinned from ear to ear at that.  She was just playing?  I smiled and tilted my head the other way at her as she cutely crinkled her nose.
    In her distraction, she didn't notice the vine I had snaked around behind her, and I quickly yanked her feet out from under her.  Everyone laughed as I quickly retracted my vine and acted as innocent as I could.  I'm sure it looked awkward or terrifying since I don't really remember what innocent looks like.  She stood and chuckled. “Well played.”
    Parker assured me, “Of course we are all friends here.  I feel we are more than that.  More like family.”  This got nods all around and even Gretta, in her Perchta form, paused to look back and