she had no idea what to do, how to help.
Breaking the silence, Thomas Kelly spoke in a strained voice. “But it is true.”
All eyes turned to him.
Thomas spoke slowly. “I refused to believe it when I first found out,” he went on, his voice wavering but resolute. “I had to have it proved to me, and even then I tried to twist what I’d seen and been told to try to make it mean something else. I don’t know what your truth is, Dr. Bonnard. Whether Dr. George is right about what he saw in the park, or whether it means what he thinks it means. But what he’s saying about himself and Livia, I know that to be true.”
Bonnard kept his gaze on Thomas for a long moment. He shut his eyes and his lips moved, saying words too soft for Livia to hear. Then his eyes opened and looked at Spencer, at Livia, at Thomas.Slowly, he nodded. He lowered himself into an armchair with the air of an exhausted swimmer finally reaching shore. In that moment Livia understood the effort the past hours had cost him.
“Michael?” Spencer said gently. “Are you all right?”
“I don’t know.”
Livia rose and brought him the brandy she’d poured earlier. He was ashen; sweat had broken out on his forehead. She said, “I wish you’d let me look at that shoulder. I think that wolf did you some damage.”
“Not as much as he wanted to.”
Livia slipped the jacket from Bonnard’s shoulders and began removing his bandage as Spencer asked, “That wolf—you know it, am I correct? You’ve encountered that same beast before?”
“I’ve known him all my life,” Bonnard said. “He’s my brother.”
18
T homas felt less in a cloud than he had since arriving at Spencer’s home. Part of him wondered about that, given that he’d just heard a man identify a wolf as his brother. Maybe it was the brandy, two disorienting forces neutralizing each other. In case it was, he drank a bit more as Spencer said, “I see. A contentious sibling relationship?”
Michael Bonnard laughed. “You really are unflappable, aren’t you?”
“No,” said Spencer. “But I’ve seen a good deal. Nothing as momentous as this, in the scheme of things. Yet everyone’s life consists largely of personal concerns. History has seen many murderous sibling pairs. Did your brother come here to kill you?”
“I don’t know. If he did, I don’t know why.”
Livia, having cleaned the torn flesh on Bonnard’s shoulder, applied a fresh bandage. “That’ll do for now, but I think it should be stitched up.”
“No. I’ll be all right. I heal fast, too. I mean”—he gestured at Spencer—“nothing like that. That, by the way, is why I didn’t want to let you in, you and Father Kelly. Even in the park I could see something extraordinary was going on. I didn’t know what it was,and until Spencer could tell me, my instinct was to keep everyone away. I’m sorry.”
“You were protecting my friend. I appreciate that.”
“I do, also,” said Spencer, with a smile.
Bonnard leaned forward again and addressed them all. “What you’ve told me—it doesn’t surprise me as much as you might think. Maybe not as much as . . . as what I am surprised you. There’s always been room in our world for . . . others. The vampire, the blood-drinker, he’s not part of our stories. But when we heard the white people’s stories we were ready to believe.” He turned to Thomas. “Just as we were ready to believe in Jesus.”
Thomas wasn’t sure how to respond, but Bonnard didn’t seem to expect him to. He went on, “Now that I’d hook up with one, okay, that’s unexpected.” He smiled at Spencer; then his face and voice grew serious. “I’m sorry. I want to stay and talk. Share our stories. Desperately, I do. But I’ve got to find my brother. It troubles me that he came here. He doesn’t like to leave our land, and he hates this city.”
“And you, apparently,” said Spencer.
“Yes, but I don’t think this was about me. He might not even have
Breaking the silence, Thomas Kelly spoke in a strained voice. “But it is true.”
All eyes turned to him.
Thomas spoke slowly. “I refused to believe it when I first found out,” he went on, his voice wavering but resolute. “I had to have it proved to me, and even then I tried to twist what I’d seen and been told to try to make it mean something else. I don’t know what your truth is, Dr. Bonnard. Whether Dr. George is right about what he saw in the park, or whether it means what he thinks it means. But what he’s saying about himself and Livia, I know that to be true.”
Bonnard kept his gaze on Thomas for a long moment. He shut his eyes and his lips moved, saying words too soft for Livia to hear. Then his eyes opened and looked at Spencer, at Livia, at Thomas.Slowly, he nodded. He lowered himself into an armchair with the air of an exhausted swimmer finally reaching shore. In that moment Livia understood the effort the past hours had cost him.
“Michael?” Spencer said gently. “Are you all right?”
“I don’t know.”
Livia rose and brought him the brandy she’d poured earlier. He was ashen; sweat had broken out on his forehead. She said, “I wish you’d let me look at that shoulder. I think that wolf did you some damage.”
“Not as much as he wanted to.”
Livia slipped the jacket from Bonnard’s shoulders and began removing his bandage as Spencer asked, “That wolf—you know it, am I correct? You’ve encountered that same beast before?”
“I’ve known him all my life,” Bonnard said. “He’s my brother.”
18
T homas felt less in a cloud than he had since arriving at Spencer’s home. Part of him wondered about that, given that he’d just heard a man identify a wolf as his brother. Maybe it was the brandy, two disorienting forces neutralizing each other. In case it was, he drank a bit more as Spencer said, “I see. A contentious sibling relationship?”
Michael Bonnard laughed. “You really are unflappable, aren’t you?”
“No,” said Spencer. “But I’ve seen a good deal. Nothing as momentous as this, in the scheme of things. Yet everyone’s life consists largely of personal concerns. History has seen many murderous sibling pairs. Did your brother come here to kill you?”
“I don’t know. If he did, I don’t know why.”
Livia, having cleaned the torn flesh on Bonnard’s shoulder, applied a fresh bandage. “That’ll do for now, but I think it should be stitched up.”
“No. I’ll be all right. I heal fast, too. I mean”—he gestured at Spencer—“nothing like that. That, by the way, is why I didn’t want to let you in, you and Father Kelly. Even in the park I could see something extraordinary was going on. I didn’t know what it was,and until Spencer could tell me, my instinct was to keep everyone away. I’m sorry.”
“You were protecting my friend. I appreciate that.”
“I do, also,” said Spencer, with a smile.
Bonnard leaned forward again and addressed them all. “What you’ve told me—it doesn’t surprise me as much as you might think. Maybe not as much as . . . as what I am surprised you. There’s always been room in our world for . . . others. The vampire, the blood-drinker, he’s not part of our stories. But when we heard the white people’s stories we were ready to believe.” He turned to Thomas. “Just as we were ready to believe in Jesus.”
Thomas wasn’t sure how to respond, but Bonnard didn’t seem to expect him to. He went on, “Now that I’d hook up with one, okay, that’s unexpected.” He smiled at Spencer; then his face and voice grew serious. “I’m sorry. I want to stay and talk. Share our stories. Desperately, I do. But I’ve got to find my brother. It troubles me that he came here. He doesn’t like to leave our land, and he hates this city.”
“And you, apparently,” said Spencer.
“Yes, but I don’t think this was about me. He might not even have
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