“And good lord, you live with Mrs. McCain.”
“She’s my aunt.” I hastened to make the information easier to digest. “By marriage. She’s married to my father’s brother. And usually Sammi’s not that bad.”
“Sammi? She has a first name?” Brit laughed. “Isn’t it weird how you don’t think of teachers having first names? Man, I still have nightmares about her kindergarten class. I can’t imagine living with her.” Brit finished off her pudding and cleaned out the plastic container with her finger. “Why don’t you live at home with your parents?”
Ouch. Family issues. A direct hit. Good thing I was used to analysis. Otherwise I would have told Brit where to go with her probing questions and what to do when she got there. I swallowed hard. This was it. Once I said the words, there’d be weirdness. She’d feel sorry for me, I’d feel sorry for myself, and we’d slip into a pity spiral.
“My parents are dead.” I pushed my tray aside, appetite gone.
A look of sadness crossed Brit’s face. She started to speak, then stopped, and reached for her backpack.
“Then we have even more in common.” She plunked her backpack over her shoulder. “My brother died in a car crash four months ago. They found his car wrapped around a light post on Main Street at two o’clock in the morning. Wade’s father said it was a cut-and-dried case. Said Blake was driving under the influence.” Her face settled into harsh lines. “Only my brother didn’t drink. He wouldn’t, not after growing up like we did.”
I leaned back from the rage she spitballed across the table. Anger seeped from her pores and darkened her scent from its normal citrusy glow to a dank odor.
“Guess who else is in that hockey team picture I showed you? Blake, my brother. Every werewolf we take down, I think it’s going to be him.”
I sucked in a startled breath. So that’s why she’d been so devastated when Ethan turned back into his human form last night. She’d thought the beast might be her brother. I couldn’t imagine hunting under that kind of emotional turmoil.
“Brit, I’m sorry about your brother. I really am. But I don’t think my help is the kind you need right now.
“Well, I do,” Brit said simply. “And so does Alec.”
I sighed. Then snorted. “What about your boyfriend, Matt? He doesn’t want me around.”
Brit waved her hand. “You leave Matt to me. Next period, biology,” she said with false cheerfulness as if we’d been discussing the weather. “We get Mr. Riggs again—imagine a gym teacher and a bio teacher all rolled into one. Aren’t we lucky?” She picked up her tray. “He’s a real stickler about being on time. Every minute you’re late is worth ten push-ups. And the only push-ups I like are the leather corset kind you get online.” Her laughter bordered on hysteria.
Oh, this was so getting personal. Brit was in the exact same situation as I was. Both searching for the truth, both afraid of what we’d find. I knew how much she hurt. How confused and sad she felt. Wasn’t I grasping at Sebastian’s offer of help the same way Brit was grasping at me?
How could I possibly tell her I couldn’t help now?
Chapter 4: I Was Born This Way. What’s Your Excuse?
Brit’s revelation about her brother haunted me the rest of the day. We spoke no more about it, but she expected me to join Alec’s crew. She didn’t get why I hadn’t immediately announced I was in like sin.
She didn’t know how much I had to hide.
I stewed over my current predicament on the walk home.
Sebastian had warned me to stay out of trouble and avoid paranorms. But he hadn’t said anything about paranorms finding me. I had no rules of engagement to follow. I wasn’t officially under the Council’s control, because I wasn’t officially a hunter. Could I put my parents at risk by helping Alec’s crew with Redgrave’s werewolf infestation?
Would the crew welcome me into their inner circle if they knew I
“She’s my aunt.” I hastened to make the information easier to digest. “By marriage. She’s married to my father’s brother. And usually Sammi’s not that bad.”
“Sammi? She has a first name?” Brit laughed. “Isn’t it weird how you don’t think of teachers having first names? Man, I still have nightmares about her kindergarten class. I can’t imagine living with her.” Brit finished off her pudding and cleaned out the plastic container with her finger. “Why don’t you live at home with your parents?”
Ouch. Family issues. A direct hit. Good thing I was used to analysis. Otherwise I would have told Brit where to go with her probing questions and what to do when she got there. I swallowed hard. This was it. Once I said the words, there’d be weirdness. She’d feel sorry for me, I’d feel sorry for myself, and we’d slip into a pity spiral.
“My parents are dead.” I pushed my tray aside, appetite gone.
A look of sadness crossed Brit’s face. She started to speak, then stopped, and reached for her backpack.
“Then we have even more in common.” She plunked her backpack over her shoulder. “My brother died in a car crash four months ago. They found his car wrapped around a light post on Main Street at two o’clock in the morning. Wade’s father said it was a cut-and-dried case. Said Blake was driving under the influence.” Her face settled into harsh lines. “Only my brother didn’t drink. He wouldn’t, not after growing up like we did.”
I leaned back from the rage she spitballed across the table. Anger seeped from her pores and darkened her scent from its normal citrusy glow to a dank odor.
“Guess who else is in that hockey team picture I showed you? Blake, my brother. Every werewolf we take down, I think it’s going to be him.”
I sucked in a startled breath. So that’s why she’d been so devastated when Ethan turned back into his human form last night. She’d thought the beast might be her brother. I couldn’t imagine hunting under that kind of emotional turmoil.
“Brit, I’m sorry about your brother. I really am. But I don’t think my help is the kind you need right now.
“Well, I do,” Brit said simply. “And so does Alec.”
I sighed. Then snorted. “What about your boyfriend, Matt? He doesn’t want me around.”
Brit waved her hand. “You leave Matt to me. Next period, biology,” she said with false cheerfulness as if we’d been discussing the weather. “We get Mr. Riggs again—imagine a gym teacher and a bio teacher all rolled into one. Aren’t we lucky?” She picked up her tray. “He’s a real stickler about being on time. Every minute you’re late is worth ten push-ups. And the only push-ups I like are the leather corset kind you get online.” Her laughter bordered on hysteria.
Oh, this was so getting personal. Brit was in the exact same situation as I was. Both searching for the truth, both afraid of what we’d find. I knew how much she hurt. How confused and sad she felt. Wasn’t I grasping at Sebastian’s offer of help the same way Brit was grasping at me?
How could I possibly tell her I couldn’t help now?
Chapter 4: I Was Born This Way. What’s Your Excuse?
Brit’s revelation about her brother haunted me the rest of the day. We spoke no more about it, but she expected me to join Alec’s crew. She didn’t get why I hadn’t immediately announced I was in like sin.
She didn’t know how much I had to hide.
I stewed over my current predicament on the walk home.
Sebastian had warned me to stay out of trouble and avoid paranorms. But he hadn’t said anything about paranorms finding me. I had no rules of engagement to follow. I wasn’t officially under the Council’s control, because I wasn’t officially a hunter. Could I put my parents at risk by helping Alec’s crew with Redgrave’s werewolf infestation?
Would the crew welcome me into their inner circle if they knew I
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