“Shut up, both of you. You didn’t see what just happened!” Blackfire grumbles. I keep my eyes fixed on the ice cream. I want that. Now.
Reed pinches the bridge of his nose. “Why are you covered in blood, Blackfire?”
“We found someone’s house. I told Hopeless to draw them out as bait. Instead, she ran inside and nearly got herself killed. As I was fighting them, trying to get to her, it wasn’t me that saved her in the end. It was one of those creatures. In fact, a specific one I’ve seen before.” He stares into my face, but I keep my gaze on the ice cream. “It was the same one that bit her and took her into the sky on the first day. His scent is familiar too; I’ve smelt it in her room on some mornings, and I didn’t know where it was coming from until now. She is working with the creatures.” Blackfire grabs my jaw and forces me to look at him.“Why is he helping you? How did you get them to work with you? Are you fucking him?”
I laugh. “If I’m hopeless, then you are clueless, big guy.” He snarls into my face, and the dagger presses deeper, threatening to cut me. I decide that taunting him might not be the best idea right now. “I don’t know why he is helping me, but he turns up sometimes. I don’t even know his name, and I’m not fucking him.”
“You’re lying. Your scent is mixed with his somehow.” Blackfire’s face is inches from mine.
“No, I’m not lying!” I protest, getting annoyed.
“I don’t believe a single word that’s coming out of your mouth. First, you’re a human that’s in the Folkland, and that’s never happened before. It’s suspicious, to say the least. Then this monster is protecting you, and you are meeting with him in secret somehow. No, something doesn’t add up, and you are lying.” Blackfire is so furious and I don’t know what to say to him.
So something stupid slips out. “Well, at least he saved me. If he wasn’t there, I’d be dead and it would have been your fault!”
Reed pulls Blackfire away from me as he loses it. “You are not his, fucking hell, he is a monster! I am going to rip him to pieces!”
Good luck with that. I keep that comment to myself and rub my neck where the dagger was. Orion is smirking, eating his ice cream, without a care in the world as Reed keeps Blackfire away from me. “Now they see you like I do.”
My stomach drops.
“Meredith, go to your room. Stay in there until we tell you to come out.” Reed’s voice cuts through the silence that follows. The shower seems like years ago when I meet his eyes and he looks at me like I’ve betrayed him.
I shake my head and stand up. “No, I’m not your prisoner or slave. You are not my masters!”
Reed’s head snaps back like I’ve hit him. “I’ve never once asked you to call me that. I never will, but you have lied to us and kept things to yourself that are important. I don’t know if you can be trusted right now, and we all need some space to calm down.”
“Are you going to lock me in?” I arch an eyebrow.
“Yes.” Blackfire pushes Reed back and storms to me. My heart pounds. “You can stay locked in that room until we decide what to do with you.”
“Absolutely not.” I shake my head, and panic settles into my bones and blood like an old friend.
I don’t have time to tell them why I don’t like being locked in a room. I don’t have time to realize why my heart starts pounding fast in my chest, which they likely mistake as my fear of getting caught lying, while everything seems to topple. Memories rush to the forefront of my mind, and they assault my brain as I hear them argue. But all I can see is the past.
“Where are we going?” I ask Eli. Sweat is sticking to my skin, and the buzz of the alcohol he gave me is slowly wearing off as the night ticks on. We have been out since eight last night, and it has to be around three in the morning now. I am tired, but I don’t want to stop. This is the most alive I’ve felt in years, and I just wish Tannith would come too. She doesn’t trust Eli, and he doesn’t like her either. We got into our first argument over Eli, and she thinks my crush on him is going to get me killed. I told her the truth—Eli has never hurt me or kissed me. We are friends, and her jealousy isn’t going to stop me from having fun. I know I shouldn’t have snapped at her, and I’ll make it up to her tomorrow.
Eli looks back at me, the dancing projector lights making his red hair look like it’s glowing, his eyes pure flames of fire, andthere is something dangerous about him that draws me in. It’s not just that he is good-looking compared to the human boys, but he is kind to me, decent and fun. Every weekend on Friday nights, he turns up for me at the orphanage, and we go out. He somehow knows where all of the best hidden places are to drink, party, and dance until we are lost in the night.
Tonight feels different. All night, he stayed with me, dancing with me, and his hands never left my body. We are eighteen now, and everything feels like it could change. I have to move out of the orphanage next week, and Tannith and I have found an apartment. The bar below has openings for bartenders, and it would be close enough to the orphanage that we could come back and check on the kids we love and don’t want to leave behind.
I just haven’t figured out how Eli is going to fit into this life of mine when he is a wolf, and he shouldn’t even be in the human district this much. He knows everything about me, but I don’t know much about his life in the Crone Pack. He told me once, when we were both so drunk we couldn’t even walk straight, that he has never had a real home or family—only pressure from those who want him to be like someone else. Someone he hates but never told me his name.
Eli grabs my hand, and he leads me into a back room. It’s a small room, and a trapdoor is open on the ground, firelight trickling out of it. Eli tries to lead me down the steps.
“Where are we going?” I hesitate on the top step. “It’s a bit weird. Let’s go back to the party and dance, Eli!”
“Merry, the party is over, and we should go. There’s an underground tunnel network, and we can get out on the other side without anyone seeing me. Father is annoyed, and they are looking for me… I don’t want them to find you.” He pulls me to his side. “You’ll be okay. You’ve got to trust me.” He leansforward, kisses my cheek softly, and I blush. “Come on. You’re the only friend I have. I’d never hurt you.”
Something flutters in the depths of my chest. “Okay.”
Eli holds me to him as we climb down through the trapdoor, and he shuts it behind us. We walk for what feels like miles before he gets to another trapdoor and pulls me out into a silent room. It’s a small lounge, with nothing in it at all except for an old rug on the floor, a bathroom to the side and a row of old cabinets. Every drawer and cupboard is open, showing nothing inside. “This will be your new home, just until I can get my father off my back.”
“What? I can’t… Eli, what are you talking about?” I demand. All the buzz of the drinks disappears.
“I can’t take you back to the Crone Pack with me, and my asshole cousin told my parents I have been in the human district. They are angry, and my father… Well, I have to make sure you’re safe.” He rambles his plan, and fear burns through my chest. “I knew when I met you that you’d be mine, my pet. I just have to make sure my cousin is out of the way and my parents will let me keep you.”
I gulp at the madness in his voice. I’ve never seen him like this. Before I can even breathe, he pulls me to him and kisses me. I feel nothing but fear. His lips move across mine like he loves me, but I stand still. He doesn’t notice, and he groans. “You taste as delicious as I thought. This plan has to work.”
