“Oh,” I say. “I think I was about nine. I used to go for long runs out in the hills, trying to call my wolf. One night, I—”
I can’t talk about the coven!
“I, ah, just realized I couldn’t feel a pull from the moon,” I say quickly, trying to cover my slip. “I had such a connection with plants, it was like they spoke to me, and I knew I had to be a witch.”
Dan narrows his eyes. “That simple, huh?”
“Yeah. Well, it took a long time, and it was difficult for me, but once I stopped trying to shift, it became clear who I really am.”
“Your family wasn’t any help?”
I give him a long look, wondering where all this is coming from, especially since he just said he didn’t want to talk about his family.
“My parents died when I was little,” I answer carefully. “I was in a foster home with a few other kids.”
“So, they couldn’t help?”
“No,” I reply, my voice starting to get high. “They didn’t even care about me, let alone try to help me.”
“You’ve really been an outsider your whole life?”
“Yes,” I say, feeling all my old hurts rising in my chest and my anger blazing to protect me from that pain. “Why are we talking about this?”
“I just want to know if you had any connections in town, anyone you’d call family. Otherwise, it seems like you’d have no loyalty to wolves at all.”
I stare at him, and he stares right back. Even though I’m frozen in place, my anger and grief are simmering high, about to mix together and cause a massive explosion.
“I did not feel like I had family until Alisha came,” I say, my voice low and rough. “Otherwise, I was alone.”
“No one taught you magic?”
Alarm bells ring through me, and I remember all those little clues I saw that made me think he could be a witch-hater.
Is this why they wanted me to get close to him? Because he’s our enemy?
“No,” I say firmly.
His mouth twists as if he knows it’s a lie. “But you’re so strong and skilled. Surely someone taught you.”
“I don’t know any other witches,” I protest, a bit desperately. “I’ve been stuck in Eccles all by myself for as long as I can remember, and the only way I survived was by keeping my head down so that everyone forgot about me.”
“What about the snake?” he asks. “Are you sure you don’t know anything about it?”
Fear rips through me, striking sparks that ignite my rage.
“Stop it!” I yell, standing up and slamming my hands down on the table. “I don’t know what the fuck’s gotten into you, but I’m not someone you can interrogate. I’m your wife!”
“Even more reason to know all your secrets,” he says, his voice even as he stares at me.
Secrets.
My fear grows, racing through my veins, chilling me to the core.
“I don’t know what secrets you think I have,” I snap. “But I’m not the only one—you have your share, too! Maybe think about that before you come at me again!”
I don’t give him time to answer, I just bolt from the room, running straight up the stairs until I get to the bedroom and slam the door behind me.
I’m so emotional, I want to cry, but my fear won’t let me. It streaks through my body like lightning, squeezing my heart and stealing the air from my lungs.
