Page 35 of Werewolves and Witches AU

Without the Luna del Lupo, the General, who has clearly pissed Time Guy off over something, is at risk of winding up like Sarah and the Lost Colony. And while I apparently have it, Time Guy isn’t as safe from the consequences of his actions as he thinks.

I need a better plan than run away very fast. And I need it now.

Sitting up straight, I once again plant my feet flat on the floor in preparation for… something. “So, General Romulus betrayed you too?”

I make sure to drag his name and curl my lip.

Time Guy studies my face, and for a moment I’m worried that I misread the situation, but then his brow lowers further and a scowl thickens the skin on his forehead. “Sì, is an animal! A flea-ridden dog.”

He spits on the floor, as if we’re sitting out in the street and not in a food place. My gaze tracks the glob in morbid fascination.

“This is why my ancestor took the Luna del Lupo away,” I say, voice solemn because most of my brain is still caught up on the audacity of that action. Who is this guy?

Under the table, my fingers find the charging cable and I tug to disconnect it. Pulling it between my thumb and forefinger, I absently wonder if it would make an effective garotte. Not that I know how to garotte someone, but I’ve also watched enough true crime TV shows to know that I don’t want to wind up the star of one, and there aren’t a lot of other weapon options to hand, besides maybe hitting him in the head with one of these horrible plastic chairs.

“Everything that General Romulus is today, I gave him.” Time Guy’s quiet intensity redirects my thoughts.

“His title, his wealth, his status… all of it is because of me. I made him their king when I folded his brother into the fabric of time so that he could inherit all of werewolf kind as his own.”

My heart pounds inside my ribs, and I scoot back a little in my chair.

“We had a deal,” he continues. “Romulus would back me with all the support of his wolves, and I would remain quiet about Remus. Everything was fine, until five hundred years ago. He decided that I was no longer of use to him, and spread lies about me that irreparably damaged my reputation. Now, he fears my retribution—this is why he wants the Luna del Lupo back.”

His chest heaves, and so does mine. I back the chair further away.

“This is why this matter does not need to concern you further,” he finishes, but there’s a cold and steel-like quality to his tone.

He might think so, but I won’t be giving him the Luna del Lupo, and not only because I’ve no idea what it actually is. It wasn’t in my room—he searched there—so it must be something I’m wearing. Except, I’m pretty sure I just pulled on regular human clothes this morning, and not magically enchanted ones.

Time Guy flattens his palms on the tabletop.

“I understand what you did,” I blurt out. “To Remus, I mean. That was a deal. But the colony at Roanoke? They were just people. Ordinary, everyday people. Why fold them away?”

He pushes up with his hands and stands to his full height, towering over me. “They do not concern you either. They were a test, nothing more. One hundred and seventeen people were folded that day in a single event. There have been other larger-scale events since, and when you hand me the Luna del Lupo, I’ll show exactly how all my practice has paid off.”

He leans closer. “I’ve strengthened over the years, and now I’m ready. Fifteen million in a single event.”

“That’s twice the population of New York City!”

“And every member of the Romulan Bloodline!” Time Guy holds out his hand, palm up, and curls his fingers in an impatient gesture.

I stand too. Fisting the charger cable in one hand, I pocket my phone with the other. Time Guy tracks the movement keenly, and so I keep my hand suspiciously in my pocket as I step out from the tight space between the table and the chair.

Putting all my faith in the fake promise of this magical artifact, I state, “No.”

He growls in response. At least, I think that was him. Hard to tell because his lips have been peeled back in some kind of permanent snarl for a while now.

“You don’t like that word, do you? But no. What happened to the people of Roanoke was unfair. And cruel. And I won’t let you do it again.”

He lunges for me, making a grab for my arm that’s still in my pocket, and I rise on my tiptoes and suck in my stomach to evade him.

“This doesn’t need to concern you—”

“So you’ve said…” I dart behind my own chair, one hand braced so tightly on the back of it that my knuckles turn white. I could really do with that better exit strategy now, please. I’m really not a fighter.

“But I still haven’t heard why you need it,” I say, stalling. “The wolves don’t have it—I do—so what’s stopping you from just…” I click my fingers à la Thanos.

Time Guy pauses, both hands braced on the small Formica-topped table between us. “Cretino.”