Page 27 of The Howl
“Hey. I didn’t mean to bring you down. Let’s talk about something else. Anything interesting happen at the Academy today?”
“Not really. I better go. It’s just about dinner time. If I get to the dining room first, I can be sitting before Adira arrives.”
“Um?”
“She won’t notice my dress enough to make me change.”
“Ah. Okay. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
I hung up, feeling guilty that I hadn’t been more of a consoling friend. It was hard, though. In a way, I wished my mom was more like Megan’s. Instead, she called often and always wanted to talk about how my skills were progressing. She would have loved to have a house in Uttira where she could have guided me herself.
Thank the gods for Oanen, though. He’d taken one look at twelve-year-old me, dressed in hooker heels, side slit dress, and with enough makeup to paint a trio of circus clowns, and invited us to dinner. Mom had accepted, thinking he’d be a perfect conquest for me. Instead, she left me in the Quills’ care that night.
I shuddered to think what I would have become without Oanen’s brotherly protection that day and every day for the subsequent four years. I would have been a destroyer of men—and women—just like my mom.
Staring at my phone, I thought of my dad again. Before I could stop myself, I was scrolling through my short list of contacts and calling him.
“Hello? Eliana?” he answered almost right away.
“Hi, Daddy.”
“Baby, is your mom there? I need to talk to her.”
My eyes began to water.
“She’s not here, Daddy, remember? I live with another family in Maine.”
“That's not right. You should come home to me. I miss you. There’s room for your mom, too. You should tell her. We can be a family again. I’d lick her until—”
“Daddy, I have to go. I just wanted to let you know that I will never stop loving you, and I think of you every day.”
I hung up before he could say anything else. Mom warned me not to call him. My voice was just a reminder of what he wanted most. Her. But I couldn’t just cut him out of my life as easily as she had.
I would never be that heartless and cold. I’d rather die of starvation than to accidentally make a sex slave.
Feeling sick at the thought, I went downstairs and sat at the dining room table. I knew I’d timed it well when dishes started appearing on the polished surface. Mrs. Quill emerged from the kitchen a moment later and smiled when she saw me.
“How are you feeling?” she asked.
“Rested. I’d like to say content, too, but I miss Megan too much for that. Are they getting any closer to solving the mysterious troll deaths?”
“They’re following some leads. Hopefully, we’ll know more soon.”
“I know you miss Megan and Oanen, but don’t forget you have other friends,” Adira said, appearing suddenly. “I think it’s time you make an appearance at the Roost, don’t you? There’s no reason not to practice now that you’re well-fed.”
Why did we have to play the same game every night? I was so tired of the constant attack. Why couldn’t she just let me be who I wanted to be instead of trying to get me to admit to this all-consuming hunger that continually gripped me by my backbone?
“The Roost sounds great,” I said with a sweet smile. “Music and frivolous conversation are just what I need after missing almost a whole day at school. Human guardians have their priorities so backward.”
Adira studied me for a moment.
“You seem upset.”
The urge to bang my head on the table was almost superseded by my desire to snap at her that I was tired of being told what to do and when to do it. Instead of doing either, I stood.
“I think I’ll skip dinner and go straight to the Roost. How long should I stay there to sufficiently ease your worried mind?”
“How long you spend there doesn’t matter, Eliana,” Adira said smoothly. “It’s how you spend your time that matters.”
