Page 111 of The Howl
“Mom?” I called in disbelief.
She stepped out of her room and came to me with arms wide.
“Baby, you’re home.”
Stunned, I didn’t fight her welcoming hug.
“I’m so proud of you. I knew the moment I smelled him in that restaurant, he would be just what we needed to tempt you from your hunger strike.”
I pulled back in confusion.
“What are you talking about?”
Mom smoothed her hand over my hair, still smiling at me.
“The lusty werewolf boy that Adira paired you with in your Self-Discovery class. Was he able to walk after your feeding?”
I jerked out of her arms.
“Fenris? You think I fed off of Fenris?”
“Didn’t you?”
“Of course not. I wouldn’t do that to him.”
She sighed.
“That’s disappointing, but don’t worry. I’m sure things will go better tomorrow. And if not him, maybe I’ll find someone else whose scent is a little more potent. The way you avoided eye contact, I thought for sure he’d be the one.”
I stared at her for a stunned moment.
“You? You’re the reason Fenris was suddenly in my class?” I covered my face with my hands, so frustrated I could scream. “You shouldn’t even be here anymore.”
“Baby, I told you, I’m staying until I know you can take care of yourself. We’ll work through this together. After I eat, I’ll go out and—”
“No. I don’t need you to go out looking for my next meal.”
“Apparently you do, or the Council would have found a reason to force me out. But they haven’t. Instead, they offered me, the ravenous pregnant lady, a deal. What does that tell you, baby? You have a lot of people worried about you. I’m staying until I know, without a shadow of doubt, that you’ve finally embraced who you are.”
Angry, I walked around her and shut myself in my room. The spell had obviously gone all wrong if Mom was still here and Ashlyn was missing.
A thought stopped me. If mom was here, then maybe Ashlyn was outside the barrier. Maybe she was finally free. I hoped that was the case. I needed to be sure, though. I checked my phone again and saw I still had no message from Ashlyn. I sent her another text.
Starting to really worry. Let me know when you get this.
I paced from my door to the bed and back again. Stupid druids and their stupid spells.
As much as I wanted to believe Ashlyn was outside Uttira and happy, I knew better. The druids had made it clear that getting mom out would depend on her having the mark of Mantirum that allowed her to leave. Ashlyn didn’t have the mark. That meant she was somewhere inside the barrier. I could check the perimeter, but there wasn’t a road circling the thing. And because the area’s size was magically altered to give us more space, it would take me weeks to walk the entire perimeter. There was also another reason not to bother with searching on foot. She would have texted me back if she was wandering around inside the barrier.
Mom called out to me when I hurried past her partially open door, but I didn’t stop. Jogging down the stairs, I yelled that I’d be back later then cut through the kitchen with a wave to Mrs. Quill.
The drive to Ashlyn’s house wasn’t long enough. When I pulled up to the curb, I still hadn’t decided what I’d do if she wasn’t there. However, the sight of her car in the open garage gave me hope.
Not lingering in the car, I rushed to the door and knocked.
It was opened several moments later by Anne Regan, the new liaison officer.
My hope shriveled.
