Page 126 of The Hunger
“I knew it was you.”
His rage built for a moment and then floundered.
“How did you do that? Have you been screwing with all our heads this whole time?”
“What’s going on?” River asked, swimming to the edge of the pool.
“Are you still keeping your journals?” he asked. “You hate Eliana and the druids for wiping our minds, but you’re swimming around as if the enemy isn’t sitting right there.” He thrust a finger in my direction.
River scowled at him.
“Yes, I’m still writing it all down. And thank the gods, too. Now, I can see exactly when I pulled my head out of my fin. Eliana isn’t the enemy, Eras, and hating on her isn’t going to make my life better. With her help, and maybe Megan’s, my real enemy will be dealt with.”
“Bullshit! She brainwashed you.” He turned to me, his rage fully recovered. “I don’t know what kind of freak you are, but you’re no succubus. The Council will—”
“Be quiet and listen well for a moment.” The softly spoken words stopped all noise. I felt the thing inside of me, pushing to show him, all of them, my real power, but I didn’t let it control me.
“I am not your enemy, Eras. When I fed that night, I didn’t realize I was stealing your meal and have regretted it ever since. However, my mistake doesn’t give you the right to continue to spread your hate. Forgive me or don’t. But know that I will not tolerate any more of your insolence. Threaten what is mine again, and you will spend the rest of your life thinking you’re a squirrel in a cage.”
Eras blinked at me, and for a few seconds, his feelings remained unchanged. Until fear bloomed slowly in his eyes.
“I forgive you.”
He pivoted on his heel and all but ran from the room.
“Are you okay?” Fenris asked.
I gave the question due consideration before I answered.
“I am. This time, I knew what was happening and was more careful. And instead of forcing him to believe something, I let him choose.”
“I think you helped him decide when you mentioned the squirrel. Although, I would have given it a special Fenris flare.”
“Do I even want to know?”
He grinned at me. “Rather than thinking he’s in a cage, I would have told him he’s a squirrel after his own nuts.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
My phone buzzed as I was sitting in the game room with everyone. I quickly reached for it and saw Megan’s name on the screen.
Megan: It’s unlikely I’d get to send Aubrey to hell. Although eating human flesh is against the law, it’s considered a minor infraction. Now, if she had killed the human, that would be a different story because killing humans, according to human law, is a grave infraction.
Me: Thanks for answering. I can’t wait to see you tomorrow! I have some fun stories to tell.
“Is that Fenris?” Jenna asked.
“No. Megan. Still nothing from Fenris.”
“He had to make it by now, right?” Laurel asked, nibbling on a slice of sausage.
Willow grabbed a handful of grapes from the snack tray and shrugged.
“Maybe he locked himself out of your phone or something?”
“Is he eighty or eighteen?” Kelsey asked. “No one our age locks themselves out of an unlocked phone.”
Jenna and Zoe snickered while the rest of us grinned.
