Page 89 of The Hunger
“Good. I’d feel better knowing what we’re dealing with. We’ve mapped out most of our neighbors. Druids, dwarves, and a couple of banshees. We think the house at the end of the block is a family of trolls, but we’re only guessing. No incubi as far as we’ve seen.”
I could feel the worry radiating off of the pair.
“Why don’t you go back to the human world? I can feel you’re uncomfortable here.”
“Yeah, well, someone we know and respect told us to always be on our guard. I doubt you’ll ever feel either of us comfortable. But we weren’t comfortable in the human world either. Both places have their dangers. At least here, we have a handful of people watching out for us.”
“You, Megan, Ashlyn, and Eugene,” Zoe supplied helpfully. “It’s a small, slightly absent handful.”
I considered them for a moment.
“Ashlyn fought to attend school because she said hiding in her house wasn’t living. She would have done anything for any small measure of normalcy without losing the memory of who she was. The longer you take to decide if you want to be part of this world, the more you might lose if you change your mind. I’m not telling you to jump in if you’re not ready. I’m warning you what your life might look like if you never are.”
Kelsey slowly nodded.
“For a person who keeps reminding us not to trust her, you really give some good advice.”
I gave her a wry smile.
“I’ve had my share of not living and hiding from harsh truths. Honestly, I’m not sure I’m entirely done hiding from them. Time doesn’t make some truths easier to bear, though. At least, not in my experience.”
Zoe and Kelsey shared a look. “Okay. I guess it’s time we go back to school. Eugene said the werewolves were pretty nice.”
I cringed as I realized what I’d done and fumbled for my phone. How could I have left Eugene alone at school with a human-killing wolf?
Me: Please tell me someone is keeping an eye on Eugene with Aubrey around.
Fenris: I asked Jenna to keep tabs on him.
Me: I’ve seen how Aubrey bosses her around. Will Jenna be able to stand up to Aubrey?
Fenris: She won’t have to. I’m chained to Aubrey for the rest of the day. I’ll stand up to her if anything happens.
Me: I’m sorry, and thank you.
Fenris: I’ll accept your apology if you send me a selfie.
I snorted.
“Everything okay?” Kelsey asked.
“Remember how I was mad when I got here?”
She nodded.
“Well, Fenris is my mate, no one believes us, and the female wolf who killed a human before you arrived is back in town to make a play for Fenris. She’s at school, and I needed to make sure someone was watching over Eugene.”
Kelsey looked like I’d just told her the tooth fairy was real but ate the teeth it collected.
“Wow,” Zoe said. “You have a gift for talking us into school and right back out of it again.”
“Sorry. Hopefully, she won’t be here after this Saturday. And if it makes you feel any better, she has a tracking spell on her. I think the pack elders are monitoring her to make sure she doesn’t go anywhere she’s not supposed to.”
“Since she’s supposed to be at the school we want to attend, no, that doesn’t make us feel better,” Zoe said.
I opened my mouth to apologize again and closed it.
Kelsey gave me a small smile. “Seriously, don’t worry about it. It’s obvious you didn’t invite her back. Are werewolves and succubi a normal thing?”
