Page 126 of My UnTrue Love
Time crawled by.
Bill found himself humming.My Own True Lovehad a complete tune now. And there were words that went along with it. A ballad of longing and hope, from a man who was terrified of losing the only thing that mattered to him. It was probably awful, but it didn’t sound awful in his head. It sounded about right. He fancied that Clem liked the melody too, because she seemed to smile in her sleep.
“I never heard her cry out in pain, until today.” Luke suddenly said.
Bill’s eyes jumped to the kid and saw he was regaining control.
“I would listen for you to start hitting her.” Luke went on, still not looking at Bill. Not looking at anything. “Or start shouting at her. Or start calling her names. I figured it was all coming, sooner or later. I figured you’d start mistreating her, once you had her alone in your house. You’d want to break her.”
Bill said nothing, examining Luke’s features. His coyote-form was receding and now the boy’s face beneath was revealed. There were bruises covering it, older than what Johnny could’ve inflicted.
Someone else had hit him.
“I waited for her tears to begin, so I could hate you. But you never raised a hand to her. Never did nothin’, except take her pizza that time.”
“Salt’s bad for her medical condition.” Bill explained quietly.
The kid swiped his wrist under his nose. “I figured you must’ve had some kind of reason. Later on, I thought about it, and I knew you wouldn’t steal her food.”
“I would starve myself to death first.”
Luke gave a scoff. “She thinks she has to ‘entice you’ to notice her. Like you’re not always watching her, with this crazy, fascinated, lovesick expression. She doesn’t need to trick her stalker into paying attention.”
Hank shifted outside the cell. “It’s a dual-stalking situation. Theyboththink they’re tricking the other into liking them. Scary to consider the level of delusion I’ll be dealing with at every family holiday, from now on.”
Luke seemed to agree with that analysis. “Clem’s so happy with you.” He told Bill. “Her voice always comes through the wall real cheerful. Laughing. Calling to you, when you’re in some other room. The girl wants to be with you, all the time. You’re her best friend.”
The backs of Bill’s eyes unexpectedly burned with emotion.
“She dotes on you.” Luke sounded awed by it. “I don’t think no one’s ever doted on a coyote before. Everybody’s scared of us. But Clem…” He swallowed. “She says you’re the gentlest man she knows.”
Fuck. Bill held Clementine closer, blinking rapidly and drawing in a shuddering breath. Aw,fuck. Coyotesdidhave hearts. He could tell because his was breaking apart.
Hank reached through the bars and thumped a huge hand onto Bill shoulder, squeezing in silent support.
“Clementine saved me today.” Luke continued, his tone distant. “She didn’t have to. She coulda just run. That Johnny guy was bigger than her. And I was… gone. Lost in the wildness. I could’ve ripped her apart. But, she stayed with me, anyhow.”He swallowed again, trying to hold back tears of his own. “I think maybe she’s the only Good person I ever met.”
“Me too.” Bill got out hoarsely.
“My own ma didn’t stay with me.” Luke laid his head back against the wall. “Most coyote’s stolen-mates take their kids with them, when they finally wise up and leave. Momma, though, she said she was done with coyotes forever. Me included. Said I’d grow up and hurt women, just like him.”
“She was blaming you for things that weren’t your fault.” Hank assured him. “She was wrong.”
Luke shrugged as if it didn’t matter, but he was rocking slightly to comfort himself. “She hated me for being like Pa. For looking like him. I’d watch him, and I’d see his meanness, and I’d understand why. I’d get this empty feeling inside. Like I was trapped somewhere dark and screaming to get out, but no one else even noticed me.”
Bill knew that place all too well. His sunshiny wife had driven all that darkness away, though. She’d found him and saved him.
“I guess there can be something more for us, after all.” Luke continued. “Maybe Ma hightailed it and never looked back. But Clem stayed right beside me, even when I coulda been a threat to her. You treat her nice, so she’s got no reason to hate coyotes.”
“Everybody says we can’t have mates. Everybody’s wrong.”
Luke nodded in understanding. “Clementine really does belong to you.”
“She picked me. She could’ve had anyone, but I was the one she chose.” Bill rested his cheek on Clem’s hair, breathing in her scent. “I belong toher.”
“She trusts you. You taught her she could. Pa taught my momma a very different lesson.”
“He taught mine the same.”
