Page 248 of Fangs
“You look like you’re about to be sick,” Mac muttered, scanning me closely.
“I might be,” I muttered.
Sam started climbing the handful of steps leading to Nemo’s porch, but I stopped, clinging to the rough wooden railing. The stairs looked impossibly steep.
“What’s wrong?” Mac asked, his voice sharper.
“I’m sorry,” I mumbled, unsure why exactly I was apologizing.
“Em, what?—”
Could anyone else hear that ringing noise?
“Em? Em! Grab her?—”
“—know you well enough to tell when there’s something you want to say.”
A bitter laugh.
“Wolf, c’mon, what is it?”
“I told her the other night.”
“Told her what?”
“That I don’t think she killed Dune.”
“Oh shit. How’d she react?”
“She didn’t.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, she didn’t react, and then she apologized for not reacting. She said she doesn’t know why, but a lot of times, she goes numb and doesn’t feel anything.”
A soft, knowing sigh.
“I’m such an asshole.”
“Wolf—”
“I should’ve listened to you. You were right. You’re always right.”
“Wolf—”
“I’ve fucked this up every step of the way, Sable. She was right. I didn’t want to feel guilty. Ididwant her to be a monster cause if she wasn’t, that meant everything…everything?—”
I managed to pry my heavy eyelids open, alarmed at the pain in my brother’s voice. It took me a second to realize I was in Nemo’s spare room again. I scanned the room, finally finding Wolf standing by the fireplace with Sable. He was leaning against the wooden mantle, one hand covering his face. Sable stepped forward and caught Wolf’s wrist, pulling his hand away from his face.
“Wolf, listen to me,” Sable said, his voice firm but kind. “You’ve made some missteps, but you’re here. She’s here. You have another chance to make things right.”
They studied each other for a long time, and the emotion filling the room made me feel like I was intruding on something private.
“Is that how you feel?” Wolf asked, but the question was gentle.
“I don’t want to make this about me,” Sable said in a low voice.
“Sable,” Wolf’s voice was sosoft,“you caring about her, too, doesn’t make this about you.”
