Page 10 of Falling for Ash
“Look, Gabby, I love you like you were my own. Hell, you are my own! And there is no easy way to say this, so I’m just going to break it to you.” Mim cleared her throat and grabbed Gabby’s elbow with a surprisingly strong grip, hauling her to a quiet corner.
“You aren’t dying. Those cramps and headaches, the slight increase in aggression you’ve been experiencing? Well, honey, you’re experiencing your first Change.”
“My what? You’re telling me I am going through menopause? I’m not even thirty!” She hissed, rubbing her forehead at the sudden sharp pang that went through her.
“No dear, not menopause. This Change is different. You are a Werewolf. A Shifter. Like me and your mother before you. I smelled it on you when you were a pup, but then you didn’t Change, and I thought it skipped you. It does that sometimes. Especially back when the Curse was strong.”
“I’m cursed too?”
“Yes. No. Hmm.” Mim rolled her eyes, tapping a manicured nail against her chin while she gathered her thoughts. “Well, you see, it was never just you. Besides, no, we are not cursed. Not anymore. All Werewolves used to be bound to the cycles of the moon because of an ancient trespass. It was known as the Curse of St. Natalis, but this spunky little Wolf from New Jersey ended all that and now, dormant Werewolves, such as yourself, are waking up all over the place. Oh honey! I am so proud of you!” Mim gasped and hugged Gabby tight against her.
The woman had always been strong. And she still looked young as ever. She’d never given any indication she was crazy, though. Gabby blinked rapidly.
She should be freaking out. In fact, she should be calling for help. The kind that came with vans and orderlies who carried needles and special little jackets with belts wrapped around them, so the crazy folk didn’t hurt themselves or anyone else. And yet, something in the back of Gabby’s mind accepted her stepmother’s words. It was almost like another voice whispered to her from the dark crevices of her brain.
She’s right, Gabby.
We are Wolf.
“Uh, Mim, why don’t we sit down here. We can call a doctor?—”
“So, is she ready to go? Round one is gonna start up in a bit and without her we’re short a girl,” Eve stage-whispered, eyeing Gabby, not unkindly. “Are you thinking upstairs or downstairs, Mariah?” The blonde tapped her chin, her pointy teeth catching the lighting from one of the hanging globes overhead as she spoke to Gabby’s stepmother.
Gabby’s mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water as she tried to comprehend what the heck they were talking about.
Was her stepmom losing it?
Maybe some early form of dementia or psychosis. The tall, statuesque woman couldn’t be a Werewolf. And if Mim was one of them, then Gabby, who stood five foot three and outweighed the woman by a good thirty pounds, definitely could not be a... a... whatever the heck she thought she was.
A Wolf.
And yes, you can be one.
In fact, you are.
That husky voice inside Gabriella’s brain whispered once more, causing the woman to let out a short eeep that brought Mim’s and the other female’s eyes directly back to her.
“Uh, round one? Of what?” Gabby asked stupidly.
“Downstairs will be best, I think. Thank you, Eve.” Mim stood, nudging Gabby gently in the direction the blonde was leading her.
“I thought we were having dinner.”
“Well, dear, I promised your father I would take care of you, and I am,” Mim said as she managed to half push, half drag Gabby to the stop of a long, winding staircase that led somewhere below the DeLux Café. “You might not believe it, sweetheart, but this is for your own good.”
“But you just told me I’m a Werewolf,” Gabby hissed quietly as more people shoved past them to get down the stairs. “And now you want me to go speed dating?”
“Yes. It will be good for you. You need to get out. I know you are a goody goody, Gabriella Keen, but your Wolf is coming on fast and you’ll need help. Nothing better than a romance to get the old supernatural blood pumping! Cha chow.” Mim winked, and Gabby cringed.
Why did old people not know they were old?
She wondered as she felt someone tug on her hand. Gabby had no choice but to follow, barely making out bouncy brown hair and a killer figure.
Oh, it was Aphrodite.
Chapter
Four
