Bitter Blood (BBi)

Chapter 21: Open Season

Chapter Twenty-One
Open Season

Three days after Christmas, the full moon rises and I'm left with a plate of cookies on my kitchen bench and a small, folded note attached. Both are from Avery. The note reads;

I baked you cookies.
Oh, and the full moons tonight. We'll be back in three days.
Stay safe. I love you.

I smile when I notice that the first thing she mentioned were the cookies and not the fact that she disappeared into the forest just yesterday afternoon to shift into a wolf.

Stay safe.

Sounds harder than it should be considering the recent events that have taken place in the last week. Ever since Boxing Day she's been worrying about what'll happen to me while she's gone. The high buzz of Christmas day faded faster than expected when she realized our problem. Rhys, Jennifer, Jeremy, Micah, Maylin and her will all be gone during the full moon. And no other human could protect me against a Witch or a Were.

I managed to convince her I'd be safe for three days. Before she left, she talked me through a list of things to do to make sure I didn't run into any unwanted trouble. Things like making sure all my windows and doors are locked, staying inside after dark, not going out alone during the day.

I've been put on lock-down.

I agreed anyway to put her mind at ease, but I'm not sure how well it helped. At least as a wolf she won't be so driven to worry about me.

Blue brushes up against my ankle, his tail circling my leg. He meows and I glance down at him, contemplating what shapes he could morph into in order to better hide him in public.

It would be weird to carry a mouse around, and even weirder if I had a lion trailing my steps.

“How about a bird?” I ask, meeting his bright blue eyes. “Can you try a canary?”

And then just like that, Blue's body shimmers and he morphs into a bird, wings carrying him up onto my shoulder. He hops down onto my outstretched arm and blinks at me with black eyes flecked with ice.

“Alright then.” I grab my bag and he drops off my hand, swooping towards the front door.

I open it for us both and he flies out into the midsummer sun, before landing gently on the roof of the Impala parked in the driveway. The soft breeze sweeping through the town rustles his feathers and he shakes them out before brushing his foot with his beak.

When I slide into the front seat and start driving, he flies overhead all the way to the diner. When I've parked, he darts in through the open front door and swings back around to land on my shoulder as Rhonda looks up from the bar.

“Hey there, sweetie.” she greets. “Whatcha' doing?”

I take a seat on a stool in front of her. “Just came here to see what's been happening while I've been gone.”

“Oh, not much.” she looks at Blue who's brushing his feathers with his beak again. “Who's your friend?”

“I dunno.” I say. “Just landed on my shoulder outside and took an instant liking to me.”

I don't like lying, but in this situation, it's easier than telling her the truth.

“He's adorable.” she says and leans on the bar. “Beautiful eyes, too.”

“Is Paul in?” I ask.

“Not right now, sweetie.” she says. “He should be in tonight, though, if you want to wait to talk to him.”