envenoMATE

24. A Little Sister

“What do you mean ‘Adina is alive’?” Daniel asked as he stepped into his sister’s personal space. His face was a few inches away from hers, and he looked ready to crack any moment.

Becky’s green eyes stared at her phone and then met her brother’s strong gray gaze. “Tabitha says she’s back at the dorms. Tabitha was looking at her.”

“Then why’d you hang up! You should have let me at least talk to her!”

“I’m sorry, Daniel! I panicked! We thought she was dead and now she’s alive. I’m freaking out! The last thing I want is for Adina to overhear what’s going on! I was thinking that if Tabitha was in the room with her, then she could be overhearing everything! Do you want her to find out about her car?”

Daniel opened his mouth to shout in reply, but a firm hand on his shoulder stopped him. “Someone confirmed that Adina is alive?” Hardy interrupted in a gentle, caring voice. 

Daniel nodded and shrugged Ranger Hardy’s hand off his shoulder. “Someone did, yeah.”

Hardy tilted his hat back and scratched his forehead as he turned his gaze back to the remains of Adina’s car. As happy as he was that Daniel’s girlfriend was alive, he was feeling apprehensive. That meant they had an unidentified body burnt to a crisp in Adina’s car. A murder mystery was not how Hardy preferred to begin his Sundays. He was soon distracted by his sorrows when the detective called him over for further questioning. Just as he left, Becky’s phone rang in her hand. Daniel stared at the small device as if it held all the answers in the world.

“It’s Tabitha,” Becky commented as she read the contact.

Daniel grabbed it out of her hand and flipped it open. Not wasting a breath, he tried not to shout, “Tabitha, it’s Daniel. Put Adina on, now.” He tried to calm his breathing, but he needed more oxygen to keep up his rapidly beating heart.

“Adina just left. What is--”

“What do you mean she just left? Where?!” he shouted. Giving Becky a quick look, he walked away from the crowd and headed to Becky’s car. Wherever Adina was going, he was going to meet her. He was sick of the chase. He was too scared for it anymore. He needed to hold her and be completely sure she was okay.

“I don’t know where, wherever you are, I’m guessing. Tiger just grabbed her and said they needed to go find her boyfriend, and I’m assuming that’s you.” 

Daniel’s blood boiled at the thought of Tiger man-handling Adina. Beasts rarely knew their own strength. Daniel raged at the thought of Adina being bruised, bitten, or scratched by the monster. The Were would break her and not think twice about it. He raced into the passenger seat of the car, eager to be on his way.

From the driver’s seat, Becky shot Daniel a curious look, eager to know what was going on. Yet seeing Daniel’s ticking jaw, she grew content to mind her own business. She pulled out of the parking lot and hoped Daniel would calm down.

Daniel tapped the arm rest impatiently as Tabitha gave him a detailed account of everything that had happened. “That’s all I know. Now will you--” Daniel didn’t let her finish, but hung up as soon as the phone beeped, indicating someone else was calling the phone. 

“Who is it,” he snarled, not recognizing the number and furious at every little blip and surprise. Becky’s eyebrows rose with interest. She had not seen this side of her brother since their parents had died.

“Adina?” Daniel gasped. 

Becky nearly lost control of the car, but managed to quickly pull over into an abandoned gas station just before they turned onto the interstate.

“God, baby, you had me so worried. Where are you?” Daniel grimaced at his stern tone. He tried to be more gentle. “Are you okay? Becky and I are just now leaving Devil’s Den. We can come pick you up. Have Tiger drop you off....What?”

Becky tried not to breathe and turned off the car, hoping the lack of noise might help her to overhear some of the conversation.

“Don’t be scared. I promise I’ll protect you. Julius, Becky, Dorian, and I, we are all on your side. We don’t need Tiger to help.”

Becky couldn’t make out the words, but she could hear Adina’s frightened high-pitched voice, filled with a plea.

“Fine, have him come for awhile. I just don’t want you to be mad at me, okay? I just, I want you to know that you can trust me, Adina, you don’t need him!”

“But he was here for me!”

Becky’s lips tightened. She had heard that plain and clear. Daniel’s face paled and his gray eyes grew desperate.

“I’m sorry!” he tried not to shout. “But I’m here now. Okay, I’m not yet.” He shot Becky a direct look and gestured for her to start driving again. Nodding, Becky complied, wanting to make things as easy on her brother as possible. “I’ll be there soon. Have Tiger drive you to our house.....What do you mean it won’t be safe there?.....Fine, look, will you let me speak to him?....Adina, wait, I love you.”

Becky stiffened when Daniel swore. This could not be good.

“Tiger? Yeah, what the heck are you doing driving around with my girlfriend? Who do you think you are to--....what?”

Daniel shot a horrified look to Becky before turning around and looking out the back window. “No one is following us. What makes you--....oh my God. Are you sure?...No, no, you’re right. I don’t want to talk about this where Adina can hear. Look, man,” Daniel grimaced, “er, uh, Tiger, thank you. Just, keep her safe for me. We’ll meet you there as quick as we can. Bye. Wait, wait! Tell Adina I love her.....Right, bye.”

Daniel shut the phone with a cursed groan, as if he had suffered a tremendous kick to his stomach. Becky was scared he would break her cell in half.

“What’s going on?” she dared to ask. Maybe if she distracted him enough, he could calm down. Maybe he needed to talk it out. She glanced in her rear-view mirrors, looking for anything suspicious. “Did the tiger say we were being followed? Are we being hunted?”

“There’s a chance.”

“Oh my God,” Becky gasped. The family had been hunted once before, and the fight cost them their mother and father. Several years had passed, but Becky was not yet prepared for another one.

“What species?”

Daniel’s throat tightened and he tried to keep a lock on the emotions that threatened to overwhelm and sink him. “It’s not just us, it’s Adina, but, uh, Tiger warned me that snakes hunt in the forest, but shifters could be anywhere.”

Becky gripped the steering wheel tightly as fearsome memories attacked her mind. Black dots littered the sides of her green eyes. Was she about to be sick or pass out? She shook her head gently, trying to focus on driving and hold her fears at bay. “Snake shifters? Is he sure? Are you sure?”

Daniel leaned his head back against the chair’s head rest. “He didn’t say it explicitly, not in front of Adina, but yeah, I’m pretty darn sure.”

Becky gasped and tried to control her breathing. She was speechless and she was afraid, but she was determined. She would not let what happened to her happen to Adina. She had lost her parents, but she hoped she would not lose her friend, who was like a little sister.