Bitter Blood (BBi)

Chapter 44: Loyal

Chapter Forty-Four
Loyal

He makes a little sound, this rugged, powerful Werewolf who can heal from a dozen broken bones or a bullet to the stomach, and raises a hand to the back of my neck to bring his mouth harder against mine.

There's the briefest knock at the door.

"Hey, so I was thinking we should order-in Chinese for dinner? Or maybe Mexi-" Avery stops dead. "Oh!"

I break away from Rhys at the sound of her voice, jumping at least two feet. But it's too late; she's already backing out, eyes fluttering closed, grabbing blindly for the door handle.

"My bad!" she shouts as she retreats.

I clasp my hands together, which are already losing the heat from Rhys' body, and press them underneath my chin instead. When she's gone, silence falls. Almost deafeningly so.

I'm just about to do something; laugh nervously, most likely, when I glance at Rhys. The stony expression on his face stops me. His jaw is clenched tight, his gaze trained ahead. He looks... angry.

"Shit." he curses and within a blink he's out the door. Gone.

After a few minutes of frozen shock at what's just happened, I force myself to walk out of the room, down the hall and into the kitchen. Avery is standing by the counter, menu held up high in front of her face. Rhys isn't here with her. I suspect he's already put a hefty amount of distance between himself and this house.

Avery looks over the top of the laminated page at me and lifts her eyebrows, putting on a smile that's forced enough to make us both grimace.

"So... " she says.

I bite my lip.

"I honestly don't know what to say." I admit. "Sorry?"

Her expression softens.

"I think I'm gonna go." I pick up my notebook and bag. "I'll see you tomorrow at school?"

She nods. Blue, who was sleeping on the couch, wakes, stretches and follows me out. When I get into the car and look up at myself in the rear view mirror, I shake my head at the expression on my own face. Shock mixed horribly with confusion.

"Well, that was stupid." I say out loud.

Blue looks at me for a long moment before putting his head back down again.

"Yeah, you seem just as worried." I mutter.

-

-

I'm staring into empty space as I get out of the car. Blue bounces up the pathway to the front door, tail swaying, black body a shadow in the dark.

I'm so absorbed in my own thoughts that I'm surprised I manage to catch the faint sound at my back at all. But I suppose I've just grown use to people sneaking up on me.

My eyes go up straight and I keep walking forward, putting my hand into my bag to make it look like I'm going for my keys when in reality I'm searching out my mint spray. My hand, however, brushes across something colder - metal - and I take hold of it. I grip the handle and draw the knife out to hold at my side. Who knows how it got there - Rhys probably - but I'm thankful.

The sound comes again, that slight shift of shoes against cement, and I spin around, the knife angeled out.

The woman puts her hands up.

"Whoa, hey, I'm not going to hurt you," she says and steps forward. "I just want to talk. I'm a friend of your mother's."

The woman is five foot something, slim but visibly taller than me, with dark, short hair framing her face. Her claim matches her appearance; she looks around Elise's age. I suspect that she's like us - a Witch.

I frown. "My mother's?"

The woman smiles and starts to lower her hands, taking a step closer.

I raise the knife.

"That doesn't make you a friend of mine." I say.

Her smile disappears and she stops moving. She tilts her head to the side as her gaze goes to the knife and the shaky way my hand is gripping it.

"Have you ever held a knife properly before? As a weapon, I mean?" she asks. "Because I could teach you. It's fairly easy once you-"

"Why are you here?" I interrupt.

She sighs and gives up on that particular approach.

"I came to ask you to visit Elise." she says. "I think you should give her a chance. She's- "

"Loyal? Loving?" I supply, tilting the knife with my slight hand gestures.

"Worried." the woman says.

"And who are you? Because as far as I can tell, you're a stranger."

She smiles. "My names Lyn."

Lyn and I stare at each other for a moment, the knife in my hand becoming more prominent with each passing second. She glances down at it and then back up, reaching into the pocket of her pants. She retrieves a piece of folded paper and moves forward until she's at arms length to offer it to me.

"It's where we're staying." she says. "If you change you're mind then you'll know where to go."

She shakes it gently when I hesitate, urging me to take it. I do, holding it in my free hand. I've lowered the knife but it's still hanging close. I can feel Blue right at my side.

Lyn's eyes drop down to the black cat as she backs away. The corners of her mouth lift in the smallest smile. Blue growls at her, the sound emitting from a Hound's throat.

My pride in him flares.

Lyn walks away, down to the sidewalk to pass beneath a beaming streetlight. Between one step and the next - she's gone.

I take the knife, the address, and my Hound inside.

-

-

I'm still lying awake hours later.

The clock on my bedside table tells me that it's three AM. Blue is just as restless as I am. My anxiety must be getting to him, too.

I'm lying on my side staring at the slip of paper still folded beside my lamp.

"Screw it." I say out loud.

I snatch up the paper, unfold it and read the address.

My decision is made.

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I hate it but I still hope maybe you guys won't. Planning to wrap this up very soon. It's taken me far too long to write this book. Just to clarify, there will be a sequel. Thanks for reading xo