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  Everyone point their finger and laugh at Thale Llorente.

  “So you’re really not a goth girl,” Caius asked, noting the declining change in my mood. It was a gallant attempt to change the subject, but offered little distraction.

  “No,” I said succinctly, wallowing in self-pity.

  “It’s not as bad as it sounds,” Bacchus said. Placing his arm in front of me, he stopped me at the curb as a police cruiser rolled slowly around the corner. When it passed, he dropped his arm again. I stepped around them and crossed the road, watching the cruiser coast away.

  “No?” I rebutted. It sounded deplorable to me.

  The park was quaint with a large structure that contained a few modular plastic cubbies, a sliding board and several climbing apparatuses. Off to the side sat a swing set and a seesaw, all empty, bereft of children. And in the back rested a small asphalt basketball court, buried beneath a shroud of multihued leaves. Surrounding the playground stood a sentinel of mature trees. Their foliage ranged from bold red to vivid yellow. The leaves shuddered in the fall breeze, floating and falling gracefully to the ground. I shivered, knowing what things could hide within their shadows. Even in the daylight, the woods now took on an ominous appearance.

  “What happened to our parents was ten years ago, and on the other side of the country,” Bacchus pressed. “We lived in in Washington then, close to Mount Rainier in a small town called Buckley. Most of the packs stick to the countryside. We don’t see many here in the suburbs. Usually just the occasional rogue, like your fucktard ex.”

  “That’s comforting! Really!” I exclaimed. “As long as I don’t come across any more fucktards I should be safe! I mean, what are the chances of that—because I didn’t just come across two different instances last night—and I didn’t get mauled—and immortalized—and dominated—and seriously fucked in the span of one really un-fuckin’ lucky night!”

  Lengthening my strides, I strode ahead of the wonder twins and veered toward the swings. Tears streamed down my face, and I rather they not see. It had nothing to do with how red my nose turned. I just needed five minutes alone. My life just went from complicated to beyond daunting. I earned a good crying jag, if not a full emotional meltdown.

  I wanted to go home. I wanted to wrap myself in my rag quilt with its frayed and ratty edges then curl up in my bed and wake up from this Godforsaken nightmare that was now my life. Bennie would make pancakes and mom would blend smoothies. Dad would surf the net on his laptop. And I would bare my razor sharp teeth and rip their throats out all before noon.

  “Thale?”

  Opening my eyes, Crispin stood shyly, kicking the grass at his feet. He was stronger than I was. His eyes weren’t even the slightest bit red. I envied that, wearing my emotions for everyone to see. Almost as quickly, I felt guilty that I envied his familiarity with grief.

  “Swing double?” he asked.

  Wordlessly, I widened the chains on the swing so he could climb through. He grabbed the metal links above my hands and pulled his weight up then slid his legs over mine, straddling my waist. When he settled in place, he smiled sheepishly, his cheeks reddening.

  “Can’t reach the ground. You’ll have to start us out.”

  Pushing backward with my legs, he leaned back, counterbalancing my weight. Swiftly, I lifted my feet. We began pumping our legs, gaining momentum until the swing reached height.

  “Higher,” he directed. “And close your eyes. I want that moment when you’re suspended in air, weightless, when your heart jumps into your throat. It’s like a mini heart attack. That’s what we need right now.”

  I smiled. Crispin smiled, too. And we began pumping harder, each shifting our weight on the downswing, forcing the swing higher. The smile never left our faces as we reached the summit and hung there, suspended in space for one heart stopping moment. As we fell back down with a sharp snap of the chains, we broke down into a fit of giggles.

  “Thank you, Crispin,” I said gratefully. “I did need that.”

  Crispin shrugged with forced nonchalance. “Personally, I prefer bosom hugs, but I’ll make due.”

  “Yes,” I agreed, “you will.” Holding on with one hand, I grabbed his ankle with the other, nearly dumping him backwards. He retaliated, of course, and it quickly became an all out war. For a few minutes, I was able to forget about the family to whom I couldn’t return.

  Crispin’s face falling signaled the end of my brief respite from reality. “I think we’re in big trouble,” he whispered, eyes fixed over my shoulder. I needn’t ask whom he was watching.

  “Get home,” Icarus ordered tersely. Hastily, Crispin climbed off my lap, untangling his legs from the swing. He turned back a few times, glancing over his shoulder before he loped out of sight. Icarus then turned his glare on me. “You’re not to leave the house! In fact, you’re not to freakin’ peek out the window without first asking! Is that understood?”

  “It was our fault,” Bacchus said quickly.

  “You’re damn right it is,” Icarus agreed. “But it’s my problem now, isn’t it? What if someone sees her with us? Do you know what kind of trouble it would cause?”

  Guiltily, my eyes dropped to the ground. As did the Wonder Twin’s, evidentially, because Icarus pinched his eyes shut, infuriated. “Someone saw you.”

  “The police,” Caius answered. “They were patrolling. But maybe they didn’t notice her. He was turning the corner. He might not have gotten a good look.”

  Icarus scoffed. “Not notice Thaleia?”

  “What’s the difference?” I rebutted. “Jack saw us together this morning.”

  “Because Jack won’t talk!” Icarus roared, veins popping out along his neck and forehead. The last time I saw anyone this angry, my father was chastising Bennie and me for gouging the paint of his beamer. We were having a water fight with the super soakers and accidentally knocked over the bicycle, which in turn upended the rack holding the rakes and shovels. My father never hit us, but if there was ever a time I thought he might, it was then.

  “You can’t go home, Thaleia. You do understand that, don’t you?”

  Nodding, my eyes brimmed with tears. I couldn’t take the chance of harming Bennie or my parents. Still, this was all confusing and overwhelming to me. Instead of explaining things, he growled at me, and when he wasn’t growling, he disappeared entirely, leaving me in the dark.

  “Stop yelling at her,” Caius growled. “You’re scaring her.”

  “Would you rather I shout at you? I should’ve ended this last night, but against my better judgment, I listened to you and brought her home! Now look at the trouble she’s caused! The police have seen her with us when she should’ve disappeared entirely! Who do you think they’re going to come to when her parents report her missing?”

  Bacchus crossed his arms over his chest, his jaw set obstinately. “You don’t want her around, we’ll leave.”

  “She goes, we go,” Caius agreed. “We’re not abandoning her.”

  “I wasn’t talking about abandoning her.”

  Snarling, the wonder twins stepped in front of me, blocking Icarus’s line of sight. A shiver rolled down my spine. Was Icarus threatening to kill me? Were the twins actually willing to fight him over me? Could I let them do that—pit brother against brother? They weren’t technically brothers, but they were blood. Icarus raised them, forming a bond if not stronger than kinship. For all intents and purposes, he was much more than a brother to them.

  “I’m not here to break up anyone’s family,” I said, stepping around Bacchus’s side. “If you don’t want me around, I’ll go to Marcus for help. This was his fault anyway. He owes me.”

  “No!” Bacchus growled, grabbing my arm in a bruising vise. “Are you insane, Thale? You can’t trust him! He left you there for dead!”

  “Did he?” I countered. “Or did he leave because he was outnumbered by six?”

  “Bacchus is right,” Icarus said resignedly. “He’s a rogue. He’s already proven how dangerous h
e is.”

  “I dated him for over a year and he never lifted a finger to me, and you agreed with Hailey that he only attacked me because I ran.”

  “And his dick accidentally slipped into your friend,” Caius said with a smirk.

  I didn’t dignify that with a response. He was hitting below the belt. I was sure that I could trust Marcus enough to help me. He’d never forced himself on me in the year we were together. If I said stop, he stopped. He sulked afterwards, but show me a boy who didn’t.

  “Unless you’re going to forbid me to leave with your imperious voice trick, I’m going. You obviously have your own issues and I don’t want to be the center of them.”

  Disconsolate, I trudged through the park ignoring the argument behind me. Part of me hoped Icarus would jump me from behind and put an end to it all. I wouldn’t see it coming. Hopefully it would be quick, and wouldn’t hurt. It beat worrying over my prospective future.

  By the time I reached the curb, I was nearly jogging. I loped across the street and turned the corner, watching the ground at my feet, my hair draping around my face, hiding my red, puffy eyes. The eyes of every neighbor bore into me, watching as I made a spectacle of myself.

  See Thale run. See Thale cry. See Thale fall to her knees and turn into a bloodthirsty beast. I giggled hysterically, muffling it with the back of my hand. Christ, I was losing it.

  “Thaleia!”

  I froze, knowing the voice all too well. Lifting my head, my father jumped from his beamer, rushing in my direction. I felt immediately relieved, yet horror-struck.

  “Peter, Paul and Mary!” my mother exclaimed, joining him. “Where in the Sam Hill have you been? We’ve been looking for you for hours! Have you been crying?” Freezing, my mother’s eyes took on the mother-of-all-fears look. “Are you hurt? What happened to you?”

  “Easy, Mare,” my dad said. “Let her answer one question at a time.”

  God, where did I start? What did I say? Sorry Mom and Dad, but I can’t come home with you. I was mauled by a werewolf. Well, and you know how allergic Mom is to pet dander. Can’t have her sneezing in the acai berry smoothies. What would the customers say?

  “Marcus cheated on me.” It was effective, and it wasn’t a lie.

  “Oh dear,” Mom gasped, dragging me into a huge hug. My dad hovered in the middle of the street, tongue-tied. He glanced to his beamer and back then slowly sidled closer to his car where he could escape the atrocity of his baby girl’s dating tribulations.

  “I’ll wait in the car,” he said apologetically.

  “Are you sure?” Mom asked me. “It’s not just a nasty rumor?”

  “Oh, yeah, there’s no doubt about it. I walked in on them. Peyton dressed up as a nurse for Halloween. I’d say she was actively checking his blood pressure.”

  “Oh, Peyton,” Mom tsk’d.

  (Yeah, that’s what Marcus said, too.)

  “Thale, you used protection, right?”

  “Mom!” I snapped. “Why do you always have to go there?”

  “Because I’m your mother and it's my job. If Marcus was with Peyton, God only knows where else he’s been. With all the things you could catch…”

  She had no idea.

  Aghast, I glanced around, but found neither the twins, nor Icarus in sight. I couldn’t believe we were having this conversation. Right now. In the middle of the street. Unfortunately, Mom was indefatigable when on a mission. I knew I would do best to answer her questions.

  “Well if you must know, I never slept with him.”

  Mom sighed, mildly satisfied, but I knew better. The inquisition wasn’t over by a long shot. She was just winding up. Like me, I could see it in her stance, the cock of her hip, the set of her jaw, the way she folded her arms over her chest. I emulated her resolve.

  “Ok, Thaleia, so I know why you didn’t ride home with Marcus last night, but where did you stay, and why haven’t you answered your cell? Your father and I have been worried sick. Some boy named Jack called the house and said that he thought you might be in trouble. We’ve been looking for you all morning. The police won’t officially do anything for twenty four hours since your eighteen, and technically a legal adult.”

  I took a moment to gather my thoughts. It was best if I stuck to the truth as much as possible. “There was a girl at the party that I go to school with, and she wasn’t feeling well. I helped Jack get her up the stairs and into a bedroom. And that was when I found Marcus and Peyton. I was upset, so I went outside to get some fresh air, but when I got outside, there was this young girl there. Hailey. I knew she was too young to be at the party, so I walked her home. But there was no one home and I didn’t want to leave her there by herself so I stayed.”

  “What was she doing there in the first place?”

  “She has six old brothers—well cousins—but they’re like brothers to her. Anyway, they were all at the party, and they left her outside.”

  “Where were her parents while they were off partying?”

  “Oh, they died. They went on vacation with her Aunt and Uncle and their plane crashed. The oldest cousin raised them all. But he’s off on business a lot. It’s sad really. I felt bad for her, and since her brothers seem so irresponsible, I figured I would stay with her until he returned from his business trip.”

  “This Jack, he called because—”

  “I ran out after I found Marcus and Peyton together. Maybe he was worried because I never came back.”

  “Smart boy.” Mom ran her hands through her hair, pushing it from her face. “Where is this house you’re staying at?”

  “Right there,” I said succinctly, pointing at said house. It was a beautiful house, two stories with a wraparound porch on the first floor. The fascia was stone, mixed with cement board siding in a rich shade of sienna. The inside was immaculate. I know because I just cleaned it. Nevertheless, I’d rather not give her the tour.

  “Come on then,” she said, starting for the car. “I’d like to meet Hailey. It was Hailey, right?”

  My shoulders slumped in defeat. “Yes.”

  Hesitating, my mom turned to me as if she just thought of something. “Where were you coming from just now?”

  “Their dog ran away.”

  “Do you need to find it? We could drive around the block…”

  “No, he’s probably home already.” Glowering, I slid into the backseat of the beamer, and for a brief moment, I thought I could talk them into taking me home, but before I could close the door, I heard a bark, and in jumped a massive black wolf. He plopped down in the seat next to me as I sputtered for him to get out. My dad was having a coronary behind the wheel, his face turning puce.

  “Get him out of my car Thale! My leather seats! The nails! Watch his nails! Push him out! Out dog!” he shouted. “Out! Down! Heel!”

  “Gabe!” my mom shouted. “Just drive! It’s only down the street!”

  Mirroring my mood, my dad ceded and shifted the car into drive. “Perhaps they should have that dog neutered. It’s supposed to calm them down. Promote obedience.”

  I pinched my mouth shut, taking in Icarus’s pale blue eyes.

  Chapter 4

  Consternated, I followed Icarus up the walk, my parents trailing inquisitively behind. Could it get any more awkward, I wondered, and then quickly berated myself for the thought. Yes, it could, indubitably. And it would the moment I led them through the doors and into the den belonging to none other than a pack of lycanthrope.

  “The house is beautiful,” Mom observed. “He does well for them.”

  “Mm,” I murmured evasively. I dithered on whether I should knock or not, but tugged the door open and let Icarus run in first. Stumping me, Hailey squealed loudly and wrapped her arms around his scruffy neck, tugging him into an ardent and most un-Hailey like embrace.

  “You found him!” she crowed, raking her fingers into his thick, black fur.

  Explaining Hailey’s atypical behavior, Caius and Bacchus lounged on the sofa, their feet propped leisurely o
n the coffee table. Gears of War blared obnoxiously from the television. Upon our entrance, they looked up, eyes sparkling smugly for those aware of their charade. They had listened to my whole conversation. I couldn’t fathom why this should surprise me. In any event, Icarus had sent them ahead to warn the others of my parent’s impromptu visit while he thwarted any attempt I might have devised to escape by jumping into the car.

  Playing the part of any normal Middle American family, Max and Lucius sat at the island, picking at the remains of my macaroni and cheese. Crispin slumped on the sofa, listening to his iPod and reading a book that looked like Stephen King’s ‘Silver Bullet.’ Hailey continued to make a fuss over Icarus, putting on the performance of a lifetime.

  “Hailey, why don’t you go lock him in the laundry,” I suggested, turning to my parents. “He tends to sniff people’s crotches. And he bites. He’s mean. And short-tempered. Bad dog.”

  I scowled, joining their pretense.

  Glaring, Hailey followed Icarus through the kitchen. I suppose she didn’t share my opinion of her alpha. Oh well. I wasn’t so fond of her either. Sympathetic, yes, but leery.

  “Mom, Dad,” I began, “this is Caius and Bacchus,” I gestured toward the twins, who smiled roguishly and shook Dad’s hand, “Maximillian, Lucius, and Crispin.”

  “Crispianus,” said Crispin, proudly.

  “Such strong names,” my mom praised, shaking his hand with both of hers. She liked Crispin. Doubtlessly he reminded her of Bennie.

  “Family names,” Lucius explained. “Said to date back to Romulus and Remus.”

  “The founders of Rome,” Dad said. “Twin rulers suckled by the Capitoline wolf. That’s quite a lineage you have.”

  “Dad’s a history buff,” I explained, as if it were an excuse.

  Returning from locking Icarus away, Hailey beamed widely at my parents. “Hi Mr. and Mrs. Llorente! Thaleia can spend the night, can’t she? Please, please, please! We already made plans to paint our nails and do our hair! And we rented some movies. Girly movies. If Thale goes home, my brothers will never let me watch them. So she has to stay.”