Chapter 15 #2
“Getting confused. You have a big house.” I smiled down at his plaid boxers and white T-shirt.
“I wanted to thank you for everything you’ve done today and show my appreciation, but now I’m intrigued.
” I drew closer. “Can I have a tour of your bedroom? Please? Pretty please? I wanna see where the great Dr. Lockwood lays his head at night. I bet you have a skeleton in there and science pictures on the walls. I bet you have a million books. Am I right? Oh, please? Can I come in for just a minute?”
He finally released a soft laugh. “Yes, you may.”
When Salem stepped aside and allowed me entry, my excitement waned. The blank walls were underwhelming, and where was the furniture? “Did you recently move in? Where are all your belongings?”
“My clothes are in the closet. There’re storage baskets for socks and other things. The medical equipment’s in the garage.”
“No, I mean your things. This is your life? Where are the paintings and decorations? What about a special lamp or keepsake rock you found on a vacation to Australia? You don’t even have curtains.”
He padded across the room to the window. “No, but there’s this.”
I beamed at my redbird hanging against the dark window. “Do you like it?”
“I do.” He paced toward the door and crossed his arms. “I guess if I’m offering myself as your imaginary mate, I should know a little about my imaginary wife.”
I leaned against the opposite wall and played with my hair. “Like what?”
“When Scott came to your home, he said you exposed us to humans. But you also said you were trying to save your father. What did you mean by that?”
I lowered my arms. “Wow. You really do wanna get personal.”
“If you’re not comfortable—”
“No, it’s a reasonable request. My dad inherited a genetic disease.”
“What kind?”
“It doesn’t have a name. He was getting sick fast, and the Relics didn’t know what to do, so I thought humans might have the answer.
They have all that special equipment that analyzes DNA, and I wondered if they might have a similar disease that there’s treatment for.
It took forever to find their information, but I finally singled out two scientists and where they lived.
Well, you can’t just knock on someone’s door or they’ll have you arrested, so I called them instead.
When I told them about my father’s unique disease, they seemed open to meeting with me for coffee.
Once I explained his medical condition, I eased them into the truth about our world. ”
“How much did you tell them?”
“Only what they needed to know. It wasn’t hard to demonstrate how I could shift.
It was the only way they’d believe me. They needed to know my father’s blood wasn’t the same so they’d keep it all a secret.
Well, so much for that.” I rolled my eyes.
“They didn’t have a clue what was wrong with him.
I thought it might be a form of Lou Gehrig’s disease because the symptoms are similar, but they couldn’t find any connection.
The first guy wanted to do all kinds of experiments, and the second one blabbed to someone in his facility, who happened to be one of our insiders.
Well, they reported the incident to the higher authority.
That’s how I got in trouble.” I sighed and stared at Salem’s bare feet.
“What did Scott mean when he said he could take care of you, and you were going to need it?”
I pushed off the wall and scoffed. “That’s just Scott wanting to replace my father.” When I tried to get around Salem, he blocked the doorway.
“Is that all?”
“I used to live in a really nice townhome. The money was good because I had wealthy clients. He’s obviously not impressed by the downgrade in my living situation.
Maybe I don’t deserve to be free for my crime, but I’d do it all again.
In the end, my dad couldn’t walk or even feed himself.
Then he stopped eating altogether. I think he wanted to die faster.
” Hot tears welled in my eyes, and I shouldered past Salem before I had an emotional meltdown.
When I reached the first hall on the left, I leaned against the corner wall and sobbed.
Salem put his arms around me. “I’m sorry.”
“Maybe I’m bad luck. Virgil could’ve died.”
He stroked my back soothingly. “There’s no such thing as luck. And if there was, maybe it’s good luck they were helping you look for the necklace. Had you gone alone and gotten bit…”
His words trailed off, and he hugged me tight from behind. No one gave hugs better than Salem, and I never wanted him to let go.
“When Tak called and mentioned a snakebite,” he began, his words softening, “I thought it was you.”
The sound of a door opening cleaved us apart.
Before Lakota shut Virgil’s door, he poked his head back inside. “Don’t be an asshole.”
A vicious bark answered, and Lakota left the purple door cracked. Then he knocked on the door across the hall. “Cleo? Stay out of Virgil’s room. Krys’s wolf is in a pissy mood. Dinner should be soon.”
I smiled and poked my head inside her room. “Do you like snake soup?”
Cleo, who was sitting at a desk near the door with her knees drawn up in the chair and her earphones around her neck, widened her eyes. “What do you mean?”
“Bear’s cooking the snake that bit Virgil. It’s gonna be a whole ceremony where everyone has to eat some, so we’re about to find out who the chickens are. I volunteered. What about you? Think we can put these boys to shame?”
“I’ll do it!” she said, her smile growing.
I liked this girl already. “I’ll be in the art room finishing up work, so come get me when it’s ready. Deal?”
She nodded.
I headed toward the main hall and gestured at Salem. “You better put your pants on if you’re joining us.”
He shook his head. “I’m going to bed. I’ve got an early appointment tomorrow.”
Lakota patted Salem’s back. “Doc is a workaholic. What would we do without him? Tak mentioned you want to shoot us all up with venom. Is that a good idea? Mel doesn’t like snakes.”
Salem smiled. “Just tell her it won’t be that bad. We’ll hold her down.”
Lakota’s blue eyes twinkled as a smile wound up his face. “You’ve got a sense of humor in there after all. Do you think Virgil will lose any skin? I’ve never seen anything that swollen before. Should we make him shift again?”
I gave a mechanical smile and headed back downstairs so they could talk privately. Catcher waited at the bottom, sniffing the air as I neared him.
“He’s resting,” I told him. “Go on.” I pointed up the stairs. “Go see Virgil.”
It was strange having a wolf around who never shifted. Part of me wanted to talk to him like a pet, but he wasn’t.
Catcher sniffed my hand and suddenly pressed against me. Not a second later, the room spun. I clutched his head to keep from falling, and he walked me into the wall and offered support.
When the vertigo passed, I stroked his ear to settle his whining. The last thing I needed to do was draw attention to myself. Everyone had enough to worry about with Virgil.
The episodes were coming on faster than they used to, and more frequently.
Which meant I didn’t have much time left.