I sat in the shower, letting the ice cold water run over me with my
eye closed and mouth open. My mind not working, alone for now with
Barbie going… wherever she went, Percy cooking and Gevaudan playing
with Marty in the next room. Neither really having looked too hard at
me while I walked in saying I was taking a shower before the party.
Probably for the best, I was already needing to figure out how to
explain the new cut on my cheek without them freaking out.
Couldn’t claim… well, any genuine accident, or they’d know that
I was lying. Anything not silver would have healed already, even my
runes didn’t increase the healing enough I was willing to risk it.
Maybe say there was some silver in my grandma’s car, but that
would…
There was a knock at the door.
A soft little rhyme and I sighed as I turned the water off and rose
to my feet to dry off, trying to rush myself a little as I called
out, “I’ll be out in a second.”
Gevaudan was on the other side, the woman a little too cheery for me
at the moment as she called out, “no rush! Your friend Anna’s
here, thought I’d let you know.”
Well, first of the guests arriving, that was a good at least and I
could look forward to that at least. Didn’t know Anna all that
well, but she seemed nice and I could at least-
They didn’t know about the cut yet.
Fuck, at least anyone else would have been used to me pulling this,
maybe scold me a little but not react badly.
Anna was a hunter who, according to Percy, wasn’t exactly from the
most accepting family. She figured out I was a werewolf…
Fuck it, future me’s problem.
I dressed quickly as I could with one good arm, bones still aching
from my earlier fight, a slight limp to my steps as I walked towards
the door. Leather jacket pulled tight around me, eyepatch firmly in
place, and I did a final check for blood in the mirror before
stepping out.
Percy was still in the kitchen, no idea how he was distracting
himself there this long, with four separate bread and cake pans sat
across the counter. The man gently filling each while he and Anna
laughed about something, Gevaudan quickly clearing toys off the
coffee table and sitting out 2 liters and red plastic cups.
Lord the first to actually walk up to me, the cat sitting a few feet
from me while he asked, who fucked you with a silver strap?
“Sadly, no one,” I admitted, already feeling like I probably
should have taken up Barbie’s offer. At least then I’d be going
into this with a little less stress on my shoulders.
Only as I spoke aloud realizing that was probably a mistake, everyone
in the room looking to me before I could think of an excuse for Anna.
Percy nearly dropping the bowl he was holding, Gevaudan letting out
the smallest of squeaks, and Anna for what it was worth just raising
a brow at the sight of me.
Not quite laughing, not quite horrified, though maybe at least
humored by the sight as she told me, “know some women like the
scarred up look, Rose, but you’re a bit too high femme to make it
work, don’t you think?”
I froze.
While I genuinely wasn’t sure what exactly I was expecting her to
say, it certainly wasn’t for her to joke about it. She didn’t
know I was a werewolf as far as I knew, she didn’t know this was a
relatively light wound even if it was silver.
For all she knew I’d gotten seriously injured, and that fact alone
confirmed the lie in my head as I told her, “car accident.”
She hummed a little at that, nodding along as the woman walked over
and looked me over with a crooked grin. Something I couldn’t quite
describe behind the expression, maybe a little bit of concern she was
trying to hide, even as she asked me, “and the eye? Don’t think
I’ve ever heard that story.”
Well, might as well have some fun with it and avoid keeping track of
too many lies.
“Percy’s a terrible shot.”
Anna raised a brow at that, slowly turning to face the man hiding his
face in his work as he defended himself, “it’s… look I
can explain I just-”
“Save it, see why I haven’t heard about the hot one eyed cousin
now,” Anna interrupted, her smile looking a little colder and her
eye twitching. A brief bolt of guilt shooting through me before she
gently reached out and touched the cut, humming as she asked, “you
have a follow up? Going to heal well, right? Anything you need?”
I blinked, not expecting the barrage of questions and only able to
admit, “it’ll be fine, nurse said to just keep it clean and check
on it regularly. It barely even hurts, busted up my ribs and arm a
little more.”
Anna nodded, and didn’t even deign me with a response before
she spun me around in place and pushed me towards the couch with the
order, “you sit down, I’ll get you something to drink. Tea or
soda?”
“Tea sounds nice,” I admitted, realizing we didn’t have any
sweet tea actually on hand, “or… well, we don’t have any sweet
tea. We have anything for heating up water? Never mind, I’ll just-”
“Made some sun tea earlier,” Percy interrupted my rambling,
rushing past the both of us as he went to fetch a glass jug from the
porch, “found a jug under the sink, helped myself to some of your
tea bags, hope you don’t mind.”
“They were a gift,” I brushed off, watching Percy go about
finishing his sun tea while Anna sat me on the couch and quickly sat
next to me on my blind side. The wolf bristling briefly as I asked,
“what are you doing?”
“Sitting mostly,” the woman shrugged, only visible as I turned my
head to face her.
What part of me wanted to be nice won out by practicality as I told
her, “switch places with me.”
Anna shrugged, almost laughing a little as she held her hands up with
a quick, “what ever you say,” as she rose up to move to my left
side. My own body sliding back to where she’d been while she took
my spot while she asked, “so, c’mon, tell me before the other
guests show: how have I never heard about your dad?”
I was about to ask the same question on instinct before I remembered
she thought I was Percy’s cousin. Only able to force myself to
shrug before asking, “why would you?”
“Cause according to Percy he’s nearly killed The Lady,” Anna
admitted, my heart dropping a little at the explanation even as she
went on, “come on, only guy I ever heard do that was Martin Jameson
and he’s a living legend when it comes to hunters. How haven’t I
heard about your dad?”
I blinked, staring past Anna a moment at a rightfully embarrassed
looking Percy and tried to defend the claim, “bit of an
exaggeration, he just helped my um… Martin, he just helped Martin.”
Anna shrugged, leaning back and letting out a dull, “boo,” as she
tossed her arm behind my shoulders on the couch. The girl looking
ready to say something else before Gevaudan’s bedroom door opened
and a small figure ran out a few steps, stopped, and stared the two
of us down wide-eyed. Anna raising a brow at the sight even as the
boy turned and ran back to hide, chuckling a moment as she asked,
“whose the kid? You got a little brother, or-”
“My kid,” Gevaudan quickly interrupted for me, saving me a need
for another excuse as it set in for me how bad an idea inviting Anna
had been. Why did no one stop me from doing this? “Marty’s a
little shy, but he’ll probably come out in a little bit to meet
everyone. It’s going to sound like I’m lying, but he’s a lot
better when he can get it all over with at once.” she laughed a
little at that, shaking her head as she continued cleaning and asked,
“rest of your friends on the way, Mary? Should be all ready, just
wanted to make sure they knew what floor and room we were.”
“Ah, let me text Tara, she’s never driving if she’s with
Andrew,” I muttered, opening my phone and starting to scroll
through. Only stopping as I heard Anna let out the smallest hitch of
a breath, a quick glance to her showing her face stiff, eyes closed.
My confusion only lasting a moment before I realized what she’d
seen.
Marty was my phone background.
I opened my mouth, taking too long to explain and still trying to
brush it off, “I just am really close with-”
A hand closed in my hair, the wolf only having a moment to growl
before it was slammed forward, my face erupting in pain from a quick
strike with her knee. Percy’s voice briefly ringing out and my body
not waiting to see if Anna was listening as we both stumbled to our
feet. The urge to grow claws and teeth briefly held back, fear of a
gun or knife driving me enough to lunge into the woman.
Arms around her waist, lifting her off the ground a foot or two and
tossing us both forward we fell across the back of the couch. My
torso erupting in pain, something cracking inside me, a yell coming
from the woman and my right arm feeling like it was definitely
breaking again. For a moment both of us a single tangle of limbs on
the ground, and the next a face slamming into my own.
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
I bit down without meaning to, blood on my tongue and then the
realization it was my own blood from my own tongue. Anna’s hands on
mine, driving me off her, rolling us around onto the ground, slamming
me flat on my back and my first instinct kicking in as I spat my own
blood in her face. The brief flash of disgust, the subtlest recoil
enough to throw my own weight up, a knee driven between her legs and
her body tossed off me onto the air mattress nearby.
A plastic pop rang out through the air, her impact barely cushioned
and then finalized by my body slamming down into her own. My right
fist raising, driving down into her chest and-
FUCK!
My vision went white with pain, every bone in my body from fingers to
elbow feeling like it’d just become two pieces as I shook the
appendage out. Anna not letting the punch hold her back nearly as
much as she dove forward herself, my left arm raised to block a punch
and instead finding a fist winding in my hair once more. Head jerked
back, body pulled back, and her teeth dug deep into the flesh of my
neck, old instincts taking over a brief moment.
My limbs went limp, not long but enough for her to pull me back to
the ground, a knee resting on my right arm, my left rising for a
punch and driven back into the ground with a flash of pain. The
feeling of the knife digging in only holding me back from reacting
further at the realization that it wasn’t silver.
Anna driving a second blade under my neck keeping that short lived,
the cocking of a revolver only confusing me as I looked up to her
pointing her gun at Percy. The man stood a few feet away, no gun in
his hands but looking ready to tackle the both of us as we all froze
in place.
A long silence following, no one wanting to speak the first word
until finally Anna sighed and uncocked her gun. The woman digging the
blade a little more into my neck without breaking flesh as she asked,
“Hawk?”
“Mary now,” I corrected her, my voice a thin wheeze as the bite
healed on my neck and I sniffed the air a brief moment, “that’s
not silver either. Where the fuck were you hiding all this shit?”
She jerked the blade away, cursing to herself as she looked me over
and complained, “You can smell that? Fucking freak. Know
your name now, but wanted to confirm I guessed who you were right.
Can’t believe I didn’t recognize you earlier.”
I frowned at that, looking the girl over a long moment as I tried to
force my brain to work through the pain. Only as I was halfway
together asking, “when the fuck did we meet before? I really don’t
remember you that well, sorry.”
She actually looked a little confused by that, looking back and forth
between me and Percy, “is she fucking serious?”
Percy shrugged, almost hesitantly admitting, “I don’t know
either, sorry. I thought I never introduced you two.”
Anna sighed, jerking the blade away from my neck and then pulling her
other one from my hand as she yelled, “ninth grade! You made us all
eat lunch together those first few months because she didn’t have
friends! I didn’t know I was gay yet, so I went to homecoming with
her! Did both of you seriously fucking forget this?!”
She looked more genuinely annoyed and confused than angry, rubbing
her eyes while she sat back on the ground. My hand freed enough to
let me shake it out and confirm that, while some of the healing was
probably reversed, it was mostly alright. The three of us once more
in silence while I looked her over still not seeing the resemblance.
She had a buzz cut now, a little darker and rougher looking skin,
tattoo on her neck and I definitely couldn’t imagine her wearing a
homecoming dress anymore. That said, more time with sunscreen and
less in the sun, hair down to her cheeks and maybe a little bit of
makeup…
“I thought your name was Stephanie?”
“Middle name you fucking dumb ass,” she sighed, head in her hands
for several seconds before snapping, “fucking wolf! Can’t
fucking… you?”
“Me,” I agreed hesitantly, not sure what else to say, “you’re
not going to kill me? Why the fuck did you react like that?”
“Was gonna kill you before I had to draw a gun on Percy, figured
I’d hold off for now,” she admitted like that didn’t mean she
wasn’t still thinking about it, “care to explain yourself now;
or…Percy! Understand her being an idiot about this, but you?
Really, didn’t think I’d figure out who she was?”
Percy looked like he was still working through it himself, nodding a
few times before he admitted, “really I just remembered like, you
only ever dated one guy, guess I couldn’t really see Mary that way
hindsight.”
Anna sighed, “I’m surrounded by idiots,” and I had to admit,
“hey, that means a lot, man.”
Whatever would have happened next stopped by the sound of a door
open, Gevaudan saying something as I saw Martin run out. The boy
going wide eyed as he saw me and asked, “is mommy fighting?”
Lord speaking up first, I honestly forgetting the cat was there until
he announced, I mean, I was hoping for hate sex, but yeah there’s
some fighting.
A groan escaped my lips, my head rolling back on the floor as I told
Marty, “just wrestling a little, everything’s fine.”
“There’s blood on your neck.”
He looked scared, probably right to and I decided to relieve the
stress best I could. Wiping a bit of the crimson on my fingers and
holding it up as I told him, “just some chili, Percy threw a little
at me.”
I licked the finger, tasting my own blood and trying to ignore the
flash of disgust Anna shot me. The taste not horrible, I’d tasted
myself before, but all the same not my favorite as I wiped the rest
on my t-shirt and Marty nodded.
Percy at least coming to my rescue as he asked, “you want to try
some Marty? Think it’s been going long enough, come on over here.”
Martin ran over to Percy and I took the opportunity to grab a few
tissues from the end table and wipe my neck and the closing hole in
my left hand. Anna continuing to glare at me even while I padded at
the stains on my shirt. Lord walking over and, probably in his own
way, trying to break the tension by climbing into the girl’s lap
and start purring.
That or he was being a pervert, knew he liked butch girls too, though
either way Anna started to scratch his ears all the same and looked a
little less focused on me.
Martin made a happy noise, dancing a little in place even as he told
Percy, “it hurts my mouth.”
“It’s spicy — not too spicy, toned it down for you, but still,”
Percy countered with a small laugh, “a lot of people like spicy
food, you get some really good stuff once you get used to it.”
And Anna decided to chime in herself, rolling her eyes as she
announced, “besides, pretty sure your mom likes when it hurts.”
It was my turn to shoot her a glare, the woman flipping me off even
as Lord tried betraying me by claiming, you did blush when she bit
you.
“I did not!” I snapped at the cat, Anna looking a little cocky
and Percy looking like he was holding in a cackle while he buried his
face in his cooking. For a moment considering justifying my reaction
before realizing she probably thought it was in response to her. My
mind still turning even as I told her, “I’m going to change my
shirt.”
My body stumbled to its feet, my ribs burning and right arm doing
little to help me up until I was already halfway to my room in the
apartment. Anna getting up behind me, and my ears not too focused on
her until I heard the bedroom door close behind me.
The hunter’s arms crossed, a brow raised as she told me, “take
off your shirt.”
I blinked, not sure how I was supposed to react to that even as I
asked, “why?”
“I saw your tattoos the other day, I want to see them again.”
I let out a sigh, kicking myself a little for misreading what she
meant and all the same sliding my leather jacket off. My shirt still
on, but my sleeves short enough she could see the scars that covered
them and the shapes they formed. Her eyes tracing over them with a
cold knowledge as I did my best to not shuffle too much.
Her voice almost a whisper as she said more than asked, “Percy
knows you were a fucking Purist?”
“Only a short time,” I told my lie.
Anna didn’t even hesitate to laugh, shaking her head as she told me
flat out, “those aren’t a few months of work, and I’m sure you
got more under the shirt.”
I froze, not sure how I was supposed to defend myself and taking
entirely too long to do so. A single raised brow making me nearly
fall to my knees until I broke down and nearly begged, “don’t
tell Percy, please.”
“If he doesn’t know he’s a fucking idiot around you,” the
woman responded without hesitation, a moment’s thought later
agreeing, “I won’t break it to him.”
I nodded, not sure what to say standing there with my mouth half held
open, heart still screaming in my ears while Anna stared me down.
Neither of us moving a muscle, the wolf pacing the back of my mind
like a caged animal while I wondered what to do next.
The obvious answer being excuse her and finish getting changed
or addressing one of the dozen or so elephants currently stuffed into
the room. Or… actually no, there was at least one thing I felt like
I fully needed to address before that became an issue:
“Everyone else coming to the party is a werewolf.”
The woman shook her head a moment, rubbing her eyes as she told me,
“You’re either a fucking idiot or the horniest sub I know, and I
don’t know which is worse, because I know I am not that hot and
there’s no way a normal person didn’t know this was a bad idea.”
She did not wait for my answer, and I was still trying to mull over
that accusation when she stepped towards me. The wolf crouching low,
a thin growl forming in the back of my throat until I was pressed
against the dresser and she stood a few inches from my face. My urge
to rip her throat out held back by the deeper knowledge of that’s
a really bad idea until she spoke up once more.
“It’s both,” she announced, glaring me down without flinching
at my growling, “how the fuck did you get that girl pregnant,
Mary?”
“No more Rose?” I asked without thinking, the fact weirdly
catching me off guard before I corrected her, “I got pregnant. Ex
husband, long story there, but… look, being a werewolf can change
your body a lot.”
Anna actually looked annoyed at that information, muttering, “should
have seen that coming,” under her breath before telling me, “Rose
was for when I was hitting on you, and honestly knowing who you are
and that you’re a werewolf already made me feel weird about that.
Knowing you were a Purist basically brought it right back into ‘get
me drunk and I’m not sure if I’ll shoot you or fuck you’
territory. Hubby gonna be here tonight? Should have known you liked
guys soon as I learned who you were.”
“I’m pan, I like girls, and… what does that mean?” I defended
myself, not sure why I was bothering at all, “Hunter’s not here,
I… I haven’t told him Martin’s in town.”
I probably should have, thinking on it again, though at the same time
it didn’t feel like the best idea. Hunter was still in the
Purists, we still weren’t on the best of terms, as much as I did
like the idea of him getting to see Marty…
Contacting him was asking for trouble anyway, especially with The
Lady mad at me.
Anna not seeming to care for my deep thought as she looked between
the door and me as she asked, “wait, you two weren’t?… eh,
never mind.”
What thoughts I might have voiced next broken off by a soft knock at
the bedroom door, my recognition of the pattern too short lived
before it opened and Tara peaked her head in. The girl smiling
brightly as she started, “hey! Percy said everything was almost-”
the woman stopping as she saw the two of us and almost giggling as
she shut the door, “there are people out here, so keep it down.”
Anna took a final look at me, letting out a brief sigh as she
muttered, “definitely both,” and then asked, “werewolf?”
I flinched a little at the point, not sure what else to say as I
offered her, “You can leave if you want.”
And she laughed at me, shaking her head as she started out the door
and told me, “oh, Mary, think I’m turning down the opportunity to
see what sort of fucking weirdos you spend time with now? You invited
me here, you’re not getting out of this until I decide if I can
trust you or not.”