Blood Bond (5 page)

“It’s fine,” she said, staring straight
ahead. “I haven’t talked to her. The nurse at the center told me a
little but only after I sent them ID. Apparently, she fell at work
and then blew a .14 in the ambulance. Her boss said she could
either do rehab and he’d hold her job, or he’d fire her right then.
I’m still surprised she opted for rehab.”

“I’m sorry, Cam. How long is she there
for?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. A couple of
months, I guess. They said she’d call when she could. I gave her
your mom’s number. Hope that’s okay.”

“Yeah, that’s fine,” I said.

I was careful how I responded. This was the
most open Cambria had been about her personal life since that day
she’d first introduced me to the cave in the woods behind Wood
Point—the perfect place to yell out my frustrations.

“I don’t mean to interrupt, but we’re
pulling up and I just want to remind everyone here that you’re
going to feel the presence of Werewolves and not to panic.” She
eyed Cambria in the rearview. “Especially you. I know you’re not
used to feeling a Werewolf unless you’re trying to kill it, but
we’re all friends here.”

“I promise I won’t attack anything, two legs
or four,” Cambria said.

“Atta girl.”

Grandma turned onto the familiar gravel
drive and a lump wedged itself in my chest. I wasn’t sure whether I
was sad knowing Wes was absent or overwhelmingly happy at being
back. This place already felt more like home than my mother’s. That
should’ve been disappointing on some level, but it wasn’t.

The Hummer rolled to a stop
and we got out. I shaded my hand against the sun and looked up at
the worn siding and peeling shutters. Fee’s house looked exactly
the same. It was at once both comforting and heartbreaking.
Something about going back to the place where it all started and
seeing it so unchanged when I was anything
but
made me want to break
down.

“
Whose truck?” Cambria
asked, gesturing to the other vehicle in the yard.

“Jack’s,” I said.

“I thought you said Jack went with Wes.”

“He did. They took Wes’s car.”

“They? Oh, right, Cord tagged along.”

The name sent a shot of unease through me. I
didn’t love the idea of Cord—a gorgeous blond Hunter with a bad
attitude and killer knife skills—on a cross-country road trip with
my boyfriend, but it was better than having her here, making snarky
remarks in response to my every move. And I knew any feelings Wes
had for her were brotherly. Besides, Cord and I could use a break
from each other. After being roommates for a few weeks at Wood
Point—a role she did not volunteer for but rather had been sent by
Wes as my protection from Miles—I was surprised our time hadn’t
resulted in injury for either party.

Cord had done more than just babysit me,
though. She’d killed Miles. I still found it bothersome that she’d
done it even after he’d already surrendered, but Cord had a lot of
anger inside her. It wasn’t fun knowing she directed a lot of it at
me.

The front door opened before we reached it.
Goosebumps slammed into me and I faltered. I’d almost forgotten
what it felt like to have my body warn me of a nearby Werewolf. I
smiled despite the discomfort and slid into Fee’s waiting arms. She
held me close, smoothing my hair. The scent of cookies clung to
her, but underneath that: wolf.

“Tara, so glad you’re home. We’ve missed you
so much,” she said as she released me.

“I missed you too. I’m glad to be back. You
remember Cambria.”

Fee put her hand out. Cambria’s shoulders
were stiff, and she smiled like she was on autopilot, but she shook
Fee’s hand. “Nice to see you again,” Cambria said.

“And you,” said Fee. “I hope we’ll have time
to get to know each other better over the summer. We’re happy to
know Tara’s friends. Especially when they’re as loyal as you are.”
She smiled bright enough that Cambria relaxed beside me.

“Thanks,” Cambria said.

“Edie, Vera was asking for you earlier,” Fee
said as we filed inside. “She’s in the library now.”

“Then that’s where I’ll be if you need me.”
Grandma disappeared down the narrow hallway.

I stood just inside the front door and let
my eyes soak up the richness of the cherry finish on the walls and
floors. Everything glowed brown-red just as I remembered. Heat
emanated from the kitchen, the air thick with the aroma of warm
dough.

“Smells good,” I said, wandering toward the
kitchen. I stepped through the doorway and stopped. The counters
were covered with sheets and sheets of all sorts of baked goods.
Cookies, brownies, cakes, and pastries I couldn’t name covered the
countertops all the way around the room. The center island was
taken up by mixing bowls, empty egg cartons, and an electric mixer.
Flour dusted the floor.

“I’ve been stressed,” Fee said, a sheepish
smile on her face.

“Holy crumpets,” Cambria breathed.

“Would you like to try some?” Fee asked.
“I’d hate to let it go to waste.”

“Would I …?” Cambria trailed off, looking
around with wide eyes. I couldn’t help but laugh.

“You just made her day,” I told Fee. “Her
favorite food group is dessert. You better get her a jug of
milk.”

Fee headed straight for the fridge. “Coming
right up. In the meantime, George is upstairs in your old room if
you want to go say hi.”

“Thanks.” I shot her a grateful look, but
she was already bent over a cake, cutting a hefty slice for
Cambria.

I hurried up the stairs, stopping outside
the door and leaning against the wall. Grandma and Fee had said to
be prepared for a different George, that he’d be tired and weak
from the treatment Fee gave him to slow the change. Every time I
called, he was either sleeping or too sick to come to the phone. I
had no idea what to expect.

I took a deep breath and knocked softly.

“Come in.”

I turned the knob and pushed the door back.
George lay under a pile of blankets, obscured from sight. He lifted
his head a little and smiled at me before falling back against the
pillow. I hovered in the doorway, shocked by the changes in him,
despite Grandma’s warning.

“Tay, finally,” he said. His voice was
small, nothing like the old George. He didn’t sit up again.

“George?” I wandered closer, slowly, biting
back the surprise. I lowered myself to the edge of the bed and
stared down at him.

His eyes were ringed with dark circles,
purple bruises that extended up over his eyelids. It was more than
lack of sleep; his sockets were hollowed out and his cheeks gaunt.
His lips were chapped and his skin flushed pink. I put a hand to
his forehead. Heat radiated from his skin.

“I’m here,” I said. “How are you?”

“Okay.” His eyes were glassy. We both knew
he was lying.

“What’s happening?” I asked.

“My body—” he began then stopped as a
coughing fit seized him. It didn’t let up for several moments. He
pointed to the empty glass next to a pitcher of water on the
nightstand and I jumped up, thankful for something to do. I filled
the glass and handed it to him, then raised it to his lips when his
hands shook too much to hold it without spilling. He managed a
small swallow between coughs and then fell back. Finally, he
quieted.

“My body,” he said again, “started to change
a couple of weeks ago. Fee said it was the new moon cycle. I
shifted about halfway and then something got stuck and it stopped.
Threw out my back and cracked a couple of ribs. Fee managed to
reverse the damage, and put some sort of block on me so I won’t
shift again. But the block is making me sick.” He coughed again and
I tensed, worried it would be another episode like the first, but
it subsided. “I’m glad you’re here.”

“Me too. I’m sorry it took so long, but
we’re going to figure this out. You just need to hold on a little
longer. Can I get you anything?” I took his hand in mine and held
it lightly, afraid too much pressure would hurt him even worse.

“No, I’m all right. Fee’s taking good care
of me.” He smiled. “She’s pretty awesome.”

“She is, isn’t she?”

“Fee told me some stuff. About Miles. And
his dad, your uncle Leo. She said you killed Leo by yourself in
that warehouse. It sounded really brave.”

“It wasn’t nearly as premeditated as it
sounds, believe me. Mostly blind luck.”

“You don’t give yourself enough credit, Tay.
You protect humans from Werewolves. You’re amazing. Besides, it
explains a lot. Finding out about your past and who you really are,
that had to be tough. Not to mention the little bit of family you
found turned out to be crazy and now dead. And I didn’t make it any
easier. I’m sorry about everything.”

“You don’t need to apologize. That’s all in
the past. Focus on staying strong, on fighting this.”

“I’m trying, Tay, really, but I’m tired.” As
if to prove it, his eyelids drooped. It scared me and I squeezed
his hand. His lids fluttered open again. “Can I ask you
something?”

“What is it?” I asked.

“If I become a Werewolf, especially the
monster kind that Fee says I might, will you have to kill me?”

“Absolutely not going to happen,” I
said.

“But if it does.”

“No. I’m not going to let that happen. I
would never hurt you. You’re my family too, you know.”

His eyes closed again. His mouth turned up
at the corners and he squeezed my hand lightly. “I’m glad you’re
back, Tay,” he said. “It feels better with you here.”

“Good, because I’m staying close until we
figure this out. I won’t let anything happen, I promise.”

“I know you won’t.”

George’s breathing slowed and became even. I
watched the steady rise and fall of his chest while my own heart
hammered. I didn’t love George, at least not the way I’d thought I
did a year ago, but my feelings for him as a friend were deep,
immovable. I wasn’t willing to lose him. Not when we’d just begun
to fix our friendship. I’d do anything to keep him alive.

“You’re worrying. I can feel it.” I jumped
at the sound of his voice. His hand tightened in mine and his mouth
twitched at the corners. He cracked an eye. “See?”

“Just trying to figure out a way to stop
this,” I said, gesturing at him with my free hand.

His expression turned serious. “I don’t
think we can stop it. We’ve slowed it, but that might be all we can
do. I’m okay with that.”

“You can’t be okay with that. You’ll
die.”

“I’ve had time to think about the
possibility. I’ve accepted it, if it means not becoming a monster.”
He waited a beat and then said, “Maybe you should accept it
too.”

“No.”

“Tay—”

“I’ll give you my blood before that happens.
Miles said—”

“No way.” He shook his
head. “Fee told me enough about Miles to know that’s crazy.
He
was crazy. We can’t
trust him.”

“I’m not going to let you die,” I said.
Tears sprang to my eyes, and I blinked them back.

His expression softened. “Come here.”

I leaned down into his open arms and curled
against his side. Heat issued through the blankets. My tears
thickened. I pressed my face against his ribs and let them
come.

“Please don’t cry.”

“I can’t help it. It’s my fault. If I’d just
killed Miles in that warehouse, this never would’ve happened.”

“It’s not your fault. You’re not responsible
for another person’s actions. And you didn’t kill Miles because
you’re not a killer. It’s not who you are.”

George had no idea. Maybe it hadn’t been
premeditated, but I was a killer. Starting with Liliana the night
George and I broke up and ending with the massacre of hybrids at
school last month. I’d seen the carnage. I knew what I was capable
of, even if no one else suspected.

I sniffled harder.

George pulled me close and kissed the top of
my head. I tensed. “I’m really glad we’re friends again,” I said
pointedly.

“Me too,” he said and the conviction in his
voice put me at ease. “I know we’ve had a rocky few months. It’s
nice to have my best friend back.”

We lay in silence for a while after that. I
let myself enjoy the steady rhythm of George’s breathing as my mind
wandered to possible solutions. The problem was I knew so little
about Werewolves and what made them that I had no idea where to
begin to look for a cure.

He shifted his head toward me and began
humming. The notes were scratchy and flat but I recognized the tune
instantly. Even when we’d dated, our song had been a secret—for
George’s sake. The song’s significance stemmed from a home video of
George has a toddler, singing the hit at the top of his lungs and
using a broom as a guitar. Besides his family, I was the only other
person to ever witness the tape. A visual I’d sworn to take to the
grave. The song had been a joke before becoming something special
between us.

A small smile crept over me at the memory
and I added Bon Jovi’s words. “It’s been raining since you left me.
Now I’m drowning in the flood. You see, I’ve always been a fighter,
but without you I give up. Now I can’t sing a love song, like the
way it’s meant to be. Well, I guess I’m not that good anymore but
baby, that’s just me …”

The knob turned and the door opened. I
looked up to find an unexpected figure in the doorway. The bass in
his voice echoed against the walls as he belted out the next line.
“And I will love you, baby. Always. And I’ll be there forever and a
day. Alwaaayyyys.”

When he finished, Wes leaned heavily against
the left frame, leather-clad arms crossed over his chest. He looked
at me and his brows shot up. “Not exactly how I expected to find my
girl, in bed with her ex.”

“Wes!” I jumped clear of
the bed and smoothed my clothes, at once mortified and elated. I
opened my mouth to say something else but words failed me. I was
still lost in the sound of his voice … singing. I’d never heard him
sing before. Hadn’t known he could, but
wow.