“What do you want from me?” Lydia’s plaintive voice came from the hallway just outside the door I’d left slightly ajar. She must have slipped into the hall from the kitchen as well. “It’s not my fault—”
“Where did you get that potion from?” Frank’s deep voice, stripped of its normal merriment, demanded.
My ears pricked. Frank was talking to Lydia? And what was that about a potion?
“Where do you think?” Lydia snapped. “Isabella gave it to me to give to you.”
“Are you certain?”
“What are you implying?”
“Something went wrong.” Frank said, dropping his volume lower. “At least, I-I think it did.”
“What do you mean?”
“It was so close to a full moon, but that shouldn’t matter, at least it hasn’t in the past.” He sounded uncertain. “Are you sure you didn’t do anything to the wolfsbane potion?”
I almost dropped my book but caught it right before it hit the ground. Frank was a werewolf. That couldn’t be right. He was sweet and kind. Everyone liked him. If any fae resembled the sun’s radiance, Frank Churchill exemplified it.
But worse than that, it sounded like something went horribly wrong on the last full moon. Dread pulled through me. The same night that someone murdered Isabella.
Laying my book on the seat, I stood and eased closer to the door.
“Don’t you dare try to pin this on me.” Lydia’s voice rose with indignation. A foreboding twisted in my gut. When Lydia got this worked up, she tended to do something rash.
“I’m simply trying to figure out what happened,” Frank said calmingly.
“Sure, and if you say I’m to blame, then you can discredit me, can't you?” Lydia’s tone was sharp and unforgiving. “You know what? How about I solve this mystery for everyone right now?”
“No, Lydia, please!” Frank begged.
If my sister ratted him out, then everyone would believe he’d murdered Isabella. Werewolves were illegal and were locked up for life if caught. Add to that the anger of the fae in the town over Isabella… I shivered to think about what they might do to him.
Their footsteps moved away, returning to the kitchen. Frank continued pleading with Lydia, his voice growing more distant and more frantic.
I had to stop this.
I burst out of the room, the door swinging wide, and raced into the kitchen. Frank trailed Lydia into the main sitting area. I hurried after them, past a startled Frank and to Lydia’s side where she stood with that determined expression on her face.
“Everyone, can I have your attention? I have something very important to tell you,” she said loud enough that the rest of the discussion died. All eyes turned to her.
Oh hex, oh hex. What was I going to do? I gazed around the room in desperation at the curious faces directed toward my sister. I needed a solution to prevent Lydia from ruining Frank’s life.
My attention shifted to the piano across the room. That would have to do.
Lydia straightened her shoulders. “I think you should all be aware that—”
I shoved ahead of her. “That I have been dying to play a song tonight.” I forced a smile onto my face. “And Lydia here has gotten everyone’s attention for me. What are sisters for?”
Those at the party stared at me in a mixture of shock, dismay, and amusement.
Lydia frowned at me. “That’s not—”
“And she has kindly agreed to turn the pages for me.” I gripped Lydia’s wrist and dragged her to the piano before pushing her onto the bench. She sat with a startled thump and looked up at me in surprise.
My heart beat rapidly. I didn’t know what I was doing. I only took piano lessons for a year as a child in elementary school and quit after the teacher said that I was a menace to the name of all the musicians who came before.
Still, I grabbed the first sheet music I found and set it before me. I slid onto the bench and looked at it as a blush crept up my cheeks. The room’s utter silence made me feel everyone’s stares crawling over my skin. I braved a glance over at Frank, and our eyes met. Color had drained from his face, and bewilderment flickered in those brown depths. Was he aware I was doing this for him? Or did he believe I was an overzealous attention hog? I told myself not to think about him and read the title on the sheet of music before me.
