Page 112 of Big Bad Wolf

“I know.”

Lucifer wound between Ruby’s legs under the table, purring contentedly, having emerged from wherever he’d been hiding. Ruby glared at him. “I blame you for this.” He stopped and blinked at her with golden eyes. “Okay, fine, you’re right. It’s not your fault.” She turned back to her sister, the cat draping himself over her feet, comforting her with his warm little body.

“I know it will take some time to accept all this.” Honestly, Ruby was impressed her sister hadn’t gone running from the house after Theo’s display. Most people would have, but then again, the Bellerose sisters were not most people. Maybe years of living with Ruby and Millie had desensitized Lena to the utterly bizarre and mildly creepy.

Ruby took a breath, “Lena, I have to tell you something. The day of the accident, I didn’t want Mom and Dad to go. Remember?”

Her sister poured the tea and brought it to the table. She slid into the seat across from Ruby. They rarely spoke about that day. “I remember. You threw a fit about it.”

“I think I knew.”

Lena paused with her mug halfway to her lips. “What?”

Ruby took a breath and plowed forward, finally saying things she’d kept bottled up for years. “I think I knew what was going to happen. I tried to stop it.”

“What are you saying? We’re both… What did Rafe call it? Seers?”

Ruby shrugged. “I guess?”

“You saved me that day.”

“I should have done more.” She’d managed to convince her parents to let the girls stay home with their favorite babysitter, but she couldn’t convince them to cancel their plans.

“Ruby, you were eight.”

She nodded, her hair swishing over her shoulders. She knew she shouldn’t feel guilty about it. It wasn’t her fault that the roads were slick, icy weather coming before anyone expected it, but that didn’t stop her from waking up in a cold sweat sometimes, the fear and the panic so close to the surface she couldn’t breathe.

“It didn’t happen again after that. I thought it was a weird coincidence, a dream. And then after a while I let myself believe it had never happened at all.”

Lena grabbed her hand. Her fingers were cold and frail, and Ruby squeezed them tighter.

“But now, it’s happening to you.”

“I don’t know what it means, Ruby. The visions are slippery, like I can’t grab on to them, and when I try to, they just slide through my fingers.”

“Maybe this was it? Maybe this attack is what you saw? But I’m fine.” Ruby swallowed the word “fine,” not wanting to think about what was happening to Rafe. Not wanting to wonder if he was fine too.

Lena shook her head. “They were looking for me.”

Ruby’s eyes went wide. “How do you know?”

“I saw it. Or pieces of it anyway. When you left my room. They wanted me, those wolves that came. I could feel it.” Her sister’s eyes were haunted, fear shimmering in their pale depths. “I don’t understand why they keep attacking you.”

“They think I’m you. Wyatt called me Lena.”

“Who the hell is Wyatt?”

Ruby blew out a long breath. There was so much she hadn’t told Lena. She started with the first time she met Wyatt, about how Rafe knew what he really was, about how he’d come back several times, about how he’d attacked her.

“And you kept all of this from me?” Lena asked when Ruby finished.

“I didn’t want to worry you.”

“Ruby! I’m not a child! You should have told me.” Her eyes flashed in anger.

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“You’ve been treating me like I’m broken.”