Page 28 of Eclipsed Legacy

I step forward, seeing the back of Ricky’s head next to another man’s— Aaron’s, I assume— just over the back of the couch. They’re watching the basketball game. One of the teams scores and both Aaron and Ricky jump up and start shouting. “Did you see that?” Ricky yells at full volume while looking at Aaron. “Did you see that? It’s done! It’s over. I’m telling you; they might as well just call it now!”

“Daaaaamn!” Aaron says in response, beer in hand. I can’t help but think they seem awfully in sync for two men who supposedly just met.

The hype is strong, but Mel clears her throat as we walk around the couch, quickly refocusing the room. Aaron and Ricky turn their attention to me as I take in the strong scent of sweaty male wolves. It seems Aaron and Ricky have even more in common than I had initially thought. I’m being paranoid. I know I am. Aaron is just Mel’s douchey boyfriend…who happens to be a wolf and disappeared right when all hell broke loose. Right. I scan what I can see of the house, searching for more wolves, but it’s just me, Ricky, and Aaron. Paranoid.

As I am assessing the room, Mel says, “Tala’s here,” before adding politely, despite the fact that I am obviously crashing, “Thought it’d be nice to have her join the party. Tala is the cousin I was telling you about,” she says to Aaron with a smile.

“Nice to meet you,” Aaron greets me with a smile and puts his hand out for me to shake. He presents himself nice enough. Dark hair, a farmer’s tan covering what I assume would be milky skin, and a crooked smile, but something about him…it seems familiar and off.

“Yeah, nice to—” As I reach forward to meet his outreached hand, all the information I’ve gathered clicks together in a fraction of a second. I’ve encountered his scent all too recently, and in a place no friend of Mel’s or ally of ours would ever have been. I take Aaron’s hand, but instead of shaking it in greeting, I yank him forward before slamming him against the wall and putting my hand to his neck. So much for feeling like a lady. “You murderous bastard!” I say through greeted teeth.

At the same time, Ricky sets his beer down and rushes over while Mel’s jaw drops. “What the hell, Tala?” she screeches.

“Just calm down,” Ricky says. “Aaron’s cool, Tala. He’d never hurt M—”

“Shut your fucking lip!’ I snap at him. “I’ll tell you when you get to explain yourself, fucking traitor!”

Aaron doesn’t fight back much, though. I know he could. Still trying to pretend to be Mr. fucking nice guy. I tighten my grip around his neck.

“I knew you weren’t doing well, Tala, but this is it! You can’t just come to my house and attack my boyfriend.”

I ignore Mel and dig my nails into Aaron’s Adam’s apple. He squirms about as much as a human would. Mel clearly has no clue what he is. I address Ricky. “Mel’s human, so she wouldn’t know what he is, but I could smell him the second I walked in here. So, tell me, Ricky, why are you pretending Aaron is human?”

“What…?” Mel says. I briefly look over my shoulder to watch the color drain from her face.

Ricky begins stuttering like a bumbling idiot, “I—I,” But I have no interest in whatever bullshit is about to erupt from his mouth.

Mel’s shaking her head, seemingly in denial. “Tala, Aaron…He’s, he’s not…”

At the same time, Aaron glares at me and tsks, shaking his head, before yanking against my arm at his full strength. Finally. There wouldn’t be any satisfaction in beating his ass if he didn’t really fight me.

A deep growl escapes me, and in response, a wave moves over Aaron’s body, which begins to contort. I take a step back to allow myself to shift as well. I relax my form while mentally preparing for the change, but the second I decide to shift, I am in wolf form. No contortions, no transitions, no tearing of my clothes, which are on the floor beneath me. I don’t allow myself longer to wonder why or how this has happened. Aaron is still midshift, so I use the opportunity to gain the advantage and lunge for him. He completes the shift a moment later, but it’s too late; I already have the advantage. His back leg bleeds from my bite, causing him to limp. We crash into the wooden coffee table. Queso and chips avalanche onto the floor as we nip, swat, and lunge.

Ricky curses, and from my peripheral vision, I see Mel backed against the wall. A sob escapes her. Feelings of guilt and sadness assault the part of me that notices this. This is a painful shock for her; I don’t have to guess that. She was falling for this guy, and even if she doesn’t yet understand the full extent of it, he’s lied to her, and her cousin is beating his ass in her living room. The human in me wants nothing more than to comfort her, but the wolf protects by eliminating the threat.

My prey attempts a feign before going for my neck, but anticipating his move, I switch it around on him, putting him on the defensive once more when my teeth sink into his muzzle. Aaron attempts to pull back, but I sink my teeth further into him. He sneezes into my mouth, and I release. He begins to shift back, so I follow suit. Once again, despite starting to change after he’s already started, I change fully before he’s half finished. Quickly scanning the room, I look for a weapon and pick up the cheese knife Mel had intended for the cheddar.

Aaron has almost fully shifted, and though only a couple seconds have passed, it’s an eternity for a fight. I jump on him, placing the knife firmly against his now human neck.

“Tala, please stop!” Ricky pleads. “Look what this is doing to Mel!” Mel ugly-cries with snot and tears streaming down her face.

“Shut up!” I roar. “Don’t pretend to give a fuck about her feelings now, Ricky. It’s time to come clean.” I stare down into Aaron’s eyes, daring him to try anything while I put Ricky in his place. He breathes heavily, as do I. His face has several puncture marks, which will likely scar if I allow him to live. His leg isn’t in the best of shape either. He sighs back and looks at the ceiling in submission. Good.

“What the hell are you—”

“I said— come. clean. Did you have this prick kill our grandmother?” I ask directly.

“What?” Ricky’s voice cracks as he squeals like a pubescent boy. “How could you even think…” Ricky drifts off. He sounds sincere, but there have been too many questionable comments and incidents for me to take him at face value.

“Okay…” I say, nodding way more times than necessary. My heart is pounding; the adrenaline pumps through my veins, but I can’t beat Ricky’s ass, not yet. “You’re pretty friendly with this fucker,” I say. “Funny thing—” I laugh hard without humor and strain to keep my shaking form from giving Aaron an opening. I push the cheese knife down a little harder just to remind him to stay down. “You seem pretty friendly with this bastard, and he killed grandma.”

I glance over briefly to see Ricky, whose face quickly reddens, puff out his chest. “You’re fuckin’ nuts! Aaron didn’t—”

We both are startled by the sudden laughter that escapes a battered Aaron. “Yeah, I fucking killed her. I’m dead anyway!” he adds to himself, before continuing. “After I busted the door down and shifted, the old bat lit some shit and started chanting. I cut her up a few times before I tore her guts out. For an alpha, she didn’t put up a fight.”

It’s one thing to think or know something; it’s another to have it confirmed, to have it said out loud. I knew he did it. I smelled him at her house, but hearing him confess, I go cold. I catch my breath and force my face to remain calm. Ricky says nothing at first, then responds in a low, gruff voice, “Slit his fucking throat.” For now, I put the Ricky questions on the back burner. I’ll finish with him after I have handled the bitch below me.

I want nothing more than to do just that, slit his throat, but we need answers. “Not yet,” I state, still sitting atop Aaron nude with a knife to his throat. He doesn’t seem scared. Not yet, I repeat in my mind. Ricky approaches, and I get up. Aaron stumbles as Ricky pulls him to his feet and slams him into a chair, but Aaron doesn’t fight— until Ricky turns his back. Aaron leaps up as quickly as his gimp leg allows, but I shove him back down. Coward.