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“You’re welcome?”
“Come here. ”
I didn’t want to, but I still went back to her chair, though I opted not to sit this time.
“Do you know how long I have waited for something to truly surprise me?”
“I’m not a big fan of surprises myself. There are too many of them in my life. ”
Monica shook her head. “Live a few thousand years and you’ll see. Nothing will surprise you anymore, and the world will make you jaded. You make me feel young, really, honestly young again. What wonder. ”
“Are you…um…?” I searched the air in front of me, closing my eyes and hoping to see the right words. When they didn’t come, I said, “Don’t tell the council. ”
Still chuckling to herself, Monica retrieved her cross-stitch. “You have not betrayed the council to your lovers. You’ve told them you’re a vampire, which was more than you told us about your other half, though. I will tell the council you have kept as many secrets as you have shared. ”
“You want me to tell them I’m a werewolf?”
“Heavens no, child. Are you soft in the head?”
“Then what?”
“I will tell Sig. ”
“But he—”
Her white gaze pierced mine, freezing the confession in my throat. “I said I will tell Sig the truth. He is the head of the Tribunal, and his confidence is the only one I need to take. That is what I will tell the council. What he decides to share is his decision alone. ”
“And Juan Carlos?”
“If he questions me, he knows I will bite him next. He wants me to bite him even less than I want to do it. ”
Stupidly I stood in front of her, not sure what to do.
“Turn your doll around on the way out. ”
“What?”
She pointed to the dollhouse and began stitching vines. I hadn’t seen her change the color, she was that fast. Clearly she was also finished with our conversation, although she continued chuckling to herself.
Beside the door I stopped and looked into the dollhouse. A small, pale figurine with curly blonde hair peered out at me. She hadn’t been there when I’d come in. Staring at Monica, I expected some kind of explanation. The vampire kept ignoring me until I turned the doll around and faced her into a corner so she matched the figures in the other rooms.
“Good luck, Secret,” Monica said then, as I opened the door. “I have the feeling you’re going to need it. ”
Chapter Seventeen
The narrow hall outside Monica’s chamber was empty, but I knew Sig and Juan Carlos couldn’t be far away. I took the momentary reprieve to collect my thoughts. Leaning my head against the cool stone wall, I closed my eyes and breathed in through my nose a few times.
It couldn’t be that simple. There was no way.
Even the cold, textured surface of the wall couldn’t distract me.
This had been far too close for comfort, and I wasn’t stupid enough to believe it would be over so easily. Monica had said she’d only tell Sig, and Sig already knew the truth. But I’d obviously been sloppy enough to show up on the council’s radar. What a fool I’d been to believe I could get mixed up with the wolves and it wouldn’t eventually turn around to bite me in the ass in my vampire life.
It didn’t matter that Monica wanted to keep me out of trouble. For now. She was only doing it because I amused her. How long would it be before her amusement ran out and she thought it would be more fun to throw me to…well, not to the wolves, but to something much worse?
Was there a precedent for this situation?
What would the council do if they found out a half-werewolf was ruling over them? They had enough problems thinking I was half-human. This was going to be a mess.
