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I wasn’t sure if me being attracted to death was any less freaky than boys being able to turn into animals. “Both?” A shiver ran through me. “I’ve always felt different, abnormal even, but I suppose I figured if doctors were giving me medicine, then there was an explanation for what was happening to me. Do you think there’s a pillyoucan take?”
He sat back in his seat, an odd look on his face. “Margo, I wouldn’t take it, even if I could.”
That surprised me. “You like it?”
“We are who we are,” he said. “We just have to accept ourselves and hope we meet people who can get past it, too.”
Something triggered in my brain. “Wait a second. All this time, you’ve known I was weird? Is that why Mara and Victor were so protective over you at Halloween?”
He tried to smile. “More like they were trying to protect our secret. It’s not something we tell people very often, so… being with you wouldn’t end well in their minds. Even then… it’s not easy being around the pack. Do you believe in me now?”
“It’s hard to wrap my head around any of this. I’m not sure I can let myself believe inme.”
“Your sleepwalking is what we need to figure out next. I’m wondering if you needed the bodies to be found, or maybe, maybe you do something with their souls.”
“That’s just going way overboard.” I made a face. “Besides, if I was led to death, then why aren’t I finding every dead mouse in the country?”
“Maybe you need a link to the person. The first time I caught your scent was at a dead rabbit I’d hunted—after we’d met. You found your neighbour’s dog because you knew the animal. You’re connected to the pack now, so you were at Mara’s—”
“This is creeping me out,” I said, breathing heavily. “Are you telling me that every time I sleepwalk, I wind up next to a dead body?”
“Maybe. Or a possible dead body. I mean, you made it to Emma before anything terrible could happen.” He reached across the table and took my hand. “I’m really a werewolf, Margo. I can shift and show you if you like.”
“No, thank you,” I said weakly. The boy genuinely believed he was a werewolf. And when he spoke about me being drawn to death, it felt so right that I couldn’t discount it. Emma could have died, but something about me had given Dorian enough warning to save her. I’d spent my entire life feeling weird. Maybe I wanted to feel special for a change.
“The pack is angry with you,” he said. “But mostly they’re angry that they couldn’t protect their own. We’ve lost two female wolves. That’s important in so many ways. There aren’t many females. Almost all of them are in town, actually. And the ones we’ve lost were dominant.”
“What’s the significance?” I asked, interested in spite of myself.
“Well, the most dominant wolf becomes alpha. One day, Byron will be replaced. There’s a lot of competition. Anyone with sense knows that Nathan will take over, but his cousin is Byron’s son.”
“I can’t imagine Byron as some bossy alpha werewolf,” I said, unable to resist the urge to giggle hysterically.
“It’s not like you see on television. And he’s not like most of us.” He squeezed my hand. “He’s told the pack to stay away from you. They’ll obey, but if they see you…”
“They might lose control.” I pulled my hand out of his, finding it hard to breathe again. “So I’m in trouble, even if I’m completely innocent. I wouldn’t have believed you, but Victor… he wasn’t human today.”
“He’s not as big and bad as he likes to make himself out to be,” he said reassuringly. “He’s just upset that some people are looking at him like he might be involved because he argued with Mara the morning she went missing. He’s not the most dangerous wolf out there.”
That had the opposite effect. “There’s worse? I’ve never been so scared in my life.”
He knelt at my feet, his arms reaching around my waist. “I’ll do whatever I can to protect you.”
“Why?” I asked. “Why are you even helping me? Couldn’t you get hurt if you get between me and your pack?”
“Maybe.” He looked away. “But I think you might be able to help us find the killer.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.” He met my gaze, his cheeks flooded with colour. “But it’s not the only reason, Margo. I’ve been breaking all of the rules for you. I like you a lot.” And then he kissed me. And I totally let him.
Chapter 26
Dorian
I walked home on a cloud.She knew what I was, knew all of the madness—maybe thought I was insane or a furry—and still let me kiss her. And I was more sure than ever I was making the right choices. The pack didn’t understand. They couldn’t yet. But Margo wasn’t a killer. She had no idea of her heritage, but she hadn’t seemed unwilling to help. She had stopped Emma’s death. That made her a good person.
The more I thought it over, the more my theory made sense. Margo was a warning signal, and if we could trigger her talents, maybe we could find the killer before he took down yet another werewolf.
