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"No one expected Rhett Bleddyn to come to the memorial service," Howard explained.
"Yeah," Jesse agreed. "I mean, the dude killed Harry. He had some balls showing up there."
"Language," Aunt Judy growled at her son, then turned to Howard. "We should have never let our boys get involved with you."
"We wanted to do it," Jimmy insisted.
"Yeah," Jesse agreed. "We're tired of our people cowering on these little islands, afraid of a few stinky wolves. We need to stand up for ourselves."
"Rhett needs to pay for his crimes," Howard said. "He killed Carly and Harry, and his father killed my father. Uncle James, don't you want the Bleddyns punished for killing your brother?"
"Of course." James gave his sons a worried look. "I was proud to let my boys help you out, but now - "
"It was a mistake from the beginning," Judy grumbled. "Now my boys have to go into hiding? We can't afford to send them away."
"I have it all covered," Howard assured her. "They can go to the private school where I work."
"School?" Jesse grimaced. "Dude, we graduated last spring."
"Yeah, and it's summer," Jimmy added.
"You won't have to take classes," Howard said. "Academic classes, that is. I will expect you to take martial arts and fencing so you can defend yourselves."
"You mean, like swords and karate stuff?" Jesse's eyes lit up.
"Cool," Jimmy said.
"You'll like the school," Howard continued. "There's a swimming pool and bowling alley in the basement, a horse stable close by, and plenty of mountains for hiking. Think of it as a free summer vacation."
"Cool," Jimmy repeated.
"Awesome," Jesse added.
Judy sniffed. "I feel like they're being banished! How long will they have to stay away? Twenty years, like you?"
Howard winced. "No."
"Where is this school?" James asked. "Can we visit?"
"Only if you let one of my vampire friends teleport you," Howard replied. "We have to keep the school's location secret, and booking plane fare could leave a trail." He groaned inwardly. He shouldn't have flown to Anchorage from Albany. But he hadn't been thinking clearly at the time. And he hadn't expected this development.
"Boys, go ahead and pack," James told them, and they hurried off to their bedroom.
Judy watched them go with tears in her eyes. "We should have never let them get involved." She turned to Howard. "What will Rhett do? Will he try to kill them? Will he have his minions attack our island? Are we all in danger because of you?"
"Judy, calm down," James said wearily.
Her eyes flashed with anger. "You should never get between a mama bear and her cubs. I wish they'd never met Howard!" She stormed into her bedroom and slammed the door.
James sighed. "I'll send the boys over to Walter's house when they're done packing."
"Thanks." Howard shook hands with his uncle, then wandered down the street to his grandfather's house. Regret. Harry's mother wished her son had never met him. Aunt Judy wished her sons had never met him.
Were all his relationships doomed to end with regret? He knew Elsa was falling for him, but still she kept trying to reject him. Did she regret being attracted to a berserker? Did she regret lying to her aunts, her only family? Did she regret falling in love with a man she couldn't trust? Was it wrong for him to keep pulling her back?
After a few beers with his grandfather and Phil, he felt even worse. Walter was being strangely quiet. He probably regretted that all three of his grandsons were going into hiding.
"If Rhett attacks the island - " Howard began.
"Don't worry about it," Walter grumbled. "If he wants a war with us, he can have one."
Howard sighed. How many people was he endangering? Regret.
Jimmy and Jesse arrived with packed duffel bags. After the sun set, Ian and Dougal came upstairs, sipping on bottles of Bleer. Howard explained the situation to them, and they teleported Jimmy and Jesse to Dragon Nest. They would return in a few minutes to take Howard and Phil.
"You have to go again?" Howard's mother watched him sadly.
Regret. "I'll bring the boys back as soon as it's safe."
His mother sighed. "I know you don't mean for others to suffer." She hugged him, then wandered into the kitchen.
"It's not your fault, Howard," Walter grumbled. "It's the damned curse." He sat in his recliner and opened a new can of beer.
What a miserable family, Howard thought. His mother had never recovered from his twenty-year banishment. His grandfather was suffering, too.
And so many more had suffered. Carly had been terrorized and murdered, leaving behind a grieving family. Harry had been killed, and now his mother was in mourning. Jimmy and Jesse would be forced into hiding, leaving behind distraught parents.
No wonder Walter said they were cursed. Even Harry's mother had said his line was cursed. Everyone who loved him lived to regret it. If they lived.
His heart sank. Elsa's instincts to reject him had been right all along. It was the only way she could stay safe. If he tried to hang on to her, it would only cause her regret. She shouldn't have to live with a man she couldn't trust.
If he loved her, he needed to let her go.
Chapter Twenty-two
The next morning, Howard lumbered into the security office at Dragon Nest Academy. When he'd arrived last night, everyone had greeted him with big smiles as if they could erase his grief just by acting cheerful. His cousins had been welcomed by everyone, and then Toni and Ian had taken them on a tour before leaving them in a dormitory room in the boy's wing. Shanna had told him he could take a few days off, but he'd declined.
Now he stared out the window at the front drive and the grounds that extended to the main road. The sun was up, so Elsa was probably hard at work at the gatehouse. One of her aunts would be out front, guarding her, although it was no longer necessary. She was not in any danger from him. She would be free to live a long and happy life because the local berserker would leave her in peace.
"Hey, Howard! Hey, dude!" Two voices called out behind him.
He turned to find his cousins strolling into the office.
"Nice." Jimmy sprawled in the chair across from his desk.
"Wow, security monitors. Cool!" Jesse perched on the corner of his desk. "But you need more chairs in here, dude."
"That's nothing compared to the real problem around here," Jimmy grumbled.
"What problem?" Howard asked. "Is something wrong with your room?"
"Oh, the room's fine," Jesse answered. "The food's good, too. If you don't mind the stink."
Howard sat in his chair. "The food stinks?"
"Not the food," Jimmy corrected him. "The company. This place is full of werewolves!"
"Yeah!" Jesse gave him an indignant look. "You should have warned us we were going into a wolf den."
"Not all the kids here are werewolves." Howard leaned back in his chair. "There are a few were-panthers."
"Yeah, we met them." Jimmy waved a dismissive hand. "They seem all right."
"The oldest cat girl is really pretty," Jesse said. "But when I was checking her out, the oldest cat boy growled at me."
Howard sighed. "They have names - Teresa and Emiliano."
"Whatever," Jimmy grumbled. "The point is this place is full of stinky male werewolves."
"Have they been rude to you?" Howard asked.
Jesse shrugged. "Not really. We've been ignoring them."
"They're what we call Lost Boys," Howard explained. "They showed leadership capabilities and a potential for going Alpha, which made them a threat to their local Pack Masters. They were banished for life. No home, no family, and nowhere to go."
"Sheesh." Jimmy grimaced.
"That sucks," Jesse mumbled.
Howard nodded. "They're from Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho. They're not like Bleddyn's werewolves in Alaska, who have been raised to hate us. They're more like Phil. You like Phil, right?"
Jesse shrugged. "Yeah, he's okay."
"He's cool," Jimmy agreed.
"So you'll make an effort to get along with the wolf boys?" Howard asked.
The twins nodded.
