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“Be careful!” he shouts after us as I trip down the path after Liberty.
I throw him a wave. “Tell Legend where I am, okay?”
He nods. “And Liberty, don’t take her anywhere else except my house. No going downtown to any bars. And don’t go to the castle. I don’t want her anywhere near Dad’s place.”
She salutes him then rolls her eyes as she faces forward. “Man, glad to see he’s still as overprotective with you as ever.”
“Why is he like that?” I wonder as she loops her arm through mine.
“Well, right now, he’s being that way because our father’s coming back to the kingdom and he’s not a good werewolf. Not at all. The longer you stay away from him and that stupid torture chamber he calls a castle, the better.” She slows down as the trees around us become sparser. “As for his general overprotectiveness of you, that comes from you being his alterum dimidium animae.”
I swat some branches out of the way as we near the end of the path. “Yeah, here’s the thing. Everyone keeps throwing that term around, yet no one will explain it to me. And while I can tell it’s something big, the dramatic effect is lost on me.”
“So, he hasn’t told you yet, huh?” She lets out a wicked cackle of delight. “This is going to be a lot of fun, then.”
“What is?”
“Telling you things my brother and his little guard wannabe friends don’t want you to know.”
“You act like you don’t like them,” I say as we emerge from the trees. My gaze travels to the rose bushes where the shadow cubs were, but either they’re hiding or took off somewhere.
“No, they’re my friends, and I love them and everything, but it’s been a pain in the ass being the odd one out. Ever since you left, I’ve been the butt of their jokes and tricks. And they all like to play the role of my big brother. Do you know what that’s like? To have three cocky werewolves who, FYI, are younger than you, trying to tell you what to do all the time?”
“I can honestly say that I don’t.”
“Well, consider yourself lucky, because it’s fucking annoying.” She drums her fingers against the side of her legs. “But, as much as I want to be the one to out the little alterum dimidium animae, I think we need to do it the right way.”
A frown tugs at my lips. “So, you’re not going to tell me, either?”
She shakes her head, grinning. “No, no, no, no. I’m totally going to tell you. It’s my duty as your old best friend. But I want to do it the proper way.”
“Which is?”
“Oh, you’ll see.” Then she hauls me forward, leaving me no choice but to trust her.
CHAPTER16
It takes me until we reach the road to realize we’re being followed by a towering werewolf with scars on his face and black hair with blue highlights. When I ask Liberty about him, she explains it’s her guard, Kylan, that her father insisted she have, even though she’s perfectly capable of protecting herself.
“Don’t bother trying to talk to him, though,” she mock whispers. “Kylan rarely talks.” She raises her voice. “Isn’t that right, Kylan?”
Kylan responds with a grunt.
“See.” She links her arm through mine as we stroll out onto the street. “Personally, I don’t think I need a guard. My father does, though. It’s just another way of him trying to belittle me.”
“I’m sorry.” I don’t know what else to say.
“You don’t need to apologize. It’s not your fault. Besides, you have your own tragic story to deal with, anyway.”
She’s right; I do. And I wonder how I’m going to start trying to put that sad story together.
I really need to ask Jules.
I sink into my thoughts, letting Liberty steer me down the road and into a building, barely paying attention until we’re inside.
“This looks like a bar.” My gaze sweeps the dusky walls, the scuffed hardwood floor, and the charcoal ceiling. Tinted glass tables and elegant high back iron chairs are placed sparsely around, a marble countertop bar runs along the far back wall, and lanterns filter light across the werewolves occupying the room. Some of the werewolves are old, but most are around my age, give a handful of years or so. They all appear happy, probably due to various sparkling drinks and amber liquids filling up their glasses.
“That’s because it is a bar.” Liberty unloops her arm from mine and signals for me to follow her as she skips across the bar. Kylan doesn’t follow, remaining near the front doors, stiff and on edge.
