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The wooden stairs to my cousins’ doorstep creaked as I walked up.
“Let’s get in and out,” Chris said.
“My thoughts exactly.” I knocked once and before I could knock a second time, Claudia answered.
Her thick, pin-straight, black hair was split into two braids. She wore a pair of jean cut-offs and a T-shirt. “Prima. What’re you doing here?” Her eyes were wide.
“I need your help.”
She looked beyond Chris and me, taking in all the people gathered around. She pressed her lips together. “Let’s go inside,” she said after a second.
“Thanks. I think that’s best.”
Every inch of the living room was filled with tchotchkes. The place was a dust mite’s haven, but not a speck of dust tainted the decor. The walls were lined with shelves filled to the brim with figurines, and covered with cutesy plaques with proverbs and sayings. Little dishes of potpourri sat on almost every flat surface. The scent of rose, cinnamon, orange, clove, and at least a dozen other things filled the air. The effect was only slightly nauseating.
The back wall held an altar with lit candles in skinny, tall glass jars with images of the saints on them. A framed portrait of Our Lady of Guadalupe hung above the candles.
Claudia motioned us to the cushy floral printed couch. “Can I get you something to drink?”
I sat down. “No. I’m fine.”
Chris shook his head and sat next to me. He took his sunglasses off, hanging them off the neck of his T-shirt. His eyes were finally back to their normal, non-glowing blue. I was glad his wolf was wrapped up, because mine wasn’t. Daniel’s comments plus missing the connection to Dastien was making my wolf uneasy. Not enough to make me shift, but it was more than enough to put me on edge.
Claudia settled on a blue velvet chair. She tugged on one of her braids before flipping it over her shoulder. “I’m glad you came. It’s been tense here.”
“I’m getting that. Loudly. I spoke with Daniel for a minute… I hope you all know that I’m not leaving my pack. I’m happy where I am.” Chris started to move, but I put my hand on his knee, stilling him.
“I get it, and for the record—we’re divided on that. The majority of us want you to stay where you are.”
I was too relieved to be insulted that they didn’t want me around. “Good. I’d rather not have this problem become bigger than it should be. Is there anything I can do to help sway the rest?”
“No, but I’ll let you know if I think of something.” She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Not to be rude, but why are you here?”
I was more than happy to focus in on my real goal. “You know my friend, Meredith?”
“Of course. A few of the coven members liked to hang out with the wolves a while back. Even though we’re not exactly friendly now, we still keep tabs on the pack members.”
I don’t know why it surprised me, but it did. And whatever ‘tabs’ La Aquelarre had on us, they must’ve been pretty damned accurate. The day I’d met my cousins, they’d shown up with backpacks filled with weapons made specifically for Meredith and me. “She started throwing up blood this morning.”
Claudia paled, giving away that she knew exactly what that meant.
“She doesn’t have long. Maybe a day or two.” I leaned toward her. “If there’s anything you can do, I’d be grateful.”
Raphael came through the back door. His khaki shorts were fraying along the bottom hems.
Claudia nodded at him before answering me. “The only way to help would be to get Luciana to break her spell, but there’s no way she’d do that.”
“Why not? I can be pretty convincing.”
Claudia made a face. “She’s happy to have one less wolf to worry about.”
What the hell? She would let an innocent teenager die because she didn’t like werewolves? What was her problem with our kind?
“And messing with someone else’s spell is trouble,” Raphael continued where Claudia left off. “The chances of you actually breaking it…let’s just say they’re not great.”
Chris sat straighter. “What do you mean? I thought it was only a matter of finding the right spell to counter it.”
Raphael chuckled.
