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“A little on the nose,” Abel said. “Even for the Kings. Wasn’t there another brother as well?”
“David,” Osmond said. “Though he was shunned because he no longer had the will to hunt.”
Abel nodded slowly. “How surprising. And this Elijah?”
“She is killing wolves.”
Abel sighed. “How many so far?”
“Two packs. One in Kentucky. Another in North Carolina. Fifteen in total. Three of them children.”
“And why has she not been contained?”
Osmond wasn’t pleased. “She remains underground. We’ve dispatched teams after her, but her clan is elusive. They are small in number, but they move quickly.”
“And what do you ask of me?”
“You’re our leader,” Osmond said. “I’m asking you to lead.”
OSMOND LEFT unfulfilled. But before he did, I stopped him on the porch.
He looked down at me with barely disguised disdain.
I dropped my hand. “Can I—”
“Your father.”
I nodded.
Osmond stepped away from me. I thought his teeth were longer than they’d been just a moment before. “He won’t bother anyone ever again. His magic has been stripped. Robert Livingstone was strong, but we tore it from his skin. He is nothing but a shell.”
Osmond left me standing on the porch.
Standing next to his car was Richard Collins.
He was smiling.
I TURNED thirteen, and Mark put his arm around my shoulders.
It caused my stomach to twist.
I wondered if that was why I didn’t stare at girls like Rico.
His nose was in my hair, and he was smiling.
I never wanted it to stop.
MY MOTHER was buried near a red alder tree. Her stone was small and white.
It said,
CATHERINE LIVINGSTONE
SHE WAS LOVED
I sat with my back against the tree and felt the earth beneath my fingertips.
“I’m sorry,” I told her once. “I’m sorry that I couldn’t do more.”
