The rest of what Damon had to tell me wasn’t good either. Almost all of the Enforcers in the clowder had been called out on assignment. Random attacks on different packs, lairs and clowders had increased. The Council had found evidence of hunters at work and the Enforcers were hunting them. “Who are you?” a man said and I turned around slowly to look at him. “Who are you?” I asked him. “This is my house so you’d better start talking before I call the cops,” he said. “I’m a friend of Sam’s,” I said to him and then stuck my hand out, “Griffin Woods.” “Friend or boyfriend?” he asked me. “Boyfriend,” I said to him. “And do you regularly spend the night with my daughter?” he asked. “I couldn’t leave her alone after last night,” I said to him. “Dad?” Samantha asked as she stood behind him. “Hey honey,” he said with a smile as he turned around and grabbed her in a hug. “What are you doing here?” she asked. “What do you mean? We live here,” he said as if they had gone away for the
“When am I meeting your parents?” she asked me about two weeks after our pizza night. Her father still looked me up and down when I picked her up but her mother was really nice to me and Samantha was happy. I was happy, even Mac and Jett noticed it and gave me endless shit that I was in love. The truth is, I was. “We can all go out to dinner,” I suggested. “Really dinner? Are you that ashamed to take me to your house?” she asked. “No, of course not. It’s just… complicated,” I said. “How is it complicated?” she asked me. “We just lead a different lifestyle and people can be judgmental,” I said to her not knowing how to explain it to her. “I lived in a house with no food and no heating until you came along, I think I’m the last person to judge,” she said and I smiled as I looked at her. “And what if I told you we weren’t like normal families?” I asked. “I’d say your secrets would be safe with me like mine have been with you and that I know who you are, deep down inside, and that
“Relax,” I said to Samantha as I parked the truck in front of the packhouse. We’d be having dinner in our private dining room with just the family, meaning, Archer, Kat, Mac, Connor, Sandra and Jett. “I’m suddenly very nervous, what if they don’t like me?” she asked and I laughed. “They’ll love you,” I said as I climbed out and then opened the door for her. She took my hand and I led her up the patio steps and into the packhouse. Damon had asked the clowder not to crowd the house that night since I’d be bringing a human to dinner. The house was quiet and empty and I smiled as Samantha looked around. “Wow,” she said as I led her up the stairs. “Everyone’s waiting in the dining room,” I said to her as I started off down the hall to our private quarters on the top floor. “I’m ready,” she said as she took a deep breath and I opened the dining room doors. “Hey everyone, this is Samantha,” I said as everyone’s heads turned to us and we were met with instant silence. “Hi,” Sam said fr
I didn’t hear from Sam for the rest of that weekend but I also didn’t reach out to her. She had heard everything, it was her move now. Even though it was unfair to even think about it she had a choice to make and I’d never given her any reason to doubt me.“There’s a party tonight,” Jett said as he sauntered into my bedroom after dinner.“Since when do we go to parties?” I asked him.“Since Beth told me all about how Travis’s parties work,” he said and grinned at me.“Beth talks to you?” I asked him.“Is it that hard to believe?” he asked me.“What does Beth say?” I asked.“Beth has a lot to say. The party starts out normally, then a girl gets chosen at the party, her drink is spiked and she’s taken downstairs by a group, always the same group, Travis being their leader, the girl’s undressed and raped, they all take turns and they videotape it all,” Jett said.“Doesn’t explain why they all keep quiet,” I said to him.“They take pictures which they show her afterward, it looks bad, lik
Nobody talked about the fire on Monday at school, but the whole atmosphere had shifted. Nobody looked at us in fear anymore and it seemed that for the time being that the preps had entered exile. Nobody greeted them and nobody paid them any attention. It was as if everyone knew what had happened at that party.“What did I miss?” Samantha asked me as she joined me at my locker.“The Travis Morris reign of terror is over,” Jett said and grinned.“How?” she asked with wide eyes.“We burned his barn down,” he said and laughed at the shock on Sam’s face.“Accidentally,” I said and Mac gave me a look.“Yeah, accidentally,” he said.The rest of the day and even the week was the same. Travis and Rosco had no more power at school, even the teachers treated them differently and for once high school became a safe haven once more. We tried harder too, went to class and stayed out of trouble.During the week I only saw Sam at school, for some reason her father didn’t approve of our relationship an
Eight years later ...I kept my eyes closed for a few more seconds as my mind cleared from the fog of sleep and turned on my side as I finally opened them. It was still early, almost five am. I swung my legs over the edge of the mattress and sat on the edge of the bed as I rubbed my hand over my face.I got up and pulled a pair of sweatpants on and pulled the hoodie over my head. Downstairs I made coffee for myself as the dull thud of my headache started throbbing in my temples. I drank to forget, I drank to sleep and not to dream, it worked mostly, but during the day, nothing could stop the memories.The kettle boiled and I was snapped back to reality. I hated how certain memories just popped up and took me back to a time when life was simpler, easier and a time when I used to be a good person.“I’m going out,” I said loudly, not expecting him to answer me, he never did.Every morning at five am I went out into the surrounding wilderness that was my backyard. I lived in a house on th
I showered and dressed in black. I liked wearing black while hunting, it gave the whole purpose of imminent death an eerie feeling. I stepped outside into the dark of the night and looked up at the sliver of the moon hanging in the sky.“Potestatiuo solis et luna,” I whispered as I closed my eyes and envisioned the heat of the sun and the rays of the moon.“Tellus,” I said as I knelt down and grabbed a handful of earth.“Venti,” I said as I scattered the earth around me and watched as the wind picked up.“Aque,” I said as I opened the water bottle and drippled the water of the earth.“Ignis,” I said as I lit the match and watched the flame flicker before dying out.“Aperta portal,” I said as I closed my eyes and felt the pull of the realms and the portal opened before me. I stepped through it onto the darkened streets of London’s warehouse district.It was three am and I adjusted my watch accordingly as I turned around and started walking to Ashfield Road. It was dark and quiet and my
“Why are you here Jett?” I asked him as he pulled a pair of shorts on.“I was in the neighbourhood,” he shrugged.“Sure you were, you staying for dinner?” I asked him.“Obviously, and Griff, don’t call me fat again,” he said as he sucked in his stomach and I laughed.“Come on,” I said as I led him back towards the house.Kane lifted his head as I opened the front door and glanced at Jett, not showing the slightest hint if he was happy to see him or not. Jett followed me inside and looked around and I wondered how he had found me in the first place.“There’s beer in the fridge,” I said to him as he turned back towards me.“I like what you’ve done with the place,” he said as he walked through to the kitchen and I heard the fridge open. “You want one too?”“Sure,” I said and I heard him uncap the two bottles.“How’s he doing?” Jett asked me as his eyes flitted to where Kane was in the living room.“Still not talking to me,” I said to him.“He’ll come around, so what’s new, brother?” he a