Chapter 13

At my request, the driver stopped at the corner of my street to avoid any drama with my aunt, or, at least, that was the plan.

As soon as I stepped inside, my aunt turned and glared at me from the couch. “Where have you been?”

With a shrug, I replied, “around.”

She shut off the t.v. and stood. “Around? What kind of answer is that?”

“An honest one.” Technically, I wasn’t lying. I had been around places: School, in a car, on the other side of town, in a vampire den. So I had actually been around.

“Young lady, I demand you tell me where you’ve been and what you think you’re doing coming home this late.”

This late? It wasn’t even eleven yet. Alisha and Declan both stayed out until around midnight. Unable to help myself, I said, “What do you care?”

“Of course I do,” she said, and I caught the hints of a lie. “You are under my guardianship, after all.”

“That didn’t matter to you a couple of days ago when I called you and you hung up on me.”

My aunt scoffed, crossing her arms. “I did not.”

“