The Better to Bite (17 page)

“No.” My whisper, and I realized I was finally confessing to someone, just not the boy I’d anticipated. “I can’t get lost.”

“And nothing’s lost from you,” Rafe added, nodding. “That’s how you knew where Sissy’s body was and how you found your necklace.”

“I’m different like that,” I muttered.

“No.” Snapped out. Then, softer, “You’ve very, very special like that.”

Oh, wait. That was…nice. I slowly lowered the mace.

“It was a set-up today. Someone else suspected what you could do, but that person wanted proof.” He shoved his hand through his hair. “You gave ‘em that proof, right in front of the whole school.”

My stomach knotted. “Just how many wolves are running around Haven High? I mean, other than you and—”
Brent
. Dang it. Just when I thought I’d found the perfect, All-American guy…

An All-American guy who got very furry.

“It’s not like we have group meetings.” Rafe poured on the sarcasm now. “And when we shift, our scents change. I can’t tell which wolves are running in those woods, and I sure can’t match their scents to any folks in the daylight.”

Well, that was just sucky. “You truly don’t know?”

“Families move away. Some come back. Some run far. Some names change over time. I
can’t
know all the original hunters, and I don’t know how many…wolves…there might be in this town.”

Great. That knot in my stomach twisted even tighter.  “You do know that one of those wolves,” one, maybe a lot more, “is killing.”

“I’m trying to stop him! I was tracking him in the woods, the first time I found you.”

When I’d almost been a meal.

His hand dropped. “I just wish you hadn’t shown them all the truth today.”

He kept coming back to that. “Why? So they know I’m weird and I can find things.” Didn’t get much weirder than changing into an animal in her book. Who were the wolves to judge? “What’s the big deal?”

His eyes sharpened on me. “Who told you about Haven’s past?”

The guy just couldn’t answer my questions simply. Like someone else I knew. “Granny Helen.”

He grunted, as if he’d expected that answer. “And she didn’t tell you how the curse can supposedly be broken?”

Why was the air suddenly feeling so much cooler? “No, we, uh, skipped that part.”
Or I ran out before she could tell me because I wanted to find my dad, ASAP. But dear old dad is out in the woods fishing a skeleton out of a stream.

“The curse can only be broken by a witch with great power, as much power as the witch who made the original curse.”

I stumbled back as the implications of his words and that hard stare sank in. “Whoa. Hold on, take a breath, okay? I’m not—”

“You can find things, just like Elizabeth. The same power…you proved that to them all.” He looked back at me with a hooded gaze. “There haven’t been witches in Haven—witches from the original bloodline, because for the curse to be broken, it has to be in the
blood
—for decades. We all thought the power line had died out.”

“Then I came into town,” I managed to say through numb lips.
I’m not a witch. I’m not. I’m different. Psychic. Not a witch. I don’t even use a broom to clean.

“Then you came into town,” he repeated softly, his eyes on mine, “and everything changed.”

I didn’t know what to say. Didn’t know what to do. “I can’t help you.” I didn’t know what he wanted from me. “I don’t know anything about magic or curses. I just…I find things, okay? That’s all.”

Did he look disappointed? Angry? I couldn’t say for sure.

“Wh-what about Granny Helen?” She was a witch, right? I could feel her power.

“She’s not descended from the witches who cursed this town. Helen’s power comes from somewhere else. She can’t help us.” His face hardened as he stared at me. “They know what you are now. There’s no more hiding for you.” His head inclined toward me. “So be very, very careful when you walk into the woods, and never leave your silver behind.”

He turned away.

“Rafe!”

He didn’t look back.

“I’m not a witch. I-I know things, but trust me on this, I’m
not
a witch.” We needed to just be clear about that. Being…
different
…was hard enough. Being a witch? No, thank you.

He kept walking.

“
Rafe! I’m not!”

For a moment, he did glance back. “You’re more than you think.” His jaw hardened, and I thought he growled, “I just hate that it’s
you
.”

He left me there, and I stared into the woods and knew what it felt like to be hunted.

They gave us candles as we entered the football stadium. Long, white candles. Jenny stood beside me, and I saw her stare down at the candle. Her eyes teared up a bit. “No one should die this young.”

I swallowed the lump that wanted to rise in my throat and followed her through the crowd. Maybe I should have stayed at home. After my little chat with Rafe, I sure hadn’t felt like going to a football game, but…

But I felt like I owed Sissy.

It looked like the entire school had come out for her—the stadium was freaking packed. The candles were for her. The band was playing a tribute to her. This night was about Sissy.

I hadn’t been able to stay away.

When we got to the stands, some kids passed around lighters, and we lit our candles. Then the principal came out on to the field. The band lined up behind him.

Mr. Knoxley looked solemn, and very, very pale under the bright lights. “We lost one of our students this week.” His deep voice filled the speakers. “A freshman at Haven High, Sissy Hamilton was taken from us far too soon.”

His words seemed to echo Jenny’s. I glanced at her and saw her swiping a tear from the corner of her eye.

My candle burned brighter.

“Sissy will not be forgotten,” Mr. Knoxley said, and I realized he was holding a lit candle in his left hand. His right hand curled tightly around the microphone. “Her memory will live on in those who loved her.”

My own eyes were starting to well. I blinked quickly and tried not to remember the smell of death.

Mr. Knoxley lifted his candle higher. “Tonight, we take a moment to remember Sissy. Remember her as she was—young, smart, and beautiful. A gift to all those who knew her.”

The band began to play behind him. A slow, mournful beat that fit the somber mood of the crowd.

A drop of hot wax fell onto my hand. I swallowed but didn’t make a sound.

My candlelight burned so bright.

Sissy Hamilton
.

I could hear the sniffles from a few girls behind me. I glanced back and recognized them as freshmen. Girls who’d no doubt been friends with Sissy.

It shouldn’t have happened.

I pulled my gaze away and stared up at the moon. Big, round, nearly full. Just another few days and it
would
be full.

The band’s song slowly faded into silence. The thick, heavy kind of silence that wrapped around you.

I’m sorry, Sissy.
I slowly lowered my candle. Would I ever find someone who was lost before it was too late?

I hadn’t saved Sissy. I hadn’t saved Caitlin.

And I sure hadn’t saved my mother. By the time I’d found mom, it had been too late. She’d been dead, shot four times. One of the bullets had gone straight into her heart.

My tears came then. For Sissy, for Caitlin, and for my mom.

For my mom…a woman who’d taken a wrong turn. Gotten lost. And then…
lost
her life.

***

The football game started later. Not with the same roar of energy that had marked the first game. The players ran onto the field, but even they seemed tense.

I wondered how many players had known Sissy.

The cheerleaders came out much more slowly, and I realized Valerie was missing.

Jenny caught my glance. “I heard it was her punishment,” she told me, raising her brows as she handed her smoking candle to the pep squad member who was walking around and collecting them all. “Mr. Knoxley gave her detention for a week,
and
he told her that she couldn’t cheer tonight.”

I bet Valerie was loving me.

I didn’t really care, though. “Maybe next time, she won’t steal someone’s necklace when she gets pissed.” But Rafe’s voice rumbled in my mind.
You really think it was Valerie?

If not her, then who else?

Goosebumps rose on my arms. The temperature was sure starting to drop.

I forced my attention back on the field. Brent was playing tonight, leading the team with his green number seven jersey and showing absolutely no signs of any injury. How could no one else think that was weird? “Jenny…” I cleared my throat. “Just what all do you know about Brent?”
Do you know if he ever changes into a wolf when he runs through the woods?

Jenny turned her head toward me. She had mascara stains beneath her eyes. I hadn’t bothered with makeup tonight, so I knew I’d been spared the raccoon look.

At my question, her eyes lit up a bit. Jenny seemed eager to have something to talk about, something other than Sissy. “You are so into him,” she murmured.

I shrugged. Right then, I didn’t think I was into him or Rafe.

And maybe I was a liar.

There was a cheer from the students. The first cheer of the night. It took me a moment to realize that we’d scored a touchdown. I clapped, but didn’t jump to my feet. Instead, I leaned closer to Jenny. “What do you know?” I asked her again.

Her hands lifted and made a vague little gesture in the air. “I know he and Rafe were best friends.” She paused, then finished, “Once upon a time.”

Now that was total news to me. I had pretty much thought those guys hated each other since birth.

And speak of the devil, uh, wolf…Rafe raced onto the football field. I couldn’t help it. I stared. Wolf or no, the boy looked good in a uniform. He glanced toward my section of the bleachers, and I could have sworn I felt the heat of his stare touching on my skin.

“Actually, they
were
tight until last summer, when Brent and Valerie hooked up.” Some energy enthused Jenny’s voice. She did like her gossip. “Word is that Rafe liked her, too, and he got majorly pissed when she chose Brent.”

Rafe slammed into a guy wearing a blue jersey with the number twenty-three on the back. Number twenty-three looked to be close to two hundred and fifty pounds. Rafe tackled him like the guy was a scarecrow.

How can people not realize this isn’t normal?

My gaze darted around the bleachers. Maybe they did realize it. Maybe I was the only one who didn’t know the score. Maybe—

“Since Brent and Valerie split, gossip is that Valerie and Rafe are gonna hook up soon.”

My head snapped back to her.
I hope not.
I barely bit those words back. And why did it matter to me what wolfie did? It wasn’t like we were a couple of anything. One kiss meant nothing. “Um, you know anything else about Brent and maybe Rafe, too?”

She frowned at me, and I realized I needed to be more specific. “Have you heard any…weird stories about them?”

A line appeared between Jenny’s brows. “Weird how?”

Weird as in fangs and claws.
I just shrugged.

Another cry came from the students. Louder now, and not as banked with sadness. I didn’t even look at the field. I figured we’d gotten another touchdown. With Rafe and Brent, how could we not?

I hunched my shoulders. “Jenny, do you believe in werewolves?”

She laughed at me. I mean, like a really, really hard laugh.

So much for the whole town knowing the secret.

“
OhmyGod…
who have you been talking to?” Jeez, her voice was too loud. I hissed at her and, blessedly, she lowered her voice as she said, “Someone told you that old crazy story about wolves running loose in Haven, right?” She was smiling and, despite the embarrassment I was sure stained my cheeks, I was actually glad to see her smile. Tears just made me feel uncomfortable. Always had. “That’s just some BS story,” Jenny told me. “Someone’s pranking you.”

If only.

A gasp erupted from the crowd. This time, I did look at the field, expecting to see the players celebrating another score.

They weren’t celebrating.

Number seven and number thirteen were brawling on the field. I jumped to my feet. Rafe and Brent were whaling on each other, hard kicks and punches, and six players were trying to pull them apart.

Trying and failing.

“
Stop!”
My scream joined the others around me. I realized there was no way for the guys on the field to hear me, not with all the yells in the air.

But…Rafe’s head turned toward me. His eyes met mine. His fist paused in mid-air.

Then Brent slammed his fist right into Rafe’s face. Blood flew into the air.

I lunged forward. Jenny grabbed my arm, yanking me back.

Finally,
finally
, the other players managed to pull Brent and Rafe apart. The referee made some sort of wild gesture with his hands, and I knew both of them had been kicked out of the game.

They were led off the field, both in different directions.  My gaze darted between them even as my heart slammed into my chest.

What. The. Hell
.

Jenny’s fingernails dug into my arms. “Oh, we are so screwed,” she said, voice distraught.

The coach led Rafe toward the stadium’s exit. Brent headed toward the locker room.

Jenny sank onto the bleachers. The kids were muttering around us, and Jenny seemed to sum up their feelings when she said, “Jasper High is gonna kick our butt now.”

Screw that. I turned and hurried down the bleachers.

“
Anna!”

I didn’t care about the game, but I sure did want to know why Brent and Rafe had just battled on the field.

***

I hurried to the parking lot, not toward the locker room. I slipped past the stadium entrance just in time to see Rafe being loaded into the back of a deputy’s car.

What?

“Deputy Jon!” I called his name as I hurried forward. The deputy turned toward me, a frown crinkling his face.

“Anna?” The frown eased a bit. “What’s wrong?”