“You want to help? How?”
“My mom’s not onto you yet,” Seth said, “but she’s working on it. She’ll figure it out soon.”
“You told Abel about me, didn’t you?”
“No. Well, yeah. But he already knew.” He could tell he was losing her. Rylie started moving back toward the house—probably to find another heavy projectile. “I want to help you hide on the next moon.”
That stopped her. “Why?”
“I don’t want you to die, Rylie.”
“Oh.”
“I want to apologize, too,” he said. “I don’t have any right to tell you to leave.”
Her anger sparked again, even hotter than before. She stalked toward him. “You need to leave me alone. I’m a monster, aren’t I? You don’t want to make me angry!”
“Do you think you could beat me?” Seth asked.
“Maybe I could!”
“Do you think you could beat my brother? My mom? How about both of them at the same time?”
Her eyes flashed. “Is that a threat?”
“No.” Seth took a deep breath. “My family is good. Really good. You’re going to get caught one of these nights. There’s no way you can avoid them without my help.”
“You said it would be better for us to avoid each other. What changed your mind?”
It was a good question. His mom would kill him if she found out he was helping a werewolf. It was why he hadn’t told them the truth about the summer when he came home. Seth couldn’t tell Rylie that—she wouldn’t understand.
“I tried to save you on the night you were bitten. I failed, and I’ve been paying for it ever since.”
It was the wrong thing to say. Her fists clenched. “So I’m a punishment?”
“No, but I can still save you.” He spoke fast. “We’re going to get the beast under control so you can hide until my family thinks you’ve moved on. Then we’ll leave. You can stay.”
Seth watched the werewolf’s fury drain out of her, leaving normal, harmless Rylie in its wake. She nudged a weed with her toe. Her feet were bare. “Okay,” she said. Rylie peeked at him through her hair, and she finally smiled a little. “You want to come inside and talk? We have leftovers.”
He shook his head. “I should get back to my mom. She’ll wonder where I am.” It was a lie, but Seth didn’t want to sit in a house where people loved each other and be unable to share in it. “We’ll talk at school when Abel isn’t watching. At least we know he’ll be here most of the time. He’s good, but he can’t be everywhere at once.”
“And what about your mom?”
“Yeah, Seth. What about Mom?”
Abel emerged from the shadows. Seth moved to stand in front of Rylie even though he had already seen them.
“You’re supposed to be working on the tractor,” Seth said.
“Yeah, but then I saw our car, and I wondered why you were visiting the ranch. I didn’t think you would be visiting the werewolf .” He spat out the last word, and Rylie tensed behind Seth. Her hands gripped his arm. “I thought I told you to stay away.”
“I came here to see her,” Seth said. “She didn’t want to see me. It’s not her fault.”
Abel clenched his jaw. His hands hovered near his back, where he usually kept a handgun. Seth was armed, too—but his gun was strapped to his ankle. He wondered if he could draw faster than his brother.
Rylie radiated tension behind Seth. It was like having an attack dog leaning against his legs.
“Relax,” Seth muttered.
Abel’s eyes dropped to the place that Rylie touched Seth, and anger flashed across his face. He grabbed Seth by the back of the shirt and threw him across the hill.
Pain flared up his leg, and Seth slammed to the dirt.
Rylie took a step toward him, but Abel jabbed a finger in her chest to stop her. “I won’t warn you again. Stay away from him.” He faced his brother. “Get in the car. If you don’t go home right now, I’ll tell Mom where you’ve been.”
Seth tried to catch Rylie’s eye, but she wasn’t looking at him. Her gaze was fixed on Abel.
“My mom’s not onto you yet,” Seth said, “but she’s working on it. She’ll figure it out soon.”
“You told Abel about me, didn’t you?”
“No. Well, yeah. But he already knew.” He could tell he was losing her. Rylie started moving back toward the house—probably to find another heavy projectile. “I want to help you hide on the next moon.”
That stopped her. “Why?”
“I don’t want you to die, Rylie.”
“Oh.”
“I want to apologize, too,” he said. “I don’t have any right to tell you to leave.”
Her anger sparked again, even hotter than before. She stalked toward him. “You need to leave me alone. I’m a monster, aren’t I? You don’t want to make me angry!”
“Do you think you could beat me?” Seth asked.
“Maybe I could!”
“Do you think you could beat my brother? My mom? How about both of them at the same time?”
Her eyes flashed. “Is that a threat?”
“No.” Seth took a deep breath. “My family is good. Really good. You’re going to get caught one of these nights. There’s no way you can avoid them without my help.”
“You said it would be better for us to avoid each other. What changed your mind?”
It was a good question. His mom would kill him if she found out he was helping a werewolf. It was why he hadn’t told them the truth about the summer when he came home. Seth couldn’t tell Rylie that—she wouldn’t understand.
“I tried to save you on the night you were bitten. I failed, and I’ve been paying for it ever since.”
It was the wrong thing to say. Her fists clenched. “So I’m a punishment?”
“No, but I can still save you.” He spoke fast. “We’re going to get the beast under control so you can hide until my family thinks you’ve moved on. Then we’ll leave. You can stay.”
Seth watched the werewolf’s fury drain out of her, leaving normal, harmless Rylie in its wake. She nudged a weed with her toe. Her feet were bare. “Okay,” she said. Rylie peeked at him through her hair, and she finally smiled a little. “You want to come inside and talk? We have leftovers.”
He shook his head. “I should get back to my mom. She’ll wonder where I am.” It was a lie, but Seth didn’t want to sit in a house where people loved each other and be unable to share in it. “We’ll talk at school when Abel isn’t watching. At least we know he’ll be here most of the time. He’s good, but he can’t be everywhere at once.”
“And what about your mom?”
“Yeah, Seth. What about Mom?”
Abel emerged from the shadows. Seth moved to stand in front of Rylie even though he had already seen them.
“You’re supposed to be working on the tractor,” Seth said.
“Yeah, but then I saw our car, and I wondered why you were visiting the ranch. I didn’t think you would be visiting the werewolf .” He spat out the last word, and Rylie tensed behind Seth. Her hands gripped his arm. “I thought I told you to stay away.”
“I came here to see her,” Seth said. “She didn’t want to see me. It’s not her fault.”
Abel clenched his jaw. His hands hovered near his back, where he usually kept a handgun. Seth was armed, too—but his gun was strapped to his ankle. He wondered if he could draw faster than his brother.
Rylie radiated tension behind Seth. It was like having an attack dog leaning against his legs.
“Relax,” Seth muttered.
Abel’s eyes dropped to the place that Rylie touched Seth, and anger flashed across his face. He grabbed Seth by the back of the shirt and threw him across the hill.
Pain flared up his leg, and Seth slammed to the dirt.
Rylie took a step toward him, but Abel jabbed a finger in her chest to stop her. “I won’t warn you again. Stay away from him.” He faced his brother. “Get in the car. If you don’t go home right now, I’ll tell Mom where you’ve been.”
Seth tried to catch Rylie’s eye, but she wasn’t looking at him. Her gaze was fixed on Abel.
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