she said, trying for a smile. “Does it fit?”
He managed to return the smile. “It does. About those guys—”
“I should report it. I know that. But my parents—” She rubbed the back of her neck. “They don’t like me going to school here. Big city and all that. If they hear I was jumped by a couple of drunks, they’ll cut me off, make me come home. Maybe they wouldn’t have to find out, but …” She looked up at him. “I really don’t want to take that chance. Not when nothing happened.”
“Something did happen. You got attacked.”
“I know.” She shoved her hands into her pockets. “But I’m okay. Can you—can you just walk me to the road? Wait while I hail a taxi?”
He didn’t offer to escort her home. That might have seemed like the chivalrous thing to do, but he doubted a girl who’d narrowly escaped rape wanted a stranger near her flat, so he got her into ataxi, and realized only as the car pulled off that he hadn’t asked her name.
When Reese got back to his place, it was empty. Not surprising. Niles wasn’t around much, which made him the perfect flatmate.
He kicked off his runners, sat on the couch, and picked up the remote. He didn’t turn on the TV. Just sat there, staring at his reflection in the blank screen. Then he pulled out his cell phone and hit speed dial.
His mother answered, yawning, on the fourth ring. “What’s wrong, baby?”
“Nothing. I just—” He glanced at the clock on the DVD player and winced. “Sorry, I didn’t realize how late it was. I’ll call you in the morning.”
He heard his mother get out of bed. His dad mumbled something in the background.
“He’s fine,” his mother murmured to his dad.
“I am,” Reese said. “Go back to bed. I’m sorry. I just—
” I helped this girl tonight, saved her from a couple guys, and it made me think of you
.
Of course, he couldn’t say that, wouldn’t jog those memories. He shouldn’t have called.
“One too many beers,” he said finally. “I totally lost track of time. I’ll call in the morning.”
“You sound like you want to talk.”
He forced a chuckle. “No, I sound drunk, and when I’m drunk, I like to talk. I’ll wake up Niles and make him suffer through it. Payback for eating my leftovers last week.”
She didn’t let it go that easily. Eventually, though, she accepted the excuse, along with his promise to call in the morning.
Reese hung up, but stayed on the couch, staring at the blank television screen. Twenty years ago, his mother had been the collegegirl leaving a party, the one who’d bumped into the wrong guys. An American, she’d told everyone she just wanted to study abroad and had picked the University of Sydney on a lark. Not true. She’d picked it because she didn’t know anyone in Australia, and it was as far as she could get from a bad family situation.
She’d been at an out-of-town party with her boyfriend. Driving back, they’d fought—she couldn’t remember over what. He’d kicked her out of the car ten kilometers from town. A long walk on an empty road. She’d ducked out of sight whenever a car passed. Then came the one that didn’t pass. They’d had their windows down. Smelled her. Three young werewolves. She hadn’t stood a chance.
Raping her wasn’t enough. They decided to hunt her. Kill her. Feed on her. Let the police chalk it up to dingoes. Thinking she was unconscious, they’d gone to Change in the bushes. She snuck the keys from the leader’s jacket, then took off in their truck.
When she got to the authorities, she had quite a story to tell, about three men who’d raped her, changed into wolves, and chased the truck as she’d sped off. Clearly the girl was in shock after her ordeal. She needed psychiatric help, not the ridicule that would come by making her allegations public. So the police tried to cover it up, but the story hit a few small papers without the scruples to ignore it.
The Australian Pack had found out and sent a
He managed to return the smile. “It does. About those guys—”
“I should report it. I know that. But my parents—” She rubbed the back of her neck. “They don’t like me going to school here. Big city and all that. If they hear I was jumped by a couple of drunks, they’ll cut me off, make me come home. Maybe they wouldn’t have to find out, but …” She looked up at him. “I really don’t want to take that chance. Not when nothing happened.”
“Something did happen. You got attacked.”
“I know.” She shoved her hands into her pockets. “But I’m okay. Can you—can you just walk me to the road? Wait while I hail a taxi?”
He didn’t offer to escort her home. That might have seemed like the chivalrous thing to do, but he doubted a girl who’d narrowly escaped rape wanted a stranger near her flat, so he got her into ataxi, and realized only as the car pulled off that he hadn’t asked her name.
When Reese got back to his place, it was empty. Not surprising. Niles wasn’t around much, which made him the perfect flatmate.
He kicked off his runners, sat on the couch, and picked up the remote. He didn’t turn on the TV. Just sat there, staring at his reflection in the blank screen. Then he pulled out his cell phone and hit speed dial.
His mother answered, yawning, on the fourth ring. “What’s wrong, baby?”
“Nothing. I just—” He glanced at the clock on the DVD player and winced. “Sorry, I didn’t realize how late it was. I’ll call you in the morning.”
He heard his mother get out of bed. His dad mumbled something in the background.
“He’s fine,” his mother murmured to his dad.
“I am,” Reese said. “Go back to bed. I’m sorry. I just—
” I helped this girl tonight, saved her from a couple guys, and it made me think of you
.
Of course, he couldn’t say that, wouldn’t jog those memories. He shouldn’t have called.
“One too many beers,” he said finally. “I totally lost track of time. I’ll call in the morning.”
“You sound like you want to talk.”
He forced a chuckle. “No, I sound drunk, and when I’m drunk, I like to talk. I’ll wake up Niles and make him suffer through it. Payback for eating my leftovers last week.”
She didn’t let it go that easily. Eventually, though, she accepted the excuse, along with his promise to call in the morning.
Reese hung up, but stayed on the couch, staring at the blank television screen. Twenty years ago, his mother had been the collegegirl leaving a party, the one who’d bumped into the wrong guys. An American, she’d told everyone she just wanted to study abroad and had picked the University of Sydney on a lark. Not true. She’d picked it because she didn’t know anyone in Australia, and it was as far as she could get from a bad family situation.
She’d been at an out-of-town party with her boyfriend. Driving back, they’d fought—she couldn’t remember over what. He’d kicked her out of the car ten kilometers from town. A long walk on an empty road. She’d ducked out of sight whenever a car passed. Then came the one that didn’t pass. They’d had their windows down. Smelled her. Three young werewolves. She hadn’t stood a chance.
Raping her wasn’t enough. They decided to hunt her. Kill her. Feed on her. Let the police chalk it up to dingoes. Thinking she was unconscious, they’d gone to Change in the bushes. She snuck the keys from the leader’s jacket, then took off in their truck.
When she got to the authorities, she had quite a story to tell, about three men who’d raped her, changed into wolves, and chased the truck as she’d sped off. Clearly the girl was in shock after her ordeal. She needed psychiatric help, not the ridicule that would come by making her allegations public. So the police tried to cover it up, but the story hit a few small papers without the scruples to ignore it.
The Australian Pack had found out and sent a
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