Page 102 of Feral Werewolves
Griff looked at me and his face twisted. “I’m sorry. I never meant—”
“No,” I said to him. I rounded on Red. “That’swhy you did this to me. To hurthim.” I pointed at Griff.
“No, to get free of him,” said Red. “Yes, sorry, you were collateral damage. Price that had to be paid.”
I threw my hands up in the air and laughed a high, bright, bitter laugh.
Lazarus spoke up from the depths of the porch. His voice was a growl. “Fuck you, Red.”
“Red, if you actually wanted free of Griff, you would have killed him,” I said. “You didn’t.”
“What do you want?” said Paladin. “You want me to kill Red? Say the word, Clementine.”
That went through me like violence.
Noah jumped up off Red’s lap, running for me. “Clementine, please, Clementine—”
“No,” I said. “No, don’t offer to kill people for me, if you don’t mind.”
“Noted,” said Paladin.
I looked all around, looked at all of them. Fuck this. I stalked across the porch, threw open the door, and went in, shutting the sliding door behind me as hard as I could. I didn’t have any more tears, but my heart was thumping out of my chest as I ran as fast as I could up the stairs towards that room that Noah had given me earlier in the day.
“Clementine!” It was Kestrel, coming after me.
I went faster.
I got inside the room and shut the door.
I locked it.
24
kestrel
“CLEMENTINE, OPEN THEdoor,” I said for the eighteenth time.
She was done answering, though.
First three times, she’d spoken up and said that she needed some space, to leave her alone, and then—when I didn’t stop trying to get her to let me in—she went quiet.
“Clementine, just…” I lay my hand on the door and then my cheek, and I stayed there, feeling like I was going to lose my mind, fall apart, scream.
Paladin appeared at the end of the hallway.
I pushed off the door and went for him, clenching my hands into fists. “No one else came after her?”
“I had to deal with Red and Griff,” said Paladin. “Lazarus is down there taking first watch on the two rooms we stuck them in. We all have to take a turn, so you want second watch or third?”
“How much of the night is even left at this point?” I had no idea what time it was.
“It’s actually not even midnight yet,” said Paladin. “I told Red’s guys to get to me before nightfall, and they did. Well, mostly.” He shook himself. “Where is she?”
I gestured. “She won’t open the door.”
“Right,” muttered Paladin. “Okay, well, then we leave her be.”
I felt like my chest cracked open. “You think she’s done with us?”
