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.“Why I’m leading you back to the house, where else?”Sophie laughed at Artemais’ wry expression as he turned her ninety degrees and started walking in a totally different direction.“I think I’ll have to invest in a compass and map for you sweetheart.”Sophie laughed harder.“I can’t read a map, or use a compass.The arrow always points north.Now it’s interesting to know which direction north is—but how the hell does that help me if I’m lost? You might want to know I also have trouble reading a map.”Artemais sighed the long-suffering sigh of a man in love.Chapter Twenty-FourGenerated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.htmlArtemais knocked a little more loudly on the door to the small cottage.“Hey Mona!” he called, “Can we come in, please?”Artemais, Samuel, Dominic and Roland stood on the small front porch.Dominic had a large grin on his face and a sack full of groceries in his arms.He eyed Roland up and down, trying to disconcert him.Artemais leaned over and growled, “Be nice” into his ear.As he stood back, a tiny old lady opened the door.She seemed wrapped in a patchwork shawl and an ankle-length dark blue skirt.“This had better be good,” she mumbled, “you’re interrupting my nap and Jerry Springer.Oh, it’s you young Artemais.” She stood back and opened the door wider.“What have you got there, little Dominic?” she eyed the big grocery bag distrustfully.Dominic bent down and kissed her cheek.“Some bread and milk and meat, Mona.And a container of your favorite Rocky Road.” A small smile appeared on the old lady’s face.“Well, I might just put the kettle on then.Come on in you four.”Artemais felt much better when he realized Mona knew there were four of them.She often ignored someone until she had something to say to him.Hopefully she could answer a few questions he had.Manners were everything to Mona.He had warned Sophie and William they might be gone until dinner, as Mona would likely take her own sweet time telling them anything they wanted to know.As he and Dominic helped Mona set up the kettle and tea, cups, and saucers, everyone was quiet.Roland and Samuel sat precariously perched on thin wooden chairs.Roland wasn’t sure how Samuel felt, but he worried one wrong move or strong gust of wind would splinter the tiny chair.So he simply looked around, feeling perfectly happy to stay a while and see what would happen.When all five of them sat comfortably around the small fire, tea and cookies in hand, Mona surprisingly came directly to the point.“It’s good to see you back, young man.I was worried after your ma died and your idiotic father took you away so we’d never see you again.”Roland choked on his tea.“Excuse me, ma’am?”Mona looked at him, a tiny glint of laughter in her eyes.“Don’t you speak plain English? Which part didn’t you understand? The part where I called your father an idiot, or the fact I called you a young man.Every man a day under seventy is young to me.”Roland blinked and set his teacup down on the small table nearby.“My mother isn’t dead, ma’am.She simply ran away from my father.”Mona shot a scornful look at him, then resumed eating her cookie.Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html“Don’t be daft, boy.Your mother told you she’d come back for you, right?” Mona glared at him until he nodded.“Then what else could have kept her from coming back for you? She loved you dearly, she merely needed to warn the Pack of your father’s evil intentions.”Artemais noticed that Roland went a few shades paler at Mona’s words.He swallowed, but didn’t contradict her words.“So his mother had been one of the Pack,” Artemais confirmed, leaning forwards.“Oh yes,” Mona smiled, taking another sip of tea.“She had her own problems, but she was dealing with them admirably once she married that man and young Roland here came along.Your daddy was sick, mentally sick.I couldn’t tell exactly what illness it was, but it ate away at his mind—physically and emotionally.He had a lot of issues, that man, and when Janine finally got fed up with him and tried to help him deal with his hatred of himself, well, it became a bit messy, let’s just say.” She paused for just a moment.“He swore he’d cleanse himself by ridding the world of the rest of the Pack.Janine tried to warn us.Young Roland here was barely three, so she thought he’d be safer at their home than with her in the park.Plus, she couldn’t really take care of him while she changed, could she? So she came to warn us.We all started our moon time, but Jeffrey came and killed many of the Pack while we ran.By the time we realized the next day that Janine had left young Roland with his father and not someone in the village, Jeffrey had taken the boy away.I always thought he did it to avoid the sheriff’s questions.Me and Sally—that was my sister—looked, but couldn’t find them.We were too busy helping you and your brothers adjust to the great loss and taking care of your Grandfather.Another cookie?”Artemais took the offered plate, nabbed a cookie and passed it on to Dominic, then to Samuel.“What happened to your father, Roland?”“He died of syphilis when I was thirteen.”Artemais looked like he wanted to make a comment, but Mona was nodding, almost to herself and ignoring him.“Ah yes.Syphilis.New name, old complaint.Well now, young Artemais, have I answered your questions?”He smiled down at the elderly woman.“Almost, Mona.Why didn’t you mention to me years ago that there might have been another werewolf running around? I could have tracked him down and helped him.”“He had to come on his own.He hasn’t known what he is—what his mother had been—and he has had his own private demons to fight.Right, young man?”“Very true, ma’am.”Artemais would later swear that Mona blushed.“Enough of the ma’am business.You can call me Mona, love.Your mother was like a daughter to me, and I watched over you enough when you were a baby.You’ll be sticking around, won’t you?”Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.htmlArtemais watched as the young man and old woman forged a bond, and knew that everything would be fine.He and Dominic cooked up some of the steak and potatoes for Mona, while she reminisced about Roland’s mother.When they were finished, Mona thanked them and walked them to her door.“You stay with these nice young men until after the full moon, then you come back here when you’re ready and we can talk some more.Right?”“Yes, Mona.I won’t be going off anywhere.”“Thank you for cooking my dinner, it’s nice to see some men these days knowing how to use a kitchen for its proper purposes.” This said with a glare and shake of the head to Dominic.Artemais briefly wondered if the old lady knew what Dominic’s favorite purpose for a kitchen was.Seeing the glint in Mona’s eye, he figured she did.“I’ll see you boys later.Stay safe.”With that she shut the door and they headed back to the Jeep.Artemais felt keen to get back home, back to Sophie, and see what her big plans for tonight were.Chapter Twenty-Five“Are you sure you’re all right, Soph?” William asked again, concern furrowing his brow.Sophie sighed.She wished like hell William wasn’t here, seeing her like this.“I’m perfectly fine,” she lied.She choked on the last syllable and leaned back over the toilet, dry retching.She hadn’t anything left in her stomach for over five minutes now, but tell that to her nausea [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]