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Seven Years Ago
5 days after escape
Quinn was the worst traveling companion ever.
Throughout the walk from the sanctuary to the warehouse located at the base, they barely said two words to Silver and hardly interacted with the nice werewolf who met the two of them there. The man had shown Quinn a list of license plate numbers, and the latter simply pointed to one in response. Not a single word of thanks was uttered when the werewolf handed over the keys of a car with tinted windows.
Silver was starting to think the skinwalker was simply antisocial by nature, but their lingering hostility toward her hinted that there was more to it.
“Stop fidgeting,” Quinn snapped. “You’re shaking the car.”
“It’s a car,” Silver pointed out. “It’s not supposed to stay still.”
“I haven’t even started it yet.”
Silver held back her snarky reply and shoved both of her hands under her thighs. She would need this to keep them still during the long drive to Tucson.
To be fair, it wasn’t like Silver was in a particularly chatty mood, either. Being in a car already put her on edge, but she was also equally apprehensive about their destination.
Today marked a year since that fateful night at the club. A full year since human Shiloh’s life changed forever. She couldn’t believe it. It felt like a lifetime ago. On top of that, she was also about to see her family again for the first time since that day. She didn’t know what reaction to expect from them, but she was fully prepared to shed some tears.
Initially, she hadn’t wanted to go. Master would be anticipating that she’d do this and might have sent someone to watch her house in case she showed up. But that fact in itself was worrisome enough to warrant the trip. It was Levi who had suggested bringing her father and brother to the sanctuary to keep them safe. And they’d be together that way, which was just as important.
Of course, Silver had to get them in person to explain everything. They wouldn’t listen to some stranger claiming that she was waiting for them at a remote location hours away. They would probably think they were in danger and try to fight back. It had to come from her. And this way, she would be reunited with them as soon as possible.
Still, as much as she wanted to see them, she had her reservations. She couldn’t shake off the feeling that coming back was a mistake, that she should have just stayed away.
“You’re doing it again,” Quinn complained.
Silver stopped looking out the window for a second and noted how tightly the skinwalker gripped the steering wheel. They’d been driving in silence for over an hour by now, but clearly, they were just as irritated by Silver’s presence as usual.
“Sorry,” she mumbled and tried to still her shaking legs. “It’s not on purpose.”
“Well, then, try to purposely control yourself.”
The car hit a rough patch of gravel just then and jostled slightly to the side. Silver gritted her teeth and closed her eyes. She felt Quinn studying her from the side, and she forced herself to stare out the window again.
“Not even you can blame me for being nervous.”
Quinn wasn’t fazed. “I didn’t say don’t be nervous. I said stop fidgeting.”
“I haven’t seen my family in a year,” she shot back, for once not bothering to soften her tone or cover just how much the skinwalker’s exasperation with her was mutual. She needed the distraction of feeling something other than fear right now. “I’m about to show up on their doorstep and tell them they might be in danger. And if that’s not enough, I also have to tell them that not only are werewolves and vampires real, I am... something, I don’t know! The point is, forgive me if the thought of being rejected by my family has me a little on edge.”
Surprisingly, Quinn was speechless after that outburst. They were silent for so long, Silver figured they must have decided not to speak anymore, so she crossed her arms and rested her head against the side of her door. In an effort to calm down and get some rest, she closed her eyes once again and pretended she was anywhere else.
