There was a time when I’d have said Bran was smart. Showing up at my café a day after I’d learned the secret about myself he’d been privy to? Not smart.
I’d stayed in bed late this morning, but luckily, I was dressed and ready when I felt him enter the café. I stomped down the stairs coldly.
“Get out,” I said.
“Claudia, let’s talk. I know you were upset. But there’s a lot of complicated things that are going on.”
“What? What is so complicated that you think you can keep secrets from me?” I asked.
The customers were staring at us. Some left, but the fury in me overruled any concern.
“Let’s go upstairs,” he said.
I walked up the stairs to the second floor and stopped there. “What?”
He came closer, and I blasted the floor at his feet. “Stay back. I don’t want to be close to you.”
“Your family is very different from mine. I’ve been trying to ease you into things,” he began.
“No. This isn’t only about the gypsy thing. It would’ve helped if you’d said, my family is prejudiced, but I don’t share that view. You never did, so I assume part of you feels the same. And every family has weird and upsetting members who are on crazy missions or have extreme opinions. My aunt is a hippie. I can accept you aren’t your family, but you kept a secret from me.” I shoved him magically.
He fell to the floor. “Go ahead. Get it out of your system.”
“You’re not even defending yourself?” I asked.
“I couldn’t hurt you. Your father killed your mother. He was coming for you. I couldn’t even handle it. A gypsy saved your life, and my aunt just killed one. It was like a cosmic joke.” He raked his fingers through his hair.
“Right. It wasn’t that I’m half werewolf? That wasn’t an issue? If I don’t take the potion, I’ll shift. I know that much about werewolves. One parent is a werewolf, you get another werewolf.” I shot back. The hunters usually didn’t have to deal with born werewolves as much as new ones freshly bitten—if you were raised a werewolf, you were taught to take your potion and use care at the full moon. Some rebelled but at that point it didn’t matter how they became wolfie.
“I need to think more about that. I don’t want you mad at me,” he said.
I folded my arms. “Poor little rich boy doesn’t get his way. I’m mad, and that’s not going away anytime soon. I don’t need you. I’m not in this magical social structure where your opinion matters to my life one bit. I hope, if your aunt wanted to kill me, she’d come at me directly and not use a sneaky spell.”
“She wanted to you in the family until she found out about the gypsy connection,” he said.
“So, she’ll be happy I dumped you,” I said.
“No. She wants your powers in the family. You’re not a gypsy. We have werewolves in the family. You think we’ll reject Harry’s kids?” he asked.
“Harry was bitten. He wasn’t born that way,” I said.
“He was slow and let his guard down. You had no control over that. You’re less responsible than he is. We wouldn’t hold that against you. As long as you take the potion, it’s fine,” he said.
“Oh, thank you. It’s fine. It’s okay with you. I meet your minimum pedigree requirements? We’re not a pair of purebred dogs. You kept secrets me and were evaluating me behind my back? I’m so done,” I said.
No one was asking why I hadn’t shifted before. Someone had to be slipping me the potion monthly. Aunt Mandy or Esme...no wonder the cousins had to know. They had to be in on it to make sure I got it month after month. It made so much sense, now. I wasn’t pushed to go to college, because I’d be away from the family. My aunt didn’t need to work, but she did in my café, along with my cousins, to keep an eye on me. They’d all gone through a lot of work to keep this secret.
He took a deep breath. “You shouldn’t be so hasty. You don’t know what you’re rejecting.”
“I get it. Your family is big and powerful. What are you, the magical Sopranos?” I asked.
He smiled and looked down. “You belong in a strong magical family. Your mother and aunt, they’re charitable, and that’s nice. You can follow their lead and be nothing. Seriously, magic-wise, they’re nothing. They help people and harm no one. No one is scared of them. Respect for them comes from what they do for others. Not their power or connections,” he said.
Sopranos. Nailed it.
“If I don’t date you, your family will wage war on mine?” I asked.
“No, I’d never let that happen. You’d be warring for your whole family, and we’d squash you. I couldn’t let you be harmed. I do care. I care about my family, too. They’re not perfect, but neither are yours,” he said.
“Esme would fight my side. Don’t doubt that,” I said.
“My family is large. Much, much larger than what you’ve met. We don’t lose. I want to be your ally, not your enemy,” he said.
“Then, let’s call a truce, and you leave. Don’t bother me, again. Don’t push your way into my life when I’m not ready to forgive you. I can’t listen to your side of things without feeling betrayed, right now. You knew how much that secret meant to me. How much the truth means.”
“I can agree to the truce, but I want you back. We can fix this,” he said.
“Not now. What else are you hiding from me? What else haven’t you bothered to share with me that I might need to know? Might want to know?” I asked.
“Nothing. I swear,” he said.
“Please. I’m so glad I listened. That I was warned,” I said.
“Warned?” he asked. “Who?”
“Doesn’t matter. Someone said to take things slow and not ignore any red flags. To trust my gut. Right now, my gut says you need to go away. Let me deal with my family and the new information,” I said.
He nodded. “Fine. But I’m not letting this drop. I’ll find a way to make it up to you.”
“Get out before I magic you in front of a speeding bus,” I said.
He smiled. “I like this tough side of you. Just don’t be so tough and unforgiving that you lock yourself into one position. Nothing stays the same. Friends and enemies flip sides, and you don’t want to burn bridges.”
“I don’t know where I’ll be a month or six months. Right now, I’m feeling betrayed, and I see red when I see you. If you can’t give me space and time, I might burn your fancy car. Maybe some of my mom’s dark side is coming out. Want to see how powerful I can get? I do,” I said.
“I can’t wait to find out.” He grinned. Then, he disappeared.
It took two days to fully sink in. I was a werewitch? Could I shift? Why didn’t I change during the full moon? It was family dinner night, and I showed up early and sealed all the exits magically.
Dinner was ready, as usual. I just couldn’t bring myself to eat.
“Why don’t I shift?” I asked.
Aunt Mandy took a drink of wine. “I slip you a potion every day of the full moon. In a coffee or tea or something.”
“Have I ever shifted?” I asked.
“No, your mother always made sure you had the potion. She didn’t want the trauma for you. I never wanted you to know,” Aunt Mandy said.
“So, if I’d gone away to college? Gotten married and moved away? What, then?” I asked.
“I would have crossed that bridge when it came. I know it was wrong to keep that from you, but you were so young. Then, you seemed to just be part of the family. I wanted your life to be normal. As normal as we could have it. You had powers that couldn’t be hidden,” she said.
“Couldn’t or you wouldn’t?” I asked.
“Esme and I discussed binding your powers, but there aren’t many people like you out there. She didn’t want to bind everything. The shifting would be dangerous. You’ve grown into a fine and powerful witch.”
Uncle Vin cleared his throat. “You would certainly shift. Half weres do. You might be less aggressive, but it’s still dangerous. And, if you tried to use magic while shifted, instinctively or defensively—there’s no telling what could happen.”
I could see where that might be a problem.
“Why not just explain it all? When I turned eighteen or whatever. Why keep hiding it?” I asked.
“We didn’t want you to hate us. Vin had no choice,” Aunt Mandy said.
“He was clawing at your bedroom door,” Vin said.
“How did you know that something was wrong? How did you know they needed help?” I asked.
“Your mother sent a telepathic message. She used her powers to call out to us. We heard her screaming for help. Vin called for his brothers to back him and went.” Aunt Mandy smiled softly. “I was so glad you were okay. I couldn’t stop your mother from taking risks. But I could keep you safe, now.”
“I appreciate what you did for me, but why keep it a secret for so long?” I asked.
“You’d be mad. We knew you’d be angry,” Iris said. “I caught Mom putting the potion in your drink one day.”
“Honestly, I was afraid. I didn’t know if you’d want to shift. If you’d want to take up where your mother left off. I wanted you to grow up and decide what you wanted to do. Not to do something because your mother did. She took risks that I didn’t approve of. You cared about weres and vampires, but you didn’t let the werewolves run loose. You had common sense. But your powers kept growing. I was worried you’d think you could handle anything,” Aunt Mandy said.
“Why didn’t Mom defend herself?” I asked.
“We can’t answer that. Love and trust are powerful. But getting through to a werewolf? She knew the risks she was taking. I hated her for it for a few years. Leaving you alone. You deserved better,” Aunt Mandy replied. “I think maybe I got lucky. She took that sort of risk with me there. I know she liked dark stuff. Thinking she could control it and turn it to good, somehow. I didn’t know what she was doing that night or I’d have suggested you sleep over at our house. I understand if you hate us.”
“I don’t hate you. I wish you’d told me when I was eighteen, instead of waiting until I pulled it out of the magical rumor ether. It could’ve been far worse,” I said.
“Worse than your father killing your mother with you in the house? I know it wasn’t conscious, but I can’t...” Violet teared up.
“I get that. But Mom had no one else to blame. She chose it all. She took the risk. Dad had to have agreed. Or he could’ve taken the potion. The only real secret is me.” I started to eat slowly. My life was mine, thanks to my aunt and uncle. I wasn’t sure how long it would take me to accept the wolf side of me, to let it all sink in...but I wasn’t mad, anymore.
“So, we’re okay?” Vin asked.
I nodded. “I’m still shocked, but I can’t hold onto the blame over knowing a few years earlier or later. Do I take a full potion?”
“That’s what I’d give you. I didn’t want to risk cutting the dose,” she replied.
“What about kids?” Violet asked.
“What?” Vin asked.
“If Claudia had a baby with a human or whatever...would it shift? Do quarter weres shift?” Violet asked.
“I don’t know. There haven’t been any studies or research that I know of. Maybe Esme might know,” Aunt Mandy said.
“I don’t think I’d risk it.” I shook my head.
“No kids? Just like that?” Iris asked.
Vin held up his hand. “No big decisions. No, this is how it’ll be. It’s a lot to take in. We don’t know that piece, for sure. And Claudia just broke up with someone. The right man, the right circumstances will come along. You can’t predict the future. Let’s just have a nice family meal.”
We all ate, and just as we were about to bring out the dessert, Vin’s phone rang.
“It’s not the full moon,” I joked.
“It’s Belle.” He answered the call.
When he walked into the kitchen, we knew something was wrong.