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Michael barged in. “Rouge looked at the book. She can read more.” Straight to the point, no pleasantries.
Caleb’s head shot up from the paper he sat reading. One moment he was behind his massive desk and the next he stood in front of me, before I could even realize he had moved. “What does it say?”
I hated how Caleb always made me nervous. It made it hard to focus when he was uber intense. I didn’t know if it was because I feared him or if it was something else, but suffice to say, it never leant itself to great communication between the two of us. “The first part of the book’s in English now.”
“Same as before?” He looked at Michael for confirmation.
“Yup,” I said loudly, my nervousness giving way to irritation. I hated it when he did that, like I wasn’t capable of answering a simple question. “Still written in the ancient stuff but it’s English to me. Same as the middle section.”
“What did it say?” He repeated
“Caleb,” Michael answered for me, “Rouge just realized it. We came over here to tell you. She hasn’t read it.”
I appreciated that Michael made it sound like I wanted Caleb to know immediately. Caleb turned to smile at me. The smile sent chills down my back, but I made an effort to smile back. It was obvious he didn’t believe I hadn’t read it. Either that or he couldn’t fathom why in the world I wouldn’t and he took me for an idiot.
He walked back around his desk. “Then have a seat and start reading it out loud. Let’s all hear what it has to say.”
“The book’s still in the pool house.”
“Go get it then.”
Michael shook his head. “No.”
Caleb rose his eyebrows and looked at Michael incredibly. “Excuse me?”
“Rouge graduates today. Let her do it with a clear head. We’ll start the book tomorrow. There’s more to read, that’s all you need to know. Now leave it alone.”
“What?” Caleb roared.
“Tomorrow.” Michael said firmly. “I’ve done what you asked. Leave her alone today about it... and don’t hound me.” He took my hand and led me, mouth hanging open, out of the office.
I had no idea what just happened. I leaned toward him, about to whisper why he didn’t just tell Caleb the first part of the book was the journal written by Bentos, but Michael put a finger to my lips and shook his head.
“Michael!” Caleb hollered. “Get back in here!”
I paused but Michael tugged my hand to keep me walking. “Let’s just go.”
Caleb barged out of his office. I could hear him stomping behind us and I cringed as the sound got closer. “What the hell is the matter with you?”
I felt Michael’s hand tense in mine. I had a feeling being the middle of the two of them was not a good place to be.
Michael swung around, pulling me to the side as he marched inches away from Caleb. He stood half a foot shorter and Caleb looked down on him as Michael glared up. “Nothing’s wrong with me.
“Do you forget whose side you are on?”
“I know exactly where I stand.” Michael’s hands moved emphatically as he spoke. “I’ve known it all along. Nothing’s changed.”
“Like hell it hasn’t.” Caleb’s crossed his arms over his chest.
“What are you talking about?” I asked. It seemed like they were moments away from tearing each other apart and I was the only one in the house to stop them. Not an enviable position for me.
Caleb didn’t even glance in my direction. “Michael’s my understudy. He’s not yours. No lapdog is going to come around and take him away from this coven.”
“She’s not a lapdog,” Michael hissed. “You think she’s the weapon you need against the Grollics. I’d watch what you say.”
“Why? She’s not going anywhere. The Grollics don’t want her, her family didn’t want her. We’re the only ones she has.”
I expected to feel shock at the words, an immediate stab to the heart or something. I didn’t have the chance, because Michael defended me before I even realized Caleb had hurt my feelings.
“She only needs me. Push me too far, Caleb, and I’ll walk away and never come back.”
Caleb grabbed Michael by the throat and lift his off his feet.
“Stop it!” I screamed desperately scratching at Caleb’s arm, trying to force him to release Michael. I couldn’t believe this was happening. Caleb was supposed to be excited about the book. He’s the one who had been pushing for me to see it. I was graduating soon and today was supposed to be a fantastic memorable day. “Let go of him!”
Caleb released his grip and took a step back. Michael charged at him the moment he touched the ground. He tackled Caleb around the waist and the two of them went flying, crashing into a table and against the wall. They rolled on the ground and bumped into the couch. Michael stood first and using both hands, picked Caleb up by his throat.
Caleb grabbed and thrashed against Michael’s hands but could not break free. I watched in horror. Could Michael kill Caleb? Would he?
“Are you done?” Michael said in a quiet, demanding voice.
Caleb stopped struggling and gave a curt, almost unnoticeable, nod.
Michael let him go and turned away. The anger inside him burned his eyes a bright blue that I had never seen. I stepped back as he came closer.
Caleb straightened his clothes. “She’s not worth losing your family over, Michael.”
Michael ignored Caleb as he put his arm around me and led me through the kitchen to the back door.
“She’s just the messenger. She’ll turn on you for her pack. You’ll be left with nothing. Or worse, left for dead.”
We left the house and headed back to the pool house in silence. My mind was reeling. What did Caleb mean?
Michael held the door open for me. I couldn’t hold it in any longer. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing.” His eyes had turned back to their normal shade of blue. “Caleb’s a dickhead. He’s just mad you wouldn’t tell him what it says in the book.”
What? Michael was the one who told Caleb he could wait. “Why didn’t you let me tell him Bentos wrote the book? That it’s his journal?”
Michael slammed the door. “You said you wanted today to be about your graduation! If you tell Caleb the book’s a journal, he’s going to want you to read it and tell him what it says! He wouldn’t be satisfied – he never is.” He threw his hands in the air.
So Michael had fought with Caleb because I said I wanted to focus on graduation today? That didn’t make sense. There had to be something more. I knew it. “Will it change things if Caleb knows Bentos wrote the journal?”
Michael let out an exasperated sigh. “Tell him after the ceremony, then. It won’t change anything if he knows that information later today or after we leave. Do what you want.”
I nodded my head, as if it made total sense. None of it did, but Michael was obviously in no mood to talk and I had a feeling that if what was really going on would hurt me in any way, he’d protect me from it until his dying breath, which also meant it was going to be difficult to find out the truth.
A knock on our door made me jump.
Grace walked in hands full of bags, oblivious to the tension between Michael and I. “You ready for me to do your hair, Rouge?”
“Where you just at the house?” Michael asked her.
“Hello to you too, brother.” Grace laughed. “I haven’t been inside the house yet. I left to grab some hair products and run a few errands. Why? What’s up?”
“Nothing.” He grabbed his car keys off the small table by the door. “I’ll get out of here and let you get ready.” He brushed past her for the door and then paused a moment before turning around. He glanced at me but wouldn’t look me in the eye. “Have fun. What time do I need to be back to pick Rouge up?”
Grace waved her hand as she dug through one of the bags. “Rouge and I can drive together in my car. You can go with Sarah and Caleb.” She glanced up when he snorted. “Or on your own if you want?” Her last line came out more as a question than a comment.
Michael nodded. “See you there.” He disappeared out the door.
Grace held up three kinds of hair irons. “You want it curly? Straight? Or both?”
If Michael wasn’t going to say anything to Grace, neither would I. “What do you think?” I grabbed one of the stool chairs and set it by the counter. “Do we need anything from the bathroom?”
“Nope. I have it all here.” She set several brushes, combs, hair products on the counter. “Sit and let me play dress up!”
Grace straightened my hair, applied my make-up and got my dress out, babbling the whole time. It was a blessing. It gave me time to let everything settle and regain my equilibrium. She did her hair and then ran back to the house to get dressed as I changed.
I waited impatiently for her to return. I had no intention of going inside the house to get her. I just wanted to get out of the pool house and stop thinking about the Wolf Book and all the chaos that surrounded it.
The book lay on the coffee table where Michael had put it this morning before everything had blown up uncontrollably. I checked my watch. We didn’t have to be at the school for another twenty minutes. I ran the warm, worn leather binding over my hand.
What would happen if I read the first page, just to see what Bentos had written? Would it give answers to what had happened this morning?
Grace’s silhouette passed by the windows as she came back up to the pool house. It would have to wait. I set the Wolf Book on top of the diary I had started writing. If I kept the two books together I could pack them later that evening to take along in the Jeep. I made a mental note to write something in my journal after graduation. I should be trying to capture my feelings while they were fresh, not later on when I would just tell the story and forget the emotions I had felt while it happened.
