Moonlight's Ambassador (Aileen Travers Book 3)(4)

"Caroline, I understand your frustration and the instinct to hide. Believe me, I went through many of the same things when I was first turned. Hiding just makes things worse. It's better to meet this head on. Eventually, he'll catch up to you, and you'll lose all leverage. It's best to be proactive, so you can control the agenda."

"I said no!" Caroline shouted, her voice deepening by several decibels and carrying distinct notes of a growl. Her eyes flashed amber and for just a minute I saw a weird overlay of a wolf's head through one of my eyes.

I went very still, my instincts telling me this was no longer my friend but a predator seconds from ripping out my throat.

"Okay, Caroline. If that's what you want," I soothed.

Jeweled wings fluttered in my periphery and one of my pixie roommates landed on the far end of the counter, watching Caroline with thoughtful eyes. Inara had wings of iridescent green and yellow that had a spidery network of veins made of every color green imaginable. When she fluttered her wings, it looked like a tree rustling in the wind.

Caroline's growls continued as she remained focused on me, not noticing the pixie.

"I need you to calm down, Caroline. This isn't helping matters." I took a step back and made myself look away from her eyes. Meeting a wolf's eyes in the wild meant you were challenging their dominance. Werewolves should have some of the same instincts. Right?

The growl grew in volume, and she took a small step forward. A burnt umber light, tangled with inky blackness, coalesced around her. It was only visible with my left eye, the one the sorcerer had taken from me so he could use it as an ingredient in a spell. Ever since it grew back, I could see weird things. At first, I thought I was crazy, before I realized what I was seeing was magic. Or something close to it.

She took another step forward. A blur of green and yellow darted toward her eyes.

"Bad dog." Inara fluttered around Caroline's head, evading the swats aimed her way.

The growling stopped, and the light faded bit by bit. The pixie's distraction worked.

Caroline looked shaken and upset. "Aileen."

"It's fine. I had more than one episode myself when I was first turned. I even almost chowed down on Jenna once."

"I'm so sorry. You've got to know I would never hurt you."

My smile was sad. "That's just it. You don't know what you're capable of anymore. It's like being a teenager—only about a thousand times worse. You've got all these hormones and new urges running roughshod through your body, only it won't just be shouting matches when you lose it. People will get hurt. Best case, you change them into what you are. Worst case, they die."

"How did you do this? Alone? Without help?"

I lifted one shoulder. "Very carefully. I had some help in the beginning, but every day is an exercise in self-restraint. You'll get there; it'll just take time."

She nodded even though she didn't look convinced. The loss of control seemed to have taken the wind out of her sails. "I know you're probably right, but please don't call him just yet."

I hesitated, knowing the best thing would be to take care of this while we had the chance. It would have taken her hours to drive from Kentucky; longer if she had to walk out of the farm. If they hadn't already, they would learn of her disappearing act very shortly, and it wouldn't take much of a leap to guess she'd head here.

She didn't say anything else, just looked at me as if her entire world was falling down around her. She was begging me for a respite, even if it was for just a few hours. I knew that feeling. I knew it intimately.

I sighed, the sound heavy and resigned. "How 'bout you go get a shower. You can have my bed for the night; I'll sleep out here on the couch."

She started to turn and then looked me over. “Shouldn’t you get a shower first? I can’t imagine it’s comfortable covered in whatever that is.”

I looked down at myself and grimaced. No, it wasn’t. I was afraid to move for fear of getting more of it all over my kitchen.

“I’ll be fine,” I said. “Just maybe don’t take all night.”

She looked unsure but accepted the offer. "Thank you, Aileen."

I nodded. I doubt she'd be thanking me when Brax broke down my door in the middle of the day to drag her away with me lying dead to the world on the couch.

Inara landed next to my hand on the counter as we watched Caroline head for my room to get a change of clothes for the night. “You look and smell disgusting.”

I drained my glass of wine. “I do try.”

Inara waited until the water had turned on before she said, "It was a mistake to let her stay here."

"I know."

"They sequester their pups for a reason. A newly turned wolf is stronger than normal and has little control of the change." She flicked a look my way. "She could probably tear apart a baby vamp very easily."

"Great."

Inara wasn't telling me anything I didn't know or suspect.

"I'll call him when I wake. That should give her time to calm down." And for me to think of an excuse for why I hadn't called him sooner.

"And if she flips out again?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

I collected Caroline's glass and deposited it in the sink. While Inara kept an eye on the hallway, I opened the fridge and pulled out another bottle of wine, this time one created for me and my needs. Anybody taking a sip out of it would find themselves in for an unpleasant surprise.