Silent Cravings (20 page)

Jessica was one of the few who was up and about, working on an assignment for her classes at NYU. She was studying to be a doctor, though she’d recently switched her focus from general practitioner to hematology.

When the knock came on the apartment door, Jessica stuck her pen in the spine of the book on anatomy she’d been reading and went to see who it was. Clarisse was grinning like the proverbial cat that ate the canary.

“Hey, what’s up?”

“Oooh, lassie, ʼave I got a bit of gossip for you…”

“I’m sorry.”

Analie looked over at Christoph. “No, you’re not.”

“I
am
.”

“No, not for putting me in your place. You still think it was a good idea,” Analie snapped. She shut her book and turned to face him. “You’re sorry you’re stuck here. You’re sorry I’m faster and stronger and freer than you.”

Christoph frowned at her. “Look, I said I was sorry.”

“I know you are.”

“Can you accept that?”

“No. You’re not sorry about my predicament, you’re sorry about yours.”

“Your ‘predicament’ seems to be going pretty good for you,” Christoph shot back.

“Yeah. Know what? It
is
.
I
am getting damn good schooling.
I
have friends here.
I
am not going to be bitten.
I
can still shift.
I
have a pack to go back to. I doubt you’ll have one.”

Christoph flinched. “They’ll accept me back.”

“Uh, right.
No,
they won’t. You screwed up big time.”

“What are you complaining about anyway?” Christoph demanded. “If you have it so good here, why are you mad at me?”

“Let me think about that. Hey, maybe it’s because you took me away from my
family,
my
friends,
and my
home
.”

“You have it better here than there!
Gavin couldn’t hire a tutor for you or even keep you in anything better than secondhand clothes!” Christoph shouted.

Analie stared at him. Her eyes flooded with gold. “You... you son of a
bitch
. Don’t you
ever
talk about Gavin like that!”

“Royce has done better for you than Gavin, that’s all I’m saying.” Christoph glared at her.

Analie stood up slowly. “I don’t care whose lapdog you are,” she snarled, fangs growing. “I don’t care if you’re a packmate or an exile.”

Christoph stared at her as she grew in size. She was quick-shifting, and it looked like she was going full wolf. Usually that meant one sorry hazmat crew with mops to clean up the aftermath. Oh, fuck.

Mouse was still absolutely flaming with embarrassment in her room. She was trying desperately to think of some way to escape the apartment without having to face either Analie or Christoph.

She didn’t even really hear what they were saying to each other as she paced back and forth in her bedroom until it escalated to angry shouting.

Not good.

Even worse, the shouting stopped.

Still battling her embarrassment, Mouse crept out of her room to see what the hell was going on.

Jessica listened wide-eyed to Clarisse, forgetting her schoolwork. She hadn’t heard about the newcomers through the rumor mill since she’d been at class when they arrived and she’d been too busy studying to socialize. By the end of the tale, including the sly mention of the betting pool on when Christoph would let Mouse bite him, Jessica had slumped in her chair.

“The other guy must be
terrified
. Where’s he staying?”

“Sebastian and Thad did some moving around last night. Probably with them.”

“Oh, hell. I’ll check on him.”

“Such a love,” Clarisse said, smiling brightly at her. “Let me know if he’s a looker, hmm? I might take a bit for myself.”

Jessica laughed. “You are something else. Let the poor guy settle in for a couple days at least.”

“If I don’t, ye know someone else will. John already did,” she pointed out.

“True,” Jessica said, heading to the door. She paused. “Oh, and put me down for twenty dollars on three weeks.”

“Ye got it, lassie.”

Analie stood over Christoph, who was on his back. Her enormous muzzle was inches away from his face and her teeth were bared.

Gavin meant everything in the world to Analie. He taught her pack values, rules, ceremonies, and the Goliath tongue. He encouraged her to challenge authority in hopes that she would quickly shed her low-rank status once she came of age. He understood when she was so frustrated with pack politics she acted like a little kid, running to her room and bawling. He never made his points with violence. He loved her.

“I-admit-that-I-have-erred-and-so-place-my-life-in-your-hands,” Christoph stammered, praying to God she was in the mood for some ceremony.

Like Gavin, Analie was always in the mood for some ceremony. She closed her lips around her teeth and prodded him with her nose.

“Thank-you-for-sparing-my-life-I-will-perform-the-task-you-give-me-and-only-when-it-is-complete-will-I-be-considered-forgiven.” Christoph looked like he was going to cry.

Analie growled deep in her chest.

“Your-mercy-is-not-lost-on-me-and-I-will-remember…I will…remember…”
Christoph gritted his teeth. “Damn it! I never remember this stupid line...
your patience
is not lost on me and I will remember your mercy
always
!”

Analie harrumphed at him.

Mouse, peering around the entryway to the hall, was gaping at the gigantic Were in her living room.

She was an elder vampire. Elder vampires are not easily ruffled and do not scare easily—but she was frozen, watching wide-eyed and open-mouthed from the shadows in the hall.

Clarisse waited in Jessica’s apartment, eager to hear the outcome. Jessica headed down the hall to Sebastian and Thad’s apartment, knocking on the door.

She waited.

No answer.

A louder knock this time.

She waited.

Just as she was about to try a third time, Thad cracked the door open, half his hair sticking up in all directions, the other half flattened against his head. He was only wearing pajama bottoms, and looked tired and disgruntled as he stared at her.

“G’mornin’!” she chirped, leaning in to give him a little peck on the cheek, which he quickly wiped off with the back of his hand. “Came to meet the new guy. Can I come in?”

He managed a weak smile, shaking his head. “Sure. Knock yourself out. I’m going back to bed.”

“Cool. Hey, Clarisse started a betting pool. I’ve got twenty dollars on the new guy downstairs with Mouse for three weeks.”

Thad perked up a little and looked thoughtfully at the room where Ashi had been hiding all day. A slow grin curved his lips. “Tell her to put me down for fifty dollars on two and a half.”

She laughed and headed over to knock on Ashi’s door.

Analie sat back. Christoph stayed down. She gave him a look and prodded him with her paw. He sat up slowly, feeling like he’d dodged a bullet.

“Okay, so what do I have to do?” he asked, proud that his voice only cracked a little bit.

Analie shoved her head under his hand and looked up at him expectantly.

“You’re shitting me.”

She stared at him.

“Are you
serious? Head scratches?
”

She narrowed her eyes.

“Okay, I’m scratching, I’m scratching.” Christoph shook his head. “That was
not cool
. You don’t force a guy into the freaking beg-your-forgiveness thing for head scratches.”

You’re lucky I didn’t send you on a suicide mission,
Analie thought grumpily.
She gave him a
look
and then settled down, her head on her paws.

Ashi heard the knock.

He heard the second knock, louder.

He also heard the third knock.

The closet was quite comfortable.

Though Thad had intended to go directly to bed, he watched with mild curiosity to see what would happen when Ashi opened the door. Jessica gave him a worried look at the lack of response.

“Why isn’t he answering?”

“I don’t know. He seemed okay when I talked to him last night.”

Jessica tapped her chin with a finger. Maybe he was just asleep.

Then again, maybe he was hurt. John
had
bit him last night.