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Chapter 35: Sarah
“Your boyfriend?” Tony queries at the same moment as Katie says, “Brian?”
“Not Brian. I, ah, I have a new boyfriend.” I almost hesitate on the word, because it doesn’t really cover the enormity of what Aiden and I have together, even now with our relationship so new. “We met in a coffee shop near the concert hall. Then we met again in an alley.”
I pause, trying to work out how to describe our second meeting without breaking my promise. It takes longer than it should for me to realise I only promised not to tell people what Aiden was. I said nothing about anyone else. “There was a werewolf in the alley. They exist too, it turns out. Aiden came running up to try and stop him from attacking me, but Bellmouth got there first.”
“He’s seen Bellmouth?” That was Timothy.
“He’s seen Bellmouth,” I confirm. “He didn’t run away screaming, or try to preten
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Rhapsody for a Wolf Chapter 36: Aiden
A horrible crashing of bells drags me by my ears from a dead sleep. An explosion of movement right by my side sets me on the verge of shifting, my instincts screaming “Danger!” There’s a muffled curse and a soft thud beyond it, then a louder thump as the presence at my side disappears. Shaking my head quickly to dispel the confusion of sleep, I crawl over the bed. Sarah’s bed. I’m at Sarah’s place. The screaming of the bells cuts out, and I can hear Sarah’s voice. I peer over at her where she’s huddled on the floor, clutching her phone to her ear, and I feel her distress at whatever it is she’s hearing. If I concentrate, my ears are sharp enough to pick up both ends of the conversation. “If you’re safe, you don’t need to come.” It’s a woman’s voice, a little tinny through the phone line. “You might be safer where you are.” “What happened?” Sarah asks. She’ll be getting cold. I gather up the duvet, climber down beside her and bundle it about her as she listens
Rhapsody for a Wolf Chapter 37: Sarah
I know I’m arm-twisting Aiden into revealing himself to my family. They’ll figure out that there’s something unusual about him, even if neither of us say anything about it. “Was your boss okay with this? What about college?” It’s the least I can do to make sure he won’t lose his scholarship or his job. “Mr Patel was really nice about it. When I phoned the college, they booked me off on compassionate leave. They’ll let my friends know, so hopefully somebody will take notes for me. How are you doing?” Aiden looks into my face. He’ll know how I’m feeling, but not why. He’ll be picking up on my guilt. “How are you doing? I’m sorry. I am rather forcing you into something I don’t think you wanted to do. If you decide you don’t want to say anything, we’ll figure out a way to explain that avoids it.” Which might mean just telling my parents that it’s not something we’re ready to explain. My parents won’t like that, but they’ll accept it, I think. Aid
Rhapsody for a Wolf Chapter 38: Aiden
I can sense Sarah’s anticipation as the car turns off the freeway onto a wide two-lane road. The scenery quickly grows wild, rough and bleak and windswept. There’s something very primal about the land here. It feels both exposed and secretive. The low-growing grass and scrub is a thin skin stretched over bone. Ragged clouds chase across a hazy blue sky, and the sun is pale and watery. Sarah opens the window, letting the chill air flood in, and beyond the bitterness of dry earth and the faint spice of grassland flowers I catch the scents of salt and rotten eggs.The snake of a single-track rail line edges towards the road then runs alongside it, sun glinting off the rails. Up ahead I see a small train station building sticking up out of a line of pale rock, like a single tooth left in a jawbone.“This is the border of the estate,” Sarah says as we draw level with the station. “It belongs to Blackmarsh, but it isn’t Blackmarsh itself.&
Rhapsody for a Wolf Chapter 39: Sarah
The tradition in the countryside says that front doors are only opened for weddings and funerals. The front door at Blackmarsh gets a little more use than that, but the chances are that if it’s been unlocked then it’s a special occasion of some kind. It’s nice to have my return treated like a cause for celebration, but Aiden is a little intimidated. What he doesn’t realise is that coming in through the front door means he won’t get to meet Tony yet. That could be a blessing. Tony is easily the hardest to make a good impression on.Aiden is clinging tightly enough to my hand that it’s almost painful, but I don’t have the heart to mention it. I’ll give him all the support that I can, unless it means getting my fingers broken. If he squeezes any harder I’ll have to say something. He keeps up beside me as I head for the steps. Timothy’s struggling with the door. The hinges always are a little sticky, and creak like a hor
Rhapsody for a Wolf Chapter 40: Aiden
I’ve been preparing myself to meet Sarah’s father. I haven’t been preparing myself to meet another werewolf. We recognise each other for what we are as soon as I step into the room. Sarah is pulling me along by my hand, but I manage to slip out of her fingers and come to a halt. The other werewolf is the only other person in the kitchen. He must be the Estate Manager, Baxter. He’s not young, but he’s well muscled and sturdy. His face is grizzled, his hair thick and threaded with silver, his beard streaked with white. Sarah would have mentioned it if the family already knew a werewolf. That means they don’t know what Baxter is. There’s a phrase I heard once. Mutually assured destruction. Baxter can’t tell them what I am without telling them what he is. I have the advantage of intending to tell them what I am anyway. All that runs through my mind swiftly. Sarah’s touch on my arm reminds me that I’m not here to be introduced to the Estate Manager. I turn to Tony
Rhapsody for a Wolf Chapter 41: Sarah
“That was remarkably sociable of Baxter,” Katie comments when Aiden and the Estate Manager are safely out of earshot. I think it may be just the opposite, and my earlier idle musing about Baxter may turn out to be completely on point. I’m getting concern from Aiden, but nothing that suggests he is in imminent danger. I have to trust that he knows what he’s doing.I also need to work out how much I can tell my parents without breaking my promise to Aiden. I wrap my hands around my empty mug, to give them something to do. “We can wait for Tim, but I think you might already have guessed what I’m going to suggest those dogs really were,” I begin.“Werewolves,” Tony says flatly, and he’s not convinced yet, I can tell from his expression and his tone.“I’ve seen enough to know they exist.” I fiddle with my mug, twisting it first one way then the other between my palms. “And I’ve
Rhapsody for a Wolf Chapter 42: Aiden
Thunder and Frost cover the ground at a smooth wolf-trot, keen eyes sweeping the landscape, ears picking up every little sound. The scents of the intruders are fixed in their minds now. Eight wolves, five males and three females, all young adults in good health. The trail is strong enough to last for days, although there is water on the reserve that may weaken it in places.Now we are patrolling Blackmarsh land, Baxter and I observing through the eyes of our wolves. To the east runs the high stone wall that I saw from the car. To the north, bordering the bleak expanse of the nature reserve, a boundary fence is stretched between sturdy posts, high enough to prevent a deer’s leap but not a werewolf’s bound. The land staggers westwards in broken strides, the marsh scrabbling itself in among jagged rock and tufted grasses until it stretches unbroken in a rolling, fetid, lush expanse of greens and blacks and glittering water. Lines of white poles have been driven into
Rhapsody for a Wolf Chapter 43: Sarah
Everyone at Blackmarsh is expected to work, almost from the moment they can toddle, and the tasks frequently involve horses in some way. I am glad of the physical activity now. It helps to keep me from fretting over Aiden. There is plenty to do, and I am hot, sweaty and stinking of horses by the time I trail back up the drive behind Timothy. The two mares he is leading are behaving perfectly for him. My two are prancing around at the end of their lead ropes like a couple of lunatics. The hooves echo off the arches of the gate tower as we pass through into the yard, sending my two mares into even more bodily contortions and flurries of exaggerated snorting. Timothy ignores the circus show the three of us are putting on behind him and leads the way across the yard to the boxes at the far end. The door to the tack room opens just as he is about to pass it, Tony making his slow way out, leaning heavily on his stick. Aiden steps out behind Tony, having been waiting patien
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