Automatically, I grabbed my nose as if there was still blood there, but someone must have wiped it away.
“By the way, I still think we should have gone to get your father.”
Emely looked at Julian as if he'd made a bad joke.
“For a Quatura?”
“I'm not a...” I wanted to protest, but Emely interrupted me.
“How about you finally get it. You're a bloody witch!” She looked upset, and her eyes began to glow slightly yellow. “And if you won't believe me, at least believe him.” She pointed at Julian, who once again looked at me with pity, as if Emely was right. “You've bewitched us with your strange powers. And you're in my head 24/7, and it's really annoying!”
I didn't understand anything anymore. How could I have bewitched her?
“Excuse me, Julian, but I'm about to...” Emely said, before rushing headlong out through the door.
“Where's she going?”
Julian was still looking at me with concern, reminding me of my mother, which made a negative feeling rise up in me, because right now I couldn't help but be angry with her.
“She's going for a run, turning.”
My eyes widened.
“Into a wolf?”
God Bay, into what else?
Julian grinned. “Have you fallen on your head?”
“Very funny,” I snorted and tried to stand up, but I could barely keep my balance, so I had to lean against the wall to prevent myself from landing at Julian's feet.
“Are you okay?” Julian asked again in that slightly worried undertone I remembered from the weekend.
“Yeah, I'm fine.” I heaved myself over to my little closet to at least get out a new knitted sweater, because I was cold, and I must stink, especially for a wolf who smelled everything for miles.
“You should lie back down, you're far too pale.”
He came to me as I detached myself from the wall to walk hands-free, and carefully put his arm around my shoulders.
I remembered the last time he had been this close to me: The night he had carried me up to my room.
My cheeks glowed a little. I hoped I wasn't blushing.
“I want to get out of here, Julian. This room doesn't feel right at the moment.”
I looked at him pleadingly.
In all honesty, it bothered me that I was so small and fragile. I got the feeling that I was inferior to him, which of course was complete nonsense. To the point where you considered that he could turn into an oversized wolf. I could have been his lunch. Although, as much as I had lost weight without meaning to in the last two weeks, I was probably just a snack.
Julian's jawline relaxed.
“Get changed.” I opened my mouth slightly to say something, but Julian raised his hand. “And no, you don't stink.”
I looked at him, startled.
Had he read my mind?
“And when you're done, you'll come out.”
I looked at him questioningly. He just smiled, a twinkle in his eye.
“It's time you get to know the beautiful side of Blairville.”
The fact that I'd let myself be talked into that had been a miracle. Julian was either convincing or manipulative, maybe a bit of both.
It had taken me an indescribable fifteen minutes to get dressed, as my body seemed to have significantly reduced its ability to function, slowing everything down. To cut a long story short: I felt like shit.
And now I was sitting in the passenger seat of Julian's rusty red pickup truck, hoping he had a little more common sense than Larissa and wouldn't take me toward my death again.
We were currently driving through a part of downtown that brought us closer to the harbor, but instead of going straight to the harbor, Julian turned onto a surrounding road that led uphill into the golden deciduous forest of the city, where the Victorian mansions were beginning to look classier and more historic.
“Where exactly do you want to go with me?” I asked impatiently.
“Has your curiosity led you to go with Larissa to the DeLoughreys' area?” came his counter-question.
I couldn't help but punch him in the shoulder, but all I got in response was the typical Julian grin. Could he do anything else?
“She's a good friend, and sometimes she just has very... headstrong ideas. And thanks to her, I now know that maybe one shouldn't go into this area after all,” I defended her.
