Brothers 3

Chapter 16

James didn't sleep that night and spent most of it out in the town hunting. When he got back home he felt a bit better. There was no tension that a little bit of blood couldn't help with. Ella was already up despite it only being seven in the morning. She was in the kitchen drinking a cup of coffee while staring vacantly at the walls.

It was dull outside, and she had opened a window, letting a draft in. James wondered that she wasn't cold. There was steam rising from the cup in front of her and the darkness under her eyes was more than just shadows.

"You look wrecked," James said as he went to the sink to wash blood off his hands. One of the people had struggled and made him waste some of his meal.

She sipped her coffee and said nothing.

"Didn't you sleep?" James had a hunch he was being ignored but he wouldn't let anyone say he wasn't trying to fix things.

Ella swallowed hard and examined her nails.

James's muscles clenched and he started to get a headache. "I can see that we are going to handle things like grownups."

Ella glared over at him, her eyes becoming slits. "Like grownups?"

James wasn't sure if he was glad that she was talking when she used that tone.

"The pack came to help us, and you made them stay outside because daddy wouldn't approve."

James tensed. She had no idea why he was doing any of this. He didn't care what his father thought. The man was dead. Still, it bothered him that she of all people thought that this would sway his decisions. His father's head would have exploded if he had seen him dating a werewolf. He was keeping the pack out of the house because he didn't want them here and didn't trust them.

"You only want them inside because you are missing the smell of wolves." James thought of how close to Mikey she had sat. She was missing the company of wolves as well.

Ella shook her head, the light of the now rising sun coming in through the window and staining her face. "I can't talk to you about any of this. All you see is that we are wolves, and you aren't."

James leaned against the counter and put his hand to his heart in mock hurt. "You're right, I stay up all night wishing I was around more people like me. It's so hard to be different."

"Don't make fun of me."

"Then don't make silly suggestions."

Ella took a long gulp of coffee.

The silence that followed was heavy. James knew she was waiting for him to apologize or change his mind about the pack. He was not going to do that. She hadn't apologized for her father burning his friends and he was more than allowed to say who did or didn't sleep under his roof. He was not going to be swayed by her sad expression or pretty eyes. Yet he softened a little when she sighed, and her eyes filled.

"I didn't mean to offend you," he said.

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I'm fine."

James braced himself for how she was going to take his next request. "We need to go into town."

"I assume when you say we you mean I need to be close to town so you can go and see your girlfriend."

"She is only my fake girlfriend." James winked and grinned.

Ella turned away from him and glanced out the window. "The sooner we get all this over with the better."

James kept an encouraging smile on his face even though he wanted to groan. He couldn't agree more. The less time he had to spend requesting that someone go everywhere with him the better.