The Wolves and the Vipers

Chapter 6 - How to Bide Your Time

"It would be best if you waited out here," Jace told me once we reached a set of double doors. "Word has probably spread by now, and until you make up your mind, I don't want to introduce you to the pack."

I stopped and leant against the wall. "That's fine with me."

The truth was, I didn't want to go inside the canteen. Even from here, I could smell the delicious, hot food, and it was making me a little bit crazy. I was too proud to ask Jace if I could have something to eat. He had mentioned a shower and sleep - not food.

Were they having a full English breakfast in there? It smelt like eggs and bacon and sausages. Jace had left the door slightly ajar, and I could see Kara inside. She was laughing with one of the guards - the youngest one. He was a handsome boy with messy brown hair and freckles and a million-pound smile. Jace went to sit down opposite them. With a handful of words, maybe less, he sent the boy scampering away and had Kara following him out of the hall.

She crashed into me when she saw me - wrapping me in a rib-crushing hug. It was over as quickly as it had begun. Jace hadn't stopped to let us have our little reunion, and he was walking steadily towards the external doors, so both of us trailed after him.

Kara was positively skipping. "Are we staying here?"

"Yes," I told her. "For now, anyway."

"You said they'd let us join the pack," she said, beaming. "I didn't know whether to believe you. But it's so cool here. I mean, have you seen this building? It's like a palace. The food is really good, too. I just had three helpings - no joke."

We came out into the sunshine at one end of the pack house. In the light of day, I could see the surrounding area a little more clearly. There was a collection of houses scattered around the place with a tall, oppressive wall surrounding them all. It was like a village in the middle of the forest. The pack house sat at the very centre of it all, with neatly-arranged gardens stretching behind it and a car park in front.

We lost Kara almost immediately. She had spotted a stone figure of a wolf, stood proud in one of the flowerbeds, and she had gone over to stroke its head and gawk.

"Is she human?" Jace asked me in an undertone.

"No," I told him, eyes widening. "Of course not."

He cast a long, sceptical look at her. "Then where's her wolf? I can't feel anything from her."

That was a ... good question. I hadn't even gone looking for Kara's wolf, because we'd never argued. But it was true that I'd never felt her push back against me - not even when my wolf was throwing her weight around. But it was possible her wolf was just very, very quiet. I'd known some people like that in Pembrokeshire. It was a plausible explanation as long as I didn't think too hard about her inability to mind-link or use her nose.

"I told you," I murmured, since Kara was getting closer. "She has some issues."

Jace's house was close. And big. If it was really only him and 'Tyler' living there, then I didn't understand why they needed so much room, but I wasn't complaining. He showed us straight up to our bedrooms. Mine was opposite his, which didn't surprise me very much. From next door, I could hear Kara's soft whoa sounds. Last I'd seen of her, she'd been walking around in there, touching everything she could see.

"Here you go," Jace said. "Towels and sheets. Leave your old clothes out and I'll throw them away for you - Tyler is finding some spares from our shop. And ... speaking of which, he wants to know what size you are. You can, um, mind-link him directly if you prefer."

"It's not a big secret," I told him, bemused. "I'm a twelve or fourteen in UK sizes. I doubt Kara will know hers. Just try her with a ten, since she's only tiny. Better too big than too small."