Under the Darkest Skies

Chapter 8

CW: blood

"Is that Finn?" Seth peered over Becky's shoulder at her phone when it dinged. When the screen didn't light up, his expression fell a bit.

Becky had been ready to say no. It hadn't been Finn the last seven times, after all, so the chances that it would be this time were pretty slim. This time around, however, it did sound like the custom tone she'd set for him, so she swiped at the screen, looking for the new message dot. "Yeah," she said, reluctantly getting off Seth's lap and sitting beside him. The instant chill from lack of contact was bracing. When she glanced up at Seth, he looked confused. "I know it's probably about you," she said softly, "but maybe it's not. If it is, I'll show you, okay?"

Seth nodded, reaching for Becky's legs and holding them close to his chest. It made it awkward to work on her phone, but he was trying to keep her warm while giving her a modicum of privacy, so she didn't complain. "Okay. Sorry. It's just... I'm curious now, you know? Back when I never knew...."

"I know." Becky leaned in to give him a quick kiss before opening her messages. There was one from Liv she had apparently missed, but it was only about candle scents—something she could easily answer later. She glanced at Finn's new message—and the others that would show up on the screen—quickly to make sure there was nothing Seth shouldn't see, and then she snuggled back under his arm. "There you go," she said. "Now it's the eighth time's that's the charm, apparently. Must be that inflation everyone's talking about."

"Sora's going to be at the show tonight?" Seth reread the message a few times before handing the phone back to Becky. "What's she like?"

Becky shrugged. "I don't think I've met her. If I have, it's only been in passing. A lot of times, for supernaturals, you try to keep your distance. It's safer. What—and who—you don't know, or can at least reasonably claim you don't know, can't hurt you as much."

"As much?" Seth echoed.

"Nothing's absolute," Becky said with a sigh. Ever since he learned he most likely had werewolf heritage, he had been bouncing between excitement and wariness. Becky supposed it was understandable. Especially in the last few decades, humans had been treated to a glut of supernatural novels and movies that made vampires and werewolves relatable and desirable. Most of those stories hardly had any grains of truth in them, of course, but the human audience didn't realize that. They only saw the glamorous side of the supernatural world: the timelessness of the vampire, the strong family ties of the werewolf, the mysterious aura of the witch. The darker, grittier parts—the harsh realities of blood drinking, of changing forms, of the toll magic took on the body—were easy to gloss over on screen, and significantly harder to deal with in real life. "I mean, someone might not believe you're telling the truth or...."

Seth pressed his lips to her forehead. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to sound like I'm not taking this seriously, or that it's... not serious. I know it's real and that there are consequences and...."

Becky stayed quiet for a moment, relaxing back into his warmth. "It's okay. I understand. I mean, if the tables were turned and I just found out now that I was a banshee, I'd probably think it was cool. I just don't want you to get your hopes up only for things to go... badly."

"Have you... had a lot of bad encounters?" he asked, wrapping his arms around her. "Because... I mean, if I'm not in danger of actually changing or whatever, I can just... keep on not knowing, right? I know you just said that doesn't guarantee my safety or anything, but it would probably be better than delving into everything, wouldn't it?"

It would stop you from being as disappointed, Becky thought. She knew once Seth got a notion in his head, it was hard to shake it free, and she hated the thought of him getting his heart set on learning more about his werewolf heritage and wanting to join a pack, only to be denied. Werewolves were notoriously family oriented, that was true, but it also meant they were very wary of outsiders—even ones who might be distant relatives. If Seth had found out when he was younger, it might have been different, but she wasn't sure how welcoming most packs would be to a thirty-year old man who was a celebrity—and a very dominant personality in his own right. "I've had my share. Banshees aren't as obvious as some, so we can sneak under the radar a little bit. Vampires and werewolves have more problems blending in. My powers are on the weaker side, so I'm usually not worth anyone's energy."