Werehuman

Finis for now

I woke up with Brian's hand draped over my forehead. Wriggling out of the mass of arms and legs was a challenge, but I managed to leave my bed without waking anyone up. Normally, I would be as tired as they –full moon did that to all of us, apparently–, but the urgency to talk to Ralph and Mel before the deputy arrived had driven me from my bed. Ralph often joked about the family's need for a vacation away from the farm; I understood what he meant now.

Mel was awake in the kitchen, holding a mug of coffee and watching the sunrise out the window. I should have remembered to put a shirt on, but I didn't want to go back down and retrieve one.

She turned to face me, her lips upturned in the faintest of smiles.

"I could hear you come in," she said. "I don't think I could have before."

"I'm sorry," I replied automatically, but she waved my apology away. The distraught Mel of last night had been buried again; the woman in front of me was much stronger and more nonchalant.

"I saw the deputy last night," I told her. "I stayed on the property like you asked. He saw me run across the field and jump into the pond."

She sighed, closing her eyes. I was very sorry that I had taken an already delicate situation and made it worse, but hiding the facts wouldn't change them.

"What did he say to that?" she asked.

"Not much," I answered. "I told him that the murdered people he found were like me, and they were the ones who had damaged our farm, and they had been taken care of. That we were dangerous, but weren't going to hurt anyone. He wanted to come by in the daytime and talk. I didn't tell him about the pack."

Mel nodded. "We'll have to send them back home. Damn it. Only, he's probably watching the house by now; I would be in his position. Damn it."

My eyebrows shot up in surprise; Mel rarely swore. She set her coffee down on the table and left the room. A moment later, Ralph came in with Mel and she had me explain to him what had happened. They both were frowning now and I guiltily wished I had thought through my midnight swim.

"They can't go home; it's not safe," Ralph said finally. "I'm not killing a human because he's wandered into this mess, and I'm not running from my home. I don't know what to do."

"He seemed really calm about it," I offered.

"Any idea when he's coming?" Mel inquired.

Someone knocked on the door, making us all jump. It couldn't have been later than seven o'clock; I would have thought he would have waited an hour or two. Perhaps he truly thought I would run off.

"Mel, tell keep everyone inside," Ralph told her. "We'll sit out on the porch."

"What about Susie?" she asked.

"No one is leaving until this man is gone," Ralph growled.

His reaction surprised me, but not Mel. He sounded more like a werewolf in that moment than I had ever heard him and was for a moment afraid for this errant deputy. The doorbell rang once and Ralph wrenched the door open, scowling fiercely at the assortment of law enforcement standing there.

"My family is asleep," he said. "Conor, come on, we'll sit outside."

I obeyed quickly and Ralph shut the door behind me. I could hear the faint click of the lock; Mel had locked us out. Or the rest of the pack in; I wasn't sure.

"So you know what this boy is?" the deputy asked, not bothering with any more pleasantries than that.

I swallowed down my nervousness, but the lump in my throat remained. Ralph seated himself in the wicker chair and gestured for the three men to find seats as well. I leaned against the railing with an inward sigh.