Blood: The Third Course

Chapter Twenty-Four

The bike rolled to a slow stop, and Priya kicked down the stand before turning the key in the ignition. The rumbling of the engine fell to silence, and unlike the city, nothing replaced it. The wind was not to be found. The crisp chill was nothing like the biting cold of racing along the road to the farm. Swinging her leg over the bike, she stood up straight, pulling off her helmet and hanging it from the handlebar. She shook out her hair, unzipping her jacket pocket and plucking out her phone.

She pressed the home button, smiling then the screen flared to life and showed she had a text message waiting. Opening the phone, she read the message from William telling her to have a good night hunting. The sound of voices from inside the house made her look up, and as Matthew stepped out, his boot laces trailing behind him, the smile promptly faded.

A pang of guilt reverberated through her as cold as the wind on the bike. Only a week ago, she would have smiled at the sight of Matthew, whether she had come to the farm, or he into the city. But her betrayal had not been forgotten, and he walked past her without a backwards look. Priya quickly zipped up the pocket with her phone in, locking away the man who had made her smile when Matthew didn't. Even as Matt disappeared around the corner, the guilt didn't go with him.

"Will you bring the van around front?" Kaleb shouted as he jumped down the step out of the kitchen, still pulling on one of his wellington boots. He glanced over at Priya, a brief smile lighting his face.

"Priya, hey!" he said. He turned away and didn't pause in his stride across the yard. "Matt? Is Vince with you?"

Priya stared after Kaleb's retreating back, her greeting still caught behind her teeth, her body empty of the hug Kaleb once would have gathered her up in. Even her name sounded odd from him. He hadn't called her 'Pup' as he had every time before, and though she'd sometimes hated it, being an adult after all, she felt oddly empty without it.

Chewing on her bottom lip, Priya unzipped her jacket pocket again and pulled her phone back out. She'd intended on leaving William in the city, even the thoughts of him, but it seemed she had been left half in the city from the half-greetings she had received. Bringing up William's text, she replied, thanking him for the good wishes, and wishing him a good night of his own. That, at least, brought a small thought of a smile.

She kicked off her boots at the back door, lining them up beside the collection of shoes, boots, and wellingtons that lined the kitchen wall. When she turned, it was to find Darren sitting at the kitchen table, his gaze set firmly on the door down into the basement. There were no shouts coming from down there and, for the first time in months, it wasn't bolted. Priya stepped forwards and laid a hand on his shoulder. He barely even noticed her.

"I'm so sorry about Jack," she said quietly. "If you need anything, I'm here."

Darren didn't respond. He didn't look up or move. If he knew she was there, he didn't let it show. For a moment, Priya simply stood there, her hand resting gently on his shoulder. He still didn't speak or acknowledge her presence, so she pulled back, and went upstairs to dump her bag in a small bedroom at the back of the house. She considered getting some sleep before the sunset, since clearly there wasn't anything else that she could help with here.

Checking her watch, Priya wished she had left the city later.

***

Carson was already unbuckling his belt as he strode across the yard to the field where the rest of the pack had gathered. He vaulted the fence, metal buckle swinging and thunking against the top rung of wood. Half his shirt was undone, and he appeared to have left his shoes in his car. His hair was ruffled and he looked half asleep as he undid the rest of the buttons on his shirt and threw it unceremoniously into one of the plastic crates.