Anna Begins [Paul Lahote]

Chapter Fourteen

Anna

The day after the bonfire was like whiplash. My mind still spun from trying to digest and process the reality of people I knew and was building friendships with having the ability to shift into wolves. And that those wolves existed for the purpose of protecting their kin from vampires. There was still so much unknown about that—the details and intricacies of how it worked—but I had enough trying to sort itself out in my head as it was. Then there was the fact that I was apparently the one true match for Paul? It was shocking. Hard to believe. But...I wanted to believe it. I enjoyed the idea.

But I'd gone from trying to process all that to spending a lazy Sunday at my grandfather's house. Where everything was achingly normal. There wasn't a hint of the magic and intrigue that encapsulated the night before.

"You doing alright, Anna Banana?" Grandpa asked. "You have faraway eyes."

He said this to me often. Normally my "faraway eyes" were due to regular daydreaming. I was thinking about a book I'd read or a story I wanted to write. Today, however, my mind was latched onto a new topic. Not that he needed to know that. "I'm good," I told him. "But how are you? I feel like I've barely seen you. How are you doing, really?"

My question drew Alex's attention while our grandfather's gaze flickered over to our mother. His tone was steady when he said, "I'm fine. I'm always fine. You never have to worry about me, Annie, okay? Remember that. No matter what happens."

That wasn't exactly reassuring. "What do you mean?"

Alex's train of thought was the same as mine because his eyes were narrowed as he asked, "What might happen?"

A worried glance was shared among all the adults in the room and my trailing thoughts were firmly planted in this room as they wound through the many grim possibilities. A weight settled in my chest, making it difficult to breathe while at the same time making me want to scream. "You don't do us any favors by keeping us in the dark about everything," I said breathlessly.

My parents looked at me, and they could likely see the worry rising in me because my mother waved a hand. "Everything is fine. You both need to calm down." She said both but her attention was centered on me. As if telling me to calm down would help anything.

A gentle hand settled on mine. I turned my head to focus on my grandfather. "No need to get so worked up, Banana. If there were definitely something irreversibly wrong, we would share. For now, let's just enjoy our time together and be happy, yes?"

His words basically confirmed there was something wrong, though it supposedly wasn't serious enough for them to tell us. It didn't make me feel better, but I didn't have the energy to sit there and argue. Not when it was an effort to pull in each breath. "Okay, Grandpa."

The rest of the visit was more tense than it had begun but also uneventful. I didn't say much more, my thoughts too busy spinning worst case scenarios. Until recently, my family had mostly been my only companionship. I loved them deeply. My grandparents had been a source of friendship even from afar. And now Grandpa was the only one left, and there was more than likely something wrong with him. Since we'd lost Grandma so recently, the memory of losing her was fresh. I didn't think I could handle going through that again—and so soon.

By the time we went home, I'd worked myself up into a certified mess. My parents kept all conversation light while otherwise turning a blind eye to my state. Alex watched me like a hawk, clearly uneasy, but probably not knowing what to do.

Join the club.

As we were heading into the apartment, a door down the hall opened and Paul stepped out. I froze in my tracks. While the earlier portion of the day had been full of thoughts of him, I had been too wrapped up in my new worry for the past few hours to think of anything else. The reminder of the wolves and imprinting wasn't unwelcome.