Elyssa put herself in front of me, hands splayed protectively. "Don't you dare, Father." Tears trickled down her cheeks. "You keep your hands off him."
"Or what, daughter? Will you attack your own father to protect this filth?"
"Think sense, child," Leia said. "Haven't we taught you better?" She wiped a tear away, her face shifting from anger to grief-stricken. "He's spawn! Where did we go wrong in explaining what they are?"
"It's not a trick," Elyssa said, shaking her head. "It's not!"
Her mom's face softened as she looked at her. "Sweetheart, that's what they do. That's how they infiltrate your very soul and steal it from you."
Elyssa shook her head as tears dripped from her cheeks. "No, Mom. I know him. I love him."
My heart ached so much for her right then I couldn't stand it. But I didn't know what to do. I loved her and this situation was tearing her apart. What if my dad had told me the same thing about dhampyrs? What if he'd hated Elyssa? The thought sent a shard of ice stabbing into my chest.
"Please, stop," I said, standing in front of Elyssa. I turned to face her. "You were right. This was a horrible idea." The backs of my eyes felt as though they were floating in hot salty pools, but I didn't dare cry in front of these people. "I can't get through to them," I said in a low voice as I shook my head sadly. "I love you and can't stand seeing you so conflicted."
She pressed her hands to my cheeks, sniffing through her tear-reddened nose. "I told you, Justin. I tried to make you see. They thought I'd ended it. Now that they know I didn't, I'm afraid for us. For our future."
I gripped her hand tight. "We'll make it work. You're my Buttercup and I'm your Westley. I'll become the Dread Pirate Roberts if that's what it takes to win them over."
She smiled through the tears and kissed me. Her mother hissed in displeasure. Strong hands gripped my shirt and slung me away. I hit the ground hard and rolled in the grass before coming to a rest next to a fence. It seemed oddly reminiscent of the time Elyssa had tossed me across a gravel parking lot when she'd figured out what I was.
I rose unsteadily and held up my hands in surrender in the harsh glare of her father. "I'm leaving. Thanks ever so much for the grand hospitality."
Elyssa looked at me, tears sparkling from the violet light in her eyes. "I love you."
"I love you," I said, and then turned and walked back down the long asphalt drive, my hands trembling with anger, my heart thudding in agony. I wanted to punch her father in the face. "Well, that could have gone so much better," I grumbled as I reached the perimeter fence and climbed over it. My legs faltered with fatigue and hunger. I had to feed. Now.
A presence closed in on me. I turned, praying to god I wasn't about to have to fight my way free. Thomas would make mincemeat out of me. Instead, Ryland appeared, a smirk on his face.
"The demon boy who could love," he said in a mocking voice.
"I'd toss you a Milk-Bone but I'm all out," I said, turning away from him.
He blurred in front of me, his face so close I could smell the coffee on his breath. "Funny thing is I know you're telling the truth."
I threw my hands in the air. "Great. The wolf-man believes me. All my problems are solved."
"It took me a long while to gain the trust of Thomas Borathen. Believe you me, it was not a fun process."
"Does he hate lycans too?"
"Nah, I wouldn't say he hates so much as he doesn't trust anyone until they've proven themselves." He shrugged and the corner of his mouth lifted in a half-smile. "Except for spawn. He definitely hates your kind."
"What happened? Obviously one of my dear relatives did something horrible to him."
"I only heard rumors about what really happened. About Thunder Rock. "
"Thunder Rock? That sounds like the name of a really bad boy band. Did a group of teenage demon spawn make his ears bleed with love ballads?"
He chuckled. "Nah, Thunder Rock is a place. Unfortunately, there ain't anyone who will talk about it."
"Why? Because Thomas Borathen would beat the snot out of them?"
Ryland shook his head. "No. Because they're dead."
I sighed long and deep. I needed a good sigh right about then. "And yet again, someone hates me for something I have no control over."
"I hate to say it, but I feel for you." Then he howled with laughter.
I slapped my forehead. I was hopeless as ever. Trying to take charge of my life seemed to backfire on me no matter what I did. "Whatever," I said, and walked toward the road, hoping I could find a nice crowded restaurant where I could sit down and recharge.
Ryland followed.
I spun on him. "Don't you have guard duty or a nice big bowl of Kibbles-n-Bits to go munch on?"
He bared his teeth. "Don't mock me, spawn."
"Are you just making sure I clear the premises?"
"I'm here to escort you home, wherever that may be."
"Argh!" I threw my hands up in the air again and tossed in an eye-roll just to be sure the universe understood I was frustrated as hell. "Fine. Tag along if you want, but I have a couple of pit stops to make."
The first place I went was a Waffle House. I looked like crap with my torn shirt and grass-stained jeans but I figured their clientele wouldn't much care. After polishing off breakfast for dinner while feeding off the emotions of an animated couple who were discussing their plans to win the lottery, I felt much better—or at least as well as I could considering mine and Elyssa's doomed love. I really need to lay off the melodrama.
"Do you think Thomas will keep her from going to school?" I asked Ryland as he tore into a very rare, very bloody steak.
He finished chewing, wiped his mouth, and shrugged. "He's an unpredictable man. Then again, he's been around since this nation was born, so I imagine he knows the value of never broadcasting his intent until it's too late."
"We're talking high school here, not war."
"Ah, to Thomas Borathen, everything is tactics and war. And you might be a war he wasn't prepared to fight."
I groaned. "I'm only eighteen and now I have to worry about a lunatic warlord father coming after me?"
Ryland's fist slammed on the table, shaking the syrup and knocking over the sugar. The restaurant grew silent as everyone stopped what they were doing and stared. Ryland didn't seem to care. He leaned toward me. "Thomas Borathen is a great man. Do not dishonor him with such name-calling."
I held out my hands in surrender. "Calm down, man. Jeez, it's not like me calling him names is gonna hurt anyone."
Ryland shoved another piece of steak in his mouth, though his eyes remained suspicious. I drank some water and stared out the window, trying to decide what my next move should be. I didn't want Ryland following me back to Shelton's place. I might be able to outrun him, but seeing as how he was the first werewolf I'd met, I had no idea if he could sniff out my trail even if I outdistanced him.
"Why do you think I'm telling the truth about my feelings for Elyssa?"
Ryland grinned. "I smell the truth, friend."
"Are you sure it's not just my deodorant?"
He finished his steak and sat back in his seat. "My old pack leader told me I had the best nose of anyone."
I sat up straight. "You were in a wolf pack?"
He nodded. "For a time."
"What happened?"
"What do you think happened?" he said, as though the answer should be obvious.
I guessed almost immediately. "A woman."
"Isn't it always?" he said, laughing softly. "She was the one our Alpha wanted, but she liked me." He sighed and jabbed a thumb at his chest. "Wolf politics and human sensibilities do not make a good mix."
"Wolves have to beat the crap out of each other for that, right?"
"I'm afraid so."
"Did you like the girl too?"
He shrugged. "She was very attractive and her scent…it was delicious." His eyes grew troubled. "But I didn't think she was worth the cost to our pack. Unfortunately she chose to push the issue when I rejected her and left me and my Alpha no choice but to decide matters."
"So the Alpha kicked your butt and you left?"
He winced and looked down at the bare bone where his steak had been. "He was my best friend."
I felt for the guy. My supposedly best friends had turned on me. "That sucks, man. I'm sorry."
"I almost killed him," Ryland said, staring at the plate. "I could always beat him, but I never wanted to lead the pack. I left him bloody and near death after our fight. The others demanded I take over as Alpha." A haunted look crossed his face. "But I couldn't do it. I had to get out of there."
"I didn't realize werewolves could die so easily."
His face hardened. "Easy? You've never seen werewolves fight. We aren't weaklings."
"Stop getting ticked at me. I hardly know squat as it is so I'm bound to jump to conclusions."
"Your family never taught you about the Overworld?"
"Dude, I just found out I'm a spawn maybe two weeks ago. My dad told me a little bit but otherwise I'm a total newbie."
"How interesting."
"Yeah. That's one way to put it." I dropped some cash on the table to pay for my food. I wasn't about to pick up Ryland's tab, considering he'd gone through two rare steaks and an order of bacon. That guy could shovel it down like nobody's business.
He paid and we left. I really wanted to go back to Shelton's hideout, but I needed to ditch wolf-man first. I hated to do it, but the best course of action seemed to be figuring out how to lose him. He had an amazing nose, apparently, which meant I'd have to cover myself in rabbit feces or something to make him lose the trail. Or, I could take him someplace he might not want to be anyway.