Page 52 of Isabel and the Werewolf Beast

“Who cares about the werewolf?” Renee said.

“I do.” I crossed my arms over my chest, only now noticing the dried blood over my dress.

“Children,” Lucian said, “there’s no need to argue amongst ourselves.”

“Lucian, this is wrong. We’re told throughout the academy to kill werewolves and now you want us to protect one?” Renee said.

“This is my castle. My choice.” I dropped my arms and stepped toward Renee. I’d expected more from my friend, but this was going against everything we’d ever been taught so I couldn’t blame her for protesting. “If you don’t like it, leave.”

“I will,” she spat. “We were friends but I can’t stand by and see you die because of a werewolf.”

“Why would I die?”

“You almost did,” she shouted, her voice echoing in the infirmary.

“Oh, Renee, it wasn’t the werewolf’s fault, it was Silas’s. Does that mean we should kill all warlocks?”

“No, but—”

“But maybe we shouldn’t kill all werewolves.”

“You raise a point.” Lucian stood and stepped between us. “The professors will want to hear of this. Renee, why don’t you head to the academy and tell them what’s happening here?”

“Gladly.” She sneered. “That dying werewolf stinks.”

She turned her nose up in the air again and stomped out of the room like a petulant child.

I rubbed a hand over my neck scraping away flakes of dried blood. I’d been stuck in stasis again. Missing my head. I’d never lost a limb before. The enormity of theloss sent a surge of emotions through my chest. These were my family. My vampire family, and they’d come to my rescue. Saved me from staying a lifeless corpse with no head for eternity or until whatever Silas had planned came to fruition.

“Thank you for healing me,” I said to Lucian.

“Always.” He lifted my hand and kissed my knuckles.

I turned to Maximus. “And thank you for going with Dante to get my head back.”

“I couldn’t leave you like that and I needed him for a distraction.”

I laughed. My vampire family loved me as much as I loved them. I’d thought my best friend would understand my choice but perhaps her love wasn’t as strong as those connected to me by blood. “How long will the blood transfusion take?”

“A few hours,” Lucian said.

“Maximus, can you fetch me some books on warlocks from the library?”

“Sure, what are you looking for?”

“A way to stop Silas.”

Chapter twenty-eight

Isabel

It’d been hours. We’d bled the human dry. Maximus disposed of his body. From what Lucian said, he’d brought me a murderer to the party as a gift. The man’s loss of life wouldn’t be missed. Lucian and I had read many books on warlocks but there wasn’t anything definitive in the pages about how we’d negate his powers or stop Silas from cursing us again.

“Dante was right. These books are decoys.”

Lucian thumbed through the leather-bound book in his lap. “The Nightshade Academy archives hold volumes of text.”

“I’m notleaving Dante.”

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