Page 46 of Empowering the Wolf's Heart

“Hey, sis, how ya feeling?”I laid my satchel on a table and sat gently on the bed.

Anna’s eyes focused on me. They were red rimmed and sunken, but since her needs weren’t battering or cutting into my soul, they weren’t life threatening. We’d bought another day.

She gave me a tiny smile. “Much better, thanks to you,” she whispered, her voice breathy.

I smiled back, unable to help the prick of tears which I shoved back. I almost lost her yesterday. I couldn’t do that again. “It was just a little shove. You did the fighting.”

Her eyes closed and she winced. “What if I’m tired of fighting?” she whispered.

“Then you’re tired of fighting. And freak, that’s ok. I’ll be here to help you when you get tired, ok?”

She opened her eyes, the dull blue brightening just a touch. “You’re the best sis, you know that?”

Guilt hit me in the gut. If I were such a good sister, she’d be well by now. I buried that and playfully nudged her leg. “Takes one to know one,” I replied with a wink. “Did you hear about Jacob’s new crush?”

Her eyes sparkled. “Nope. What happened?”

“Mom took Fina and Jess to the market, like usual, right? But she spotted Jacob. He wasn’t in training—” She gasped. “RIGHT? So she saw him sitting with this little cute redhead. He tried to kiss her on the cheek.”

“Oh no.”

“Yep. The girl was turned away. When she turned back and saw how close he was?—”

Anna was already giggling. It caused her wheeze to worsen, but she needed her spirits lifted. Missing so much broke her, but hearing the tales like this made her feel as though she were still a part of it.

“She didn’t,” Anna got out between chuckles.

“Oh yes she did. And get this, they were sitting on the fountain, you know the one in the center of town with all the pigeons?”

“No.”

“Yes.”

We both broke down into snorting, totally unladylike laughter. “He was soaked head to toe, pigeon poo in his hair, and a black eye.”

“Oh, poor Jacob!” she said, settling back into the pillows once more. “I wish I woulda been there to see it.”

I set a hand on hers. “You will be,” I said.

She nodded, and I next told her about the idiot cobbler who made shoes two different sizes on purpose, then about the boy who thought a skunk was a puppy. When I told her it had taken a week’s worth of tomatoes to get the smell out of the boy’s clothes, we were laughing hysterically. Then the door behind me opened with a crack.

Anna’s laughter cut off and her eyes widened. Was that… fear?

“Can you be quiet? I mentioned there were customers downstairs. You’ve run off two of our best buyers!”

“Alia was just trying to help?—”

“Alia was being more than helpful,” he sneered. He ran a hand down his face and softened his tone. I was staring, open-mouthed. I didn't know who this person was; Rey had always been nice and even sweet when I'd seen him. “Could you two just please be quiet during business hours? We need this money to pay for the bills and debts so we don’t lose this place.”

Anna flinched as if he’d hit her. His eyes lit with something I didn’t like even as he frowned. “We’ll be quieter,” Anna whispered, her voice the breathy, soft thing that it was when I arrived.

“I’m so sorry, honey. I—I didn’t mean to yell. It’s just, you’ve been so sick and it’s made me so worried. You know I love you, right? Always have and always will,” he said, taking her hand and kissing it.

She smiled up at him, but it was strained. “Of course, my love. I love you too.” He stared at her until she said, “Always have, always will.”

He kissed her and went out the door, whistling.

Doc’s words repeated in my head. “Only stress typically causes a person to get as sickly as your sister,”he’d said.

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