Page 69 of Wind with a Chance of Wolfsbane

“For good,” I corrected.

“For now,” she shot back.

Arguing with a carbon copy of myself was never fun. We’d been born less than ten minutes apart and had been inseparable ever since. Even during my darkest hours, she’d not left my side.

Her eyes closed momentarily. “We need to consider bringing in a third person, Willa. I know you don’t want to, but I think it’s past time. My vote is Astria. My gut says she can handle this.”

“Handle finding out she’s been rooming with a monster for years now?” I countered. “That I’m a freak?”

“You’re not a freak,” Mina said sternly. “You’re my sister, who just happens to turn into a wolf once a month. I think Astria will be able to deal with that knowledge. She could help be another set of eyes.”

“And do what? Watch as I manage to break free, and then watch as I attack her?” I demanded, my voice rising.

Mina caught me by my shoulders. “Willa, stop. You’re spiraling again. Astria could watch the cave from a safe distance and find me if you get free or if someone else comes here.”

I managed to control myself long enough to mull over my sister’s suggestion. The idea of having help did have merit. But bringing Astria into our world was dangerous. Being ignorant of supernaturals had its perks. Once a human learned the truth, there was no putting that genie back in the bottle.

It basically painted a target on them.

“It would put her at risk,” I protested. “We like her—a lot. I don’t want her in danger.”

“I don’t either,” said Mina. “But we have to start trusting someone. We need help. I can’t be here the entire time because I have to hunt baddies.”

I let out a long, slow breath. “I’ll reconsider letting you record me shifting. You’re right. It could help us figure out how I’m getting free.”

She hugged me fast and then held me at arm’s length. “We still need to consider bringing in help. I still vote for Astria. I think Stevie would be a good backup.”

I nodded. “They’re both good picks.”

“And both will be here next fall,” said Mina, reminding me that graduation was nearly upon us. We’d have our undergraduate degrees and were planning on working on our graduate ones.

“Maybe, just for tonight, it might be better if you use the tranquilizers I lifted from the lab,” I stated.

My sister put a hand on her hip, attitude showing all over her face. “And I’d feel better if you didn’t ask me to shoot you.”

“With a tranq dart,” I clarified.

Her expression never wavered. “I think we both know the request is deeper than that.”

With a slow exhale, I nodded. “I’m what we hunt. You should put me down and protect humans from me.”

“It’s taking all of me not to bitch slap you,” she replied, and I knew she meant it.

Mina reached up and touched the lock of stark white hair that I had at the front of my head. That hadn’t always been there. It had shown up after my first shift into a wolf. “I wish you could see yourself when you’re shifted, Willa. You really are beautiful. Your coat is pure white.”

I took her hand in mine, drawing it down. “Keep talking about my wolf form like that, and I might start to think you’re going soft on supernaturals.”

A lone tear escaped her before she wiped it away fast.

I stepped back slightly.

“Chin up, babes,” she said with a grin. “If anyone ever asks how you spent your weekend, you can tell them with all honesty that you spent it chained up—kinky. That has got to win cool points in something. I’m not sure what, but go with it.”

With a groan, I gave her a tiny shove. “I’m not telling anyone that. We’ll stick with the same story. That I’m volunteering at the animal shelter all weekend.” Both scenarios were plausible since I spent a lot of time in the lab on campus and volunteering at the shelter.

“Boring,” she mouthed. “Besides, I already told them you were going on a date tonight. They’ll think it went really well, and you spent the weekend knocking boots with a hottie.”

I gasped. “What? I’m not going on a date.”

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