Page 58 of Nearly Dead

“Anthony should mind his own business,” I mutter, but there’s no real heat in my words.I know my brother means well, even if his methods are questionable.

“He’s worried about you.Enough that he met with me in a dark alley.”Sully takes a step closer, his movements measured as if he’s trying to intimidate me.“He’s worried about what will happen when the call comes.”

The call.

“You already feel it starting, don’t you?The pull of the full moon on your werewolf’s blood.What will happen when it reaches its peak?Will you be able to control yourself, or will you become the monster everyone fears?”

I swallow nervously at his telling words.I’ve felt echoes of it already, growing stronger each passing second.

“I’m handling it,” I say, more confidently than I feel.

Sully gives me a knowing look.“Are you?Do you think the goblins would agree?”

“That was different.”I cross my arms defensively.“Leviathan sent them to attack.I didn’t go looking for them.I was defending myself.”

“Ah, yes.The necromancer.”Sully’s lips twist in distaste.“Another complication we don’t need.”

“We?”I raise an eyebrow.“Last I checked, Leviathan was my problem.”

“He’s a problem for anyone who stands with you.”Sully steps closer, his massive frame blocking out the stars behind him.“And whether you like it or not, that includes your pack.A threat to one is a threat to all.”

I sigh, looking past him toward the distant tree line.I’m trying to look brave, but I am very aware of where he is standing.His speech about pack loyalty is all well and good, but I’ve learned nothing comes free.For that loyalty I would have to give up my freedom and control to run with the gang.

“I’ve told you I’m not interested in leading your pack.”

“Ourpack.The sooner you accept that you’re one of us, the better it will be for you.And whether you want it or not, some still believe you’re our best hope.”

“Tell them to take a number,” I drawl sarcastically.“My dance card is full.”

He frowns.

“What the hell is a dance card anyway?”I wonder.“And why are they always full?”

“Hey, this isn’t a joke.”His voice drops lower.“The Alpha’s blood runs in your veins, Tamara.That means something to werewolves.”

“It means he tried to kill me,” I counter.“It means I’m a hybrid freak that shouldn’t exist.”

Sully’s eyes flash gold, shining eerily in the darkness.I wonder if my eyes are doing that.

“It means you’re powerful,” he says, “and power is what the pack needs right now.”

I turn away, frustrated by his persistence.“The pack needs a leader who understands them, who knows their ways and their traditions.That’s not me.”

“Some would disagree.”

“Some would be wrong.”

A howl cuts through the night, distant but clear.

I shiver and rub my arms.“Sully, tell me, honestly, what happens when they realize my loyalties will always be split between vampire and wolf?That I feel the pull to my vampire sire as strongly as I feel the pull of the moon and tides?Sometimes more so.”

My words seem to have an effect on him, and I know he gets my point.

“If werewolves don’t want to be the bottom of the rung of the supernatural hierarchy, they don’t need an Alpha whose blood demands obedience to a vampire.”

“We’re not in disagreement,” he says.

The first howl is joined by another, then several more, until the air vibrates with their call.The sound stirs something inside me, an answering hunger that makes my skin prickle and my teeth ache.

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