Page 80 of Just One Bite
He pauses to look at me. “Probably that whatever I choose to do will turn out just fine. She was so … relaxed. An easygoing leader who never panicked. My mom was my hero.”
“My mom was my hero too.” Heat rises to my cheeks, and I bite back the emotion building in my throat.
“Moms are cool like that.” He smiles and drops my feet.
I like the ease in which he says it. Like they’re still here.
The chime on my phone cuts my focus. It’s Emma sending me a link to a blog post.
Aster Supports Parker Owens in Surprise Backing for Council.
“What did you do?” I hold up the phone. “This has your name written all over it.”
“I wish I could say it was a long story, but I kinda made an impulsive decision that may or may not come back to bite me in the ass. Tell you about it in my room?”
“No … not yours. Mine this time.”
He licks his lips and smiles.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Parker
“This is the last night we’re apart.”
“How do you know?”
“I can feel it. Something is changing.” I kiss her cheek, then her neck.
The other Rage teams have arrived on campus for training. It’s one of many leading up to the moon festival, an offseason tournament that doesn’t affect the school ranking but still weighs heavily on me and my team. There are a lot more Weres on campus than usual, and they’re all staying in the guest houses by the lake for a big party in the guest common room. I’ve spent the majority of the day meeting captains and coaches.
The buildings next to the lake are all crafted and carved wood inside, each room decorated according to one of the houses in Doxlothia. The main room has all four colors incorporated but oddly doesn’t make you want to throw up. It is muted and murky, like Languid Lake that sits still in the dim light outside.
There’s a slight pull on my pant leg, and a head of dark curls is all I see before I’m bitten on my knee.
“Trying to bite my leg off?”
Coach’s daughter giggles and runs back to him.
“Mia,” Coach Zepheus scolds his daughter, “we don’t bite.”
He runs a hand through his wiry salt-and-pepper hair and sighs.
“She’s going through a biting phase.”
Biting phases for Weres are the worst. Even worse than vampire children, I hear.
“Tsk. Tsk. You’re going to be fully gray by next year, Coach.”
“You did good work today. Gonna have some fun?” Coach Zepheus hauls his daughter into his arms and pats me on the shoulder while giving me a sympathetic smile. It helps ease the constant knot of tension in my chest.
The diplomatic part of the day is over, which means the wildest party on campus is about to begin. It’s an exclusive party to the athletes from other schools participating in the tournament, but you can bring a date. And mine is almost here.
“Going to try,” I say under my breath.
It’s my team’s first test, and if we lose in the offseason, it won’t go unnoticed. I can already see the headlines:Owens Leads Championship Team to Ruin.
My dad would scoff at that, no doubt. Tell me to quit the team and deal with the damage control, put on a suit, and join him in the Werewolf Council. I’d rather do anything else than to have to go somewhere I’ll be reminded of my mom’s absence every single day.
