Page 69 of Firestarter

“Nothing,” I said. “Perdita worries about me, that’s all. It’s something new. None of us have met people like this before. If we find them, we won’t know what to expect. But I’m a werewolf.” I forced a grin. “Not much can hurt me, right?”

Margo didn’t look convinced. “I don’t want anybody to get hurt because of me.”

“We’re searching for information, not trouble,” her father said reassuringly. “We’ll all be fine.”

Byron nodded. “Right. Niall, I’m happy for you to join us but know that we’ll be spending a lot of time on four legs.”

Margo’s father swallowed audibly. “Oh. You need wolf time. Right. That’s… fine. We’ll make it work.”

“How long is this trip even going to take?” Perdita asked. “Dorian can only miss so much school, especially in an exam year. You need to start preparing for your mock exams.”

“I will,” I told her. “I’ll study so hard when I get back. I might only miss a week anyway. I have all of my notes ready. I’ll cram really hard until March once we’re sorted. I swear. And if I don’t get results you’re happy with this year, I’ll repeat. I would do that for you.”

“Get a grip,” she muttered under her breath, though her lips twitched upwards.

“I’ll be your second,” Ryan said to Byron. “I should be able to communicate at least a little. Dorian is right to do this. We should try to fix the mess we began here. It won’t be long before we have answers.”

Amelia was staring at her hands. “I suppose I should go, too, considering it’s a mess I helped make.”

Byron hesitated. “You’ll be better served here, helping Nathan.”

She looked hurt. “But you don’t know what you’ll come up against out there. I could come in handy.”

“Margo might need you here,” Nathan said. “Besides, Jeremy can travel to Romania if needed.”

We settled the discussion, but nobody seemed particularly thrilled. I would travel to Romania with Byron, Ryan, and Mr Harding, while the others would remain to watch over Margo, Perdita, and the pack.

That evening, the Hardings returned home, with Margo’s temperature at least stable. We’d barely grabbed a moment together to discuss the trip, but we would have plenty of time for everything we needed to do once we got her better.

At home, after everyone left, Perdita and Nathan still looked pissed off with one another.

“Stop looking at me like that,” Nathan said at last. “You can’t honestly expect me to leave right now. What if something happened to you while I was gone?”

“What if I don’t want you here?” she snapped in an ice-cold, unrecognisable tone.

I was taken aback. I had never heard Perdita talk to anyone that way.

“If that’s what you want,” Nathan said in an unreadable voice.

“Good.” She turned her head away. “Dorian shouldn’t have to go without us.”

He laid a hand on her shoulder, and she whirled around to hug him, tears already rolling down her cheeks.

“Everything is going to be okay,” he said gently. “Dorian will be fine with Byron there, and the baby will be okay here. We’ll fix everything.”

“I should be going with him,” she said, sniffling. “I can’t do anything anymore.”

“You’re going to upset him,” he teased. “He’ll kick off in a minute.”

She dried her eyes. “I’m sorry. I’m scared that everything is going to keep going wrong.”

“It won’t,” Nathan said. “We’ve had some strange luck, but we have a lot to look forward to now.”

“What if Dorian needs us, and we’re not there?”

“I’m eighteen,” I told her. “I can handle this, and I can’t keep depending on you two for everything. I need to prove to myself that I can be useful. If Nathan’s at home, I won’t need to worry about you. And I won’t be gone long. I won’t do anything dangerous. I’ll tell you everything when I get back.”

“I know,” she said. “I know you’re capable, but I wish life didn’t have to be this complicated.”

“This is something I have to do,” I said. “I have to at least try to help Margo. It’ll be over soon. We’ll be normal and boring any day now.”

Perdita tried to smile. “I’ll miss you.”

“You won’t have time to miss me,” I told her. “I’ll be back with good news before you know it.”

I almost convinced myself. I wasn’t going home with anything less.

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