Wednesday came quickly. Quicker than Skylar would have liked. She looked at Emery from across the kitchen island. Her pencil scritched and scratched across her homework, and occasionally Emery would tap the eraser against her forehead in thought.
The past couple of days had been hard. Work and school interfered with any potential opportunities for them to communicate, and every time Skylar attempted, her voice froze and her heart clenched. She felt more separated from her sister now than she ever had. Skylar didn’t know whether it was the new pack, teenage indifference, or something else, but it needed to stop. She cleared her throat past the uncomfortable sensation and leaned over the counter.
“What kind of homework is that?”
Skylar couldn’t make sense of the current paper Emery scribbled on. It looked like a foreign language. Emery didn’t look up, but her pencil paused momentarily before continuing.
“Geometry,” Em said, finality in her tone. Her curls were pulled back in some sort of messy hairdo, and a thin, pale-blue hairband with a tiny bejeweled bow decorated her tresses. She’d changed out of her school clothes and slipped on a pair of sweats with a tank that hung loose around her thin frame.
Skylar sucked her bottom lip in. Emery clearly didn’t want to talk. Did she push her? Let her be?
“Have you been doing well in school?”
“Yep.”
Skylar rolled her eyes and resisted the urge to groan in frustration. It wasn’t so long ago that she was a teenager, and she was Emery’s sister, not her mother. But they used to be close, and insufferable attitude was going to drive her nuts.
“Your sleepover is on Friday. Are you excited to be with the other girls?” She oozed enthusiasm through her gritted teeth.
“Sure.”
“Emery Louise Asher!” Skylar finally snapped and regretted it the minute it shot out of her mouth. Something clicked because Em slowly set down her pencil and met Skylar’s stare. But her brown eyes were blank of emotion.
She cocked an eyebrow in question. “What?”
“I’m trying to have a conversation with you. I’m trying, Em.” Skylar reached a hand out, laying her fingers over Emery’s. “Please, just talk to me. We used to talk about everything.”
Emery took a deep breath, closing her eyes. For a second Skylar saw her break. Saw the way her eyebrows creased, her mouth tightened in pain. But then it smoothed back into a complacent mask. She opened her eyes again.
“I’m just not in the mood, Sky. I’ve got a test coming up, and I have to go train with our Alpha right now. All I wanted to do was finish this assignment before walking over there, but since you seem to not want that to happen, I might as well go.”
Emery pulled away, standing from the stool, and abandoned her homework on the counter. Skylar panicked, shooting around the counter to grab her sister’s elbow.
“Emery, don’t do this. Talk to me. You can’t go to that training session when you’re all worked up. You’ll—”
“I’ll what, Skylar?” Emery interrupted, her face finally flaring with anger. “I’ll lose my shit? I’ll attack our Alpha? That’s what you’re all worried about, right? It’s why you’ve been hovering over me since Sunday, worried that at any moment I’ll let her loose and kill the person next to me?” She stepped into Skylar’s body, lowering her voice. “Are you worried it’ll be Jamie?”
Skylar’s eyes widened. Did Emery really think she’d been hovering because she was worried about Jamie? That she would choose a man over her precious little sister? Her stomach boiled with anger and disgust. Tears burned in her eyes, but instead of letting them spill over, she glared at her sister, squaring their bodies up.
“You listen to me right now, Emery, and you listen good. I will never, not once, pick Jamie over you. You are everything to me, and no man is going to change that. If you wanted to leave because you didn’t like Killian’s training, we’d be gone within a couple hours. If you hate the way someone in the pack makes you feel, I’ll have your back in a heartbeat. Hell,” she scoffed, “if someone at school was picking on you, I’d drop you out of that school and take you somewhere else. Never underestimate the way I love you, Emery. Crazy wolf or not. We’re sisters, and sisters are for life.”
Emery’s lower jaw trembled slightly, and she blinked quickly in order to push back the tears pooling over her bottom eyelashes. Her cheeks reddened beneath her freckles.
“I just—I don’t—” she stuttered, her voice catching. “I don’t know what to do, Skylar. I get so nervous, and then I don’t have control. She just takes over, and I don’t know what happens until it’s over.” The tears spilled over, and a sob rocked her shoulders forward.
“Oh, Em,” Skylar whispered, pulling her in for a hug. She rubbed her thumb over the back of Emery’s neck until the teenager wrapped her arms around Skylar’s waist. Emery squeezed tightly, and Skylar closed her eyes, enjoying the moment. “Everything is going to be all right. We’re going to figure it out, with or without the pack.”
Emery sniffled, the noise muffled by Skylar’s shoulder. “I don’t want to leave, Sky.” She pulled back, revealing her smeared makeup and reddened nose. “I like it here. I do. I’m just—” She paused, searching for the right word.
“Scared?” Skylar offered, and when Emery nodded and bit her lip, Skylar laughed and wiped the tears with her thumbs. “When you’re scared, angry, happy, or, hell, have a crush on a guy, I want you to talk to me about it. We only really have each other, and Jamie doesn’t change that. You’re my sister, Emery. I will always be here for you.”
Emery nodded, tucking her face against Skylar’s chest again and giving her one final squeeze. Skylar relished the hug, inhaling her sister’s scent. A tremendous weight lifted from her heart. They weren’t perfect. Most sisters had difficulties, wanted to strangle each other, but there was always love there. Deep-seated and unchanging. They’d depended on each other for so long, and no way would this world tear them apart.
Emery stepped away and hooked her thumb toward the stairs. “I should probably get over there before big ol’ Alpha thinks I skipped.”
Skylar nodded, wiping at the tears on her own face. Black mascara smeared on the sides of her fingers. Emery paused at the top of the stairs, and stopped Skylar’s heart and sent it moving again at the same time.
“Love you, Sky.”
Skylar inhaled deeply, feeling the fresh breath deep in her lungs.
“I love you too, Em,” she whispered, watching as her sister disappeared behind the ledge.
* * * *
For the tenth time that evening, Cat clenched the Faol Geal in her hand and watched Killian throw a blanket over Emery’s nude body. The teenager pounded her fist into the ground and growled.
“Easy there, pup,” Killian said, patting her shoulder. “You’re getting better.”
She really was. Cat couldn’t believe the strength in the tiny girl. In a way, Emery reminded Cat of herself. She was a girl thrust into a horrible situation, but instead of making her helpless, it made her stronger. It had turned her into a fighter. Even as she got off the floor on shaking limbs and slipped on another paper hospital gown. Killian had asked for some from Finn, knowing Emery would shift often and not wanting the girl to go through too many clothes.
They went at it again, and Cat circled them in the ring. Killian would attack, and Emery would hold off as much as she could before her wolf took over. Then Cat would push with the amulet, settling the beast down before it could attack Killian. Gradually, Emery got better.
When the teenager went through a whole thirty minutes without shifting, Killian shrugged. A sheen of sweat dampened his face and exposed chest. Cat licked her lips and forced herself to focus on what he was doing.
“Let’s take a break,” he said, walking toward Cat and the bottle of water by her feet.
He picked up the water bottle and gave Cat a small smile. “How are you doing? Do you need to stop?”
Cat shook her head and glanced behind him to where Emery was getting her water. “No, I’m good. But is she?”
Killian nodded and moved his body so he was partially facing Emery. “Yes, but I haven’t hit all her triggers yet.”
Cat’s fingers tightened on the amulet, not liking the dark expression suddenly on his face. “What—”
“I think we’re going to need to do something about Skylar, though,” Killian said, his voice slightly louder than before.
Cat flicked her eyes up to his, and he raised an eyebrow at her. His eyes were dark and his mouth set in a line. He didn’t like whatever it was he was doing.
“What do you mean?” Cat stuttered over the words. Emery was obviously protective of her sister. That had been what set her off during Skylar’s training session.
“She’s dangerous, Cat. We can’t have her bringing that man into our lives.”
Cat opened her mouth to speak, but Emery’s voice suddenly interrupted them. “We’ll leave.”
Cat shifted her gaze to Emery. The girl’s freckled face was serious, her jaw tight, and her hands clenched into fists at her sides.
Killian turned fully toward her, blocking Cat from Emery’s view. He shook his head. “No, I don’t think that’s going to work. If word gets out that she came here, he’s going to come anyway. And when he doesn’t find either of you…” His voice trailed off.
Emery was quiet on the other side of the ring, and Cat peeked around Killian’s shoulder to get a better view. The girl’s brown eyes burned with fury.
“So what are you going to do to her?”
Killian shrugged. “You can stay here, but she can’t. He’s obviously going to come to get revenge on Skylar.” He paused. “I could always turn her over. I’m sure he’ll leave us alone if we call him and deliver her on a nice golden platter. That way we’ll be—” Killian’s voice cut off when he was suddenly thrown backward by fur and solid muscle.
Cat stumbled forward, thankful that she had been in a position to remove herself from the sudden flurry of bodies. Killian yelled in agony, and Cat fumbled for a better grip on the necklace. She finally got a clearer picture of what was happening. Emery lay on top of Killian, chomping at his arm. He held her by the scruff of her neck, keeping her head from attacking any other parts of his body.
“Now, Cat!” he yelled through gritted teeth.
Cat closed her eyes and focused on Emery’s wolf. Again, she found the anger, the turmoil, ripe and mean inside Emery’s mind. She pushed against it, willing the peace and happiness to take over. The wolf fought back harder this time. It was desperate to attack the person meaning to harm Skylar, but Cat knew the magic of the Faol Geal would win.
She opened her eyes to find Emery shivering on her hands and knees, her curly red hair falling over her face like a curtain. Cat quickly grabbed the discarded blanket and threw it over her body. Killian sat up in front of her, blood dripping down his arm and chest. His forearm looked like a mauled piece of meat.
“Oh, my God. I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry, K-Killian,” Emery stuttered, tightening the blanket around herself. Her face turned a sickly shade of white, and she glanced between Cat and Killian.
Killian held a hand up, his shoulders shaking. Cat reached out, hoping he wasn’t going into momentary shock, but his expression stopped her. When he looked at her, he had his bottom lip between his teeth and his mouth curved into a smile. Tears pooled in his eyes from agony and laughter.
“Remind you of something, little wolf?” he asked, chuckling.
Cat covered her mouth with her hand and glanced at his arm. During her first training session she’d done the same thing to Killian. He’d made her angry, and she’d shifted, tearing into his arm. She snorted behind her fingers and couldn’t hold back the giggle that erupted from her mouth.
“You just can’t catch a break, huh, your highness?” she said in between her laughter.
Emery stared at them, confusion in the furrow of her brow. Her mouth gaped open as she looked between the two crazy people laughing in the middle of the ring.
“Let’s just say it’s not the first time Killian has had his arm chomped on,” Cat explained.
Killian leaned forward and patted Emery’s shoulder with his hand.
“You did good, pup. A lot better than I expected. We’ll have you calmed down in no time.”
Emery looked like she couldn’t believe what was going on. But her face flushed with joy at Killian’s words, and Cat smiled at her. It was the first time Cat had seen hope in Emery’s eyes. She saw the reality that everything could be okay, and Cat couldn’t contain her own joy.
It was going to take some time, but they were helping…one crazed wolf at a time.
.