Page 99 of Wicked Wolves and Tangled Truths
A Hellbound High party will be full of all things supernatural. And while I don’t advertise that I am one—only KeAnna and my family know I’m anything but human— it would be nice if I could pass for, I don’t know, a witch. Something. I want to feel like myself in my own skin for once in my life, even if I’m still pretending.
Psykers aren’t universally loved in the paranormal community, which is why I attend the all-human school. At least that’s Mom’s reasoning. Honestly, I think she just didn’t know how to enroll me anywhere else. She’s human herself, and up until recently, she’s had zero ties with the paranormal community after Dad left.
“Obviously.” KeAnna reaches into her overnight bag. “That’s why I brought you this.” She pulls out a sleek, black, bodycon dress and tosses it my way.
I catch it and hold up the barely there dress, an immediate scowl on my face. “No way. I can’t wear that,” I tell her with a firm shake of my head.
Hand on her hip, she turns to me. “And why the hell not?”
“Because half the dress is missing, that’s why,” I hiss, careful to keep my voice down as I give the dress another once-over. Mom and her boyfriend—Diego—are already in bed, and I don’t want to wake either of them. Going out tonight isn’t exactly approved. But you know the saying, “better to ask forgiveness than permission.” Better yet, if Mom doesn’t find out, then there’s nothing to forgive in the first place. Between having human hearing and the melatonin she takes every night, the chance of waking her after she’s fast asleep is pretty low. Diego on the other hand…vampire hearing doesn’t work in my favor. Then again, he generally doesn’t care what I do and makes a habit of not telling my mom anything that might upset her. Something I greatly appreciate and plan on taking advantage of.
In my hands, the dress looks no bigger than a t-shirt. A child-sized t-shirt. Yeah, no way am I wearing this.
KeAnna huffs out a breath. “At least try it on. What happened to you wanting to step out of your comfort zone today, huh? Weren’t you the one who said you wanted to do something daring? Live on the edge?” Her brows lift in an expectant expression. “It’s your last night in El Paso, Jo.”
Which is exactly why I’m braving a paranormal party in the first place. Isn’t that enough? “That doesn’t mean I want to go out looking like a dime-store hooker,” I tell her with a huff as a wave of sorrow crashes into me. Tonight is my last night in El Paso. Tomorrow, I’m moving. New town. New school. New life. In Star Valley, of all places. It sucks.
She rolls her eyes before turning away to finish her makeup in the full-length mirror that hangs from the back of my bedroom door. “Do I look like a dime-store hooker to you?” she asks over her shoulder.
“Obviously not,” I snort. KeAnna is a goddess. Five-foot-eleven with rich brown skin, chestnut-colored eyes, and long braids pulled back into a half pony. I would kill to look half as good as she does. Her skin is flawless, and unlike me, she’s managed to acquire curves in all the right places.
I, on the other hand, am reed thin and straight as a bean pole. Mom swears I’ll fill out eventually, but I doubt it. Not with my luck. At least I have boobs. Not much, but they’re there.
“Glad we both agree. I’m wearing the exact same dress just in green. Try it on. You’ll like it.”
I roll my eyes but do as she says. It’s not like I have a lot of options here. Most of my things are already packed. And even if they weren’t, I still probably wouldn’t have anything to wear. “Sexy” isn’t really in my wardrobe vocabulary.
“Where did you get this from anyway?” I ask. “And how the heck did you manage to hide it from your mom?”
“I paid one of the Bouda youths to buy it for me. They’re always buying ridiculous things and no one bats an eye.”
“Sneaky,” I tell her with a wink. KeAnna and I have been best friends since middle school, which is how I know her parents would never approve of her wearing a dress like this. The Pack—especially Clan Wolf—take protecting their women to the extremes, and if the wrong person so much as whistles in KeAnna’s direction with another wolf around, there will be blood.
Slipping the dress over my head, I smooth down the fabric and eye myself in the mirror.
“Damn, girl.” KeAnna whistles. “You look stunning!”
I grimace. “This is…a lot.” Though, I can’t pull my eyes away from my reflection. KeAnna is seven inches taller than me, so while her dress comes down just far enough to cover her butt, mine falls to mid-thigh. It’s strapless and hugs my body like a second skin, giving the illusion of curves I know I don’t have. But…wow.
KeAnna comes up behind me and pulls the clip from the back of my head, making my long, curly black hair fall around my face.
“This is perfect,” she tells me. “It’s sexy and screams ‘for the love of God, please take my virginity.’”
I smack her arm but don’t bother fighting my laugh. “I’m not trying to announce I want my virginity taken.”
She tosses my hair clip on the bed and hands me a tube of bright red lipstick. “Doesn’t change the fact that that is exactly what you’re after. Come on, Jo. This was your idea. Let’s be rebels for once. We need this. A last hoorah before you abandon me.”
I chew my bottom lip but accept the lipstick and move closer to the mirror to put it on. Squaring my shoulders, I remind myself that I’m leaving El Paso with zero regrets. I’ve spent the last sixteen years of my life being the good girl. The girl who never stepped out of line. Never caused a fuss. Never broke the rules.
I need to breathe. Even if it’s only for one night.
At first, I was always on my best behavior because Mom was pregnant. She was older, the pregnancy unplanned, and it wasn’t without complications. Dad is a hydrokinetic like me, and human bodies aren’t built to carry supernatural babies. It’s why they waited so long after having me to try again.
Mom needed help and support and I wanted to be there for her.
Then it was because my baby brother was too powerful. Psyker abilities usually hit around the time of puberty, but Afonso was a port-capable telekinetic. Able to teleport by the age of three. My parents had their hands full dealing with Afonso and trying to keep him safe when he could disappear without a moment’s notice. I didn’t need to add to their plate by being reckless, and I didn’t want to take attention away from Afonso. He was my baby brother. He was everything.
Then, right before his fourth birthday, he died. I don’t even know how to explain it. One minute he was throwing a fit, crying because he was so tired and upset over a stupid toy our then dog was chewing on and the next he was attempting a port but…he didn’t make it. Not all of him.
