21. Razor Sharp

21

Razor Sharp

G ranny rises before the ambulance arrives, with no memory of her episode. "Oh, Red. You didn't need to make such a fuss. I'm fine!" She scolds me when I help her to the chair and let her know help is coming.

The paramedics check her vitals, and she rolls her eyes as they ask if she knows the current president's name. "I'm old, not stupid," she barks, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Granny, they're just making sure you're okay," I say, placing my hand on her shoulder, apologizing with my eyes to the paramedic kneeling before her .

Jack rushes through the door, his chest heaving as if he ran the whole way here. "Is she okay?" he asks as I approach. He places his hand on my cheek.

My skin pricks, and I take a step away from him, my cheeks heating. "She's fine, but it was so scary." Tears push at the corner of my eyes again.

Jack ignores the distance I'm attempting to create, grabbing my arms and pulling me in. "I know, I'm so sorry." He murmurs into my hair. I revel in his warmth for a moment, feeling safe in his arms before pulling away. "Can we talk privately?" He nods, eyeing the paramedics sprinkled around the kitchen before leading me up to my bedroom.

I shut the door behind us.

"Wow, this place hasn't changed a bit." He grins, looking at my paisley comforter and old band posters plastered on the wall.

I'm reminded of all our late study nights, stuffing our faces with chips and flicking erasers at each other. I smile. "Yeah, Granny isn't big on change, and I haven't been back since I left five years ago." Guilt swirls through my veins. Granny always visited me for holidays without a fuss. What if she had this seizure on her own? Maybe it's good that I told my work I need some time off. Not only to discover more about my family's history and bring to light the cause of the heinous murders happening in this town, but to make sure Granny is okay. I don't know if she can continue living independently anymore.

Jack must notice the worried expression on my face because he breaks the distance between us, holding me in his arms again. "The paramedics said she was okay?"

I nod, letting my body melt into his. "Her vitals are fine, and she seems back to herself." I push back. "Jack, she started yelling and convulsing when I mentioned werewolves."

"Did she say anything?" His eyes study mine, and I can't help but notice the nervous dart of his gaze.

"She just kept saying danger, you can't trust them repeatedly." I crumble into him again. "The werewolves must have really hurt her. She doesn't remember anything. Anytime I try to get her to recall the events of my parents' murder, she turns blank and spews information as if it's been fed to her. Now, she's having seizures when I mention werewolves. God, I don't know what to do."

He rubs my back. "It was good you were here, and now you know the truth about werewolves and your parent's murder." He pulls back, grabbing my hands. "Maybe you should stay in town for a little while longer to make sure your Granny's okay."

I wipe my tears away and straighten myself out. "Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. But while I'm here, I want to help. I don't think I want to kill werewolves, but I want to help expose them, maybe hold the information over the police so they will do something about the attacks. They obviously know something about the werewolves and are covering up their murders. Maybe we can get the army involved. I'm not sure, but I can't do nothing and let this continue."

Jack shakes his head. "I don't know if that's a good idea. The werewolves are hunting you. You should just let the Hunters take care of it."

"You mean like how you all took care of them before they murdered those people in the clearing? Obviously, whatever you all are doing isn't enough."

"It's not that simple. We don't know the identity of werewolves except for one family that the police won't let us touch. It's all part of some shitty alliance that they think will help keep the peace. The werewolves don't attack citizens, the Hunters don't attack this one family, and the police keep everyone in line. It's bullshit, but the Hunter Board hopes that from the bodies in the clearing and now you being targeted, they'll let us do something about it."

I step forward, determination lining my voice. "Great, then let me help. It's clear the police are protecting the werewolves, and need some persuasion. I can threaten to notify the nation."

Jack grabs my wrists, shaking his head. "No, the police would tell the werewolves and put you in even more danger. Focus on Granny. Let me worry about the rest." He presses into me. "Besides, maybe this could mean we could try us." He searches my face.

My heart hammers, and words lodge in the back of my throat. I don't know what to say. Here we are, in my childhood bedroom—Jack confessing that he wants to be with me. It's everything I ever dreamed of, except I'm not the same girl I was five years ago. I don't know if I want to be his shadow, remaining quiet in the background. Thankfully, Granny interrupts our awkward silence, screaming from downstairs. "Red, tell these people to get out of my house!"

I sigh and move away from Jack. "We'll talk more about this later."

He nods and follows me out of my bedroom.

***

"I need to start making dinner," Granny says once the paramedics have left, and it's just Jack and I at the kitchen table.

I pop to my feet. "No, Granny. You need to take it easy for the rest of the night."

"They said I was fine! "

"I know, but they also said you need to rest. Let me pick up some pizza." I walk toward the front door, trying to leave before Granny can protest.

"Do you want me to go?" Jack asks, standing.

"No, I want to go. I need to clear my head for a little." I grab my keys from the key ring. "Just stay here with Granny. I'll be back in ten minutes." I charge out the door, sighing in relief once it's shut behind me. The thought of living with Granny back in my hometown, which caused me so much pain, tightens my chest. If I can do something while I'm here, like help the Hunters, I'd feel better about being back. I'd have a purpose, but with Jack insisting that I can't get involved, I feel as useless and trapped as I did when I was sixteen.

I make my way to my car, parked in the grass far down the winding driveway. I decided to park farther away from the house to give Granny enough room if she needed to leave to go to the grocery store in the morning.

The sun hides behind the canopy of trees overhead, making shadows shift around me. I walk to the driver's side door, fumbling through my collection of keys before finding the right one. A bush shakes from behind me, and I whip my attention to the source of the sound, stepping forward a few feet out of instinct. Nothing.

A growl tickles the back of my ear, and the hair on the back of my neck stands straight. Something in my gut turns to stone, as if a force inside me knows exactly what lurks behind me. Before I can react, I'm thrown to the ground, banging my head on a rock.

I groan, barely conscious, as I roll onto my back—clenching my head. My vision clouds, but before everything goes black, I make out two grey beasts with glowing red eyes glaring down at me—their razor-sharp fangs closing in on me.