But here they were in the middle of a battle of their lives. How could she prevent Michael from going ballistic and walking out into danger? That Alice girl was crazy. And a freaking vampire apparently. She had zero restraint.
“Emily, talk to me!” Michael demanded.
“Hey, calm the heck down, Mr. Winter,” said Marion, angry. “I’m sure in due time, you’ll be let into why you’re here and not imprisoned in my house.”
Michael’s eyes widened then and there. He looked at Emily. “You . . . you were there . . .”
Emily couldn’t help but stare back blankly.
“You rescued me.” He pointed an accusing finger at her. “You’re The Owl!” He said it as though he’d finally figured out the answer to the long-unsolved mystery of life.
“Well, it doesn’t matter now, does it?” Emily cut back. “Because you’re a warlock, and we’re on level playing field now.”
“No!” Michael jumped to his feet. The hatred in his eyes was so harsh that Emily believed he was going to assault and kill her right there.
“You and I are nothing alike!” he shrilled. “You’re an abomination. A mistake. You’re a curse to our lands.”
Emily felt each word cut through her heart like a knife. Tears welled up in her eyes. It wasn’t what he said that pained her so much; it was the fact he was her brother that gave his words so much power. And he didn’t even know.
She looked away.
“What? No clever comeback?” taunted Michael.
Emily ignored the boy and lifted her father up. Dad’s weight was so much that she collapsed under him. Michael was at her side in no time, trying to help her.
“Leave us alone!” She shoved her brother away, tears sliding down her cheeks.
14
Anger flashed through Michael’s eyes. He gritted his teeth, still on the ground where he’d fallen after she’d pushed him.
Emily was so heartbroken she was on the verge of losing it. In spite of her tiredness, she could feel the rage piquing her Owl form. But it wasn’t Selena this time. It was the fire demon. He seemed to respond very well to anger.
Emily knew that all she had to do was let go, and the fire demon would erupt out of her and roast Michael where he sat. Somehow, the fire demon seemed to have a reserve of power that he wanted to use to accomplish the transformation from human to Owl.
“I just want to help.” Michael picked himself up.
Emily ignored him and tried to get her father up to a standing position. Again, he was too heavy for her, and she couldn’t raise him past the sitting position. But then Michael appeared at Dad’s other side and hooked Dad’s arm with his own.
Emily glared at him. She was about to strike out at him with another shove, but he raised his hands in surrender.
“I won’t hurt him!” He looked sincere. “Look, obviously, you need help getting your father into the house.” He nodded at the three Alfreds, who were still arguing. “With those weirdos out there, we need him to be safe. Now, I know I haven’t always been the best sport—”
“Ya think?” Emily retorted.
Michael bit his lip, probably holding back a string of insults aimed at her. “—but I know I have a lot of catching up to do. And I know you’ve got a lot to tell me. Like what Marion meant just now.”
Emily shrugged. She dreaded the part where she would have to tell him they were siblings. That the woman he thought was his mother was not. That his parents had lied to him his whole life. She dreaded being the one to upend his entire universe.
She began to wonder how he’d take it. Michael wasn’t really a volatile person. He was reasonable. And smart. And maybe even cute, when he wasn’t being a douchebag. He just hated supernaturals. Maybe it had something to do with being raised by a vigilante—his father, whose past traumatic experience fueled his desire to rid New Haven of its supernatural infestation.
Emily looked at Michael’s pleading eyes. It was obvious he didn’t want to fight. He might have started out being combustible. However, the current state of things may have opened his eyes to one simple fact: They were in this together. They needed each other. And it was not only unhelpful, but flat-out dangerous to fight each other.
Now it was Emily’s turn to realize and appreciate that fact, rather than let her emotions get the better of her.
To that end, Emily shut her eyes and allowed the hurt, anger, and disappointment to wash through her. It was painful, but she let it flow. She needed to.
When she opened her eyes, Michael was looking at her. She found her voice again. “Thanks for your help. There are a few bedrooms upstairs. We need to put him in one.”
“We could put him in mine,” Michael offered. “With what I’ve learned so far, and what I think I’m about to learn, I probably won’t be sleeping again today.”
Emily nodded her agreement.
Together, they picked her father up. His legs and arms flapped aimlessly as they hefted him across the dirt ground to the steps of the porch. As they climbed up, Dad tried to put his weight on his feet, but to no avail.
Emily wondered if what had happened to Dad was permanent. She hadn’t gotten him back from the hex to lose him to yet another. She couldn’t bear to think of taking care of him for the rest of his life, just like she had taken care of him when he was cursed.
She used her free hand to open the door, and they dragged Mr. Davies through it. When they got inside the house, Michael hefted the injured man onto his shoulders, to Emily’s mild surprise.
Michael managed to bang John’s head twice against the banister before he got his coordination. When he did
