“I never knew my mom. She died after I was born too,” Sabrina said in a soft voice.
“Really?” Silke blinked and then flashed her a sad smile. “We have more in common than I thought.”
“So, Ransom’s your step-brother?”
“I thought that would be obvious, seeing as I’m fully human.”
Sabrina looked at her with confusion. “I don’t know what that means.”
Silke looked up to Cross. “What’s going on? Does she not know about Lycans?”
“It’s a long story,” he said with a sigh. “I’m sorry, Silke, for not telling you myself. I wasn’t sure if you wanted to get involved in all this.”
“After what you did for Ransom? Of course I want to help out.” She planted her hands on her hips. “All right, I’m sure you have your reasons, but you should tell her …” She shook her head. “I’m sorry, Sabrina, I don’t mean to talk about you like you weren’t here, but …” She let out a sigh. “I have to go, but I’ll come and check back on you occasionally, okay?” With a wave goodbye, she left the cabin.
“So, they’re … interesting,” Sabrina said.
“Yeah.” Cross sat back down across from her. “Listen, I know you have a lot of questions, still. And I promised you I would answer them if you came with me, so go ahead.”
“I don’t know where to begin.” So far, the only thing she knew was that they knew each other before the accident, but she’d forgotten about him. How could she forget all these things? “Silke said she was fully human. That means you and Ransom aren’t? Can he turn into a wolf too and do magic?”
A pulse ticked in his jaw. “Ransom can turn into a wolf, yes. He’s a full Lycan, which mean both his parents were Lycan, and he can shift back and forth from human to wolf form. And no, it doesn’t have anything to do with the moon, except for one exception. Silke’s mother was a human, so that’s why she can’t shift. Usually, only two Lycans can produce a Lycan pup, but there are some exceptions.” He paused. “I’m part Lycan, but also part warlock. My mom’s a Lycan but my dad’s a warlock, and so I’m what’s called a hybrid, which is why I can do both.”
A dead silence filled the air. “It’s a lot to process. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes …” A throbbing ache began in her forehead, but she ignored it. Instead, she took another sip of coffee. “And those men who came into my apartment last night?”
He swallowed audibly. “Those men are entirely different. They’re called mages, and they are my kind’s sworn enemy. They want to destroy us.”
“But, I’m not one of you … why did they come after me?”
“They want …” He paused. “They want to do something bad with you.”
She gasped. “With me?” A cold chill ran through her. “What?”
“I don’t know. But trust me, Sabrina.” Reaching out, he took her hand in his. “I won’t let them get to you.”
Could she believe him? She looked him straight in the eyes. He didn’t avoid her gaze nor did she feel uncomfortable. She desperately wanted to believe him. But there were so many missing pieces. “My dad,” she said suddenly remembering him. “Oh, my God, he’s going to worry. I need to talk to him.”
“You’ll put him in even bigger danger,” he said. “If the mages find out he knows where you are, they might go after him. Better to keep him in the dark.”
“But—”
“Think about it, Sabrina, you know I’m right. If your dad thought you were missing, he’d call the police. They’d do a search of your home and put out an APB. Your father would probably hire private detectives. When the mages who tried to kidnap you see that, then they’ll know he has no idea of where you are either and will stay away from him.”
Darn it, he was right. “Okay, fine. We won’t tell him, but I’ll have to let him know I’m okay.”
His mouth thinned into a grim line. “Once the threat has passed, you can tell him yourself.”
“And how long will that be?” She stood up. “And what exactly am I supposed to do? Twiddle my thumbs?”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t think.” He scratched his head. “I’ll get you some stuff, okay? I’ll be right back.”
“Be right—hey!” He disappeared into thin air before she could ask anything else. She massaged her temples. Oh Lord, hopefully this headache would go away.
A sharp knock made her start. “Come in,” she called.
The door swung open, and Silke strode back inside. “Hey, Sabrina, I hope you don’t mind, but I figured you might not have any clothes with you. Or anything to entertain you while you’re camping out here, so I brought you a few things.” She held up a bag. “Cross should be able to scrounge you up some stuff too, but I see he’s gone again.”
“Oh, thank you.” There were a few things inside, including some sweatpants, a hoodie, and some paperback books. “You’re too kind.”
“Not at all,” she said. “I’ve … I’ve been where you were, you know.”
“Y-y-you have?”
She nodded. “And, well, I know what it’s like, wanting to escape a situation and feeling like you don’t have anyone. I’m just glad I had Ransom to bail me out and …” Her voice drifted off. “Anyway, if there’s anything I can do—”
“You’ve done a lot already, letting me stay here.”
“We owe Cross, so I’m happy to return the favor.” She sat down opposite Sabrina. “He found Ransom half-dead and brought him back here to us a year ago. You know, I don’t really know much about him. He came back every couple of days to make sure Ransom was recovering, but we haven’t seen him since.”
“So, he hasn’t been back at all?”
“No, why
