I received four identical nods of agreement. Everyone looked grim. That was good; it meant they’d be more likely to pay attention to what I was saying and avoid any further confrontations with the likes of Max and his crew.
Monroe moved up beside me. ‘You need to put me in charge.’ His gaze swept over our tiny group. When he spotted Julie, his body stiffened and he jabbed a finger at her. I pretended not to notice the way his skin was rippling or the patches of fur springing up across his cheekbones. ‘She has to leave. Now.’
Julie went pure white. She backed up behind Cath, as if a skinny teenage girl could protect her from Monroe’s sudden, vibrating fury.
‘Julie is staying,’ I said calmly. ‘This is my house and I’m calling the shots.’
Monroe glared. ‘Some smurf is not dictating what I do.’
‘Smurfs have blue skin, not blue hair. And this is a conversation for another day. We’ve wasted enough time already.’
His jaw tightened. He was going to say it. My stomach tightened. The bloody idiot was going to say it. ‘It’s either her or me,’ he growled.
I sighed. He’d said it. ‘If Julie wishes to stay, she may stay. If you wish to stay, you may stay. But,’ I added with a steely undertone, ‘we are not arguing about it. We don’t have time to argue about it.’
Monroe’s eyes glinted dangerously. ‘My pack is dead because of her.’
I hadn’t thought it was possible for Julie to look more alarmed than she already did but from the way her eyelids were fluttering, she was all but having heart palpitations. ‘Darling,’ she said faintly, still cowering behind Cath’s petite form, ‘that was nothing to do with me, I can assure you.’
It still seemed to me that she was telling the truth. I glanced at Jodie to double check. She shrugged. ‘I couldn’t say for sure either way,’ she said grudgingly. ‘But I don’t think she had anything to do with what happened to the wolves.’ I breathed out – until Jodie added, ‘But I’m with him. She shouldn’t be here. She’s far too dangerous.’
I pointed at Lizzy. ‘She’s a bunyip with no self-control.’ My finger moved to Monroe. ‘He’s a grief-stricken werewolf who could go insane at any moment.’ I nodded at Cath. ‘She’s a battered teenager with an unhealthy interest in supernatural creatures. And you, Jodie, are as mixed up in all of this crap as everyone else. Goodness only knows what your issues are. Yes, Julie might be a crazy vampire out for blood, but who amongst us hasn’t ever fucked up? Who amongst us is normal?’
Rather than calming the growing storm, every single pair of eyes was now glaring at me in accusation. ‘You can talk,’ muttered Cath. ‘Look at what you’ve done.’
I threw up my hands. ‘Exactly! Julie doesn’t have to go anywhere if she doesn’t want to.’
‘What if she tears out our jugulars while our backs are turned?’
I pretended not to notice the gleam of morbid fascination in Cath’s eyes and started again. ‘Lizzy’s a bunyip. He’s a werewolf. I’m an...’ I hesitated.
‘Enchantress,’ Jodie interjected helpfully while Monroe stiffened.
I shrugged. ‘Whatever. I think we can take on one bloodsucking drama queen if we need to.’
‘Please!’ Julie protested. ‘I’ll admit in recent days I’ve struggled and some of my choices have been unwise. But what’s done is done. Plus,’ she added emphatically, ‘I have never actually killed anyone.’ She sniffed at Monroe. ‘Can you say the same?’
He turned away. ‘This is ridiculous.’
‘Not as ridiculous as your wardrobe, darling. Anyone would think we were about to board a cruise ship with Tiger Woods.’
This was getting stupid. ‘Anyone who wants to leave can leave, but nobody is being forced out. Now, can we please focus on the fact that if we don’t sort out long-term supplies, we’re all going to be screwed? Cath and I got a lot of stuff last night but that won’t last long, not now we know what else is happening. We. Have. To. Move.’
Monroe heaved a long, melodramatic sigh. ‘Fine. I’m still in charge, though.’
‘If it’s that important to you, you can be our great leader,’ I agreed. ‘Just shut the fuck up for now while I explain how we can make this work properly.’
He folded his arms but thankfully he refrained from saying anything else.
Finally. ‘Much appreciated,’ I said. ‘Now, here’s the plan.’
Chapter Fourteen
If circumstances had been different, I’d have divided us up in a different way. I worried about sending Jodie and Lizzy out with Julie, and I wasn’t happy leaving Cath on her own at home. However, Monroe had been huddled as a wolf in the corner of one of the spare bedrooms less than an hour ago and his ongoing grief made him unpredictable, so it made sense to keep him with me. Cath’s vulnerability – and her recent past with Max that she still wouldn’t talk about – meant it was safer for her to stay put, despite her protests to the contrary. And I couldn’t leave anyone alone with Julie. At least Jodie and Lizzy together would have a better chance if the vampire turned rogue.
Even so, I felt nervous when
