Master of Smoke

guys that followed us the other day. We’re afraid they’re going to come after you, too. I’m worried about you.”
    “Dammit, I told you,” Bill said to Charlotte. “I told you there was something wrong.” He shifted his glower to Eva. “Why in the hell haven’t you called the cops?”
    “What are they going to do, Dad?” Eva burst out in frustration. “These guys haven’t done anything yet. The cops will come out if they show up again, but by the time they get here, you could be hurt.” You could be eaten. The memory of her nightmare made her fists clench. She stuffed the emotion down, afraid it would make her shift in front of her parents.
    “Ronnie frickin’ Gordon isn’t going to run me out of town, Eva!” His hazel eyes blazed in offended rage.
    “It isn’t Ronnie, Dad. It’s somebody a hell of a lot more dangerous. Somebody who’ll kill you.” She rose and began to pace, restless and urgent as she tried to find the words to persuade them. “They’ll kill Mom.”
    A muscle flexed in Bill’s bearded jaw, and Eva winced, recognizing a very bad sign from years of daughterly experience. His narrow gaze flicked to David. “You’re some kind of criminal, aren’t you? A drug dealer, most likely. And now my daughter is in danger from the assholes you run with.”
    David’s wince was microscopic—he probably thought there was far too much truth to the accusation.
    Bill rose to his feet, the movement slow and deliberate. He didn’t shout. It would have been better if he had. “Get out of my house and stay away from my family.”
    “Dad, no! He’s not a criminal—it’s not that.” Eva stepped between them, frantic to defuse the situation. “It’s not drugs, or anything else illegal.”
    David rose, too, but there was no anger in his face. He just looked tired. “It’s too late for that. Even if I go, he’ll still come after you. He knows how much she means to me, and he wants revenge. And he’ll use you to get it.”
    “Then the last place my family needs to be is anywhere around you. I won’t tell you again.” Bill lowered his head with a growl that would have done a werewolf proud. “Get. Out.”
    David didn’t move. “I can protect your family, Mr. Roman. I’ll see to it that nothing happens to any of you. Just come with me. Please.”
    Bill stepped up to him until barely an inch separated them and glared up into his face, despite the fact that David was easily nine inches taller. “Get out or I’m putting you out.”
    Oh, God, he’s going to take a swing at David, Eva thought.
    “Bill,” Charlotte said, her voice shaking ever so slightly, “I think we should call the police.”
    Shit. Eva’s stomach coiled into a sick knot. “Daddy, I swear to you, he’s not a criminal. I wouldn’t bring a criminal into your house. You know that.”
    Bill looked at her, his lips tight with rage. She’d never seen her father look so furious. Or so betrayed. “You’ve been lying to us since this bastard walked into your life.” Registering her flinch, he ground his teeth. “You think we haven’t noticed?”
    There was only one thing she could do. “I’ve been lying to you for a lot longer than that.”
    David’s blue eyes widened. “Eva, don’t. I can ...”
    She ignored him and let her magic spill, fueled by fear, guilt, and raw, shaking dread. Fur flowed across her skin in an itching, tingling wave, and muscle and bone twisted, expanded, reshaped her body in painful jerks and pops.
    When it was over an eyeblink later, she was a werewolf.
    “What the fuck!” Bill leaped back and pushed Charlotte behind him with an automatic sweep of one arm. Eva’s mother sucked in a shocked breath, covering her mouth with one shaking hand. David rubbed one hand over his eyes, his broad shoulders slumping.
    “I’m not going to hurt you.” Eva burst into speech, frantic to fill the astonished, frightened silence. “I would never hurt you. I’ve been a werewolf for five years. I know I should have told you, but I was afraid of what you’d think. All that stuff about werewolves killing people is bull. Well, not everything, there are some werewolves who are nasty bastards, but I’m not a killer. Except for two guys, but they were werewolves and they were trying to kill us, and I didn’t have a—”
    “Eva, you’re babbling,” David interrupted with a sigh. “Let your parents process this.”
    Bill turned a stunned gaze on him. “Did you do this to her?”
    “No, Dad.