Chapter 197

Chapter 197: Chapter 197

Heather

"No. Not at all. We’ve talked quite a bit to Mr. Langdon, and we understand what’s going on with Ms. Alvarez."

Okay. Then, what was I doing here? "So, what do you want from me?"

"Basically, we’d like to have you as a point of contact."

A point of contact? "But I’m just a kid. I’m sure Mr. Langdon or one of the other Alphas would love to be your point of contact."

"I’ve given my information to others, but I’d really like to form a relationship with you. You’re eighteen. That’s an adult in this country. You’re part-witch. And, although Mr. Langdon mentioned that you only very recently had contact with any other witches, you managed to save some from Ms. Alvarez. That tells me that I can trust you to do the right thing, even when it’s hard."

I wasn’t sure that was true, but I wasn’t about to contradict him.

"You’re also part-human from your father’s side, which means you can understand what the general public is going through right now. Because you were bitten, you—of all the werewolves in this world—have a unique perspective on the supernatural world."

When he put it that way... "I guess that’s all pretty accurate."

"Good. We wanted to interview you so we can get to know each other. As with any relationship, there needs to be a level of trust. We want you to trust us—to feel okay coming to us—when problems like those with Ms. Alvarez come up.

In the interest of starting on good terms, we’re going to pretend that your pack didn’t break all kinds of laws while covering up a major crime, but next time, we won’t.

So, let’s not have that happen again. If something comes up, we’d appreciate a call." He made it sound nice, but his voice had a distinct ’or else’ tone to it. He pulled out a business card and scribbled on the back. "That’s my cell number. If something happens—especially when non-supernatural people are around—I want a call. No more burning houses to the ground."

I swallowed. They had a big point. We should have been in big trouble. Not that that had been my idea, but I wasn’t about to stick it on Dad. Not to the FBI. "Got it. No more covering up crime scenes." Shit. Did I just admit to something bad? "Not that I was a part of anything like that."

Agent Morgan grinned. "We’re aware."

My hands were sweating as she stared me down. "Can I ask you another question?"

"Sure."

"Which one of you is Mulder and which is Skully? Because you both seem very Mulder-ish with your blind belief in all of this stuff. It took me a while to come to terms with it, and I was a Were. I couldn’t ignore it for long when people were shifting in front of me—when my own body wanted to shift. I had to adjust and quickly."

Agent Morgan’s smile broadened, and this time I thought it might be genuine. "Just as you said. No one gets to be skeptical when there’s proof in front of you."

"Right." I guess that was true, but I’d had issues with it for weeks when I first got to St. Ailbe’s. It took me a while to finally give in and let myself shift forms.

"And if we ever have any questions, we want you to be available to us," Morgan said.

I swallowed. That didn’t sound too terrible, but I had a feeling it was going to be more complicated than that. "Okay." Wait a second. "Don’t you need my number?"

Agent Ramirez grinned and it wasn’t the nice one that Morgan had given me a second ago. The twinkle in his eye gave him an air of mischief. "We’re the FBI, Miss Jones."

That was totally creepy.

I took that as my cue to leave, and slid away from the table while the agents leaned in to talk to each other. Dad and Brent approached me as I closed the door.

"Well," Dad said. "Is everything okay?"

"I think so."

"What did they want?" Dad asked.

I held up the business card. "Apparently they wanted a contact. And they wanted to make sure I had their info in case something comes up. Some people—" I coughed to muffle FBI. "—frown on the whole let’s-burn-everything-down-before-the-cops-get-here attitude."

Dad shrugged. "Seemed like a good idea at the time."

I snorted. "I still can’t believe you showed up with gasoline. It’s like I don’t even know you."

"You know me as your dad. There’s a whole other side."

I raised my eyebrows. "Really? Does Mom know about this side of you?"

"You’d be surprised what your mother knows."

Gross. "You’re blowing my mind, Dad. I’m totally telling West."

"Well, there’s no need for that."

I laughed. "There’s definitely a need." Brent had been awfully quiet. Was everything okay out here?

Yes. We sorted some stuff out, but it’s okay now.

My cheeks heated and I started for the exit. "Now that all this excitement is over, I’m going back to bed. I only got—" I grabbed Dad’s wrist and checked the time. "—three hours of sleep. I can’t function on that."

"I thought you might want to go to the lab. Work on the potions."

I rubbed my eyes. "I probably should." He had a point. I was already awake. A couple cans of Diet Coke would probably fix me up. At least for a little while. "Okay. I just need to get out of this blouse—" I didn’t want to spill something on it. It was the nicest one I owned. "—and then we’ll head to the labs."

"I’m going to check on the agents," Dad said. "I’ll come see you before I go." He pulled me in for a hug. I ignored the pain in my side and let myself hang onto him for a second before pulling away.

"See you later," I said.

"Yeah." He seemed sad as I walked out the door.

"Are you sure something didn’t happen while I was in the room?" I asked.

"He realized his daughter was grown up." Brent looked over his shoulder. "I think it must be a hard thing."

I glanced back and Dad was still there in the doorway, watching us. I waved, and he held up his hand in answer.

Funny. I didn’t feel grown up. But Brent was right. Things had changed. Starting the second he bit me.

I was never going to be able to go back home. I’d just realized that sooner than Dad.