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him. “Hungry? How can I be hungry after all of that?”
    Hank shrugged. “You gotta eat.”
    Gwen ’s laugh was an earthy whisper that made Crystal think of the wind blowing through a field. “He’s right, you need to eat. To fight the…infection.”
    “ Infection?” Crystal asked. “Is that what this is? Why can’t I get some antibiotics? My mom—”
    “ Your mother can’t help you,” Guntar said again. “You’ve been bitten by a beast with a bloodline that is so old, it comes from a time before time was recorded.”
    “ A time before time? What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
    “ School girl,” Ember snapped, drawing her attention.
    Crystal ’s head whipped around to look at the smirking redhead. She opened her mouth and then closed it when Ember unbuttoned her vest and let it slide down her shoulders. Crystal’s widening eyes were drawn to her bare chest even as Ember released the hidden clasp on her skirt and let it flutter to the ground. Before she fell forward, Crystal noted she wore the same undergarments below the belt as above them—none.
    Her shock reached a new level when Ember landed on her hands and…feet? Furry feet. With claws. Where she ’d fallen stood a sleek and dangerous-looking charcoal and dark red wolf with her lip curled up to bare her teeth. It bore a striking resemblance to Ember’s smirk.
    “ Oh hell,” Guntar growled. “Damn it, Ember!”
    Crystal stumbled back and fell into Hank. She looked up at him, her lips parted, and saw the unnatural bright blue color of his eyes. “Calm down,” he said.
    Crystal screamed.
     
     

 
    Chapter 8
     
    Crystal sat on the small couch in Hank ’s trailer with her arms crossed tight against her belly. They’d tricked her. Drugged her with something, maybe. There was no way she’d seen what she’d seen. It wasn’t possible. There was no way that Ember could turn into a wolf and then run off into the woods.
    The door opened and Gwen stepped in with a plate of steaming meat on it. She smiled at Crystal and stepped in to offer her the plate. “You need to eat, sweetie,” Gwen said.
    Crystal shook her head even as her stomach rumbled. She could smell the roasted meat and it looked really juicy, even if she was screaming at herself to not touch anything these people gave her. Her hands trembled as she reached out and accepted it.
    “Hank, how about you give us some time to talk?” Gwen asked the big man.
    Hank looked at Crystal, one bold eyebrow raised to seek her approval. Crystal heard her breath whistle in her throat. Was she whimpering? She glanced around the small trailer and nodded. It was almost too small for the three of them to be in anyhow. Unless Gwen sat down next to he r.
    Hank climbed to his feet and offered her a smile before he disappeared out the door.
    Gwen took his seat and waited. Crystal put the plate on the cushion beside her and stared back. “What?” she asked the older woman.
    “ You should eat,” Gwen said. “I seasoned yours with some herbs that will help.”
    “ Help? Help what? Screw my head up and make me see more crazy stuff going on?”
    Gwen shook her head. “Crystal, Ember’s inappropriate behavior showed you what we are. Why would we drug you?”
    “ What you are?” Crystal asked. She swallowed, unwilling to accept that they could all do that. Her eyes dropped to Gwen’s vest and skirt. They were similar enough to Ember’s that she could do the same thing. She could rip them off and pounce on her before Crystal could get off the couch. “Oh God!”
    “ We’re not as bad as you think,” Gwen said. “Even Ember. And by the way, she said she’s sorry for scaring you like that.”
    “ She—she did?”
    Gwen opened her mouth and hesitated. She sighed. “No, she didn’t. She wouldn’t dream of doing that. But we’re working on her.”
    Crystal bit her lip to keep herself from crying again. She glanced around, hoping for some escape. The trailer was clean enough, but it was