the prospect. Most of us groaned. “You know it’s going to be wild!”
“You’ve got to be kidding.”
“Oh, come on! It’s a classic.”
Kimberly shook her head, smoothing dyed blond locks out of her face. “I don’t know. Seeing Tim Curry running around in fishnets and heels is a little too disturbing for my tastes.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean,” Sean said, making a face.
“Reminds me a little too much of a vamp. Wonder if he is one?”
Speculation quieted the rest of us for a minute, as we thought over the possibilities.
“I heard you got bound by a vamp.” Paula turned to me suddenly, cutting the easy conversation to bits. Her tone was icy, oddly so considering how nice she’d been earlier. “The news said you signed papers, that you were a willing thrall. That true?”
I was shocked by the directness and malice behind the question. Chaz’s anger was enough to make her turn her brown eyes away from mine, putting up her hands in surrender.
“That’s enough, Paula. If she wants to talk about it, she will.”
She hissed out, venom thick in her voice, even as she shrank back in her chair. “I think we have a right to know if our pack leader brought a leech’s pet to the table.”
A low, collective gasp escaped a few throats, including mine. The looks I was getting from the others now were nothing short of horrified. The only ones who didn’t react were Dillon and Simon; they seemed more surprised at Paula’s hostility than by her announcement, and I’m sure that was only because they already knew I’d been bound.
Chaz inched up to standing, towering over the smaller woman. Slowly, deliberately, he reached out until he had her sweatshirt balled up in his fist, dragging her closer so he could growl right into her face. Her eyes went wide in surprise, but she didn’t fight his grip. “I said that’s enough. Don’t bring it up again.”
I rose a little shakily, not meeting the curious, furtive looks any of the others were giving me. “I’m going back to the cabin. I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”
“Shia, wait… .” Chaz’s disappointment was palpable, his grip loosening on Paula’s shirt enough that she gracelessly dropped back into her chair. Everyone’s eyes were on me, the mixture of unspoken disbelief and revulsion too much for me to deal with. I shook my head and hurried away from the table, taking my beer with me.
Once outside, I took a few deep breaths, trying not to give in to the sting of tears. The sun had almost set, leaving deep shadows between the trees.
After this afternoon, I hadn’t thought Paula would be so mean to me. We’d played pool, exchanged beauty secrets and workout tips. We’d talked about movies and music, nothing to do with the pack or my past. She hadn’t given any hint of the malice I’d seen in her eyes tonight. She’d been rather quiet over the beers until that moment, then she seized the turn of the conversation to make sure her words would cut to the bone.
It was common knowledge that Weres and vampires don’t get along. I had ties to both, but I tried not to think too much about having been bound to Royce and to Max by blood. I hadn’t willingly been their plaything, but based on Paula’s reaction, it was clear not everyone saw it that way.
While that part of my past was not exactly a secret, I had to wonder why it had come up now. I sipped at the drink in my hand, wishing I had something stronger, ignoring the chill that raced through me from more than the cold wind sighing through the trees. She had said she’d “heard” I’d been bound. The only people here who had any knowledge about the binding were Chaz, Simon, and Dillon. The group had separated for a couple hours after dinner. Had something happened after we split up? Had one of them told her? I couldn’t understand why they would, particularly now. Why not say something before this stupid trip started? Why wait until we were all stuck here with moonrise coming in another hour or two?
It didn’t make any sense. There might be others who had picked it up through the grapevine, or maybe just clung to the speculations reported in the news at the time. Was someone here trying to make life difficult for me by whispering in the ears of Chaz’s pack?