GODS AND MONSTERS ↝ P. LAHOTE

[28]

"Lark!" Marcus's voice rang from the bottom of the stairs as Lark hurried down the steps, taking them two at a time. "Alicia's here!"

Behind where Lark's father stood in the doorway, the front door to the Hudson house sat ajar, where Alicia stood on the porch, taking a step inside as soon as she caught a glimpse of her friend. She shut the door behind her as Lark reached the bottom of the stairs, and Marcus's gaze moved to the two girls now standing in front of him.

"Alicia, are you hungry?" he offered. "We were just about to put a pizza in the oven for lunch."

"Oh, I'm good, thank you, though," she assured him. "My mom made lunch right before I came over."

"Well, while I have you both here," he said, "I'm doing some research for my next book, and wondered if you might be able to help me out with some of it."

Alicia's jaw dropped in excitement, looking back and forth between Lark and Marcus to gauge whether or not the man was joking, though he didn't seem to be. "You want me to help with it?"

Lark smiled at the exchange between Alicia and Marcus. For as long as she'd known the Swan girl, Alicia had been a huge fan of Marcus's books, even going as far as to bring a copy of his last book to sign when they came to help the Hudsons move into their new home. While Lark had practically spent her entire life helping her father research for his novels, she knew what a big deal it was for Alicia to have the opportunity to do so. If there was any chance she could gain any insight into what he was working on next, in addition to the hint he'd given them months ago that it was about werewolves, Lark knew there was no way Alicia could ever pass it up.

"Sure," he assured her. "I can also get your opinion as a reader, which will help me out greatly." As Marcus spoke, he pulled a small notepad and pen from the table next to them, beginning to jot down a couple notes. "Now, Alicia, you've grown up spending time at the reservation, yes?"

"I have," she confirmed with a nod.

"And I trust you know the old legends that the Quileutes are supposedly descended from wolves?" he asked then.

"I do,"

"Now, this next book of mine centers around werewolves, similar to those told in some of the old legends." he explained. "Admittedly, there isn't much available to outsiders in the Quileute legends specifically about this topic, just folklore that's mixed with various other tribes over the years, so I'm still working on which stories of lycanthropes I'd like to study.

"And that's where you two come in," he continued. "From a reader's perspective, hypothetically speaking, what are some things you might read about if a human were to pursue a romantic relationship with a werewolf?"

Lark froze at her father's question, willing her facial expression not to give away the shock that came with the inquisition's weight. She shared a glance with Alicia, knowing there was no way in hell her father knew the truth about what Paul, Embry, and their brothers truly were, and that he was true to his word when he said it was purely hypothetical. 

Unless he'd begun to suspect, much like the way Lark had when she and Paul had first met.

"Hmm," Alicia thought, "Well, hypothetically speaking, of course," she continued. "If the werewolf in question had a pack, I would expect them to be quite close with the others, though if this was a lone wolf we're talking about, I would expect them to be more on their own. That, of course, could affect how the human would perceive the werewolf, whether as an extrovert or an introvert."

"That's a good point," Marcus said appreciatively, scribbling down in his notepad.

"I'd think they might have a much larger appetite as well." Lark said nonchalantly. "Since werewolves are much larger creatures, they might need more. So when out on a date, they might order more food than the human. Hypothetically, of course." she added.

Marcus nodded, continuing to jot the notes down as the girls gave him ideas, ranging from the more territorial aspects of dating a werewolf all the way down to having to replace any laundry that might be ruined when shifting. Lark couldn't help but smile as they did so, knowing that her father perceived the answers as purely hypothetical, when in reality she knew that both she and Alicia were speaking from personal experience. Marcus Hudson had no idea just how accurate the supernatural lore behind his next novel was, and if Lark and her friends had it their way, he'd hopefully never find out.

"Thank you for your help, both of you." Marcus said gratefully as soon as he was satisfied with their answers, claiming he had enough material to continue his work in progress.

"Any time, Mr. Hudson," Alicia said. "I'm always happy to help."

As Marcus retreated back into the kitchen to check on the pizza cooking in the oven, Lark led Alicia back up the stairs to her bedroom, shutting the door behind them to keep their conversation from floating down the stairs to reach her father's ears.

"Sorry about that," she apologized quickly. "Of all the questions to ask for book research, I didn't think it'd be that one."

"I mean hey," she said with a shrug and a chuckle, "at least he asked a question I knew the answers to."

Alicia jumped slightly as her cellphone began ringing in her back pocket, and she checked the caller ID before flipping it open.

"It's Ana," she murmured to Lark, holding the phone up to her ear. "Hello?" Lark could hear a faint buzz of conversation on the other end of the line, though without the supernatural hearing abilities of their friends, she couldn't make anything out. "She is? How is she? Any word on when we can see her yet?" Alicia paused as Anastasia answered her questions before nodding slowly. "Okay. Call me later tonight and let me know how things are going. Bye."

Alicia flipped the phone shut, shoving it into her back pocket as she looked back up at Lark.

"Bella's awake."