''You know how they came up with the word Lunatic?'' he asked.
I shook my head, feeling like I probably didn't want to know the answer. His lips pulled up on one side in a mischievous, lopsided grin.
He stepped closer. ''Because all of the worst m...
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And get drunk, I did.
Tilly didn't seem to question me when I begged her for drinks. Enigma was slow that night. It was a long weekend and a lot of regulars must have been traveling. Tilly wasn't busy but she sensed that I wanted to be left alone so she kept her distance except to get me drinks.
I was grateful for the time to process. Everything around me seemed different now and I had no idea what to do next.
All I could do was keep thinking about Tucker's hands on that man's neck.
He called me a Daemon, but after what I'd seen, he seemed to be the monster. He turned into a giant dog, for God's sake! And so did his brothers. My eyes widened as I realized that Ben must have been the same kind of monster.
I finished another drink. 50% of the friends that I'd made in West Acres had turned out to be a werewolf.
Great.
Tilly poured me another drink. My hands were starting to shake less and my vision began to blur. Drinking had never been my vice of choice, but it was much better than the alternative of having nothing to numb my thoughts.
"Lou," a gentle voice said, "are you kidding me?"
It was hard to make out who the voice belonged to in my drunken state. I felt a strong arm around my shoulders and I resisted against it as much as I could. There wasn't much of a fight as the arm lifted me off of the barstool. The calm voice said something to Tilly and walked me out of the club.
The alarms in my brain started ringing and I pushed myself away from the person holding me up.
Ben's concerned eyes looked back at me. My hands began to shake again. He lied to me. He was a monster and he didn't even bother telling me.
"Get away from me," I demanded, proud of how my voice didn't shake.
"Lou, I'm trying to help you out. Tilly called me. She was worried about you. C'mon, I'm gonna take you home."
He reached for me again but I swatted his hand away.
"You're a monster. I'm not going anywhere with you."
Ben's face transitioned from hurt to surprise.
"So, you talked to Tucker then?"
"You're all murderers," my voice said quietly.
Ben was appalled.
"We are not murderers! We've never killed anyone," his voice was earnest. I almost wanted to believe him.
"Maybe you haven't."
I watched as realization dawned on the soft sepia skin of his face. In the moonlight of the parking lot, his eyes seemed darker. His lips parted as he took in my expression. He must have guessed at what I had seen and closed his eyes for a moment.
