Free Hot Blooded (Wolf Springs Chronicles #2) by Nancy Holder Page A

forest; then he warned her not to go into the forest by herself; but then he got her a car so she could drive through there alone. His solution to the whole mess seemed to be to teach her how to shoot.
    She clenched her teeth. She was done with holding her breath in case she did or said the wrong thing.
    “Screw this,” she said aloud.
    She walked down the hall and went into Cordelia’s bedroom. It was very pretty, decorated in green and lavender. On the other side of the room, a sliding door led to one of the courtyards dominated by a tree; and from there, to the forest. Her walls were lined with cheerleading trophies and photographs. It all looked so normal.
    Katelyn stood in the dim light. Her bravado was fading, and she figured she’d get in trouble if she was found there. But she needed answers.
    Cordelia’s bed was unmade. Her school textbooks sat in the center of the bed — she clearly studied the way Katelyn did, in bed, probably with earbuds in, too. The countdown to the full moon had been murder, but Cordelia had reminded her that even if her life changed that drastically, she would still have a life. That what she did day-by-day would still matter. That included high school and homework.
    Katelyn quickly poked through Cordelia’s pile of books. The first thing she wanted to locate was the book Cordelia had initially lied about having — a book by a man named Theodore Switliski. Mr. Henderson had asked her about it, too. And now he was missing.
    No luck; she crossed to the desk and examined the spines of a few more books piled there. Nothing.
    Then she heard Jesse’s voice in the hall. “I pet LaRue softly, softly,” he said. “Don’t want to break his neck.”
    There was a beat. Then Lucy replied, “No, that’s one neck you do not want to break, sugar. But there are others,” she muttered.
    Katelyn panicked. It sounded as if they were headed toward Cordelia’s room. Well, what of it? Could anyone blame her for going into the room of her absent best friend?
    Yes, they would blame her.
    “I left my Halloween candy in Cor . . . in her room,” Jesse said. “She gave me sour apple gum. And candy. I didn’t get to trick or treat.”
    Katelyn looked around the room. Sure enough, she saw a plastic jack-o-lantern brimming with wrapped chocolate bars and lollipops.
    “Sugar, we’re not supposed to go in that room,” Lucy said.
    “ Please ,” he begged.
    Something slammed against the door, not too hard, but hard enough to make her jerk. Grimacing, she darted to the sliding glass door to let herself out. It was locked. But she was stronger than she used to be, right? Should she try to force it?
    “Okay, Jesse. Please, honey, stay calm. You know your Uncle Lee doesn’t like you to get too upset.”
    “I want my sour apple!” he whined.
    The closet. Katelyn darted back across the room, opened the door, and popped inside. There was a skylight overhead, bathing her in sunshine like a spotlight and she cringed, feeling vulnerable. Standing on top of a row of shoes, she also felt monumentally stupid. People who were werewolves had enhanced senses, including the sense of smell, and Lucy might realize she was inside the room. But she figured her scent was already present since she’d been in Cordelia’s room before.
    The bedroom door creaked open and she pulled back into a wall of hanging clothing, then tried to breathe as quietly as possible.
    “There it is,” Lucy said. Katelyn heard her footfalls go past the closet door. “Happy now?” They crossed back.
    “I didn’t go trick or treating,” Jesse said. “A man came to our house. He and Uncle Lee were yelling.”
    “Yes, well, they made up,” Lucy said. “And look at all the candy you have. Oh, here’s the gum.”
    Katelyn heard the rustling of paper. Jesse must be unwrapping a stick of sour apple. “Is she dead?”
    “I’m sure she’s just fine. It’s nothing for you to worry about. I don’t want you to worry about anything, Jesse