Free Long Shadows: The Lycanthropy Files, Book 2 by Cecilia Dominic

to stop coming through the vent and for the house to settle.
     
     
    At some point I must have fallen asleep because I woke to faint light, the first hints of sunrise, coming through the blinds. I rubbed my cheek, where I was sure someone caressed it as I traveled through the borderlands between wake and sleep. The crick in my neck told me I’d slept with my head cocked, one ear toward the bathroom for Joanie’s and Leo’s arguing voices.
    Whatever my purpose for coming here, I didn’t mean to drive a wedge between them. I was happy she’d found love with someone, and I knew things would settle down for her once she adjusted to her new life and finished mourning her grandfather and their missed opportunities. I massaged my shoulder and gathered up the things Joanie had kept for me in the overnight bag I’d grabbed from Giancarlo’s place.
    My cell phone had been charging overnight, and I was surprised to see a missed call and voicemail when I turned it back on. The area code was unfamiliar, but the voice that left the message wasn’t, nor was its syrupy sweet Southern accent.
    “Lonna, sweetie, it’s Gladis Ann. Give me a call on this number when you get this. It’s about your Aunt Alicia.”
    The time on the phone said 7:15 a.m., which meant it would be 8:15 in Georgia, and Gladis Ann would be up.
    Did talking about Aunt Alicia to the seagull scare up this situation? I couldn’t help but wonder. I knew it wasn’t true, of course—that there couldn’t be any connection between the old memories bubbling to the surface and hearing from Gladis Ann. Still, I hesitated before I called. Aunt Alicia had been my one connection to my past, whether I wanted it or not. Sure, most of my memories associated with her and the time around my parents’ death were negative; she certainly hadn’t given me the warm fuzzies, but I’d always hoped we would eventually grow closer. With a resigned sigh, I called Gladis Ann back.
    “Lonna, honey, how are you?” she asked without even saying hello. I imagined her sitting in the nursing home cafeteria in her scrubs, her lovely dark eyes shadowed by a long night, but her smile ready for anyone who needed it.
    “I’m well, Gladis Ann. How are you?”
    “Well, honey, I’ve been better, but this isn’t about me. Your aunt’s heart disease has taken a sudden turn for the worse, and she’s just barely hanging on. She’s asking for you.”

Chapter Seven
    A chill shimmied up my spine, and the resulting shudder landed me ass-first on the bed. “How long does she have?”
    “The doctors don’t know. They’re saying to notify her next of kin. Well, honey, that’s you. She says she’ll hold on for you to come.”
    I’d fisted my left hand like I could hold on to my aunt and all she represented—all that was left of my family—through sheer force of will. “Tell her I’ll be there as soon as I can. If I leave now, I can be there by this evening.”
    “Just be careful. You won’t be doing anyone any good if you get into a car accident.”
    I promised her I’d be careful and hung up. I barely noticed my surroundings as I tiptoed down the hall and the stairs, intending to sneak out without waking anyone. The red light on the alarm panel beside the side door stopped me.
    Of course they’d have an alarm.
    A noise startled me, and the smell of coffee alerted me to the fact that I wasn’t the only one up.
    Ghosts don’t make coffee, do they? I walked into the kitchen through the living room. The couch was made up with a rumpled pillow, sheets, and blankets like someone had slept there.
    Leo sat at the table looking a bleary-eyed, disheveled mess. His dark curls stood straight out from his head like he’d been running his hands through them, and my overnight bag was nothing compared to the luggage he sported under his eyes. By my calculations, he’d likely not slept more than three or four hours.
    “Well, good morning to you,” he growled, then shook his head. “Don’t