Free Blood Rule (Book 4, Dirty Blood series) by Heather Hildenbrand Page B

“Beautiful as always,
babe.”
    Cambria beamed. “Thank you.” She
rewarded him with a quick kiss. Over the top of Cambria’s head,
Derek shot Wes a wide-eyed look. I pressed my lips together as she
led him away toward the kitchen.
    “ You ready to go?” Wes
asked, kissing my cheek.
    “ Can we stop by the
hospital first?” I asked.
    “ Do we have
time?”
    I glanced at the clock as I slid into
my shoes. “We should. Grandma isn’t expecting us until
five.”
    My mother appeared as I opened the
door. “Tara, I’ve gotten all the—oh, hello, Wes.”
    “ Hi, Mrs.
Godfrey.”
    “ Where are you two going?”
she asked.
    “ We’re going to run by the
hospital before it’s time to head to Grandma’s,” I said.
    “ I’m going to finish
repotting those azaleas. Then I’ll get ready and head
over.”
    “ I take it we’re out of
oven cleaner.” As soon as the words were out, I regretted
them.
    My mother’s face turned bright red
from her chin to the tips of her ears. Bad choice of words. “We
are,” she said through tight lips.
    “ We’ll see you there,” I
said and hurried out the door.
    My mother said something I couldn’t
hear. I walked faster toward the Aston Martin.
    “ I take it she’s still mad
about school,” Wes said when we were in the car.
    “ You’d think she’d be used
to it by now. Apparently expulsion is my new MO.”
    He didn’t smile at my joke as he
started the car and shifted into gear. I’d expected at least some
version of relief. When my mother had forced me to go, Wes had been
the least excited about me being that far from home. “Did you read
the separation packet? What reason did it give?”
    I shrugged. “Officially? The fact that
I’m a Werewolf means I’m no longer eligible.”
    “ But they already knew you
were half-Werewolf when they let you in.”
    “ I think it’s the fact
that I can actually shift into one that tips the
scales.”
    “ They shouldn’t be allowed
to change their minds like that.”
    I agreed. After living among Hunters
and realizing how prejudiced they were as a whole, I was surprised
they’d let me enroll in the first place. “I think … Is it possible
they were influenced by CHAS? I mean, I’m being investigated. They
probably don’t want to be associated with me, whatever the outcome
is, right?”
    “ Possibly. I know with the
Lexingtons gone, they’ve had to replace two of the council members.
I didn’t pay much attention to who, but they’re probably in
Steppe’s pocket. Most of the politician-types are.”
    “ That’s what I
figured.”
    “ Fee stays up on all that
stuff. We can ask her about it tonight at Edie’s.”
    “ Fee’s going?”
    He nodded. “And Jack and Derek and
Cord. The Cause plus you and your mom were mandatory invites from
what I hear.”
    “ I didn’t know. So,
Cambria will probably go too then. Great, everyone can see her
hair.”
    He gave me a look. “How was my
reaction to that, by the way?”
    I laughed. “You did great.”
    “ Those colors seemed a
little extreme, even for her.”
    “ I thought the same thing.
She’s being really hush-hush about that visit with her mom. Did
Cord or Derek say anything to you about how it went?”
    “ No, not
really.”
    I sighed. “She’s holding back. I think
the hair might be her way of distracting.”
    “ Distracting who? Her or
us?”
    “ Yes.”
    He chuckled.
    Wes took the exit for the hospital,
maneuvering through afternoon city traffic. It was nothing compared
to rush hour in the capital, but it still took another thirty
minutes to navigate the few miles left.
    “ Will you go back to
public school in the fall?” he asked.
    “ I hadn’t really thought
that far ahead,” I said.
    He frowned. “I’m sure Edie
has.”
    “ What do you
mean?”
    “ There are other schools
for Hunters.”
    “ You think they’ll send me
away again?”
    “ Have you met
Edie?”
    I scowled. “She wouldn’t. Not now,
with everything happening with