Free Imminence by Jennifer Loiske

know what to say. I knew what I ought to have asked, but I was afraid to. Gunward had returned to my life too soon. I had not readied myself for this. I was stuck between two worlds and I didn’t know which one I belonged to, or wanted to belong in. At this moment my main concern was the safety of my family and my fear of how Clarissa would handle the truth. I also feared Clarissa was already unwittingly so entangled with Adam that there would be no way to separate them. The look Adam had given Clarissa before going off into the darkness had been brimming with lust and predatory eagerness and I would have to tell Clarissa the truth. I could only hope she would view it with an open mind and that her feelings towards me would remain unchanged.
    Gunward was the first to get up. He, too, knew he would eventually have to tell me everything, but now was not the right time. Gunward bent to kiss my forehead and pressed his hand onto my cheek. I permitted myself to feel his love for a moment and then he withdrew.
    “Fia, I have to go.” And he, too, vanished into the night.

CHAPTER 10
     
     
    Clarissa sat on the couch, buried in a nest of big, fluffy cushions. The room was lit by only a few candles on the table, reminders of the cozy and peaceful evening our family had enjoyed earlier. David had lit the candles on the tables in the living room, and we had cooked together. Marie had set the table as if we’d been expecting guests, and Clarissa had concocted a lovely salad. Now, both David and Marie were sleeping in their rooms, blissfully unaware of the uninvited guests who had forced their way into Clarissa’s bedroom. Clarissa stared accusingly at me, her eyes demanding an explanation. I seated myself in an armchair opposite the couch and sighed.
    “I don’t know where to start,” I said quietly.
    “How about you ask me questions and I answer them as best I can. All right?”
    Clarissa stared sternly at me and snapped, sounding miserable, “I don’t know what to ask!”
    She got up and started pacing to and fro. At times she stopped and began to talk, but broke off in frustration and resumed her pacing. I was afraid. Clarissa was no small child who might be comforted with bedtime stories, and I could see there were about a million questions she wanted to ask. Finally she stopped in front of me and pointed an accusing finger at me.
    “Are you saying you can explain why a big bunch of dangerous-looking men intruded in my bedroom in the middle of the night? Can you tell me who they are? Who is Adam? What is the change from wolf to man, and can it be real? Mother! This is too much! Really too much! Say something or I’ll wake Dad up! Right now!” Clarissa stared resolutely into my eyes and I saw how close to tears she was.
    We both knew Clarissa would by no means wake David up. She loved her father and wanted to sort this matter out without letting David find out anything that might hurt him. At the very least, Gunward’s presence here and the fact that I knew him well required an explanation and even though Clarissa herself didn’t know it yet, I knew she would belong to Adam from this moment on if he decided he wanted her. Clarissa couldn’t know Adam had lived most of his life as a wolf. For her, Adam was something different, fascinating and exciting. Danger fascinated her and I knew that boys her own age would seem all too dull and ordinary to her now that she had met Adam. How could any other boy match Adam? Not even the other young shape shifters were as tantalizingly dangerous as he was. Everything about him screamed danger. He was a rebel, a handsome man, and yet very vulnerable. I didn’t know how long he’d spent in a human body and how much experience he had of human girls, but at least for now he was fascinated by Clarissa and that truly scared me.
    “Clarissa,” I began with caution. “This is as real as you think. Strange and dangerous things do happen in reality and they aren’t always nice