Free Finding Our Way (Werewolf Wars) by Bethany Shaw

my medicine so...”
    “You sick or something? You don’t look sick, but you take medicine. I was just wondering,” he rambled, shifting in his seat.
    “I’m not sick. It’s more preventative to keep me from getting ill.” It wasn’t a lie. He didn’t need to know that she would be taking drugs for the rest of her life, or that she was more susceptible to illnesses than others. People treated her differently when they found out. They either treated her like a piece of china or ran screaming for the hills. It was infuriating.
    Daniel shrugged, and she let out a breath glad he was leaving it be.
    “So do you guys get sick? Like humans?” Nora asked, curiously.
    “Yeah, we’re not as prone to things like the common cold and flu’s, but we can still get cancer and have heart disease.”
    “Guess no one is immune to those things.”
    “Unfortunately, no,” Daniel sighed.
    Daniel turned on the car’s blinker and followed the Jeep in front of them into the shopping complex. He pulled into a parking spot and shut the car off. Nora unbuckled her belt and hopped out of the car. She walked to the front of the vehicle where everyone else had gathered.
    “I figured it would go quicker if we broke off into two groups,” Claire started handing a list to her son. “Daniel, why don’t you and Nora take the meats and frozen foods. Jacob and I will take the dried goods and fresh fruits and vegetables. Then the two of you can go get the cake.”
    “Sure,” Daniel said, taking a piece of paper from his mom.
    “Cake?” Nora asked after Claire and Jacob started toward the store.
    “It’s Sarah’s birthday today.”
    “Am I actually going to get to meet her?” Nora wondered aloud. “Everyone always talks about her, but I’ve never met her,” she clarified, when Daniel glanced over at her.
    “She’s been keeping to herself a lot. Her boyfriend died about a month ago. It’s been really hard on her, I guess.”
    “Everyone deals with tragedy in their own way,” Nora commented quietly. She could relate. “I kind of withdrew from everything when my grandma passed away. But, then I realized school was starting up and she would come back to haunt me from the grave if I didn’t get my act together and live my life.”
    “I don’t think school is going to work for Sarah. I heard Lark telling Gene that she’s deferred her first semester of college, not that I blame her. Vincent spent a lot of time with her boyfriend, Preston, before he died. He said that it was nauseating how much he talked about her,” Daniel replied as he pulled a cart out of the corral.
    “No offense, but your brother is a womanizer. He might mock love, but he’s really terrified of it,” Nora teased. Daniel frowned giving her an unreadable expression. She couldn’t help but wonder if she’d struck a nerve.
    “Here,” Daniel said, handing the list over to her. “You’re probably better at finding this stuff than me.”
    Nora met his emerald eyes and her breath caught. Their fingers momentarily entwined as she took the piece of paper from him. Heat sizzled through her digits and her pulse roared in her ears. Their hands lingered for a moment longer before Daniel abruptly pulled away. Maybe Vincent wasn’t the only one terrified of love—what if Daniel was too?
    ***
    F ernando Juarez pulled his SUV into the dreary parking lot. The motel left a lot to be desired. Large chips of white paint were missing from the siding. The shutters hung loose and were crooked, and long cracks splintered through a few of the windows. It would be a pleasure to return to his home and his own bed. Soon, he thought. The Harris’ were young and inexperienced. He wanted revenge for Luis’ death, but first he wanted to make them sweat. Then, he would send for his reinforcements and wipe them out with one deafening blow.
    His grandson, Malakai, bounded down the walkway approaching the vehicle as he turned it off and climbed out.
    “Papa,” Malakai greeted,