Free Werewolves Rule (The Rule Series) by K. C. Blake Page A

hadn’t burned when she’d been around Jersey or the werewolf who’d killed his parents, but they’d come up with a logical explanation for that.   Jersey was the first werewolf ever created.   The rules didn’t apply to him.  
    As for the werewolf-janitor, he had been one of Jersey’s followers.   It reasoned that anyone turned by the most powerful werewolf in the world would also be powerful.  
    “No, my necklace hasn’t burned for a long time.”   Silver’s eyes narrowed.   “Why?   What are you thinking?”
    “Jersey can’t turn a girl into a werewolf, right?   That’s what you told me.   Every girl he infects becomes a wraith.”
    “That’s what it says in Lovely’s diary.”
    Lovely was known for being wrong on occasion.   Not often, just enough to make a person crazy with uncertainty.   Could she have been wrong about the wraith thing?   Was it possible Isobel was actually a werewolf turned by Jersey?
    Jack grabbed Silver by the shoulders and stared intently into her eyes.   “Do me a favor and stay away from Isobel for a while.”
    “Why?”
    “Just trust me.   I can’t explain right now, but I’ll let you know as soon as I have this thing figured out.”
    He hurried out the door, leaving Silver to gape after him, but her voice was right behind him.
    “Jack?   What is it?   What’s wrong?”
    Her words haunted his ears as he took off at full speed.   If he was right, he had to stop Isobel before she did any real damage.   The rock in his pocket was momentarily forgotten.   He ran home to plan his next move.  

    ******

Chapter Six:
    A BLAST FROM THE PAST

    It was almost ten o’clock, hours since his visit with Silver, and Jack moved from room to room in the house he shared with his brother, feeling restless.   Billy hadn’t returned home and for once, Jack was glad.   He knew if he waited long enough, Isobel would appear, ready for a confrontation.   A tumultuous hurricane of emotions kept him wired.   He couldn’t sit, couldn’t eat, not until he confronted his new enemy.
    Blanca glanced up from her spot on Billy’s chair.   She meowed in a harsh tone, disapproving of something.   Lately his cat had been acting stranger than usual.   Most people wouldn’t be able to ask their cat what was wrong with them, but his cat was a shape-shifter so she understood English.   Unfortunately she couldn’t say a word while in her feline state, and Blanca no longer possessed the ability to shift.  
    He couldn’t think of anything more pathetic than a shape-shifter stuck in its animal form.
    Jack went back to the foyer, stood at the foot of the staircase, and looked up at the second floor.   He thought about the rock in the top dresser drawer.   Maybe he should give into his curiosity and go to sleep with it under his pillow.   Isobel had said it would answer his questions.   His hand went to the banister.   The only sound in the house was the soft ticking of his mother’s favorite clock on the living room wall.  
    Another sound joined the light clicking.
    Soft footsteps crossed the living room floor, alerting Jack to the presence of an intruder.   Blanca hissed.   The white fur-ball darted through the foyer on her way to the kitchen.   Jack reluctantly turned to face his unwanted guest.   Isobel stood in the open arch leading to the living room.  
    Her jaw worked up and down a few times.   Parting her lips slightly, she blew a pink bubble, and his eyes widened in surprise.   Her mouth took the bubble back inside and popped it with a single bite.   The normal act of chewing gum looked wrong on her.   So many things did.
    “I know what you are,” Jack said in a quiet voice, a stark contrast to the raging emotions within.
    Her dark eyebrows slowly went up.   “Do you?”
    “I had a dream about you before I saw you.   At first I thought it was just a trick, a fantasy, but it wasn’t.   It was real.   It was a memory.   Tell me I’m wrong.”   He