Free The House by Emma Faragher Page A

shared with her either. Some
secrets were better kept that way.
    “And you don’t
know anything about my life,” he replied, his voice colder and even
more closed off.
    “That’s not
our fault - you want to share we’re all ears - but I was under the
impression that you thought you could get by here without anyone
knowing anything about you.” I was back on the defensive, not a
place I like to be. “You feel like sharing or learning or training
or whatever, come to any of us. Apologise for insulting us and
we’ll help you, no questions asked. But it comes with
responsibility. If someone comes to you because they need to talk,
if you find a shifter in need of help, you bring them back here.
You do your part or the system doesn’t work.”
    We left him
stunned silent, still leaning against the wall, but with his hands
braced flush against it. There was an edge of anger there I didn’t
like. He just gave off a dangerous vibe and I wanted to be far away
from it. It didn’t look like I would have much luck though.
    “Please don’t
tell me you just scared him off more.” Marie walked through the
hallway door at the same time we walked through the front door. The
foyer looks like a basic hotel reception with a desk off to one
side where we booked in new arrivals. It didn’t look particularly
homey but Marie had done her best. There were rugs that often
caused me to go flying and large paintings hung on the wall. I got
the feeling that several of them were of shifters in their animal
form.
    “We said what
was needed,” Stripes replied. She gets away with saying stuff like
that to Marie, I don’t. Maybe it’s because Marie’s known me longer,
maybe because she knew me in my terrible teen stage. Marie looked
at her, nodded, then turned around and walked back into the hallway
without a word. She was definitely mad at us.
    We followed
her slowly; Eddie’s presence in The House had put her on edge. At
some point I was going to find out why. I don’t like being told off
for things that aren’t my fault. To be honest, I don’t like being
told off when I have done something wrong, but then who does?
    “Tell me
Marie’s mad because you sent him packing.” Hercules ambushed us,
sticking his head out of the TV room. I glanced around the door to
find James was also there. They were watching some film where lots
of things get blown up for no apparent reason. He turned towards us
as we entered and flashed Stripes a huge grin, switching the
channel to digital radio. Old-fashioned country music seeped out of
the speakers - Stripes’ favourite. I nudged her, gently, towards
James who was sat on the only decent two-seater in the room.
    “Naw, I’m not
that stupid Hercules. Marie would have me out the door if I ever
scared off another shifter. Not that he doesn’t absolutely deserve
it. What did she say to you?” I asked. I sat on the arm of one of
the more solid chairs as Hercules slid into the softest chair in
the room; it looked like it was trying to eat him.
    “Extra kitchen
duty. I’m cooking and cleaning all this week. I didn’t even touch
him.” He looked so annoyed that I had to laugh.
    “You’re
complaining about kitchen duty but you love the kitchen. It’s a
light punishment for trying to attack him.” I slipped slightly and
fell off the arm but I managed to land in the chair so it sort of
looked purposeful. Hercules just shrugged and leaned even further
back into his chair. At least James and Stripes were too busy with
each other to notice.
    “Whatever … I
don’t want him here. He’s trouble.” Whether Hercules wanted the new
lion living with us or not didn’t really matter; it didn’t matter
that none of us wanted him. It only mattered that he was,
apparently, in need and Marie took in anyone. I didn’t remind
Hercules of his state of mind when he first got here, but at least
he’d talked to Marie. Eventually he’d even talked to me. We’d
become somewhat like family; we certainly took