I didn’t really see what good John was going to do anyone, but I was glad Joi had someone looking out for her, even if he was a clueless redneck. Joi really wanted to hang out and chat some more, but neither my head nor teeth could handle any more sweetness. After making her promise to watch herself around the Russian creeper, I sent her on her entirely too merry way.

The house was quiet when I entered. The parentals and Angel weren’t due to arrive home until early afternoon, and Jase and Talley were both still asleep. After throwing on some pajamas I found in the clothes dryer, I laid down on the couch and tried to think through the whole Stefan situation despite the Keith Moon solo going on in my head.

Logic told me he was still doing exactly what he said he was doing at the funeral - looking for Liam. My gut, however, had a different opinion. It was convinced I should be worried, which was just stupid. Sure, the guy was creepy as heck, and I wasn’t inclined to believe a word he said, but what interest did he have in me? I felt certain the Hagan Pack was keeping their word about my furry condition since I hadn’t heard of any of Jase’s family members being hospitalized lately. So, to Stefan I was just another grieving girlfriend, right?

My gut told me not to be a chump.

My brain said to just chill.

My gut disagreed.

My brain disagreed with my gut’s disagreement.

Somewhere in the middle of the long and unproductive argument which ensued I drifted off to sleep. The next thing I knew someone was pounding on the front door.

“Hang on a minute,” I mumbled. Jase accidentally locking himself out of the house was annoying enough under normal circumstances. When he woke me up because of it, it was completely unacceptable. “You do know Dad will kill you if you’ve lost the spare again, right?” I slung open the door to reveal a grizzled old man with sapphire eyes.

Definitely not Jase.

“Mr. Matthews?”

Talley’s dad didn’t bother with pleasantries. “I’m huntin’ for my girl.”

Crap.

“Oh, ummm…. She slept over last night.” And the night before that. And the night before that. And the night before that… “Did she know you were coming to visit? Cause she didn’t say anything to me about it.”

“It wasn’t planned. Now, where is she?” Mr. Matthews made a move to step around me, but I blocked his path. “Move aside, child. This ain’t none of your business.”

“I’d love to let you in, sir,” I lied. “But, you see, my parents are out of town, and I’m not allowed to let anyone in the house when they’re not here. You know how overprotective parents can be.”

He looked like he might go ahead and plow right past me, but then he gave a slight nod and backed up a step. “Well, then, you get Talley and tell her her daddy wants to see her.”

I spread my lips apart, hoping the result was something resembling a smile. “No problem. Be right back, Mr. Matthews.” Then I slammed the door in his face.

It didn’t take long to find Talley since she was standing at the top of the stairs looking as though she’d seen a ghost.

“Where is Jase?” I mouthed, unsure about Mr. Matthews’ hearing range. At this point in the lunar cycle my hearing was just on the really good side of a normal human, but I didn’t want to risk it.

“Still in bed,” she said, her voice just above a whisper. “Charlie?”

“The last time I saw him was at Lanky McLankster’s apartment.” Talley’s eyebrows crinkled together but I didn’t have the time or desire to explain “What do we do?”

“What do we do about about what?” Jase asked, stumbling out of his bedroom. His hair was sticking up in a million directions and he sported a nice t-shirt and boxer shorts combo. He took one look at Talley’s face and jerked completely awake. “What’s wrong?”

“My dad.”

Jase swore under his breath. “Did he call?”

“He’s outside.”

Jase replaced his earlier statement with a word that would have meant a whole month of extra chores had our parents heard.

“Maybe Talley can sneak out the back door,” I suggested. “We can tell them she left before I woke up.”

“Won’t work,” said Jase. “He’ll have seen the car.”

“And where would I go?” Talley took a deep, shaky breath. “He’s not going to drop this.” As if to accentuate her point, Mr. Matthews rapped on the front door yet again. I started back down the stairs, more out of a Pavlovian response to a knock at the door than anything else.

“What’s the plan?” Jase hissed.

“I don’t have one,” I said over my shoulder. “We’ll play it by ear.” Granted, it was a horrible approach knowing what was on the line, but what else was I supposed to do?

“Sorry, Mr. Matthews,” I said, opening the door. “She was still asleep. You know how she is. Lazy, lazy Talley.”

Mr. Matthews seemed to forget I was there. “Talley, get your stuff. You’re coming with me.”

“But she hasn’t had a shower. Or breakfast.” Apparently my plan was to babble on like a clueless idiot. Great. There was no way that was going to go wrong.

Of course, it didn’t really matter what I said since Mr. Matthews had grown deaf to the sound of my voice. “You’ve got five minutes to get clothes on and get in the truck, or I’m coming in after you.”

“But she—”

“No,” Jase said, cutting me off. “She stays.”

Operation: Clueless, abandoned. Operation: Keep Jase From Getting Killed, activated.

“You ain’t got no say in this, boy.”

Jase’s eyes seemed lit by a green fire. I saw his fingers curl up into a fist just as Talley stepped around him to face her father.

“What are you doing here, Daddy?”

Mr. Matthews proved he really had forgotten my existence by telling her exactly what he was doing in Timber. “I got me a call at midnight tellin’ me I oughta come down here and see what my daughter was up to. Said you had run off from your Pack and was shaking up with some outcasts and a Wolf Girl. Now, I don’t know who you boys have taken up with, but my Talley ain’t stayin’ with you. She’s coming home to her real Pack back in Frenchburg.”

Someone called at midnight? And used the words “Wolf Girl’? A pity I didn’t toss Makya’s body in the lake when I had the chance.