I scoffed. "Like you were?"
Shame crossed Sondra's face before her expression firmed.
"Those were mitigating circumstances," Brax said, his voice a rumble in the quiet.
"It doesn't matter. Caroline won't let herself hurt anyone." Not physically at least.
"She's not the same person you knew," Sondra said.
"I was turned, and I managed not to hurt anyone," I said as a defense.
"You're not normal," Liam spoke.
"That's for sure," Nathan agreed.
Eric didn't give his opinion, just lurked in the background as he usually did, keeping an eye on things as he observed the situation around him.
Liam ignored the comment. "Most yearlings have to be heavily monitored for their first few decades. Before we had such strict laws governing their creation and rearing, they would rise and kill those closest to them when they tried to resume their normal lives. Their instincts often consume them, making it hard to establish control for a long time after their turning."
I shifted. This wasn't the first time I'd heard something similar. Evidently, I should have killed a whole army of people in my first year. The fact that I hadn't was a puzzle my sire and Liam were still trying to figure out.
"It's more than just her wolf she has to contend with. The demon taint has made her unstable," Brax said, sounding grim. "It's why I had to move her to the farm and extend her time there."
"What do you mean?" I asked. "I thought the demon taint was taken care of when Sondra bit her."
The look Brax leveled on me was both pitying and censorious. "Demon taint is not so easily remedied. She will have to deal with its effects for the rest of her life. The bite saved her life and preserved her sanity, but it still has a hold on her. She is stronger than other newborn pups. Her temper is shorter, which means it will be that much easier to snap and go feral."
"Feral? Like a wild dog?"
"Similar," Sondra said from my countertop, where she sat cross-legged. Glad to see she was making herself at home. "For us, it means a loss of self. The wolf takes over and becomes rabid. Its thirst for blood unquenchable. A feral wolf can never recover the person they were. They have to be put down one hundred percent of the time."
Some of my exhaustion faded away, and I looked from Brax to Sondra in worry. "Caroline's not feral."
"For now." Sondra's agreement didn't put my mind at ease.
"There are those in my pack who think I should have put her down as soon as we discovered the taint." Brax met my eyes with determination in his gaze. His mouth was pulled tight, and his eyebrows lowered in a frown.
My chest tightened, and a chill crept into my soul at his words. Why hadn't they told me any of this before? They could have revealed this information during any of the dozen phone calls I'd placed asking for news on her condition.
Liam appeared at my side and sat down, stretching his arms across the couch behind my back—his body coiled and poised for action. It was only then that I realized that I was making a growling, hissing sound, similar to the deep throated warning a cat gives when it’s preparing to claw the face off its enemy. My fangs were down, and my hands were tensed and flexed as if they had claws on the ends of them.
Sondra leaned forward, one leg dropping down as she focused on me like a hunting dog sighting its prey. Nathan and Eric took a step closer, both watching me with caution. The room was poised for battle, the tension making it almost hard to breathe.
I took a deep breath, my shoulders lifting and dropping. My hands relaxed and my fangs returned to their hiding places in my gums. I'd discovered early on that vampires don't walk around with their fangs out all the time. Most of the time they were kept hidden. Strong emotions such as anger, fear, and lust could bring them out. Guess which one I was feeling at the moment?
"Why wasn't I told any of this?"
"You're not pack. Furthermore, Caroline made it clear she didn't want to see you."
Not pack. It always came down to an “us vs. them” mentality with these guys.
"I'll ask again. Where is she?" Brax's face was set and serious.
I kept my silence, meeting his gaze for a long moment. "She showed up last night and asked for a place to stay."
"And you didn't think to call us?" There was an edge to Brax's voice, and his frown grew more pronounced.
I lifted one shoulder. "It crossed my mind." I left out the part about how Caroline flipped out when I tried.
"Because you delayed, you've put her life needlessly in danger." Brax's tone was cold as his gaze shifted to Liam next to me. "This is what comes when you're too lenient with them."
My snort held all of the exhaustion and fear I felt. "This is what comes when you withhold important information just because someone isn't the same species as you. I begged you to let me know what was going on. I even threatened to blow-up your properties."
"And would knowing have made you act any different? You, the yearling who refuses to join a clan? Who hasn't even made the smallest effort to gain control of your instincts?"
Liam's hand landed on my shoulder, restraining me when I would have leapt for Brax.
"See what I mean?" Brax asked Liam. "She doesn't even know when she's fighting out of her weight class."
"Way I remember it, the reason you aren't some demon's plaything is because I saved you. Me, the baby vampire who doesn't know her weight class."
"She does have a point there," Nathan said with a grin.
Brax ignored his statement.
"Enough of this," Liam said. "The girl is gone. Aileen, do you know where?"
I hesitated. It galled to have to share any information with the jerk across from me, but if he was right, he held Caroline's life in the balance. At least for now, it would be smart to humor him.
"No, I gave her my bed last night and then went to sleep."
"You didn't see her leaving? Ask where she was going?" Sondra asked, a thread of judgment in her tone.
I shot her a derisive look. "You've seen me since arriving. I'm barely functional during the day. A herd of unicorns could have pranced through here, and I wouldn't have known the difference."
Brax didn't move and his expression didn't change, but I got the sense that my answer frustrated and disappointed him. He looked at Liam. "We'll need to take custody of Aileen in case Caroline tries to contact her again."
I stiffened and glared at him in outrage. No way was that happening. He wasn't the police. There'd be no taking custody of anyone.
"That won't be necessary," Liam said.
Brax's attention shifted to the vampire at my side. The wolf moved behind his gaze. To my new other sight, the shadow of a wolf cloaked him even as his power emanated in waves off him. It was like staring into the sun during a flare.