Everyone at the table stilled.
“I haven’t shifted yet,” Meredith said quietly. She looked down at her plate. “I had a run in with some witches a few years back. Mr. Dawson thinks they cursed me. I wouldn’t want to stick anyone with that.”
Adrian reached across the table. “Hey. I told you I was working on it. Brujo blood, remember.”
“Brujo?” I said.
“Witch. I’ve got some in my lineage a ways back. It’s a pretty diluted but strong enough that I can cast minor spells.”
“I know what brujo means, but isn’t it just a bunch of hippie stuff. At least, that’s what my dad always says about my cousins and they claim to be brujos.”
Adrian studied me. “You looked a little Latin but your name threw me.”
I nodded. “Half. Dad’s one hundred percent white-boy. Mom’s Mexican.”
“So when you say cousin, you mean as in somewhere along the line we had a relative in common kind of a thing, or cousins as in mother’s sibling’s kids.”
I laughed. Mexican families were typically really large. My mom joked that in her hometown on the Texas-Mexico border everyone was cousins somewhere down the line. “As in my mother’s nephews and my aunts and uncles and my grandmother…basically everyone on my mom’s side.”
He ran his fingers through his short black curls. “How are you just now telling me this?”
I shrugged. “I didn’t realize it was a thing.”
Chris nudged me. “It’s a really big deal, and might explain a few things.”
It explained nothing. “You guys are being extra weird, and that’s saying something given the fact that you’re already freaks of nature.”
“You’ve got a bit of a pot and kettle scenario going on with that statement. You might be even more of a freak of nature than the rest of us.” Chris leaned back to balance his chair on two legs.
I moved to knock Chris’ balance off, but he laughed and slammed his chair down.
The bell rang. I hadn’t even eaten my food. I was so screwed. The past few days had shown me that Meredith was right. Anytime I didn’t eat enough, my temper was short. I had to eat to keep the wolf at bay, and with my moods running so hot and cold, I couldn’t afford to skip a meal. “What do I do now?”
Chris grabbed my tray, and two slices of bread off his. He piled eggs, bacon, ham, and potatoes on one slice, and then topped it off with the other, making the biggest breakfast sandwich I’d ever seen.
“Adrian, toss me that biscuit,” Chris said. He caught it without looking and cut the biscuit in half. He made a smaller sandwich with it. “Eat this now.” He grabbed a napkin, wrapping the massive sandwich. “Eat this one in class. I’ll bring you a snack later.”
“That’s sweet, but you don’t have to,” I said.
“It’s no big deal. I have a study session first period. I have time to grab you something.”
I looked into Chris’ blue eyes as he got up. “Thanks. I seriously appreciate it.” Everyone was already clearing out. It was nice to have a friend to look out for me.
“My pleasure, cutie.”
Fire burned my cheeks, but guilt quickly washed the heat away. Why did I feel like I was betraying Dastien by flirting with Chris? It wasn’t like we were married or anything.
“What is it with you? One guy not enough?”
I whirled to face Imogene. “Jealous?”
Chris stepped in between us. “Ladies. Ladies. Let’s calm down. There’s enough Chris to go around.”
Imogene made circles on Chris’ chest with her finger. “You wouldn’t choose her over me? Would you?”
Even if she was a bitch, Imogene was gorgeous. Her brown eyes were large, just shy of being too big. With the make-up she wore, you couldn’t look away from them. Her lips were full and red. I wondered if that was natural or lip-plumper.
“Yes. I would pick her over you.”
She gripped Chris’ shirt. Shaking him. “What?”
I was as shocked as Imogene was. He would pick me over her? It was one thing for Dastien to pick me. He was the one who bit me. He kind of had to pick me. But Chris had options, and he still wanted me?
Wow. I grinned. Maybe today wouldn’t be so bad after all.
Chris stared down at her. “I’d let go before you embarrass yourself any more than you already have.”
She let go of his shirt and glared at me. “This isn’t over between us. You’ll regret—”
