VI
"I don't care, Craig, we know nothing about this girl," Nancy flittered about the kitchen making breakfast, they had spent the entire previous evening listening to Brady go on and on about this mysterious girl who was new in town, had already managed to become one of Belle's closest friends and just happened to by a lycan. "For all we know she could here to hurt our Brady."
"Nancy don't jump to conclusions..."
"No, now you listen to me, Craig, the day I fell in love with you, I decided that I had to know all about who Craig Wesley was. Getting to know you meant learning everything there was about being a lycan too."
Craig could feel a lecture building and knew that the only way for her to get past anything was to get it out of her system. "And what did you learn, Nancy?"
"That lycans need other lycans, they need at least the semblance of a pack," she wagged her finger at him while turning her bacon, "That's why we came to Salem for you to be close to Brady."
"So why does this not bode well for Brady's new girl?"
"Because if another family of lycans were moving into the area we would have been contacted so that we could give them a proper welcome. It's disrespectful to encroach on another packs domain with out proper notice and permission." She said placing a plate of bacon and eggs in front of him.
"Nancy," Craig said shaking his head and munching bacon, "We are hardly a pack; there are only two of us, me and Brady."
"I don't care if there are only two of you, technically you are pack leader and you are being disrespected!" Nancy ripped off her apron and left the kitchen leaving Craig to ponder her theories. He knew how relentless Nancy could be and knew that she wouldn't stop until they knew everything there was to know about Chloe Lane and her family.
Brady sat in his jeep in front of the Lane house just waiting for it to be noon. He had been there for a good forty-five minutes, but they had decided on noon so he was patiently waiting. Well maybe not patiently. Finally at ten before noon he could wait no longer and made his way to the door.
"He's coming to the house." Cathy said peering out the front window through the open blinds.
"Who is?" Patrick asked from behind his Sunday paper.
"That strange man that has been watching the house for the last hour. Weren't you listening when I told you earlier."
Patrick rolled his eyes, his wife was prone to fits of paranoia from time to time, and everyone was out to get her, even the ice cream man with his maniacal little bell. Brady began to ring the doorbell, Patrick jumped up and said, "I'll get it, Dear." Before she could launch into a hysterical tirade.
"Be careful, it could be anyone."
Patrick looked through the peephole before opening the door and smiled. "I don't think we have anything to worry about, go make us some coffee." Cathy just stood there waiting for him to open the door. "Go on Cathy, coffee!"
"Fine." She said fleeing the room only to stop on the other side of the kitchen doorway to spy through the crack in the door.
Brady was about to knock, thinking the doorbell was broken when Patrick opened the door. "Hello Mr. Black, what brings you by today."
Brady was completely caught off guard then realized that he knew the man before him, "Hey, you're Patrick Lane from the accounting department."
"Yes, I am, come in, please."
Brady walked into the house and realized immediately why Chloe carried with her the air of apprehension. The house was stark and sterile, a very antiseptic smell assaulted his nose. Not only did the house smell wrong, only Chloe's strong sent wafting through, but also the strong comforting auras that all lycan households had, was missing. Brady took in Patrick Lane's appearance his features were common enough down to his smiling green eyes but he wasn't a lycan, Brady was sure. Then a short mousy haired woman with brown eyes came into the room with a tray of coffee. "Brady this is my wife, Cathy. Cathy, I'd like you to meet my boss, Brady Black." She sat down the tray and offered her hand.
"Nice to meet you Mrs. Lane and actually my father's the boss." Brady took her hand courteously, it was cold and clammy and he had to resist the urge to wipe his hand on his jeans when she let go. Now he was certain. These people weren't Chloe's parents. They were nothing like her, they weren't even lycan.
"So what brings you by, Mr. Black?" she asked pouring and offering him a cup of coffee, "Are you just trying to get to know your employees better."
Brady took the cup offered, "As I said, my father is the boss, not me. I'm here to pick up Chloe."
As much as his comment made Cathy frown, Patrick's smile was even bigger. "How do you know Chloe?" Cathy demanded. "I want to know now!"
"Cathy!" Patrick scolded, "I'm sorry Mr. Black, Mrs. Lane is very protective of our Chloe."
This woman caught Brady off guard; he didn't like her at all. He felt the hair rippling along his arm and he fought the urge to growl at her. "Well, Chloe is worth protecting, in fact..."
Chloe who had come into the room in time to hear her mother's embarrassing outburst laid her hand on his arm instantly calming the rage that was building for her mother. "You don't have to explain anything, Brady, let's just go." Chloe leaned down to give her father a kiss on the cheek, "I'll be home later, Daddy."
Brady was all too ready to leave this house, and shook Patrick's hand on his way to the door. "You two have a good time," Patrick called to them as Chloe pulled Brady from the house. He then went back to reading his paper feeling Cathy's eyes glaring at him.
"I can't believe you just let her walk out the door with him." She stood up to pace the room frantically, "What do you think he is going to do when he finds out what she is, don't you like being employed."
Patrick threw his paper down in disgust, "What do you mean 'what she is'? She's our daughter, Cathy!"
"She's not my daughter, she's a monster!"
"If she is such a monster, Cathy, then why do you stay?" Patrick was fed up, why he ever loved this women, he'll never know. "Why don't you just pack your shit and go back to your mother in Syracuse!"
Cathy stopped and glared at him, "Don't tempt me, Patrick, I just might do that."
"Would you like me to bring the suitcases up from the basement for you?" Patrick got up heading for the door to the basement.
"So that's how it is... you really want me to leave?"
"Don't let the door hit you on the way out, Cathy."
"Fine I won't, and I'll get my own damn suitcases!" she yelled pushing past him. With any luck she could be gone before Chloe returned.
Brady and Chloe had gone several blocks before breaking the silence between them. "You're mother is a trip..." Brady said downshifting the jeep as they went around a corner.
"I'm sorry about that back there, Brady." She said memorizing his strong profile, wanting to run her finger along is jaw line but instead staying firmly on her side of the jeep.
"Not to worry," Brady smiled over to her and reached to hold her hand, "So how long have you lived with the Lanes?"
Chloe jerked her hand away and said "What do you mean?"
Brady pulled the jeep into a parking lot and applied the parking brake then turned in the seat to look at her. "I mean, it's obvious that they are not your real parents. They are nothing like us, Chloe."
"And what are we, Brady?" Until she had met Brady, Chloe had thought she was alone in the world. Her mother had all but convinced her she was an abomination, a freak. She had been locked in her room almost every night for the past 6 years, not for her safety as her mother had claimed but for the safety of others. "Tell me, please, I want to know."
How could she not know, just who were these people that had kept her in the dark for so many years? Where was her real family? He wanted the answers and would find them too but now to give her an answer. "We are lycans..."
"Lycans?"
