Witches & Werewolves: A Sacred Oath Read Online Free PDF Page A

sheriff says.
    Two more county sheriff’s deputies question Ethan. I can’t hear what he’s telling them, but every time I glance in his direction I see Ethan glaring back at me.
    A bear or some other kind of animal . These words loop in my head. What other kind of animal? What was Ethan doing out here? I don’t think there is any way that he killed those people, but just the same, I can’t say that he didn’t. Maybe I’m imagining the whole thing, but I swear he looked different. For an instant, as he hovered above the bodies, his eyes were almost blood red. His teeth were sharper, and he looked even more physically imposing.
      It’s hard to say. I’ve never seen dead bodies like that before. Not that fresh. Maybe it’s the shock of it all? Mix that in with all the stress that I’ve been under lately… Plus, how much can you really see out here in the dark? It’s my overactive imagination running wild. Ethan looks perfectly normal now, talking to the officers.  
    Still, I’m not sure.
    “You don’t think Ethan had anything to do with the deaths, do you?” I ask the sheriff.
    “Not unless that boy sprouted fangs and a set of razor sharp claws.   Unfortunately, these kind of animal attacks are fairly common around here. Sometimes it’s a bear, sometimes a mountain lion, sometimes a pack of wolves,” the sheriff says.
    For the next few days I can’t sleep, and when I do, nightmares rip me from my brief moments of slumber. I wake with my body vibrating, dripping a cold clammy sweat, gasping for air in the darkness. It always takes me a few moments to get my bearings and realize that I’m in my bed in my room—my new room. Most of the time, I wakeup in the mornings thinking that I’m at home, back in Texas. Sometimes I wake up and think my parents are still alive—that all of this has been a nightmare. Then, like a punch to the gut, I remember.
    Dawn breaks through the window, and I pull myself out of bed. The image of the mutilated bodies in the woods has haunted me since the night of the bonfire. I wish I had never walked into the forest. Some things just can’t be unseen.
    The vision of Ethan appearing through the mist has replayed in my mind over and over again. I can’t seem to stop thinking about him. I’ve thought about that night so much, I can’t tell what is real and what’s a dream. I’ve created outrageous scenarios in my head about what may, or may not, have happened. For whatever reason, I can’t accept that it was an animal that did this. But then I think I’m just going crazy. I feel my stomach tighten, and I take a deep breath.  
    I grab some breakfast, and Jen swings by picking me up to go shopping with Sophia and Gwen. According to Jen, it is a fashion imperative that I upgrade my wardrobe for the coming semester. This is also something that I’m not allowed to do on my own, as per Jen’s orders, as my taste in fashion is somewhat suspect. I’m perfectly fine with this, because, admittedly, I do need a little help.
      Haven Hill is not necessarily a fashion Mecca. But there are a surprising number of boutique shops in town that carry the latest selections of designer clothes. Second street is essentially an outdoor mall, with a half mile of shops lining the cobblestone street. Shoe stores, clothing boutiques, art galleries, book stores, sidewalk cafés, and upscale restaurants. Even a movie theater.
    We flit from store to store, and Jen has me trying on all kinds of outfits. Girly clothes. Short skirts, low cut tops, painted on dresses. I feel like I’m on a fashion gameshow, and Jen, Sophia, and Gwen are the judges. The only thing missing are actual scorecards. Sophia and Gwen always look to Jen first before casting their vote. If it’s a dress she approves of, Jen will smile and wink. If she doesn’t like it, her face will crinkle up, and her nostrils will flare like she smelled rotten fish.
    I go through piles of clothes. Most of them are rotten fish. But a few of