Unraveling Selena by Marisa Maichel (best ereader for comics TXT) 📖

Zie, who was needed more at our house right now, so Mother sent her our way. She did much-needed laundry, cleaned the whole house from top to bottom, changed my bedsheets, vacuumed, shampooed the carpets, wiped down the bathrooms, and worked in the garden. Father said she needed a raise.

I studied most of the day, wanting to keep my perfect grades. I got a call from Sarah, who was horrified at how I’d found Toby and insisted on asking Spencer if he was all right. Toby himself would not be able to speak for a while. A month, at least.

When I finished studying, I went to our personal library and studied my father’s old books on alchemy. Spellbooks, potion books, books on transformation, death, and vampire law. Did you know that there are thousands of known poisons, and each of them has a set of symptoms, and some don’t have any symptoms at all? Some of them provide a quick and painless death, others, slow and painful. Slow and painless, or fast and painful.

I was reading up on love potions when I realized something. Father had used a love potion on Mother. What kind had he used? It obviously didn’t last long. I’d have to ask him about that. There are hundreds of ways to make a love potion, and there are four hundred ways to screw up each one.

I thought about the mysterious book that Uncle Soren had taken from Samuel, the crazy blond vampire from the Night Market. I thought about its name. What was its name?

“Hey, Uncle Soren, what’s the name of that book that you got from Samuel?” I asked. Through the walls, he replied.

“I’m surprised you remember that. The book is called Et Liber de Morte Transformatio.”

So that was the mysterious book that he was obsessed with. I thought about the book itself. Bound in some sort of skin, it was a dangerous book that had the power to transform vampires into humans and demons into angels.

I fiddled with a God’s eye that hung on the bookshelf. I continued to think. I stared at the God’s eye. I went to the window and looked outside. Zie was now washing my Toyota. I sighed, missing my Chevrolet Astro. I had loved that van.

I kept reading about love potions, trying to make some sort of connection. I finally just texted Father.

Reese: What sort of love potion did you use on Mother?

Mordecai: It wasn’t really a love potion. It was more like…political reasons.

Reese: Fine, be that way.

Mordecai: You don’t need to know. Why do you want to know anyway?

Reese: Just tell me, and I won’t keep bothering you. Or I could ask Uncle Soren…

Mordecai: Fine, it was Love Potion Amore. You’ll find it in the Book of Love Potions.

I indeed found it in the Book of Love Potions. I studied the ingredient list. A lock of the other person’s hair, blood from both parties, black, pink, and red candles, feathers from a domestic turkey.

I sighed and closed the book. I didn’t know why I wanted to know. I had the information, but I couldn’t do anything with it.

I put all the books back and turned to another shelf. I absentmindedly touched each volume of The Encyclopedia of Werewolves. I chose a book at random and read the first few pages. It discussed the mating habits and marital traditions of werewolves. According to the book, I needed to go through a lengthy divorce or one of us should die.

Since I wasn’t married by human standards, getting the papers would be hard for a town like North Hampton. They had the papers in bigger cities like New York City. New York City was a day’s drive, and even then, there was no guarantee that they had the papers. And werewolves were all about keeping the wolf secret, so asking outright was not an option.

One of us would have to die.

I thought about that. I couldn’t kill Sadie, because that would be the ultimate betrayal to both her and Faolan.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I was with Sarah, just holding her, when I got the call.

“Sadie’s dead,” said Father.

“How?” I asked, petting Sarah.

“She committed suicide. She was found with several pill bottles.”

“How’s Faolan?”

“Distraught. But your marriage has been ended. You’re free.”

I told Sarah the news. Her mouth dropped when I explained what they had found. Then she wrapped her arms around me.

“You’re all mine,” she said.

“I always was,” I said. And then I pleasurably told her exactly how I felt about her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Faolan was giving me a dirty, hate-filled look. Father growled, letting him know that was not okay. The wolves were clustered around the pine box, which contained Sadie’s body. Wolf funerals were quick and didn’t involve any ministers or pastors or any of that nonsense.

It was the next day. I decided I didn’t like werewolf funerals. I kept getting hate-filled looks from the wolves, especially the females.

Mitra stood off to the side, looking mournful in a little black lacy dress. She had mostly healed from her arm being torn off, but she would have the mental scars forever. Uncle Soren had his arm around her, looking dashing in an all-black designer suit.

Sarah was standing beside me, looking uncomfortable in her short dress and stilettos. I wrapped my coat around her, she smiled gratefully at me.

The ceremony finished, and I was able to leave.

“It’s all his fault,” said Justin, a male wolf.

“You shouldn’t have fucking bitten me,” I snapped. I gave him the finger and stalked away. Sarah took her heels off in the car and used a towel to wipe them off.

“I should have worn flats,” she muttered. “Reese, remind me to never do anything that stupid again.”

She took her tie out of her hair. Her brown curls bounced around her shoulders, the volume and softness unbelievable. She started crying, though.

“Honey, what’s wrong?” Selena asked.

“I just feel so guilty. She’s dead because Reese chose me.”

“It’s not your fault, sweetheart,” Mother said gently. “It’s no one’s fault except Faolan’s. He should have reined in his wolves.”

“She cries all the time, now,” Sabine whispered to me. Sarah glared at her younger sister.

“Tell me what’s wrong,” I said, taking her hands in mine.

She bit her lip before replying. “Kent called me fat the other day. She called all of us heifers.”

My eyes darkened and narrowed. I looked at Mother and Selena, who looked furious. Sarah continued.

“I feel like a shit mother because I don’t spend any time with my son. I’ve pretty much forgotten about him, like a neglected pet. I still throw up, I hate my therapist, Elliot wants to be more than friends, so he’s cheating on Britt, Alexander still doesn’t like me, I’m still grieving over Mom and Dad, I feel guilty over all the money I have now, and my birth control is driving my hormones crazy.”

“You are not responsible for Cirino,” Mother said gently. “He’s my responsibility, and Alexander’s, and Zie’s. Don’t worry about that. As for Cella Kent, I will talk to Principal Turner. He doesn’t like Reese, though, so I don’t expect much will be done.”

“I know how you feel about losing your parents,” Selena said. “I lost my father years and years ago, shortly after I was born.”

“My first husband had many enemies,” Mother said. “Nathanial was murdered.”

“They were my parents, too,” Sabine added. “I miss them as much as you do.” She had tears in her blue eyes, now.

“Alexander hates everyone except Mother, Kieran, and me,” I said.

“He doesn’t hate you,” Mother said reassuringly. “He just has little patience for humans, and contempt for the human race in general. He just doesn’t know how to treat you. He will warm up with more time; it took him a while with Selena, too.”

“As for hating your therapist,” I began, “-we can get you another one. One that you get along with.”

“I should have kept going to your therapy appointments,” Mother said. “And I do wish you wouldn’t throw up. It is not good for your stomach, teeth, heart, throat, or intestines.”

“As for Elliot,” I said. “I’ll gladly get rid of him for you.” She gave me a shocked look. “I won’t kill him! I’ll just remind him that you’re mine.”

“Don’t feel guilty about having the money you do now,” Selena said.

“Of course not,” Mother added. “I am more than glad to help you and Sabine out with your debts and other problems.”

“Can you stop taking birth control?” I asked.

“NO!” all three older women shouted.

“She must be weaned off,” Mother explained. “We can do the shot or something else for the pain during your cycle.”

“The shot made my friend Rachel gain weight,” Sarah said.

“Not every form of birth control is right for every woman. The shot wasn’t right for Rachel, maybe the pill isn’t right for you,” Selena said.

Just then, we hit a bump, and Sarah cried out. She clung to me.

“Hey, Spencer,” I shouted. “Watch it!”

“Sorry,” he said flatly.

“I have an idea,” Sabine said. “What if you put Chris in with the cheerleaders during practice?”

“Dear one, you are a genius,” Mother cooed.

“She can watch Kent and step in in case she goes too far,” I said.

“That’s one problem solved,” Selena said.

“I will call the clinic and see if we can get your therapist changed,” Mother said.

“I couldn’t ask for a better family and boyfriend,” Sarah sighed. “Or better sisters. Or a better mom.”

Mother and Selena beamed, although Selena seemed put out at merely being referred to as a sister. I knew that, like Mother, she felt maternal toward Sarah. I wondered why they felt that way with Sarah and not Sabine. Maybe that would change over time.

“Don’t forget, I also lost a baby,” Selena said solemnly.

“As did I,” Mother said. “One for twenty-three years, the other for seventeen years. And then I got divorced, so I lost two stepsons.”

“You got married?” Selena asked.

“I did, for a few years. His name was Edward Babin. We divorced over parental differences, and because I did not love him like I love Alexander or thought I loved Mordecai.”

Sarah buried her face in my shirt. Her makeup smudged on my shirt, but I didn’t care. My shirt could wait.

Now Sabine was softly crying. Mother reached over and pulled Sabine into her lap, coddling her like she would with me or Sarah.

“It’s all right, dolls,” she said softly. I could see pain and regret in my mother’s eyes. She regretted killing Alicia. When we got home, Mother carried Sabine up to her room, and I carried Sarah. I heard Mother and Sabine talking through the wall.

Sarah took off her shoes, then her dress and bra. She turned around and pulled on one of my old shirts. She wiped her eyes with it. I purred as I saw how my shirt hugged her. I’m bigger than her, much bigger, but my shirt hugged her curves nicely.

“I’m a slut,” she said.

“Of course you aren’t,” I said. “Why do you say that?”

“I haven’t been completely honest with you. Or anybody else. I keep getting this urge. This feeling.”

“Do you want to have sex with someone else?”

“What? No! Not at all…well, maybe a little bit, but that’s not what I was getting at. I keep having the urge to steal, Reese.”

“Steal from who?”

“From businesses. I see a pair of sunglasses or a purse and I think, That’s mine. But even though I have enough money now, I need to steal it. I need to steal something. I know it’s illegal and wrong, but still…”

“You want an adrenaline rush. All right, who do you want to have a threesome with?”

“Reese!”

“I’m completely serious, Sarah. Anyone you want. You pick. I’ll join you. Can be a guy or a girl. I don’t care. But he or she has to at least be decent-looking.”

“That’s not what I want!”

“You just said you wanted to fuck somebody else!”

“Because I’m getting bored! I need some excitement. God, you make me feel things no one has. You open me up and make me be myself. You call out on my