Howling Moon Read Free Page A

she’d had with Violet on her return.
    Cat would love to go again today and continue her debate with Holly Sanchez, the friendly waitress she’d met, about the relative merits of different video games. But she was a guest in her aunt’s home and didn’t want to upset her.
    Fortunately, Violet was always happiest when in the throes of writing one of her romance novels, her imagination taking her away from the humdrum of daily existence. She loved her career, and it showed in the framed copies of book covers on the wall, each bearing her aunt’s name in bold pink letters. Two hours was probably adequate time for Violet’s normal good humor to reassert itself.
    “Why? What did you have in mind?” Violet shouted back. Her voice was warm and anticipatory. Cat felt a pang of guilt. She didn’t like deceiving her aunt, but Violet would bristle at the notion of eating out.
    “I need to do some shopping.” It was the absolute truth, as far as it went.
    “Really?” Violet sounded surprised, and more than a little pleased. Cat supposed it was natural. After all, her first week at Violet’s house had been spent alternately sleeping or crying in her bed, and the second week she wandered around like a zombie. Today was the first time she’d felt close to normal since her parents died.
    They were dead. She was beginning to accept that fact. It seemed like forever, and at the same time as if it had just been yesterday. It made it worse that Violet wanted to talk endlessly about them. Cat just couldn’t.
    Therapy would probably help. But therapy was a long-term process, and she didn’t want to stay in Boulder long-term. No, this was a stopgap, a short respite before she resumed her real life. Colorado wasn’t home for her. But there was no fiancé, no job, no life for her back in California, either. She couldn’t imagine going home to her parents’ house without them being there. Yet, it would be a good place to lose herself in business for a while. She knew she could run her father’s company given the chance. Unfortunately, none of the board members believed it She’d followed her father’s advice and started a small game design company. The plan had been to show her business savvy by running a small enterprise before he moved her in to take over for him. They’d assumed it would be years before he decided to step down and retire. There was supposed to be plenty of time. Plenty of time to learn his business, and teach him hers.
    “Cat?” She blinked and realized that Violet had been speaking to her. Her aunt wore a hopeful smile. “I was wondering if you’d like a bit of company. We can make a regular day of it.” She looked her niece up and down critically. “You could use a few new things. Why don’t you change while I finish this chapter?” Catherine hid her disappointment well, agreeing to Violet’s plan with fake enthusiasm. So much for a meaty breakfast.
    Finishing a chapter always took longer than Violet thought it would, so Cat decided to take a quick shower and pull on some decent clothes.
    She walked into the bathroom, marveling at the fact that she’d lost even the last traces of a limp. There was no explanation for it. The doctors said she’d never walk properly again. The wild animal that had mauled her took most of the long muscle out of her thigh. It had been replaced with some muscle from her calf.
    In the shower, Cat rubbed her thigh. The stitches had fallen out that morning – small bits of black covering her foot and the floor like tiny spiders. The skin was pink and shiny and new, soft to the touch. There was no pain when she pushed on me muscle. Cat was thrilled, but also frightened. There was no reason for her to be healing this quickly. It wasn’t normal. She couldn’t find any information on the Internet about rapid healing in humans – except, of course, on comic book Web sites about mutants. And Cat wasn’t a mutant, or a comic book heroine.
    So how was she almost entirely