P.N.E. (The Wolfblood Prophecies Book 4) Read Free Page B

thank God. After all that, a year later, President Kennedy was assassinated.’ She trailed off. ‘We’re here. That’s just an outline, girls, but it’s all we have time for – so read it up properly! Oh, Jo, don’t forget to send our love.’
      The car pulled up outside the hospital. ‘Thanks, Jean,’ said Jo as she clambered out. ‘I’ll phone you about tomorrow. Bye, Sam.’
    It was a short distance from the car to the foyer, but by the time Jo arrived at the reception area she was drenched. 
    ‘Couldn’t you have brought some sunshine?’ laughed Anna, the receptionist, as she handed Jo her security pass. ‘Oh, by the way, your friends are in the waiting room on level 2 – they asked if you would pop in and say hello.’ Jo looked puzzled. ‘Mr and Mrs Jamieson,’ added the receptionist helpfully.
    Jo still looked perplexed, then smiled as she made the connection. ‘Matthew and Mary,’ she laughed, then looked worried. ‘Nothing’s wrong, is it?’ she asked anxiously.
    Anna consulted her notes. ‘Just a routine appointment,’ she said. Another thought occurred to her. ‘Oh, some good news! Your aunt has returned from Lake Brienz, fully recovered from her operation. Mr Stigmurus welcomed her back with an enormous bouquet. Her research work is invaluable. There’s no-one can compare to her.’
    ‘She certainly is in a league of her own,’ agreed Jo drily. Top of the class for power-crazed murder and cruelty, with megalomania and deranged jealousy for good measure. And apart from the Righteous and my family, the rest of the world is dazzled by her beauty and talent.
     
     
    ‘So the gang’s all here,’ said Mary laconically when Jo told her about Lethe. ‘Reg is in the coffee lounge, waiting to take us back home. Practically a full set.’ Apart from Quinn, she thought.
    And Rosie and the boys, thought Matthew.
    Jo continued trying not to think about Smokey. Or Beth.
    There was an awkward silence, then a smiling nurse called Matthew’s name. After arranging to meet for coffee after the appointment, Jo carried on to the private wing.
    Her steps seemed to drag the nearer she got, so she stopped off at the charming room Titus had set aside for her overnight stays, dried her hair and put on some dry clothes.
    There was a discreet tap at the door. Titus Stigmurus stood there, beaming. ‘The girl told me you’d arrived,’ he said. ‘I hope you have everything you need?’
    Jo looked at the wardrobe full of outfits that were tailor made for her. She glanced at a dressing table covered with beautifully perfumed lotions, bookshelves packed with novels by her favourite authors, music and television at the press of a switch. A small fridge packed with drinks and snacks was the icing on the cake. The room was perfect and she said so, adding, with a smile, ‘All I need is my cat!’
    Titus looked anxious. ‘I’m afraid that’s not possible,’ he began, then realised he was being gently teased. He smiled, then looked serious again, saying, ‘I wish I could give you a positive progress report, Johanna. But all I can say is there is no change. We must continue to pray. And now your aunt is returned to work, perhaps she can use her incomparable talent and become the healer she was always meant to be.’
    Jo looked startled, then angry. ‘I don’t want her help,’ she said fiercely. ‘She is not to be trusted.’
    ‘Have you forgotten that I now have the power of life and death over Lethe?’ The benign expression of a few moments before had been replaced with something dark and disturbing. ‘Her heart implant is fully under my control. She will never cross me again or defy my wishes.’
    ‘Replacing her dark heart is one thing,’ said Jo grimly. ‘Changing her personality is another.’
    ‘I fully intend that she will come to see the error of her ways,’ said Titus. He spoke quietly, but something in his tone caused Jo to shiver. ‘I need to check the weather reports – before I go,