The Curse of the Wolf Girl Read Free

with the university that Daniel and Moonglow attended, and that was reassuring. Thrix didn’t much care for Daniel or Moonglow, but she did admit they’d had a beneficial effect on Kalix.
    Malveria picked up a copy of French
Vogue
. She couldn’t read French, but was very attracted by the shoes on the cover. “A pleasing shade of lilac. But I am already well equipped with lilac shoes for the coming season, am I not?”
    “You are,” replied Thrix, who had successfully kept Malveria ahead of the trends for some time now.
    Malveria looked pleased, though even the knowledge that she was well supplied with fashionable shoes could not entirely drive Agrivex from her mind. “It is strange. The Hiyasta used to persecute mankind. When men lived in caves, we would make war on them over the use of fire. Now I’m spending my gold sending my niece to a human college.” The Fire Queen frowned and shook her head. “My advisory council found it hard to understand, though they did appreciate that desperate measures were permissible in getting rid of Agrivex. Her hedgehog garments had already caused widespread offense. As had her mittens.”
    “Mittens?”
    Malveria shuddered. “She must be the only Hiyasta ever to wear them. One would think that no matter how hopeless a Fire Elemental she is, she would at least be able to keep her hands warm. Do you think Daniel and Moonglow will be able to cope with her?”
    Thrix shrugged. “You probably know them as well as I do. Since Markus became Thane, I’ve hardly seen them.”
    “You are not monitoring Kalix, as your mother wished?”
    “No, I’m not,” stated Thrix, forcibly.
    “You still resent that her lover Gawain toyed with your affections before cruelly discarding you?”
    Thrix’s lips tightened and she swallowed an angry retort. “It’s not about Gawain. You know how I hate getting dragged into clan affairs.”
    “One might almost think you regret being a werewolf,” said Malveria, archly.
    “I’m fine being a werewolf,” replied Thrix. “It’s all the other werewolves that bother me.”
    “I would like to remain longer, Enchantress, so that we may watch the Japanese fashion show together on your excellent cable television. But now I must away to play whist.”
    “Whist?” Thrix was surprised. “I didn’t know you played.”
    “Since the Duchess Gargamond initiated a whist evening at her castle it has become popular with the ladies of my court. I don’t love the playing of cards but it will give me a splendid opportunity to show off the fabulous pale blue dress you provided me with last week.”
    Malveria dematerialized in an aroma of jasmine. Thrix wasn’t sure it was a good idea for Agrivex to move into the same household as her young sister Kalix. A household consisting of two young students, one young werewolf, and one young Fire Elemental was a troubling mix. As long as it didn’t engulf Thrix in some sort of family crisis, she didn’t much care. Thrix and Kalix’s friendship had never been strong, and it ended the day her younger sister discovered Thrix had been sleeping with Gawain, the great love of Kalix’s young life. Since then they’d taken care to avoid each other, and Thrix wouldn’t have minded if she were never to encounter her sister again.

Chapter 4
     
    Decembrius MacRinnalch remained in London after the great battle. He had no desire to return to the castle in Scotland. Decembrius had been a loyal supporter of Sarapen. Now that Sarapen was dead, the young, red-haired werewolf didn’t know what to do with himself.
    He could have gone home had he wanted. Markus, the new Thane, had extended a pardon to everyone who’d fought against him. The werewolf barons—MacGregor, MacAllister, and MacPhee—had all made their peace with the MacRinnalch clan. Some more sincerely than others, no doubt, but now Sarapen was gone, there was nothing more to fight about. Markus might not be to everyone’s taste as Thane, but it was done