True Nature Page 7

  “I know what you are thinking,” Mrs. Mangiardi said, still smiling. “My late husband used to say that I’m about as Italian as Yorkshire pudding. Half of my ancestors and my husband were Italian, but I lived in England for most of my life.”

  Kelsey laughed, caught off-guard by the housekeeper’s sense of humor. “Yes, I’m Kelsey, the new tutor. Nice to meet you.”

  “You’re up early. Please, sit down. Breakfast will be ready in a second.” Mrs. Mangiardi touched Kelsey’s forearm as she led her over to the round table. Her hands were warm and smelled of bacon, and Kelsey felt herself relaxing under the casual touch.

  Don’t rule her out as a suspect just yet. As with Rue, looks could be deceiving. Maybe Mrs. Mangiardi was the second person present in Jorie’s dream. Kelsey sat down on one of the chairs, hoping it wasn’t Rue’s.

  A second later, she admonished herself. Even if it was Rue’s chair, the human would take it as a misunderstanding, not a sign that Kelsey did not respect her territory. Kelsey needed to treat her with enough respect to keep her tutoring job, but her instantaneous acceptance of Rue’s higher rank annoyed her.

  She sat back and watched as Mrs. Mangiardi piled bacon onto a plate and set a tall stack of pancakes on the table, then cracked open a dozen eggs.

  “Before you ask, no, we are not expecting a cricket team for breakfast,” Mrs. Mangiardi said, her back to Kelsey, but the smile obvious in her voice. “I expect you will stop wondering why I prepare tons of breakfast after you’ve seen Danny eat.”

  Kelsey hadn’t wondered. You think this is a lot? Just wait until you see the amounts he’ll put away once he starts shifting. You’ll have to rent a truck just to go grocery shopping. She caught herself as soon as she’d thought it. If all went well, Danny would be long gone from this house by the time he went through his First Change.

  Between making more pancakes and scrambling eggs, Mrs. Mangiardi heaped food onto Kelsey’s plate.

  “Shouldn’t I wait until Rue and Danny get here?” Torn between hunger and old habits, Kelsey stared down at the mouth-watering food. Never in her life had she been the first to eat. Traditionally, the first bite of every meal went to the pack’s natak.

  “Oh, no, dear. That’s not necessary. Rue doesn’t eat breakfast, and it will probably take Danny a while longer to drag himself out of bed. The best way to get him out of bed is to just prepare the food and wait until he starts smelling it. That boy has an amazing sense of smell when it comes to food.”

  Like all Wrasa.

  The housekeeper patted Kelsey’s shoulder. “So go ahead and eat.”

  Kelsey didn’t have to be told twice. She practically inhaled her bacon and eggs, then, after a quick glance to Mrs. Mangiardi to make sure it was okay, reached for a pancake.

  Mrs. Mangiardi clutched her hands to her chest and grinned as she watched Kelsey eat.

  Heat rushed up Kelsey’s neck. “I’m sorry. I’m making a pig of myself. But it’s been a while since I had such a delicious breakfast.” She’d have to be careful not to take more than two helpings and risk giving away her Wrasa-typical appetite. As long as she didn’t shift shape, she would be fine with human portions.

  “Don’t apologize, dear. I’m delighted to cook for someone who appreciates it. Rue doesn’t eat enough to keep a mouse alive.” Mrs. Mangiardi rolled her eyes. “A mouse with an eating disorder.”

  Kelsey hid a grin at the unexpected joke.

  “And Danny shovels down whatever I put in front of him without tasting it. Although...” She paused, picked up a spatula, and waved it through the air. “Lately, he has become a bit fussier about his food.”

  He’s definitely starting to go through his Awakening. His senses were sharpening and changing, sometimes in unpredictable ways. Kelsey suppressed a smile when she remembered her sudden aversion to meat during puberty. It had driven her parents crazy. Who had ever heard of a vegetarian wolf?

  “How long have you been working for the Hardings?” Kelsey asked, hunting for whatever information she could get.

  Mrs. Mangiardi thought for a moment. “It has to be more than two years now.”

  “Two years? Then I guess you like it.” Her father always said that you could tell a lot about a natak by how he treated the lowest-ranking members of his pack, and the same was true about the way humans treated their employees.

  With one hand, Mrs. Mangiardi turned down the stove while she pulled out the chair next to Kelsey. She sat down and leaned closer as if conveying a secret that she didn’t want anyone else to hear.

  Kelsey instantly liked the easy familiarity. That kind of welcome was so rare among humans, and she hadn’t expected to find it in Rue Harding’s household.

  “I love working here,” Mrs. Mangiardi said. “It’s so much more than a job. My husband died nearly three years ago, right after we came to the United States. Here I was, in a foreign country, without a job, a degree, or any special skills except for being a housewife for thirty years. I was homeless and addicted to sleeping pills.”

  She looked directly into Kelsey’s eyes, and Kelsey couldn’t help admiring her honesty. “I’m doing so much better now, but I will never forget what Rue did for me. She hired me when no one else would have given me a chance.” Mrs. Mangiardi dabbed at her eyes, let out a shaky laugh, and returned to her place in front of the stove. “I didn’t mean to become all teary-eyed so soon after meeting you. I just learned not to keep that part of my past hidden, or it’ll come back and bite me in the arse.”

  Kelsey suppressed a cough. Hearing such frank words from an elderly lady with an elegant British accent was a surprise. “It’s all right,” she said. “I’m glad you defeated your addiction and can be so honest about it. It seems Rue is a fair employer.” At least on the surface. But Kelsey knew that the most harmless-looking dogs often had the worst bite. Maybe Rue had looked beyond Mrs. Mangiardi’s pill addiction, but she wouldn’t tolerate a shape-shifter in her family. With their stupid werewolf clichés, most humans would view the Wrasa as monsters that needed to be killed or at best put into heavily guarded reservations.

  “Rue says you like dogs,” Mrs. Mangiardi said. “I hope you didn’t just say that to get the job.”

  “Oh, no. I’m a dog person through and through.”

  “Then you’ll love my dog,” Mrs. Mangiardi said, her chest puffed out like that of a proud mother. “He’s a real sweetheart.”

  Kelsey forced a smile, knowing the dog would probably not act like his usual sweet self around her.

  Mrs. Mangiardi left the kitchen, and Kelsey heard her open the French doors. A dog barked out a greeting.

  The sound of paws padding across the hardwood floor made Kelsey look up.

  A golden-furred dog rounded the counter and trotted into the kitchen at Mrs. Mangiardi’s side, his nose in the air. When he caught Kelsey’s scent, the dog stopped and took a stiff-legged stance. His fur bristled, and a low growl rose from his chest. Not looking away from Kelsey, he placed himself between Mrs. Mangiardi and Kelsey.

  “Hey, boy.” Mrs. Mangiardi stepped between the dog and Kelsey, blocking his view. “Stop that! What’s the matter with you?” She lifted her finger. “Sit.”

  The dog sat but continued to growl and bark, visibly upset that his human didn’t understand how dangerous the creature at the table was.

  Kelsey knew she couldn’t do anything to calm him. Friendly words and a soft tone might soothe humans, but they wouldn’t fool a dog. His nose told him she was a predator, no matter how she looked or acted. It would take time to convince him she was part of the household now, not an intruder, but Kelsey didn’t have that kind of time. She needed to get Danny out of the house soon.

  “I live with cats,” Kelsey said over the dog’s growling. A really big one. “Maybe that’s what he’s reacting to.”

  Light steps sounded on the wooden staircase.

  The Golden Retriever stopped growling and barked, this time not a sound of warning, but one that said, “Hey, I’m in he
re. Come on in.” His tail started wagging.

  “Good morning.” Rue entered the kitchen, rolling up the sleeves of her blouse. Her hair, which looked as if she had merely finger-combed it, had the same golden color as the dog’s fur.

  “Good morning,” Kelsey and Mrs. Mangiardi answered.

  The dog circled the table, giving Kelsey a wide berth, and bounded up to Rue. He licked her hands, his tail wagging so hard that his hind end swung back and forth too.

  “That dog sure loves her, doesn’t he?” Mrs. Mangiardi said, nodding toward Rue. “She bought him for Danny and hired a trainer, hoping to train him to be a hearing dog, but Odo reacted to Danny...well, come to think of it, he reacted like he just did with you, so she gave him to me.”

  “What’s got you so upset, hmm?” Rue slid her fingers over the fur of his neck and scratched his ears. She looked at Mrs. Mangiardi. “I heard him bark from upstairs.”

  “Kelsey thinks Odo might be reacting to the cat smell clinging to her clothes,” Mrs. Mangiardi said. “Which is weird, because he never reacted to the neighbor’s cat like that.”

  “Hmm.” Rue’s expression said she wasn’t convinced either.

  She knows this is not how dogs react to smelling cat hair. Apparently, Rue knew a lot about dogs. I better be careful.

  When Rue took another step into the room, Odo barked as if in warning.

  “Stop that, Odo,” Mrs. Mangiardi said.

  Obediently, the dog stopped barking and followed Rue, staying on the side of Rue that allowed him to keep his distance from Kelsey. Instead of swinging freely, his tail was tucked close to his body. Odo still kept his gaze on Kelsey, but at least he had stopped growling. He was taking his cue from Rue and Mrs. Mangiardi, who tolerated her presence in the kitchen.

  Kelsey found herself strangely tongue-tied now that Rue had joined them. The warm, casual atmosphere from earlier was gone. “Odo?” she asked for lack of other things to say.

  “Don’t worry,” Rue said. She leaned against the counter and poured herself a cup of coffee. “He’s not a shape-shifter. His breeder was just a big Star Trek fan.”

  She’s making jokes about shape-shifters. I bet she doesn’t know she adopted one. Kelsey wondered what would happen if Rue ever found out. Was that why she had choked Danny in Jorie’s dream vision?

  More steps on the stairs announced that Danny had dragged himself out of bed.

  Odo looked up, then, as if he had learned to tolerate Danny’s presence, settled down between Rue and Mrs. Mangiardi.

  Poor guy. Two predators in the room is a bit much for him.

  After a tired wave, Danny settled down at the table without sparing the three women in the kitchen more than a fleeting glance.

  Mrs. Mangiardi touched his shoulder as she leaned forward to pour milk into Danny’s glass. While Danny didn’t lean into the contact, he also didn’t pull away.

  Kelsey remembered receiving the same warm touch from the housekeeper. She was glad Danny had that kind of physical connection in his life. It was essential for a young pup like him. Did Danny get the same caring touches from Rue too? So far, Kelsey had seen little affection between them.

  When Danny’s glass was full, Mrs. Mangiardi touched his shoulder again to make him turn and look at her. “Pull up your trousers, Danny.” Her signing wasn’t fluent, but with her precise British pronunciation, she was easy to lip-read. “Your underpants are showing. What will your new tutor think?”

  Despite the admonishment, a soft smile lingered on her lips. It was hard to imagine that Mrs. Mangiardi might one day help Rue hurt Danny.

  Danny’s gaze brushed Kelsey and then wandered back to Mrs. Mangiardi. “This is how young people wear their pants in the twenty-first century, old woman.” He signed gently and slowly, the patient movements revealing a grudging affection for the housekeeper. “Old woman” seemed more like a nickname than a derogatory term.

  When Mrs. Mangiardi raised her brows, indicating that she hadn’t understood, Danny used his voice to repeat what he’d said. His voice was harsh and too loud, and Kelsey had to strain to understand.

  Mrs. Mangiardi, who was more familiar with his speech pattern, didn’t seem to have any problems understanding him. She grinned and gave another tug on his pants, then moved back to the stove.

  In search of any signs of abuse, Kelsey observed Danny closely. She slid her gaze up and down Danny’s frame—lanky, but not displaying any of the gangly awkwardness of his friends. He moved with the sure-footed steadiness of a wolf. No signs of acne marred his lightly tanned skin or straight nose. As a Wrasa, he would never suffer from the bane of human teenagers. Her gaze wandered to his pushed-up sleeves. His arms didn’t show any traces of bruises, old or new. He ate his breakfast with a blank expression, never once smiling and rarely engaging in conversation.

  Despite his sullen mood, Kelsey smelled no fear or anger from him. If Rue had kidnapped him, he had either been with her for so long that he had developed Stockholm syndrome, or he wasn’t aware that he was a kidnapping victim.

  She legally adopted him, Kelsey reminded herself. Maybe someone else had kidnapped him and then sold him to the rich CEO.

  Rue pushed away from the counter and put her empty coffee mug into the dishwasher. “All right, folks,” she said, accompanied by a few signs. “I’m off to work now. I want to make—”

  Danny slapped his thighs and laughed loudly, interrupting her. “Woohoo.” He wiggled his brows.

  Rue frowned and looked down at herself as if searching for coffee stains. “What’s so funny?”

  Instead of explaining, Danny continued to laugh and hoot.

  Kelsey smiled. “The way you just signed ‘make’ looked a little like ‘make out’—at least to the dirty mind of a fourteen-year-old teenager.”

  “Make out?” Rue’s forehead crinkled.

  Mrs. Mangiardi chuckled. “If you weren’t such a workaholic, you’d remember what that was, dear.”

  Rue stared at them as if contagious lunacy had broken out in the kitchen.

  “Now I know why you spend so much time at work,” Danny signed, smirking.

  Instead of getting angry, as Kelsey had feared, Rue laughed. “Now wouldn’t it be nice if that were true.” She winked at Kelsey and made her way to the living room. “I’ll let Odo out,” she called over her shoulder. “He can protect the backyard from squirrels and other dangerous predators.”

  Kelsey bit back a grin. If she only knew that the most dangerous predators are sitting in her kitchen, eating pancakes.

  * * *

  As soon as Mrs. Mangiardi started on her round of daily cleaning, Kelsey went to explore every nook and cranny of the house. Now that she was unobserved, she sniffed the comforting smell of the maple floors and the wooden furniture and trailed her fingertips over the marble in the bathroom. She discovered hand-carved sculptures and half a dozen baseball trophies proudly displayed in a glass cabinet in the living room. Must be Danny’s. Like most Syak, he probably excelled in team sports.

  After exploring the lower level of the house, Kelsey went upstairs.

  Three doors were spaced along a hallway—the guest room, Danny’s room, and the master bedroom. Kelsey risked a glance into Rue’s bedroom. Beige walls and Native American art complemented the polished oak furniture. Photos covered a dresser set against one wall, and Kelsey stepped into the room to take a look at them. The first photo showed a blond, pig-tailed little girl with her parents. In the second photo, a teenaged Rue worked in a woodshop with an old man whose hands rested on Rue’s shoulders. The third photo was the most recent one, showing Rue building a tree house with a younger Danny. No photos of Paula anywhere. Strange. Kelsey’s parents’ house looked like a shrine to Garrick, with photos of him everywhere. She closed the bedroom door behind her.

  A fourth door at the end of the hall led to a small office. Kelsey could tell that Rue spent a lot of time there. Her spicy scent permeated the room. Instead of the light-colored, new furniture found in the rest of t
he house, the office held a battle-scarred, dark walnut desk and a worn leather chair. Fading traces of a man’s cologne lingered in the leather, making Kelsey suspect that the office furniture had once belonged to Rue’s father or grandfather.

  She paused in front of Danny’s room, where the ever-present smell of peanuts teased her with its familiarity. At first, she had thought Danny had just eaten a handful of the snack, but he had still smelled of peanuts at breakfast. It had been many years since she had last met a Syak who smelled like that.

  Get yourself together. Stop reminiscing about Garrick. This is about Danny.

  He had retreated to his room immediately after breakfast, ignoring her attempts to start a conversation. If left to his own devices, he probably wouldn’t make an appearance anytime soon, so she had to get him out of his den.

  She pressed the button next to his door and waited, knowing the lights inside the room were flashing and announcing her presence now.

  Danny didn’t open the door. Was he not in his room after all?

  A flash of panic chased through Kelsey. What if Danny had run off? She shook her head. Don’t overreact. He thinks that this is his home. Why would he run away now?

  She drew in air through her nose, inhaling the familiar peanut scent. Calm down. He’s in there. Slowly, she pushed the door open.

  Danny lay on his bed, one thumb darting across the touchscreen of his smartphone. His hearing aids were lying next to him on the nightstand as if he wanted to shut out even the few loud noises he could detect.

  She waved her hand to get his attention, but he still didn’t look at her. With his sense of smell, Kelsey knew he had probably detected her presence in front of his room even before she had flashed the doorbell.

  He’s playing the deaf card to avoid dealing with me. As a teenager, her brother, Garrick, had been a master at that game.

  With a deep breath to steady her nerves, Kelsey stepped into the room. She caught a glance of the framed photo on his nightstand, showing a younger Danny with Rue and an auburn-haired woman. Is this his other mother, Paula?