DAPHNE
I shake my head firmly, trying to shove Maria's words out of my mind. I won't let it get to me. There's no way Ezekiel likes me. Just yesterday, he told those rogues to kill me, kill me! He said it coldly, without hesitation, without mercy. A person who likes you doesn't put a death sentence on your head with a straight face.
"Eat your snacks." I murmur to Maria, brushing the thoughts aside.
We nibble quietly for a while. She asks me to read her a picture book, and despite myself, I do. Somewhere between the talking rabbit and the singing trees, she drifts off to sleep beside me. Her tiny chest rises and falls steadily, a small smile on her lips.
I watch her for a moment. Peaceful. Innocent. I'd told myself I wouldn't associate with any of these werewolves, that I would keep my
