Beasthood (The Hidden Blood Series) by A.Z. Green Read Free Book Online Page A

pet,” Erica replied with a shrug.
                  Jaz looked at her aunt directly. “I don’t really… like dogs.”
                  Everyone was suddenly very quiet. She felt like she’d missed something. She gazed at her aunt searching for any signs she’d offended her, in her expression. Her aunt looked almost amused by her remark. So did her uncle for that matter. It confused her but she apologized anyway. “I’m sorry, that came out wrong.”
    “ No, I’m sure it came out exactly right.”
    “ Well, I mean, I don’t hate them or have anything against them. I just wouldn’t want one as a pet. Dogs more than cats.”
    “ Why is that?”
                  Her uncle swung round as her aunt asked what they were all curious to hear. The driver felt the urge to turn around too. He didn’t of course. Instead he glanced at Jaz in the mirror regularly.
                  She didn’t notice. She hadn’t looked up since she got the creepy feeling he could read her mind. Irrational of course but still, she avoided his reflection. She tried to pick her words carefully as she responded. “Um… well, when I was about ten. Ten?” she asked herself as she glanced up at the roof of the car. “No eleven.” She looked back down at her aunt and uncle. “I was out in the park not far from my house. With my dad. And then this-this massive dog that was on a lead suddenly yanked free from his owner and bolted in my direction. I wasn’t scared of them then but I knew it looked pretty piss- I mean- angry, and I was bricking it but I didn’t want to run in case it took that as reason to chase me.
    “ It wouldn’t have made much difference ‘cos it jumped on me anyway, knocked me over and tried to bite chunks out of my face while I struggled to hold it back.” Her aunt was watching her in shock. Her uncle hadn’t moved an inch. “My dad tried to pull it off. Even with the owner yanking at the lead it wouldn’t budge. It gave up on my face and got a grip on my arm. Luckily I had a lot of layers on so the worst of his bite was on my coat. I don’t know how many people it took to yank that bloody thing off of me but they finally did. I was lucky. Only a few scratches. But after that, I just kept well away from dogs. Even the little ones. He was a pretty big bugger. One of those police dogs.”
    “ Alsatians,” her uncle offered. She nodded once.
                  The air had become so tense from her story; she didn’t like the attention. She smiled lightly and shrugged as if to say, ‘oh well, shit happens.’
    “ Good enough reason,” her aunt added.
                  Jaz caught the end of a purposeful look from her aunt, to the driver in the mirror. She didn’t see his response in time, because she’d have had to lean in to see. She was sure she’d seen her aunt look his way but when her aunt caught her watching her, she didn’t appear startled or wary.
                  In fact she replied with a warm smile, appearing oblivious to her niece’s searching eyes. Erica had amusement, and an expression Jaz couldn’t name –irony- in her gaze. “Interesting,” Erica then murmured, mostly to herself.
                  Jaz wondered if maybe she was just being paranoid and over thinking things as usual. She tended to do that a lot lately. It didn’t stop her from eyeing her aunt and uncle uncertainly.
                  She leaned back, continuing to occupy the space right by the window, so her right shoulder was squished against part of the door and glass. She stared in front; boring her searching eyes into the back of the driver’s shaved head. 

~ Chapter 6- Whack~
     
    Saturday May 7 th , 2011, 12:46 p.m. Petrol Station
     
     
    “ Pit stop. We’ve got about two more hours driving so now’s the time for toilet breaks,” Aunt Erica announced.
    Jaz pulled on the handle of her door leaning her weight against it