Cursed (Howl, #6) by Jody Morse, Jayme Morse Read Free Book Online Page B

him a man because he still looked like a teenager, just like he had the last time she had seen him. Even though she had only been a small child—maybe five or six—when she’d met him at a Fourth of July BBQ before he ran away from home, Samara still remembered what he looked like—and he hadn’t changed one bit.
    The guy’s real name wasn’t Ed Rickards. It was actually Williams. He was Edda Williams’ son, Eddie.

     

 
     
     
    Chapter 6
     
    Samara sat on the brown leather sofa in Eddie Williams’ house, staring at the ugly gray curtains on the wall. They were covered in spider webs. Guessing from how messy his home was, Samara had to guess that Ed lived alone—and that he didn’t see many visitors.
    Through the front window, Samara could see the rest of her pack members, who—with the exception of Luke, Colby, and Emma—had chosen to wait outside. They stared at the house anxiously, as though they were just waiting for Samara to call them and let the m know that she needed backup.
    Emma was the first one to break the awkward silence that had taken over the room. “So , you have a lovely home, Ed.”
    Samara tried not to laugh at her friend’s attempt to make conversation. Eddie Williams’ house actually gave her a sort of eerie feeling, and she cou ld tell from Emma’s nose, which looked like she wanted to wrinkle it, her best friend felt the same way.
    “Thank you,” Eddie replied quietly. Meeting Samara’s gaze, he said, “I’m willing to answer whatever questions you’re planning to ask me, but only under one condition.” He paused and took a deep breath before saying, “Please don’t tell my mo ther that you found me here.” 
    “Why don’t you want your mom to know where you are?” Samara asked, taking a sip of lemonade from a glass that Eddie had poured her from a pitcher. The bitter taste of the lemon filled her mouth, and she thought about the conversation she’d once had with Edda about her son disappearing. “Your mother misses you. I know, because she talked about you not that long ago. It’s hard on her, you know, not knowing if her son is dead or alive.”
    “I’m sure it is difficult for her,” Eddie agreed, taking a sip of his own lemonade. “It’s difficult for me, too, Samara. What you need to understand is that leaving Grandview was in my mom’s best interest.”
    “How is letting her think her son is dead i n her best interest? You’re her only child,” Samara pointed out. Maybe it was because of what had happened to Lilly or because there was a chance that Declan might also have run away from home, never to return again, but she couldn’t help but sympathize with Edda in this.
    “I left town because I didn’t want her to know what I’d bec ome,” Eddie told her. “I told myself that, one day, I would be able to tell her about it, but . . . after the autopsy, I knew it was just too dangerous for me to involve my mother in my life. I started receiving death threats from people who seemed to think I was the one who had killed Joe.”
    Colby eyed him curiously. “Why would people think you were the one who killed Joe McKinley? Was there bad blood between the two of you?”
    Eddie shook his head. “No, it wasn’t that. In fact, there was no way I could have had bad blood with him because we’d never even met.” He took a nervous gulp of his lemonade. “The reason people thought I killed Joe McKinley was to get his talisman. They thought I wanted to become the next powerful werewolf, but obviously, they didn’t know me all that well. Power is the last thing I wanted. Heck, I still don’t want it.”
    Samara found it odd how, even though Eddie looked young, he talked like he was much older. The thing was, though, she had expected the coroner who did her grandfather’s autopsy to be someone much older and much wiser. She wasn’t sure how Eddie, who hadn’t been a werewolf for that long, knew enough about being a werewolf to be able to perform an