Chapter 26

"Get. Inside. Now." My mother demands. With wide eyes, I quickly follow her to the front door. At this moment, I forget my fear of the vampire, which is replaced by a whole new fear placed there by my angry mother. I've never seen her this livid before, and unlike the last fight we were in, I know her anger is warranted this time. With an evil motherly glare directed at Cooper, she slams the door and directs all of her attention on me. "Where the HELL were you, Thea Skye Brooks?! You were out all night and never once checked in with me! Then, you show up in the middle of the afternoon with your friend looking like you've been beaten up! What happened?" Under her screaming, I can hear the concern in her voice. Her eyes are traveling over my body, looking for scrapes and bruises staining my pale skin. "It looks worse than it is, Mom," I begin. Telling her the truth isn't an option, so selective truth-telling and small lies will have to convince her not to ground me for life. "I went out