Chapter 64: Aunt Caroline

SHE SET ASIDE THE announcement and photo album and perched herself on the edge of the bed. "So, you think that the wolf you saw in your backyard was, in fact, your Aunt Caroline?"

"Yeah. It makes crazy sense." Another thought popped into my head. "Oh, and I almost forgot. Dante said 'the fixer' was different, that she was usemi, you know, a wolf shape-shifter. But she used to be idimmu. Idimmu are hybrids - a mix of human and something else." I air quoted "something else."

"And that makes her way more unusual than just being usemi." If my aunt was Dante's "fixer" then I had as much reason to pity her as I had to hate her.

"No way! Your aunt is a werewolf?" Even Ruthie's extensive limits of believability were being stretched thin, but her voice said she had already accepted it. "Your dream about the fight between the wolf and vampire, where the girl was bitten by the wolf. You think it's her, don't you?" she said.

I shrugged.

"What about the vampire guy?" Ruthie asked. "Do you