by Layla Nash
“It’s just for a day or two,” he said. Dodge reached for my arm but stilled when I pulled away. “The detective can come over and talk to you, and if she says it’s all right, I’ll take you back to your apartment. Okay?”
I didn’t believe it, and he didn’t believe it either. We all knew the detective wouldn’t want me wandering around the city alone, not if Ms. Bridger was responsible for half the awful things that Smith attributed to her. My chest ached and I wanted to scream in frustration or hide or do anything but face the perfectly calm, perfectly composed shifters who watched me.
Waiting.
Patient.
Like they were letting me freak the hell out and get it out of my system so they could go on about their business. I pressed my lips together and lifted shaking hands to touch my forehead, to press against my eyes, to do something so I wouldn’t fly apart in a panic. “I think – I’m not ready for –“
“It’s okay,” Dodge murmured. He moved slow and his hand slid to the back of my neck so he could draw me close against his chest. “Easy, easy. Just breathe.”
I meant to pull away, to flail so I could preserve some of my dignity, but instead I squeezed my eyes shut and buried my face against his shoulder. It all caught up with me – all of it. Everything Smith said, everything Dodge repeated at lunch, the conversation about Silas and people being wolves in their head and the thought that the whole city full of supernaturals wouldn’t let me go back to normal. I was caught up in it, and I’d never not be caught up in it.
It was a life sentence. They wouldn’t admit it and Dodge claimed he’d make sure they left me alone, but it was one of those things that couldn’t be undone. My life was tied to them, to their pack. And all I wanted to do was forget any of it ever happened.
Chapter 18
Dodge
Dodge sensed it the moment that the situation became too much for Persephone; her energy changed and her posture changed and he just knew. He moved before he thought about it, pulling her close so he could try to comfort her. He didn’t like the frantic energy and tension, the way her hands shook and she started looking around for an exit.
He’d have been lying if he said he wasn’t disappointed when she said she wanted to put all of them behind her and go back to normal. For just a second, when they kissed, he thought that maybe... Maybe there was something there. Maybe he’d ask her out on a date and figure out how to have a normal relationship with a normal woman. Even if he knew Persephone was extraordinary in every way.
She shook in his arms as he held her; Dodge concentrated on breathing deep and even, to encourage her to follow his rhythm, and rubbed her back in smooth circles. He rested his chin on the top of her head and listened as she hiccupped. Dodge knew the storm wouldn’t blow over in a matter of minutes, and glanced at where the alpha watched with a smirk on his face. “You guys go ahead. We’ll catch up to you at the house.”
Evershaw shrugged, “Suit yourself,” and shooed Deirdre toward the door, since she was still in her witch alternate universe dreaming up spells or whatever she did when her eyes turned silver.
Todd grinned when he spotted Dodge comforting the human; only a ferocious scowl convinced the second-in-command to get the fuck out of there. And then it was just Dodge and Persephone in the small room that still smelled like garlic, grilled meat, and authentic kimchi. He’d traveled in Asia a bit, had been stationed in Korea for a year, and had missed the cuisine. He loved that restaurant, since it was the closest to Seoul-authentic he’d found in the U.S. He couldn’t have said why he chose it as the meeting spot, but part of him wanted to share that place with Persephone. The wolf wanted to see her well-fed, and he knew Korean barbecue would get the job done.
He closed his eyes and hummed under his breath, starting to worry as the architect continued to sniffle and bury her face against him. He hadn’t dealt with any humans when they first encountered the supernatural community, so he had zero practice managing the disbelief and other emotions that Persephone wrestled with. Dodge didn’t mind standing there as long as it took for her to find some peace with the way her world changed.
When she told Deirdre she didn’t want anything to do with the supernaturals, it felt like she’d gutted him. Ripped him open and tore out his lungs. The wolf knew why. The wolf knew exactly why it physically pained him to think that Persephone would walk away from them – from him – without looking back.
How was it possible that she didn’t feel the same way he did? How could she not sense that there was a connection?
Not that Dodge wanted to admit it to himself. He wasn’t ready for a mate. He was probably too old for her and definitely too cynical and scarred and jaded. Persephone seemed all bright and shiny and excitable, looking for the good things in the world. His darkness would corrupt her, would dim her light. He didn’t want that. Not for a second. Even if it destroyed him, it was better that Persephone went back to her normal life, found happiness, and lived a perfectly perfect life.
Her hands curled into the material of his shirt. “I don’t think I can handle this. It’s too – big.”
“That’s what she said,” he murmured, and she tensed. He held his breath, hoping the joke would tease her out of the bleakness that paralyzed her.
Persephone leaned back from his chest and her red-rimmed eyes found his. He waggled his eyebrows at her and was rewarded with a very faint smile.
He found it encouraging, but didn’t want to release her yet. He liked having her close, feeling the soft give of her breasts as she leaned into him. He liked the way her hair brushed his neck and smelled like something flowery, the way her fingers stroked against his shirt as she tried to comfort herself. A sudden fear gripped him. Could he actually give her up? Could he stand by while she walked away? She wasn’t his; he hadn’t even asked her on a date or done more than kiss her, even with the opportunity to mark her. It wasn’t like he had any reason to assume Persephone would welcome his attention long-term.
He was just a somewhat familiar thing while the rest of her world fell apart. He’d rescued her from danger. It wasn’t uncommon for people to get super attached to their rescuers. Silas had always attracted followers of all genders after the team freed hostages from militias and corrupt corporations. Dodge never hung around long enough for the kids to thank him, much less fall in love.
Dodge knew her seeking comfort with him was superficial, shallow. It wouldn’t last. It was just adrenaline, nothing more.
But he still couldn’t release her. “Here’s the plan.”
Persephone tensed but didn’t pull away. She took a deep breath and turned her face to his throat. “Okay.”
“Silas and I worked together for a long time, and our team had a saying – worry about the closest alligator to the boat.” His fingers drifted down the length of her spine, almost to the swell of her beautiful ass, and he nuzzled into her hair. He couldn’t resist, not with her leaning on him. Needing him. “Of course, usually it was literally an alligator trying to get into the boat, but still. The saying holds. We have a couple of problems circling around us, right? So we concentrate on the closest one and deal with that, then find the next one, and deal with that. Sometimes you’ve got to slow down and just do one thing at a time. Okay?”
She nodded. “What comes first?”
Dodge smiled and kissed the top of her head, squeezing her tightly. “We can’t stay in this restaurant forever, as much as I would enjoy eating here for the rest of my life. So we have to get somewhere safe, which means the witch’s house. Once we get there, we can figure out what you want to do next. Sound good?”
She hesitated, then untangled herself from his embrace and wiped at her cheeks. Persephone tried to look resolute, although her determination was undermined by her red eyes and the wobble in her chin. “It’s a plan.”
“Sometimes that’s all you can hope for,” he said quietly. He still touched her arm, her shoulder; the thought of not being connected to her felt unbearable. The longer he spent
around her, the more hopelessly ensnared he became. “We have the plan and we’ll modify it if we need to, but for now – we’re just going to get in the car and drive nice and careful back to the house.”
Persephone cleared her throat and tried to smooth the moisture from her cheeks. “And then maybe a nap.”
“A nap is a great idea.” Although the possibility of cuddling up with her in his bed almost undid him. Dodge figured he’d have to chain himself up in the storm cellar with Silas just to give the girl her space.
Persephone squared her shoulders and pasted an almost-convincing smile on her face. “Let’s do this. Just – warn me if you see any... alligators.”
Her smile faltered, since the alligators chasing them were armed with guns, so Dodge caught her hand in his. “Will do. If I see anything or think we need to do anything, I’ll give you very specific instructions. It might sound louder or... less friendly than normal, but it’s just habit to sound that way.”
“I won’t hold it against you if you save my life.” Persephone walked next to him as they exited the private room and got to the lobby, where all the waitresses and hostess called greetings in Korean and waved to them.
He did his best to answer, laughing and being friendlier than he wanted, so the waitstaff would remember him fondly and do him a solid in the future if he needed help. It was always best to have people on your side before you needed them to be. Dodge looped his arm around Persephone’s shoulders to hold her against his left side, wanting his right arm free in case he needed to draw and throw one of his knives. She hesitated, then leaned against him as they walked to the car.
Dodge concentrated on their surroundings, relieved that only half the goons were still watching the car. The rest must have followed Evershaw’s car. He wasn’t about to turn his back on a small gift. They gave him some space, so he’d get Persephone back to the house as fast as possible. He unlocked the car and opened her door, still searching the streets around them and examining the car itself for any bugs or trackers. When he finally got in the driver’s seat and started the car, Persephone glanced at him. “Where did you learn Korean?”
“I lived there for a little while,” he said, half his attention still on her as he drove. His brain sorted through thousands of data points as he searched for the indicators that signaled danger, all while trying to look and sound as normal as possible so Persephone wouldn’t freak out. “Picked up some phrases.”
“The waitresses were impressed,” she said, and managed a smile. “You’re very popular there.”
He snorted. “Probably because I eat there about once a week, don’t hit on them or bother them, and tip well.”
“What a gentleman.”
He glanced over, trying to see if she was fucking with him, but Persephone gazed out the window with a faint smile on her face. Dodge had no idea what she meant, what the smile meant, any of it. He wanted to growl in frustration. Why was she such a mystery? Why couldn’t he figure her out?
The wolf remained surprisingly silent on the matter; the dick wouldn’t even help him figure out how to woo the female. Dodge shook himself and pushed that particular distraction aside. Closest alligator to the boat first, then he could get his mind right about Persephone. There wouldn’t be anything to figure out if one or both of them ended up dead.
He held his breath for the rest of the ride as the goons followed a few cars behind them. At least they weren’t aggressive, but there was no guarantee they’d stay that way. Eventually Bridger would have to deal with Persephone, and someone like Bridger... Dodge hated to admit it but he knew the loan shark wouldn’t take the chance that Persephone had seen something at the sanctuary. Bridger would assume the architect was a problem and would deal with her the same way Bridger dealt with every problem. Eliminate threats and destroy the evidence.
But Persephone didn’t need to know that.
He parked her car as close to Deirdre’s house as possible, relieved to see that Todd and Mercy lingered on the front porch to observe their approach. Dodge caught Persephone’s hand. “We’re just going to walk up to the house and go inside, find a comfortable spot to sit, and figure out the next alligator. Okay?”
“And nap,” she added.
And then she squeezed his hand back. Dodge’s heart jumped.
He had to clear his throat to keep his tone steady as he agreed, “And nap, of course.”
Persephone got out of the car before he could get his limbs to obey him through the shock of her responding to his touch. Dodge jumped out to close her door and escort her across the lawn up to the porch, just in case the goons who’d crept past in their dirty sedan meant to try something. Instead, the goons parked down the street and waited, not even being subtle about the fact that they watched the house.
Cricket sat in the front yard, washing his paw disdainfully, and only sauntered over when he saw Persephone. Dodge kept them moving, not even pausing for cat petting, to get to the front porch and the safety of a locked door between Persephone and the goons. Cricket hissed at him and bolted between his feet, almost tripping Dodge on his way.
Mercy beamed as she studied Persephone and would have launched forward for an enthusiastic greeting if Todd hadn’t caught her shoulder to keep her back. “So you’re the one they’ve been talking about!”
Dodge tensed. “We can talk inside.”
“What do you mean?” Persephone asked, her attention on Mercy. “Who’s talking? Who are you?”
Mercy blinked, glancing at him and Todd, then tilted her head toward the front door. “Yeah, we should talk inside. It’s not bad talk, Deirdre has been super excited about something you said and she’s mixing up stuff in the workroom like crazy and then a detective showed up and she asked about you and –“
“Wait.” Dodge kept a wary eye on Persephone, in case she started to panic again, but growled as he confronted the other wolf. “The detective, O’Brien? She’s here?”
“In the workroom with the boss and Deirdre. Evershaw won’t leave Deirdre’s side and she won’t stop mixing potions and shit, so they’re talking in there. We’re supposed to fetch them as soon as you arrive.” Todd didn’t look particularly interested in fetching anyone, so at least Dodge had a few minutes to collect his thoughts.
From the look on her face, Persephone needed a hell of a lot longer. She wobbled to the loveseat she’d occupied just the other morning and sank into it, staring blankly at Mercy. “I don’t understand.”
“Smith sent the detective over,” Todd said slowly. Something in his tone made Dodge’s hackles rise, though he couldn’t have said exactly what it was. The pack’s second-in-command sat in the chair across from Persephone, moving slow and easy like Persephone was liable to bolt if startled. “O’Brien was here waiting for us when we got back from the restaurant. Whatever Smith told her lit a fire under her ass, and she’s hell-bent on talking to you about what you saw.”
Persephone’s wide eyes found Dodge. “I don’t think I can –“
“There she is,” a voice boomed, and Persephone flinched in alarm.
Dodge immediately put himself between her and the noise-maker, growling a warning, and braced for a fight.
Chapter 19
Percy
All I wanted was a nap or at least find a quiet place to be by myself and sort through the tornado of problems that swirled around me. There was just too much to digest and process. I needed to be alone in my head for a while without anyone else offering opinions or plans or whatever.
I wouldn’t have minded Dodge’s company, since he could be quiet and still. And he was comfortingly competent, which was refreshing. I felt safer with him around. I shouldn’t have, maybe, since I’d known him about two whole days, but there was something about him... He’d seen a lot of really bad stuff, based on his calm in the face of danger, and he didn’t get freaked out about anything.
Although when he growled at Evershaw and the woman who appeared in the living room, my hair stood up and I wondered if I needed
to jump out the window and hide with Cricket on the porch. Dodge’s shoulders seemed to grow as he clenched his arms and fists, staring down the people who’d entered.
Evershaw’s expression darkened. “Calm down. No one means her harm.”
An odd tension seized my insides. I’d figured that Dodge was surprised, just like I was, by the two people appearing out of nowhere. But Dodge hadn’t retreated from the threat. He’d faced it. He’d gotten between me and it and growled like he meant to fight whoever tried to get in. My mouth dried out. I couldn’t have spoken even if someone had asked me. Why would he do something like that?
The dark-haired woman standing next to Evershaw fixed her attention on me, and ignored Dodge completely. She wore jeans and a blazer, and managed to look more professional and put-together than I did wearing a full suit. It made me suddenly jealous. She had her life together. I would have bet she never ran into bullshit like Ms. Bridger and her horde of killers.
Evershaw stepped sideways so he could peer around Dodge’s wide stance to see me. “Persephone, this is Detective Greer O’Brien. She’s... part of the community. When someone in the community runs afoul of the law, O’Brien is the person we talk to.”
“That’s bullshit and you know it, boyo,” the detective said, and I caught traces of an Irish accent. She gave Evershaw a sharp sideways look. “You run off and make your own justice, then leave it for me to clean up. Not this time, you hear?”
Evershaw rolled his eyes and waved her toward the armchair next to where Todd still sat. “I think you’re mis-remembering a lot, but I doubt we’ll agree on anything. Sit and Percy will fill you in on what she saw. Then you can deal with Bridger.”
“We don’t know that a crime was committed,” she said, and fixed her intense gaze on me. “But I’m sure Ms. Lawson can give me a place to start investigating.”
I gripped my knees to keep my hands from trembling. “I don’t think I really saw anything, it was just...”