by Beth Alvarez
“I suppose it depends,” she said at last. “I think every situation has to be treated as uniquely as it is. I mean, I think we all know Miss Gertie isn’t seventy-five.”
Penny laughed. “That’s true.” Then she sobered. “But if you knew someone people liked, who you spent a lot of time with, had a secret—a bad one—what then?”
“Everyone has secrets, Penny.” Felicity wiped the counter again, though it was perfectly clean. “And I think everyone has skeletons they’d like to keep in the closet. I guess what you do has to depend on the secrets they’re keeping. Even good people do bad things. I think a lot of people deserve a chance to start over.”
Silence lengthened.
Felicity went on. “Is it something that could hurt people?”
“I...” Penny lowered her eyes, clasping her hands against the countertop. “I think so.”
A lump rose in her throat, forcing Felicity to swallow hard. Visions of the Keepers coming for Kade flickered in her head. “Do you think others would agree with you?”
The younger woman’s hands tightened on each other until her knuckles turned white.
“Are you afraid?” Felicity asked, softer.
Penny nodded.
For a moment, Felicity didn’t know what to say. In spite of everything, she’d never feared Kade. The concept of vampires had been frightening, as had seeing what his life was really like, but he’d always been so gentle and reassuring. Reliable. Steady.
They could dance around the subject forever, but it didn’t change that it hung in the air between them. It would always be there, an unspoken burden dragging them down.
Felicity put away her cloth. “I keep Kade’s secrets because it keeps him safe. I don’t understand all the choices he’s made, but I don’t think it puts anyone at risk. He left his old life behind when he decided to settle in Holly Hill. Don’t you think he deserves to start over?”
Penny’s mouth fell open, her chin bobbing a few times before she got it closed again. She warred with herself behind her blue eyes, rubbing her arms as if to ward off a chill. Then her fingertips wandered up to her neck, touching a place just above her collar, where Felicity had missed the pink spots of newly-healed skin.
“Does he ever... hurt you?” Penny asked quietly.
“Never,” Felicity said. She didn’t think he would, either. Vampire or not, Kade was a gentleman.
Lines of worry creased Penny’s brow. “Even though he...”
Felicity considered dropping the subject, leaving Penny without answers to her unfinished question. It would have been easier if she’d gone to Kade directly, but she could see why the younger woman wouldn’t be comfortable approaching him about the subject.
“Kade’s a good man, Penny. What he is doesn’t affect anyone but him. He doesn’t even eat without permission. But you know what would happen if people knew about him.” And Felicity woke up every day knowing it might be the day they found out. She kept a small bag of necessities beside the bedroom door just in case they had to run.
Penny thought on that for a while, studying her face. Slowly, her expression softened. “You’re right. He is a good man. But what if he wasn’t?” A shadow flitted through her eyes and Felicity knew then she’d misjudged the conversation.
It wasn’t about Kade at all.
“Well,” she began, suddenly unsure. This was her chance to squeeze out information, but she didn’t know if she should press. Penny was vulnerable. Trying to drag it out of her might only make things worse—especially if Penny didn’t know what had happened between Nick and Kade. “I suppose first, I’d ask myself if that secret was going to hurt someone.”
Penny’s face fell, but she nodded and said no more.
Precious seconds ticked by in silence.
Then the moment passed, and the window of opportunity slid closed as Penny braved a smile and stifled a sigh. “Well, I guess I’ll wash the front windows. Thanks for talking to me.”
Felicity bit her tongue and silently cursed her hesitation. Backtracking to the subject now would only make her shut down. She shouldn’t have missed the chance to investigate, but assertive just wasn’t her nature. “You’re welcome. You can talk to me about anything, you know.” Maybe if she opened the door, Penny would take advantage of it at some point.
This time, Penny’s smile was genuine. “Thanks.” She pulled the window cleaner and a rag from beneath the counter, then slipped past Felicity to step outside.
Exhaling, Felicity willed herself to relax. Even if she hadn’t taken the chance to dig in, the conversation did give her one piece of useful information to bring to the table.
Penny knew what Nick was doing, and she didn’t agree with it one bit.
ELEVEN
* * *
THE MOON ROSE right at sundown, milk-pale and bathing the countryside in cool silver light. Kade breathed deep, savoring the night air.
He’d left the ranch before the sun set, scouting the perimeter of the range to plan his hunt. Then he’d made a trip to the bakery. Waking to a text message from Felicity announcing the arrival of his cold rations had been a relief. But Felicity had already closed shop and gone home—as he’d asked her to do during the full moon—so he’d taken a bottle to go. A liter was more than he needed for one feeding, but if the hunt went sour, having blood in his truck could make all the difference.
So he sat, soaking in the moonlight while he drank blood from a dark glass bottle, waiting for his hunt to begin.
Right about now, if Kade’s guess was right, the wolf would be venturing into the fields. The cattle would be settling, safely away from the scattered copses where the wolf was likely to hide. He downed the last of his meal in a few quick swallows, then closed the bottle tight. Cold blood was unpleasant, bordering on disgusting, but it was needed nourishment and he was glad to have it. Strengthened and—for the moment—satisfied, he checked his guns and slid from his truck.
He’d picked a secluded place to park, where his truck wasn’t likely to be noticed but wouldn’t be out of the ordinary if it was. Likewise, he’d made the decision to carry his rifle during the hunt, though the pistol at his hip was the one loaded with larkspur-coated bullets. With the talk about wolves going on at the ranch, he’d look less suspicious if he got caught scouting the trees with a rifle in hand.
Pushing down the electric fence with the butt of his rifle, Kade stepped over the wires and into the pasture. The first stand of trees he’d decided to scout had contained old tracks when he walked it the day before. Nothing new enough that the wolf’s scent would linger, anyway. He’d be back through around now, intending to keep his territory marked. Scent was one sense Kade had always wished had been enhanced by his change. Aside from his increased sensitivity to the scent of blood, he couldn’t tell any difference.
He hadn’t gone far before he spotted fresh tracks in the dust. Kade swore. Tracks should have been a good thing—but they weren’t wolf tracks.
There were a half-dozen men on the ranch who might leave footprints on the range, even after dark.
None of them wore combat boots.
He traced the path through the grass and dust, moving as fast as he could and cursing his stupid self for mentioning the lycan to Thaddeus at all. It wasn’t about whose hunt it was. His hurt pride didn’t even register. Somewhere in that field was someone he knew, trapped in the beast form given by the full moon.
And now Kade wasn’t the only hunter out to find it.
Whoever was out there, they didn’t think anyone would follow them. That or they didn’t care. They’d be armed to the teeth and packing silver. The trail left behind was obvious, cutting through the trees and toward the next cluster.
Something moved in the shadows of the trees ahead, vanishing among the trunks before he could train his eyes on it. As much as Kade wanted to barrel into the grove and find the wolf before whoever else was out there, he had to remember the wolf could be watching. No matter how eager he was, he couldn’t risk running int
o a lycan blind.
So he slowed as he approached the wood, forcing himself to take quieter steps, sliding into the trees and scanning for the movement he’d seen before.
Crickets stilled as he passed. They were still somewhere ahead, too, where something had startled them. Again, he ran through the list of possibilities in his head. Charlie. Rico. Brady. James. Marshall. Then, after a moment, he begrudgingly added Grant to the list. He couldn’t rule the man out. And if Grant was still a possibility, there was the slim chance that—feral or not—the werewolf might want him dead. Kade cocked his rifle. A shot with it wouldn’t kill a werewolf unless it pierced the heart or brain. Even then, it wasn’t a sure bet. But he couldn’t risk abandoning the guise of normalcy just yet. Without silver, the rifle would slow the thing down long enough for him to draw his pistol.
The crickets resumed ahead. Kade froze. He hadn’t seen anything between the trees. Whatever was ahead, it had stopped. He held his breath. Then, at the far edge of the grove, a four-legged shadow meandered into the open.
There you are. Kade smirked, though he wasn’t sure who he was looking at. He’d heard wolves all looked different. They were all the same to him. Big, furry, bright-eyed. If there was any hint to the beast’s identity in its appearance, he couldn’t see it in the moonlight.
But there was a hint of rationality in the wolf’s behavior. His head was up and his ears were perked, his sickle tail down against his legs in a position of cautious alert. Either he was looking for something, or he was afraid.
Or knew he was being watched.
Weighing his options, Kade chewed his lower lip. Fortune favored him; the wind carried his scent away from his quarry. But even if the wolf still had his wits about him, that could change if he thought himself threatened. That meant few choices. He could follow the beast all night—or try, anyway—or provoke it in hopes of trapping it somewhere.
A few yards ahead, a rifle’s muzzle dipped into view on the other side of a tree, and a pang of dread hit his stomach like ice. What options he’d had evaporated.
“Don’t shoot!”
The hunter took aim anyway, tracking the wolf as it bolted.
Sprinting forward, Kade swung around the tree and brought his rifle’s stock down hard on the hunter’s gun. The man swore as the rifle flipped out of his grasp. He slid back, a knife materializing in his hand.
Kade brought his rifle around again, striking at his head. He hadn’t expected the man to stop. Hunters didn’t yield, especially when it might mean a rival sniping their kill. His eyes flicked after the wolf. The creature streaked across the field in search of shelter.
The hunter’s fist plowed into his jaw in the moment he wasn’t looking.
Kade staggered backwards. The man grabbed his rifle by the barrel, wrenching it out of his grip while he was off-balance. Kade’s hand snapped to the pistol at his hip and he darted forward before the hunter had his finger on the trigger. He pistol-whipped the stranger across his covered face, aiming a kick for his knee. It missed by a fraction of an inch and Kade rolled forward onto that leg instead, bringing them face-to-face.
Blood scented the air; mingling bitterness and sweet temptation. Kade flinched, giving his head a shake.
The stock of the rifle plowed into his ribs and he wheezed as it knocked the air out of him. He snared the gun in his free hand, stumbling when the hunter tried to twist it free. He dug in his heels.
Stay focused, he snarled at himself. Vampire blood was always a temptation, but its allure had grown worse after du Coudray. Steeling himself against the hunger, he snapped his pistol up to press its muzzle right between the hunter’s eyes.
The man froze, staring past the gun. “Kade?”
Kade’s finger twitched against the trigger. He recognized those blue eyes. Slowly, he moved his gun.
The hunter stepped back, lowering the rifle and pulling down his cowl. A smear of blood marked his upper lip. “What the hell, Colton? I had him!”
“Had him? Dammit, Cole, you ain’t supposed to kill him!” Kade jammed his pistol back into its holster, shaking his head and exhaling hard. He hadn’t seen Cole in years, but he had to admit he felt a hint of relief. As a general rule, hunters didn’t make friends with each other. But Cole was a brother in arms and had run backup on a number of Kade’s contracts through the years—and vice versa. After that, it was hard not to think of him as a friend.
“What, you think that’s yours?” Cole gestured after the wolf, snorting. “My contract, Colton. Mine. What are you even doing out here?”
“Good thing I was out here. You want to explain to the wolves what you’re doin’, goin’ around killin’ pack members for no good reason?”
Cole faltered, opening and closing his mouth for a moment before he managed words. “What are you talking about?”
Kade shook his head, picking up both their rifles. He rested his against his shoulder, holding out the other. “He ain’t feral.”
The other hunter grunted, taking his gun and stepping back. “Listen, if you’re thinking I’m going to give up this kill...” Then he paused, regarding Kade suspiciously. “And you didn’t answer my question. What are you doing here? I heard you retired.”
“I did.” Kade sniffed, adjusting his Stetson and putting another step between them. “I live here.”
Cole’s eyebrows shot up. “You gave up hunting for keeping cattle?”
“Somethin’ like that.” Kade searched the horizon. The wolf was long gone, not a trace remaining. He stifled a sigh of frustration. It’d be that much harder to find it, to find out who it was, now that it knew people were after it. But at least it was alive. “Who told you about this job?”
“My Keeper. Who else?” Cole shrugged, wiping his nose and grimacing. It was swollen, but it wouldn’t be for long. Cole was older; he’d always healed faster than Kade.
Unsettled, Kade kept his eyes on the range. “Did the contract tell you to kill it?”
“You think I brought guns out here for a chat?”
“Fair enough,” Kade muttered.
Cole snorted. “Besides, you’re armed.”
“Because I ain’t dumb enough to run up against a lycanthrope without weaponry, whether or not it’s feral,” Kade said. “But this one ain’t. I’m sure of it.”
“Are you saying the Keepers made a mistake?” The edge in Cole’s voice spoke volumes.
A cold prickle ran between Kade’s shoulder blades. It was dangerous to challenge the Keepers, even if they were mistaken. He licked his lips. “I’d love to answer that, but I don’t think here’s the right place. That wolf’s still out there, mind, and the last thing we wanna do is hang around where an angry werewolf might be.”
“True enough,” Cole agreed, hefting his rifle up against his shoulder. “And he’ll be wary, now. Probably better if I cool it for tonight.” It was a casual excuse, and not much like the hunter Kade knew. But it was an opening he wouldn’t refuse, even if it was just his one-time companion humoring him.
“C’mon,” Kade sighed. “I know somewhere you can hole up for the day. And I got quite a story to tell ya, friend.”
Cole arched a brow. “About the wolf?”
“’Bout a lot of things.” Scrubbing a hand through the hair at the nape of his neck, Kade turned back the way he’d come. “You parked nearby?”
“Close enough.” Cole followed, his boots crunching in the dust. “Listen, about the almost shooting you thing, there-”
Kade resisted a smirk. “Considering I had my gun to your head, I don’t think that’s somethin’ we need to go over. When’d you get into town?”
“Couple hours ago. Nothing like jumping straight into the hunt, you know? Serves me right, really. Here I was thinking it’d be quick and easy and I’d be able to head right home tomorrow and rest easy for a couple days.” Cole rested his rifle across his shoulders, hanging his hands over the top.
Grunting noncommittally, Kade trudged back toward his truck. “You wanna follow me into
town? Meet by the entrance to the ranch?”
“Sure.” Shrugging, the other hunter pivoted on his heel, cutting toward the left. He walked a dozen paces or so before he paused. “Hey, Kade?”
He paused.
“It’s good to see you again, man.”
Kade mustered a half smile. “You, too.”
* * *
“Kade just pulled in,” Emmett said as he stole through the kitchen, pausing at the sink to fill his glass with water.
Felicity bit her tongue and exhaled hard through her nose. She folded the fabric she’d been pinning together and put it aside. “Thank you, Daddy.”
He frowned at her over his drink. “Is everything okay?”
Scooting back her chair, she stood. “I hope so.” Every visit had been progressively worse. She hated to see what had driven him back to the house this time. Dusting her hands together, she hurried to the foyer to intercept him at the front door.
She had just enough time to plant her fists on her hips and put on her best scowl before the door swung open.
Kade met her eye before he ducked his head.
“What’s the point of sending you out to the ranch if you find a reason to come back by the house every single day?” She craned her neck, peering past his shoulder when a stranger approached on his heels. “Who is this?”
“A friend,” Kade said, pushing the door open a little wider.
The man was dressed for hunting, not evening visits. He tromped up the stairs and across the porch, pausing before he crossed the threshold.
“Kade-” Felicity started, but he held up a hand to stop her.
A look of confusion and then consternation crossed the stranger’s face. “I thought this was an inn.”
Kade cracked a grin. “Not all year ’round.”
“Oh, come on.” The man rolled his eyes.
Felicity glanced to his boots, the tips of his toes right up against the edge of the doorway. Her heart skipped a beat and her eyes darted back to his face.
His expression darkened, angry fire flashing in his blue eyes. “Come on, Colton, that’s not funny!”