by Laken Cane
“He let you track and fight this creature alone,” he said flatly.
“He didn’t know. He wasn’t in town when I started hunting this morning. He had no idea until it was over and I’d gotten my ass kicked.” I wasn’t about to tell them about the angry wolves, the time I’d spent in the rocky cell, or that Jared Walker was, in fact, a wolf shifter alpha. “The important thing is,” I told them, “that I killed the monster.” I turned to stare into the darkness outside the window. “It’s done.”
We rode in silence for a couple of minutes before the detective spoke again. “Ms. Shannon told me she’s the friend who had the dream about the abducted girl you were asking about.”
I turned to look at him. “Any leads?”
Lucy scooted up to the back of the seat. “It’s Lucy,” she told him. “I feel like we’ve been through some shit, and I’d like you to call me Lucy.”
I’d need to tell her as soon as possible that Detective Moreno was married and she should calm down.
“I’ve narrowed it down to a girl who was taken six months ago,” he said. “She’s the only redhead whose picture showed a gap between her front teeth.”
“Who is she?” I was so comfortable in the warm darkness of the car that I dreaded for the ride to come to an end. It reminded me of the parts of my childhood where I felt safe and secure. Riding in the back seat while my dad drove and my mother talked quietly, and all was right with my world.
“Her name is Marcy Davenport. She turned fifteen six weeks ago. Her parents have never stopped looking for her or believing that she’s alive. They live on High Street.” He looked at me. “That’s close to your house.”
I turned to look at Lucy. “Do you think that’s why you dreamed of her after you moved into my place? Because you’re sleeping close to where she lived?”
She shrugged. “Maybe.”
“Have you dreamed of her since that first dream?”
“Every time I go to sleep. I see the same thing—just like I did with you. She’s screaming, she’s in a…a box of some sort, and someone is coming. Someone who terrifies her.”
“Poor kid,” I murmured.
“Why her, though?” the detective asked. “What makes you dream of one victim and not all of them?”
She sat back in her seat, subdued. “Sometimes I think it’s because the person is dying, that things have gone from bad to urgent. I don’t know the reasons, though. I don’t know why I dream at all when the dreams don’t show me anything that will help me save them.”
“You may be seeing clues you’re not aware of,” Rick said, ever the detective. He parked in front of my house and turned the car off. “I want to take you to the hospital, but you’ll refuse.”
I nodded. “I’ll be fine. I need food and rest, and in that order.” I wasn’t about to tell him that on a scale of one to ten, my pain level was about a hundred. I was a little worried, actually. There was something going on inside me, something different, and because I knew the ways of the supernatural world, I was beginning to worry that a parasite from the exsoloup had crawled inside me and taken up residence.
“I’ve got the food part covered,” Lucy said.
“And I am enormously grateful for that,” I told her.
The detective opened my door, then reached in to release my seatbelt. “You’ve got no shoes and it’s freezing out here. I’ll carry you in.”
The detective carrying me was not the same as the alpha carrying me. I wasn’t sure why. It just wasn’t. “No,” I said, not meeting his stare. I made up a quick lie. “My feet are burning. I need to touch the cool ground.”
He frowned but didn’t argue. Honestly, he seemed as uncomfortable touching me as I was being touched by him. Maybe neither of us knew the reason for that.
He took my arm and helped me out of the car, and I couldn’t help but groan. I cut it off quickly for fear he’d shove me back into the car and force me to go to a hospital. My entire body lit up with red-hot pain every time I moved.
“Kaitlyn,” he said, as he helped me across my little yard and to my front door, “we need to talk about Jared Walker.”
“There’s nothing to talk about. He’s not breaking the law, he didn’t hurt me, and—”
“He’s not human, is he?” he interrupted.
Lucy hurried by us, her arms full of my belongings. She stuck her key in the lock and shoved open the door, then squealed as Ash jumped up to boisterously welcome her home.
“Let it go, Detective,” I said, breathing a sigh of relief as I stepped into the warmth of my home. My poor toes were frozen. I turned to face Rick, hoping he’d get the hint and stop talking about the alpha. “Would you like to come in?”
He studied me, his face grim, his eyes narrow, and I knew he wouldn’t let the alpha go. Not forever. Finally, though, he gave me a stiff nod. “Get some rest.”
“Detective,” I called, before he’d taken more than three steps.
He stopped but didn’t turn to face me. “Yes?”
“Thank you,” I said. “Thank you for…for everything.”
“Anytime, Ms. Silver,” he said, and strode to his car, got inside, and left.
I stood there staring after him until Ash skidded down the hallway, his pittie smile wide and happy, and forced my thoughts away from Detective Rick Moreno.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Better this morning?
I stared at the ceiling for a few seconds before replying to Jared’s text, cataloging my various physical twinges and aches. Feeling better, definitely. One hundred percent better? Not even close. Yes.
The exsoloup is dead and the wolves are safe. Thank you, Kait.
You’re welcome. I smiled, then, You DID pay me a boatload of cash to do the job. I couldn’t let the creature live.
Maybe he smiled, maybe he didn’t. I couldn’t know over text. He wasn’t the type to send emojis. Eat a lot today. Mainly protein, but carbohydrates and fat, as well. Drink more than you want.
I will.
Tonight, I will come for you.
I sucked in a breath as my heart began pounding, and tears of equal parts excitement, hope, fear, and dread sprang to my eyes. Tonight.
Tonight I would meet my precious, tortured wolf.
“Please be okay,” I told her. “Don’t force him to put you down.” If my wolf went mad, the alpha wouldn’t hobble her again. That would be too cruel. He couldn’t kill me, because I was involved with the humans too deeply. Could he kill my wolf without killing the woman?
That would take an insanely strong alpha.
So yes. I believed he could.
“Please,” I whispered again, “be okay.”
I jumped when Lucy shoved open my door and hurried in with a tray the size of the dinner table, Ash at her heels. He’d climbed into bed with me after I’d gotten home, but she’d taken him out sometime that morning. I hadn’t stirred.
I sat up as my stomach began growling so ferociously it scared the dog. “Lucy, I seriously don’t know what I ever did without you,” I told her.
She laughed and settled the tray over my legs, then pulled the little chair closer to my bed and plopped into it. She patted her lap and Ash jumped up to sit with her, watching my tray like a tasty morsel might somehow jump off the plate and into his mouth.
“How do you feel?” she asked me. “You look a lot less like warmed over death now.”
I closed my eyes and inhaled the heavenly scent of the food she’d cooked. “I’m good,” I said, and then, when Ash gave a small bark to encourage me to remember that he was available as taste tester, I added, “Ash looks so much better already.”
“He’s enjoying his life now,” she said, kissing the top of his head. “I hate to think about what he went through before you rescued him. Jessie came into the store yesterday, by the way.”
I stuffed a forkful of baked chicken into my mouth. It was buttery-soft and so flavorful I could only close my eyes and moan when I took that first bite. “How was she?” I a
sked, as I picked up a roll and slathered it with some sort of honey butter concoction.
“She’s great.” Lucy smiled at my obvious enjoyment of her cooking. “She said her ex called to say, “fuck you, keep the brat and enjoy your fucking life,” and then took off for parts unknown. She drove by his house to make sure. He was gone.”
“He won’t bother her again,” I promised.
“She said to tell you thank you.”
I nodded, then threw Ash a small piece of chicken. “I’m happy I could help, and glad it led me to this pup.”
“So about Detective Moreno…”
“He’s married, Lucy. Surely you saw his wedding band?”
Her face fell. “He seemed more like a guy who’d lost his wife. There’s something…sad and lonely about him.”
I agreed, but… “She’s very much alive. I’ll invite her for lunch soon. She’s a sweet woman.”
She sighed. “Fine. I can’t have the delicious Mr. Walker, who seems…” She shivered. “So dark and dangerous, and I can’t have the delicious detective, who is just plain hot. Which leads me to a question I probably should have asked sooner. Is it okay to bring a guy home with me for the night sometimes? I’m not sure of the rules and there were no handbooks on my bed when I arrived.” She smiled but stared at me as intently as Ash did.
“It’s your house too,” I told her. “You can do whatever you want.” But as she squealed with delight, I quickly added, “but you have to be safe, Lucy. No strangers, and if I’m home, you’ll keep it quiet.”
“Oh absolutely.” She beamed. “Thanks, Kait. Oh!” She put Ash into the floor and jumped to her feet. “That reminds me. I’ll be right back.”
She rushed from the room and Ash trotted over to sit in the floor and stare up at me with his most earnest expression. I snorted and tossed him another bite. “You’re such a good baby,” I told him.
He pretended like he thought I’d just said, “Get up here on the bed so I can give you all the food.” He settled in at my feet, his stare glued to my dinner.
Lucy hurried back into the room, an envelope in her hand. “Here. My half of the lease and the full deposit. When the bills come due, let me know so I can pay my half of those, as well.” She stood back after I took the envelope, her hands clasped, her smile proud.
I knew she didn’t make much working at the bakery. The envelope probably contained a good chunk of her savings. The girl needed her own restaurant—she was that good.
I leaned over to open my nightstand drawer, then pulled out my own envelope. I stacked it beneath hers and held them out to her.
She frowned, reaching tentatively for the two envelopes. “What do you need me to do?”
“I’m not taking money from you, Lucy. And my envelope has some cash in it because I want to pay you for taking care of me. You’re doing the shopping, the cooking, tending Ash, doing errands…” I shook my head. “And this house has never been so clean. You don’t owe me anything.”
She peered into the fat envelope I’d given her, her eyes widening. “Kait. This is…I can’t…”
I waved my hand, frowning. “Get out of here so I can finish this amazing food in peace. And take the dog with you.”
She ignored my ferociousness and flung herself at me, nearly knocking the tray into the floor. She hugged me hard, and when she pulled away, there were tears in her eyes. Then she turned, called for Ash, and rushed from my room.
I finished eating, and when I was so full I could barely move, I thought I’d get up and do some puttering around the house before the night came and with it, the alpha. Instead, I set the tray in the floor, dragged the covers over my head, and fell back into a deep, dreamless sleep.
Lucy woke me three hours later with another tray, as though she knew how important it was that I refuel today. She studied me. “Even better.”
I nodded. “Sleep and food, all I need right now.” She’d put a thick, gooey, warm slice of chocolate cake for my dessert, along with a tiny dish of ice cream. I scraped the ice cream onto the cake and ate it before I even looked at the main dish. “Lucy,” I said, after I’d finished it. “Seriously fucking good.”
“I love cooking and baking more than anything,” she said, then pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes, reconsidering. “Well, not more than sex, maybe. About the same.”
“Tonight,” I told her, “Jared is coming to pick me up. I don’t think I’ll be back tonight. In the morning, maybe.” I lifted my stare to hers. “I need you not to worry about me. And whatever you do,” I interrupted, as she started to argue, “do not call the detective. And don’t call my mother.”
She chewed on her bottom lip, studying me with a worried frown. “I would be happy for you, Kait, but it doesn’t sound like you’re going off to spend the night in the hot man’s bed. You’re going hunting again, aren’t you?” She shook her head, got to her feet, and began pacing. “I just don’t think you’re well enough for that. You may be better, and you may look better, but that doesn’t mean you look good, Kait. You look like—”
“Lucy,” I said, gently. “I’m not a child, and I know what I’m doing. Tonight, Jared will take care of me, and I promise you there is nothing to worry about.”
“Still,” she murmured, “I will worry.”
I relented. “Remember how you dreamed about me screaming? Remember how you said that when you’re quiet you can see the screams?”
She nodded, her lip trembling. “I feel your agony, but I don’t know what it’s from. Are you…are you dying?”
I set my empty tray on the floor and patted the bed. She slid in beside me and Ash jumped up behind me, and snuggled between their warmth, I told her as much as I could to keep her from being afraid. “When I return, the agony I’ve carried with me for twelve long years will be gone. You won’t dream of me screaming, and you won’t hear, see, or feel my pain. It will no longer be inside me.”
She stared up at me, wanting to believe, but not sure she should. “But how? What’s happening tonight?”
I blew out a breath, stirring her blonde hair. “There are things I can’t tell you. I just need you to trust me.”
Finally, she nodded, and her expression eased. “I do. And if you tell me you’re going to be fine—better than fine—then I believe you. You’ll be back tomorrow, and whatever you do tonight will take away your pain. That’s reason to celebrate. I’ll make you the biggest cake…”
She flopped over and scooped my phone off the nightstand when it began to ring. “It’s the hot detective,” she said. She climbed out of bed. “Come on, Ash. Let’s get the kitchen cleaned up.” When he didn’t move, she said, “Huh. Okay then. I guess you don’t want a treat.”
He left the bed in a hurry and trotted from the room, and she grinned and shut the door gently behind her, leaving me to the detective.
“Detective Moreno,” I answered.
“How are you?”
“I’m a thousand times better. I’ve slept the day away.”
“Eating?”
“Oh yes. Lucy sees to that.”
“Good.” He hesitated. “Kaitlyn.”
“Shit,” I muttered. “Is it the demon?” I didn’t think I could deal with the demon. Not right now. Once my wolf was free, though, I would rip that bastard apart. I turned my stare to the demon blade lying on my nightstand, and unable to resist, I grabbed it and held it to me while I waited for him to tell me why he’d called.
“Beth is in the hospital. She tried to kill herself today.”
“Oh my God, Rick. I’m so sorry.” I didn’t know what else to say.
“You knew,” he said. “I should have listened to you.” He blew out a long breath and I could almost see him running his hand over his head. “She’s had problems since childhood. She’s medicated. She’s in therapy. But nothing ever fucking helps her. Not even me.” His laugh was bitter. “Especially not me.”
“All you can ever do is be there for her, Rick. You can’t change her brain.”
&n
bsp; “No,” he said. “I can’t. But I haven’t been there for her. My work, my excuses…” He sighed. “I wanted to let you know.”
“Can she have visitors or phone calls?”
“No. Not for a couple of weeks.”
We sat in silence for a few seconds. “I’m sorry,” I said again. “When you can talk to her, would you tell her…” I trailed off, unsure. Tell her I’m sorry I didn’t make time to have lunch with her? Tell her we’ll get together when she’s released? Nothing sounded right.
“I’ll tell her you said hello,” he said.
“Thanks,” I murmured, but he was already gone.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
I’d firmly refused to let myself really believe my life was about to change, that my wolf was coming, that I would finally be free. I believed it, but I didn’t believe it so much that I would be jumping out of my skin with impatience and fear and worry.
I knew that if it didn’t work, if something went wrong or the alpha couldn’t actually break the chains that hobbled me, I would be more than broken. I’d be shattered. So I’d forced myself to put that hope in a nice, safe compartment in my mind, and I’d remained calm.
Until now.
“God, please let it work,” I whispered. “Let me shift.”
I paced my bedroom floor, my phone in my hand, my demon blade in its sheath at my hip, waiting. It was eleven o’clock and honestly, I didn’t expect Jared to call until after midnight, maybe even two or three in the morning. He would have pack business to settle before he could come for me. I considered calling him to say I’d come to him. I could wait in the woods for however long it took him to get there.
But even now, before he’d even taken control of my wolf and accepted me as his, my brain wanted me to wait for him because he’d said I should.
“I will come to you.”
“Hurry, Alpha,” I murmured. Despite my best attempts, I was jumping out of my skin. My stomach hurt, my heart pounded, and I was using up precious energy, energy I would need when Jared ripped my wolf from my body. I wasn’t completely recovered from my battle with the exsoloup and I needed to fucking relax.