Natalie gasped. My wolf growled low again, but this time it didn’t go any farther than my mind.
“It’s fine—I’m recovering well enough,” Alice said, clearly still trying to reassure Natalie that she was all right. “But it’s one more thing that you’ll need to learn to control.Ifyou decide to learn, that is.”
While Natalie thought about what Alice had said, I rubbed Alice’s back. Rather than shrug me off, her lips turned up at the corners and she leaned into my touch.
“Don’t make a decision right now when you’re upset,” Alice said when the silence stretched out. “We’ve got time. Your binding spell will hold for as long as you need to decide what to do. You can do something for me, though.”
Natalie inhaled, exhaled, and seemed to gather herself. “What can I do?”
“If it’s okay with you, I’ll swing by your house with Malcolm,” Alice said. “We’ll double-check to make sure there aren’t any more spells in the library, and then I’d like you to look through your grandmother’s papers and books to see if she has anything that might indicate what was in that hidden compartment. In the meantime, I’m going to track down your aunts and uncleand try to figure out which one of them has been in your house. I’ll need whatever information you have on them, like addresses, phone numbers, work info, photos, et cetera.”
I really wanted Alice to rest more, and I worried about her working while she had no magic, but I liked hearing her making plans and outlining for her client how her investigation would progress. And really, her color was good, I saw no signs of pain, and her voice was strong. The swelling in her hands was gone.
“I can do that,” Natalie said. She sounded much better too. “I’ll have it for you when you get here.”
“Great,” Alice said warmly. “I’ll head over in about an hour.”
After a quick goodbye, Alice ended the call, put her phone back on the nightstand, and lay on her back next to me, her gaze on the ceiling. I could almost hear the gears turning in her head as she planned out her day.
I lay on my side facing her, my head propped on my hand. “Sounds like a busy day.”
Her lips turned up again. Even that little smile made my wolf roll to his side and expose his belly.
“It’ll be nice to do some actualinvestigatingtoday,” she said. “I don’t want to tempt fate, but I sincerely hope I’m done with the near-death experiences for a while.”
I very much hoped so too.
“Knock on wood.” I tapped the side of her head very lightly with my knuckles.
She rolled her eyes. “Ha-ha.”
The morning light sneaking in through a gap in the curtains let me enjoy the sight of her unburned skin and relaxed expression. She seemed comfortable beside me in a way she hadn’t been before. And I was more contented and relaxed next to her than I could remember being except when my pack lay together in wolf form under the full moon.
Wherever her mind had wandered, I watched her lips turn up at the corners, a little crease appear between her brows, and her hands move restlessly at her sides.
“What are you thinking about?” I asked.
She slid a glance at me. After a beat, she said, “You.”
Was that a good thing, or bad? Her little frown hadn’t faded. “What about me?”
“Well, for one thing….” She sighed. “You got your wish.”
Puzzled, I said, “What wish?”
Her mouth quirked. “To see me again.”
I shook my head. “This was about as far from what I was hoping for as it can get.” To put it mildly.
Her frown had vanished, and she was smiling. So I took my shot.
“Having said that,” I said, “Do I get a date?”
Her smile widened, and she chuckled. “You don’t give up, do you?”
She didn’t say no. She didn’t tell me to grab my boots and go.
I couldn’t help it; I grinned. “No. How about tonight?”
