“I was trying to help you.” His words were small, uncertain in a way I hadn’t heard since we were kids. “It was...a lot to process. I’ve had training. I know how to deal with creatures beyond the human. But that was.... Every word was painful. And he wasn’t even talking to me. I can’t imagine—how did you just sit there? How did you tell him no over and over again?”
“I’m meant for this, Ryder. My family’s been doing this for generations. I know how to deal with gods, how to handle Mithra because that’s not the first time I’ve ever had to deal with him. If you had listened to me, I would have kept you safe.”
“Maybe I don’t want you keeping me safe, Delaney. Maybe I want you to let me in.”
“I let you in. You remember that one and only date we had? You pushed me away.”
“It had taken me a year to get you to even look at me. A year of watching you be a cop, following in your father’s footsteps because that’s what he expected of you. You didn’t see me as anything other than another person in town you had to protect. I didn’t want to be your responsibility. And I didn’t want you tangled up in the agency I work for.”
“You could have told me that.”
“You could have told me the secrets you were keeping.”
We sat there for a moment. I didn’t know what he was thinking about, but I was thinking about missed chances and stupid decisions.
“So where does that leave us?” I asked.
The clouds shifted again, dulling the gold drizzle to silver and ash.
“I’d like...I’d like it to leave us at a beginning.”
“A fresh start like nothing happened?”
“No. A fresh start like something did.”
“Does that fresh start come with you buying me coffee?”
He smiled. “I might even toss in the cream and sugar for free.”
I pushed out of the Jeep and so did he. We started toward the shop. Before I’d even reached the concrete sidewalk running in front of the building I heard the muffled growl.
It was a sound that reached in and plucked the primal chords offearandhunteranddangerinside me. I held perfectly still.
Ryder stopped. “Laney?” he whispered.
I held up a finger and tipped my head to my left, while shivers prickled across my skin.
The growl sounded again, low, angry, deadly.
I knew that sound, though I’d never heard it like that before.
There was a werewolf close by. A werewolf in pain.
“Easy,” I said, keeping my voice soft. “I know you’re hurt. I’m here to help you.”
“What?” Ryder asked.
I held up another finger, waited for the answer. The wind pushed through the fir trees behind the bait shop. The cars shooting down the highway behind me were a steady hiss.
Werewolves ranged outside Ordinary all the time. It wasn’t all that odd for one to be here at the bait shop. But the thing that was unusual was to hear one. Werewolves were shadow-silent unless they wanted to be heard.
Or were injured.
“You’re going to be okay,” I said to the wolf I could not see. “I’m Delaney Reed and if you’re part of the Wolfe clan, you know I’m a friend. I’m going to make sure you’re okay. So I’m going to turn now and come to you, all right?”
I waited, didn’t hear anything else. I headed left toward the end of the building where I thought I’d heard the sound.
Ryder followed quietly behind me, his boots crunching in step with mine on the loose, wet gravel.
