“It’s a symbol of birth and death. The beginning and the end.” He gave it a closer look. “It also signifies balance.”
“That’s not helpful. Why is it suddenly on fire?” I reached back to scratch it again, but Doc stopped me.
His gray eyes narrowed on my shoulder. “It might be a warning….”
“Then it’s overkill,” I said. “I’ve been fully warned of the impending doom. The universe can stop sending signals at any time.”
The lines between Doc’s eyes pinched. “You shouldn’t have to deal with any of this. I’ll find William. I’ll go tonight. I’ll do what I should’ve done years ago. I’ll stop him.” He glanced at his wife. “It’s the only way to protect my family.”
“It’s too late for that,” I snapped as I tugged my shirt back up over my shoulder. I didn’t want Doc going off on his own to face William. I didn’t doubt he could hold his own against his father, but William wouldn’t fight fair, and he wouldn’t fight alone. The man had no honor. I didn’t want my little brother to miss out on the one thing I wished I’d had growing up—a dad who loved me. “And what if you get yourself killed? Then you leave Rory without a father.”
“I’ll go with him.” Chav stood up and took Doc’s hand. “We’ll face him together, with or without Brother Wolf’s help.”
This was getting ridiculous. “Great, then I’ll be raising Rory.” I waved my hand at them. “Nobody wants that.”
“William is no match for us together,” Chavvah said. “We beat him once before.”
“But did you?” I asked. “William threw me to the slaughter, but he didn’t actually fight you. He might be wary of Doc, but he didn’t stay alpha of an entire lycanthrope town because he doesn’t know how to get rid of a challenger.”
“Ugh.” Chav rolled her eyes. “Werewolves and their alphas. Who even came up with that concept? It’s so…patriarchal.”
I gave her a bland expression. “Considering you’re the new alpha now, I think it’s matriarchal as well.”
She straightened her shoulders—her expression chagrinned. “Well, I wasn’t actively trying to become an alpha. That was all Brother Wolf’s doing. Besides, I prefer to think of myself as the Mayor of Pack Town. I’m more a representative for our people than a boss.”
“Chav, there’s no denying you’re a total badass boss bitch,” I said. “But it took you borrowing strength from the wolves who followed you to Peculiar to defeat me. Up until that point, I was winning,” I reminded her. “And, as for Brother Wolf, he only showed up once the fight was over.”
“That’s a fair point.” She wiggled her mouth. “Still, Doc and I can take him.” She didn’t sound or look as confident as she had seconds earlier.
I met Doc’s hard gaze. “William fights dirty,” I reminded him. “You’ve been in a nice town surrounded by decent people for a long time, so you might’ve forgotten just how willing he is to break every rule to get what he wants. He’ll be prepared for whatever we throw at him.” Bette had said I needed to be cunning to win. I groaned as a realization hit me. “He’ll expect me to face him head-on like a challenge. He thinks I’ll do what I always do. Treat the situation like a nail.”
Chavvah shook her head. “I don’t get it.”
Doc’s brow raised in question.
“I’m a hammer,” I explained. “He thinks I’ll try to brute force my way through this fight. And, if we hadn’t just found out his real intentions, I might’ve done just that. Up until an hour ago, I thought William was after me to get me to come back to the pack. I thought this whole thing was a bruised ego, wounded pride.” I shook my head. “He wants to kill me and eat my heart so that he can gain what? My scary power to rule what few wolves remain in Luna Parish? I’d always thought him cruel, but now I know the truth. He’s pure evil. It’s hard to beat someone who has no conscience.”
Doc let out a noisy breath. “You’re right.”
“I’m what?”
“You’re right,” he repeated.
I half-grinned. “I just wanted to hear you say it again.”
Chav walked over and wrapped her arms around her husband. “Your dad’s not the kind of guy who has to be right all the time.”
Doc kissed her before taking her in his arms with such loving care. I envied the easy way they were with each other. During the year I’d lived in Peculiar, I kept waiting for them to fight or fall apart, for Doc to get angry and violent. It never happened. He wasn’t William. I grew up in chaos, moving from one crisis to the next. If William wasn’t handling a problem, he was creating one. That wasn’t the way Doc operated, no pun intended. It made me sick to think about the life I missed out on, all because William hid me away. Doc had a way of grounding everyone around him. He was Peculiar’s anchor.
Speaking of an anchor, Jo Jo came out of the bedroom holding my duffel bag and my backpack. “Willy’s made a few calls,” he said. “She secured us a safe house in Kansas. It’s been warded. William won’t find you there.”
The look of determination on his face told me he wasn’t interested in debating the merits of his plan. Too bad. I had my own ideas of what I should do next. I narrowed my gaze at him. “And then what?”
His eyes widened with incredulity. “And then you’ll be safe.” His cheeks flexed near his ears as he ground his teeth. “Isn’t that the goal?”
I got up and walked over to him. “To what end, Jo Jo? I’m not going to Rapunzel myself, not even to avoid William. I won’t be locked in a tower and caged. Not again.”
His expression grew stark. “I can’t lose you, Etta. Not again.”
