"It's said that the mark allowed them entrance to their realm. They also say the more birds, the more powerful the person."
I rubbed my own mark through my sweater, as I stared at the table, only half registering her words.
How was it possible that I had the mark of an extinct court on my arm?
It shouldn’t have been, that was for sure.
Maybe this was why they were after me. Maybe they didn't like having some interloper walking around with the symbol of their court.
But how did they know? Until tonight, I hadn’t even known about the birds.
"Aileen, are you alright?"
The question shook me out of my reverie. I looked up to find Caroline watching me with concern.
Feeling numb and far from myself, I nodded. "Yeah. I'm great. So great. Thanks for this. It's a big help."
Caroline didn't look like she believed me.
Get it together, Aileen. Caroline was like a mama bear with the people she loved. Normally that would be comforting, but I didn't think adding a demon tainted wolf to the situation would end in my favor.
"You'll tell me if you're in trouble?" There was a vulnerability in Caroline's voice that said I could hurt her so easily.
My years trying to hide what I was had damaged our relationship. We were only now getting back to who we’d been before. Lying to her would only further damage the trust we'd started rebuilding.
This time when I smiled at her, it held a note of real warmth. "You're right. Old habits."
Caroline went still as I fidgeted, trying to decide what to tell her without raising too much concern.
"One of them approached me. He said he wanted to hire me, but after what you've told me, I'm thinking I'm going to steer clear of him." I left off all mention of the attempted kidnapping/murder or the fact that I had the mark of the Scattered on my forearm. "If things escalate, I'll tell you. I promise."
I even meant it. That ship had sailed. Going it alone had only ever landed me in deeper water. Caroline had earned my trust, and part of that was not hiding the important stuff anymore.
But for now, there were some things that I needed to keep to myself.
Caroline was part of a package deal. With her came her pack and I didn't want them involved until I knew more.
"Good. Because the next time you do a solo ranger, I'm keying your car," she told me with a pleasant expression.
I sputtered. How could she consider damaging my precious?
"Those wolves are leading you down a dark, dark path, my friend."
Her smile showed teeth that were a little pointier than they'd been seconds ago. "I'm enjoying every moment of it."
I threw my head back on a laugh.
Caroline threw the rest of her beer back and grabbed my hand. "Time to dance."
I put up a token protest.
"Come on, you used to love it," she said.
She was right. I had.
A slow grin covered my face. "At least this time we won't be drunk."
A squeal left Caroline and she bounced out of her chair, her body already gliding to the beat. Together, we made our way to the dance floor, the pulse of the music wrapping around us.
