“I tried to get in, Ven. I figured the last thing they would expect was for me to grab one of their workers on a Monday night so I could infiltrate on a Tuesday morning before they got to doing whatever they do down there. And I figured I could usethe night to press any information out of whoever I managed to grab.”
I gaped at him. That was about the last thing I’d expected. “You went to save Leo without me?” Perhaps not the most pertinent or mature question, but sometimes my mouth moved faster than my brain.
Ricky gave me a rueful look, but his wince of pain marred the expression. “Thought I had a way not to risk you. Because if I got Leo back but something happened to you, he’d never forgive me.”
I didn’t know how I felt about that. While my ego was definitely pleased at the idea that Leo would be so affected if something were to happen to me, I couldn’t help but feel that maybe I could have helped Ricky, so he wouldn’t have come home so battered.
“What happened? Did whoever you pick have more bite than bark?” I asked, trying to inject some humor into the situation, despite the fact that it wasn’t very funny at all.
“Never even got that far,” Ricky grumbled, staring at the floor. Embarrassment and shame radiated from him, but I wasn’t really sure what to do about it. “I had to shift to get close this time, ’cause I figured they’d know our truck, even with switching out all the license plates.”
That made sense, and I couldn’t help but wonder if the same issues I’d had with my GPS had extended to the truck America and her tribe had given us. I didn’t say that, however, because I didn’t want to interrupt Ricky.
“But I guess it’s still too soon, because right when I took my wolf form, I wasn’t in control anymore. It was like my inner wolf was rabid. My entire mind was full ofhatred.It was like every thought wasbite, rip, tear. I couldn’t keep track of my plan at all, and my wolf locked in on some enemy shifters’ scent.”
“Bears?” I murmured.
Ricky’s eyes widened. “How did you know?”
“That’s how Leo and I first met. He’d been pretty badly wounded by a couple of bears. I didn’t know they were shifters at the time, but I wouldn’t doubt it now.”
“Holy shit! Two bear shifters got their paws on him, and they didn’t finish the job?”
“Well, I chased them off.”
It was so strange to think back to that time—a world I’d thought only had humans and animals, and I didn’t fit well into either group.
“Youchased off two bear shifters?”
“Why do you sound so surprised?” I asked with mock offence.
“Come on. I’m pretty sure I don’t have to spell it out. A human versus two aggressive bear shifters enthralled by a group of evil warlocks? That pretty much only has one outcome.”
“Two outcomes, apparently,” I teased, and it felt like the tension eased ever so slightly. Good. I needed Ricky to relax before I cleaned his wounds. Although I had witnessed the wonders of shifter healing firsthand, it was a bit less effective while they were in their human forms. Also, they healed so rapidly it was easy for foreign objects to become sealed within their body, causing little pockets of infection. Their systems could handle it, but it took a lot of extra time and energy. The wounds I managed to clean first healed much faster than the ones I didn’t, and they never scarred. Not even temporarily. “But if I’m being honest, they probably already thought Leo was dead. All I did was scream and wave my hands around. Made a real fool of myself.”
Instead of chuckling, Ricky simply shook his head. “Leo wasn’t kidding. You really are something else, aren’t you?”
Oh, no. I could barely tolerate it when Leo got all complimentary; it felt downright weird coming from Ricky. “Youknow, normally when people say that, they don’t mean it in a nice way.”
“Well, I do, so fuck all of ’em who say otherwise. Leo’s a good judge of character—always has been. So, if he says something, I’m gonna believe my alpha.”
“Fair enough.”
The conversation tapered off as I focused on tending to his wounds. The entire time, my mind raced. I knew I had to say something, but I wasn’t sure how best to do it. It wasn’t until I finished up and tossed the last bloody washcloth into the sink that I turned to Ricky.
“If you’re going to rescue Leo, we have to do it together. This is not a solo project.”
“Ven, I admire you, I do, but I’m already pushing things by even trying to rescue him. My orders were clear, and it isn’t right for a beta to be going an’ exploiting loopholes. Taking you would be a step too far. I’ve gotta keep you protected. For Leo.”
I took a deep breath, quickly calculating what cards I had to play. “I understand that, but I need you to understand something as well.”
“What’s that?”
What I was about to do was underhanded and would likely ruin the trust I had built up with Ricky, but I was desperate. And desperate times most certainly called for desperate measures.
“I’m the one who broke Leo’s curse and then yours. Neither of you would have your humanity or even an idea of what happened to your pack if not for me. I’m the one who orchestrated the plan to save you. And in the end, I’m the one who drove the truck into that bastard and then found the medical facility.”
Ricky looked downright uncomfortable. “What are you trying to say?”
