I wanted to grab it.
No. I wanted to bite it.
Yes. Bite it and lick it and spread it open so I could bury—
With more effort than it’d ever taken me, I wrenched myself away and turned a little so I wasn’t staring directly at them.
I would not objectify Oakley.
Nope. No, siree.
No objectifying. No matter how drop-dead gorgeous they really were.
“I’m dressed,” Oak said, walking past me and elbowing me in the side. “Perv.” They shot me a wink over their shoulder.
“I… but I… no… I wasn’t… I’m not… I… shit.”
They barked out a laugh, shaking their head as they walked to the barn, leaving me gaping behind them.
Chapter Nine
Oakley
That fight had been far too short. Calling it a fight to begin with was laughable. All I really did was shift and growl at people, although I’d really, really wanted to eat that bear shifter for daring to come at Roman like that.
Now, I felt kind of amped up and ready to fight someone for real. Chasing and catching that runaway vamp hadn’t been enough.
But I did my best to push that feeling aside as I walked into the barn where the kidnapped victims were. I didn’t want to add any stress or upset to an already stressful and horrible situation.
With a deep breath, I put on my neutral mask and walked over to Tan since he was already handling things.
“How can I help?”
Tan sent me a sad smile and patted my shoulder, and despite the situation, the gesture and his body language made me feel loved. That was something I truly appreciated about Tan. He had no problem offering comfort and affection to me even though I’d been a grown adult when I came into his life. Besides my dad, he was the best fatherly figure I could ask for.
He said, “Right now, we’re handing out some supplies—food, water, clothes to those who need it—and supplying medical attention where needed. We’re also getting information from everyone. Their name, species, age, gender, address, where they were taken from, who took them, and how long ago. Make sure they know it’s okay if they don’t know some of the information. If they don’t want to answer, don’t press. We want them to feel safe right now. We’ll ask for more details later. Oh, and if they’ll let you, take a picture with thePolaroidand clip the picture to their document. Again, no pressure.”
“Got it. I can take information.”
He smiled gently again and handed over a clipboard with a pen. There was a stack of papers on the clipboard already—a form with a list of questions and a spot for the picture.
As I walked over to a woman who was curled up in a ball, I saw Roman walk into the barn. He headed toward me, then paused when he saw what I was doing and walked over to Tan instead.
Kneeling beside the woman, I gently said, “Hey, my name’s Oakley. We’re here to help and get you back home. What’s your name?”
“J-Jessica.”
I jotted that down. “It’s nice to meet you, Jessica. Do you need a blanket or anything?”
She nodded. “I… I’m freezing.”
“Alright, let me grab you a blanket.” I got up and walked over to the supplies Beshiro and a few others had brought in. He helped me gather everything up, and I carried a blanket, a water bottle, and a bag filled with a sandwich and snacks back over to the woman.
After I helped her warm up, I moved on to the next person.
I went through three people before I met a very young witch—a teenager—who couldn’t seem to stop crying. I helped wrap her in a blanket and offered her some food and water, but she still didn’t stop, and I wasn’t really sure how else to help.
“You’re safe now,” I said quietly. “We just need a little information from you before we find a way to get you home.”
