“Are you hungry?”
She palmed her concave abdomen. “Yes. Very.”
“How does a burger and fries sound to you?” She’d always been a fan of both, especially when Dad grilled up the meat and Nolan fried his signature shoestring potatoes.
She wrinkled her nose. “I don’t think I could eat that.”
“She probably needs crackers and some water.” Nate walked over to the industrial sink jutting from the cement wall and filled up a glass, which he carried back to Bea.
She took it from him, their fingers brushing, which made my brother’s hand jerk back.
She dipped her head dejectedly before raising the glass to her lips and taking a sip. A second later, the water sprayed out of her mouth. “I can’t—I can’t drink this. It burns.”
“Did you brew her tea, Freemont?” Lucas quirked his slashed eyebrow.
“No.” There was a bite to Nate’s voice. “It’s room temperature.”
I glanced over at Darren. “Do you still have blood on the premises?”
“Only animal blood. The one we didn’t mix with the Sillin.” A glance at Liam, and Doc was walking to the blue cooler by the wall, flipping it open, and digging out a plastic bladder. He unscrewed the lid and handed it over.
Bea’s pupils shrank, and her nostrils flared. She drank and drank, squeezing the casing until it crumpled. She licked her lips, catching every fugitive droplet.
I gasped. “Your teeth. You have fangs!”
She opened her mouth and prodded the pointed tips of her canines, her eyes widening in alarm.
Darren palmed his thinning hair. “If she can only stomach blood, it makes sense that her body would develop a way of obtaining it.”
The wolves whined beside us.
Liam looked at them, communicating through the mind link. “Jon is asking if you feel sated.”
“No. I’m still really hungry.”
Darren retrieved two more bladders of blood, which she drank in great, wet gulps.
“What about now?” Nate asked.
“I feel better. Much better.” As though just realizing she was in her birthday suit, she hugged her arms around her small breasts. “Any chance I could get some clothes?”
“Are you cold?” Lucas asked.
“No. Just . . .” She snagged her bottom lip. Her fangs had receded, her teeth white and blunt again. “Just feeling a little underdressed.”
Nate snapped into provider mode, squinting around the bunker for something for her to wear. Besides my family’s discarded clothing, there was no other piece of fabric, not even the blanket, which used to be in her cell.
“She can have my clothes, Nate.” I shrugged out of my jacket and passed it through the bars.
Bea tipped me a gracious smile.
I considered concealing myself between two shelves, but everyone present, with the exception of Lucas, had seen me naked.
With a snort, he pivoted. “Fine. I’ll give the little lady some privacy.”
As he whistled, I mouthed athank youto Liam, who’d probably asked Lucas to avert his gaze, and stripped. I shifted into fur before carrying the clothes over to Bea in my muzzle.
She grabbed them from me, then scratched the top of my head.
