And the smell .. . Lycaon, the smell.
My stomach churned at the reek of burning kerosene and barbecued flesh, and then it hardened when I realized it wasmyflesh that was on fire. Arms gripped my underarms and yanked me away from the blazing heap of metal.
“My leg,” I whimpered.
Grant rolled me onto my front to extinguish the flames. The slick grass and damp soil cooled my broiled skin but did zilch for the pain.
“My phone’s gone, Nik.” Grant peeled off his muscle tee and tossed it aside. “I’ll run back to get help.” His shorts dropped next.
I rolled my mouth off the forest floor. “Don’t—Don’t leave me here.”
“I’ll be right back.” He fell to his knees and morphed into his wolf.
“Please, Grant,” I croaked. “Please don’t leave.”
But he did.
Chapter 1
Present Day
Cell phone pinned between my ear and shoulder, I rooted through my bag to locate my car keys.Ugh.I needed a better system. I had so much crap, from tissue packets to two—no, three—chapsticks to loose change, tampons, and headphones that were forever getting tangled.
Pouches. I was going to buy myself a gazillion pouches. “Where can I buy pouches?”
“Pouches?” Adalyn sputtered.
“Like with zippers and—”
“Babe, I know what pouches are. I was just wondering how we got fromgirl murdered in the woods by awolf”—she hissed the last word even though the blow-dryers in the background were on full blast, so I doubted any of her customers could hear a thing, especially considering the median age at Hair of the Wolf was seventy—“to pouches.”
I set my supermarket bag at my feet. “Because I can’t find my keys.” To think Mom had gotten me an outsized leather and rabbit-fur cherry charm to facilitate the entire process.
“How about I ask Grams to bead you a lanyard with a clip? You’ll never lose your keys again.”
“Funny, Ads, but I’m not hanging my keys around my neck. My love life sucks enough as is.” I started taking things out of my bag and placing it on my Jeep’s hood. The car had gone through all four of my brothers before it got to me, but heck, I had a car, so I wasn’t complaining.
“Did Nate say if it was one of us . . . or a real one?”
“He didn’t say.” Okay, this was getting ridiculous. I took my tablet out and plopped it on the hood, then squinted into the dusky interior of my bag. “Shit. They’re not here.”
“Who’s not there?”
“My keys. Keep up.” I upturned my bag and shook it.
“Don’t you have like, three key charms on that thing?”
I growled, sounding a lot like Niall when he’d come across a skunk two summers ago. Instead of leaving the poor creature alone, he’d had to go and taunt it. He’d smelled so bad our three other brothers booted him out of the house during meals for a full week, and our parents apologetically agreed he should eat outside. I’d carried my plate to the porch and sat with his sorry, stinky ass.
“Did you check your jacket pocket?”
I blinked, then patted my black winter jacket and bingo. “You’re a genius, Adalyn.”
“Still getting you that lanyard.”
I rolled my eyes as I started shoving everything back inside my bag. “Careful. I’m in charge of your bachelorette. You get me a lanyard, I’ll get you a subscription to dildo-of-the-month and put it in Nash’s name.”
Adalyn roared with laughter. “Perv.”
