“That’s so cool. I wonder if they have any bears around here. Or moose.”
I chuckle. “Actually, I met a bear shifter in one of the packs yesterday.”
Evan’s eyes widen. “For real? A bear in a wolf pack?”
I nod. “He’s mated to one of them. Grizzly.”
“Damn. Was he scarier than Bronson?”
I laugh. “Bronson isn’t scary. He’s just an asshole.”
Evan makes a face. “I don’t know, Jer. If I had my gun, I would’ve shot him when he lunged for you. The guy had murder in his eyes.”
I turn to him. “You have a gun?”
“Yup. I told you, I learned to shoot.”
I flinch. “Because of me?”
“No. It was actually because of Trace. The guy you killed? He was pissing me off. But I mean, yeah, I figured it would be good to know if I was going to be hanging out with more supes, you know.” He pauses. “I wish I would’ve grabbed it before we left. I didn’t think about it.”
Evan with a gun? He always had reservations about them before, but I guess he finally got over it when he had a reason to protect himself.
I’m relieved. Regular bullets won’t kill a vampire, but the right kind can slow one down. And they can definitely kill a shifter.
Maybe I need to find a gun for him.
The snap of branches to our right catches our attention. I shove Evan behind me as two wolves approach.
“I’m a friend of the Clearwater pack,” I say. “I’m here with permission.”
They pause and bow their heads, then the darker of the two wolves shifts.
I let out a breath. “Oh. Hi, Neal.”
Neal looks between us, clearly confused. “What are you doing out here?”
“Walking,” Evan says calmly. “What about you? Where’s Aster?”
“He’s with Forest,” Neal replies. “You shouldn’t be out here. You know how the neighboring packs are.”
I ignore him. “We’re close enough. What’s up with you? Where are you guys going?”
Neal looks down at the other wolf, who I can only assume is his mate. “We always go for a run around this time.”
“Scouting?” Forest mentioned yesterday that everyone has been taking extra patrols to keep an eye out for vampires.
Neal shrugs. “That, and… Taren still likes to visit the last place she saw her sister.”
I swallow hard. “Oh.”
Taren nudges her mate then takes off running through the trees.
Neal sighs after her, saying in a quiet voice, “They got into a fight the night Sasha ran away. We didn’t hear from her for three months.” He closes his eyes, pained by the memory. “And then it was too late.”
“I’m so sorry, Neal,” Evan says. “Believe me, I know how awful it is to have someone disappear like that.”
If Evan meant that as a jab at me, he landed his mark. His words sting. I hate how much I hurt him.
