He bares his teeth and barrels toward me in his human form. I’m immobile, still stuck in the past, still smelling the coppery tang of Jarrod’s blood and hearing my own cries for help, when Rafe pounces on me, shifting in mid-air as he knocks me down.
Stunned out of my stupor, I transform from man to beast in mere seconds. The change happens so quickly I’m only dimly aware of my surroundings; I hear my clothes shredding and my anguished yelp as Rafe sinks his fangs into my left shoulder. Snarling, I rake my sharp claws down his flank, and he rears back in surprise.
I’m no longer the same young, useless werewolf without any survival skills; Miss Dragonfly made sure of that. She hired a half-gnome, half-werewolf to tutor me, and I spent the last three years learning how to fight. I still prefer negotiating to fighting, but some thugs need to be taught a lesson.
Roaring, I flip Rafe over, and we wrestle,rolling around on the hard ground as leaves and twigs stab into our hides. One instant he’s on his back, the next it’s me, looking up at the dark outlines of the trees, and the nearly full moon overhead. We struggle and tussle, punching, slashing, biting, and grunting.
I finally manage to break free from Rafe’s grasp and stand, blood dripping from a gash on my brow, the bite on my shoulder, and numerous cuts and slashes on my arms and legs. Panting to catch my breath, I give Rafe a chance to climb to his feet, even though I know full well he’d never extend the same courtesy to me. This time when he charges I’m ready; pulling back my fist, I ram it into his muzzle.
“Oof!” he yelps, backing away.
Rafe raises one shaky paw to his snout and yips in wolf-speak, “Big-g MISS-take.” Then he turns and lopes away with a howl.
I brace myself against a tree and wait for my legs to stop shaking and my breathing to return to normal. There isn’t a single part of my body that isn’t bruised or bloodied or aching. Once I’m sure Rafe isn’t returning for another bout, I slowly, painfully shift back into my man form.
Gazing down at my ripped-up khaki shorts, shredded tee, and battered limbs, I realize I can’t return to my car until the parking lot empties out. It looks like I’ll be late for my lockdown, and my beta is going to be furious. Since I locked my phone and wallet in my glove compartment earlier, I can’t call or text Rob either.
It’s well after midnight when I finally climb into my car; there’s only one vehicle left in thelot, a motorcycle that I suspect belongs to Rafe. As I pull away, I notice some movement in the trees on the other side of the lot; it’s probably Rafe, but I’m not concerned. He isn’t going to be bothering Sophie or anyone else for a while, at least until his broken nose is healed.
“Barker!” hollers Rob. “Is that your sorry butt you’re dragging down here?” He obviously hears my footsteps as I slowly, painfully descend the steps to the fire station’s basement.
“Yup,” I mumble through my split lip.
“You’re late!” he snaps, “You better have a really good excuse, because—” Rob races over to me as I stumble on the last step. “Where did this happen? And who did you fight?”
“Supper club,” I rasp, “Wolf named Rafe.” Then I crumple onto the floor.
When I wake up, I’m lying on a table someone’s hauled into the basement, Doc Demetrius is bending over me, and Rob and Jake are hovering nearby. A nurse with a massive hair-do—Elvira?—hands Doc a syringe. He’s preparing to put me under so he can stitch me up, but I raise my palm. “Wait a sec,” I whisper.
Groaning, I turn my head so I’m facing Rob and Jake; my alpha peers into my eyes, and his breath quickens. “Was it him? The werewolf who’s been harassing Sophie?”
I nod. “But that’s not all. He… he was there that night in Michigan.”
Jake and Rob glance at each other and then down at me, clearly not tracking. As I cough and then wince at the pain, Doc says, “He needs medical attentionnow.”
“Rafe…” I mutter through gritted teeth. “He was one of the wolves who attacked Jarrod.”
“Alright, that’s enough talking,” says Doc, who jabs my arm with a needle.
As the anesthesia trickles into my veins, I hear Jake whisper. “I’ll take it from here, Barker. I’ll make sure he doesn’t hurt anyone else.”
I try to mumble a warning about Rafe’s tricky ways, but my words are nothing but garbled noise. My last thought is of Sophie, beautiful as always in her purple dress, and a tear dribbles onto my cheek.
Chapter 26
A Not-So-Grand Opening
SOPHIE
Saturday, July 14
The chorus of compliments is nonstop—“Congratulations!” “Your bakery is adorable!” “This is SO delicious!”—as I stand behind my bakery display case, handing out samples to a steady stream of friends, neighbors, and out-of-towners.
“Where’s that scrumptious werewolf you’ve been hiding?” asks a pert little faerie who’s a few years younger than me; come to think of it, she’s probably Teddy’s age.
“He’s busy,” I tell her with a mighty scowl.
“Oh!” she says, her squeaky voice pitched even higher. I think I might’ve scared her off. Good; Teddy doesn’t need bimbos like that flirty faerie hanging around him.
