The magic disappeared, and her expression suddenly lit up. “Oh, your mate is Bec. That’s a good match. She’s fierce enough to handle the two of you.” Her pleased smile turned amused. “That must be why you’re out here and not in there with her and Em.”
“How do you know Bec and Em?” Marduk asked.
“I met them the day they were moving in,” she explained. “We had a lovely chat. I left soon after to visit my sister in Macedonia, but we exchanged information, and we’ve been messaging back and forth. She’s smart and asks good questions.”
“She is,” I agreed, feeling less worried about the medusa. I felt Marduk’s annoyance with me. I let go of him so he couldn’t curse at me for being friendly with the powerful creature. I held out my hand, taking the risk that this medusa wasn’t going to hurt me.
“Hi, my name is Danzig. This is Marduk.”
She looked at my hand, then accepted the shake with her long fingers curling into my grip, almost as if she expected me to kiss the back of her hand instead of shake it.
“I’m going by Ysabelle now,” she said. I felt power pulse through our connected hands, and my vision wavered slightly.
She let out a happy sound. “You’re worthy of Bec. That makes me happy.”
I pulled my hand free and shoved it into the pocket of my jacket. It throbbed as if I’d gotten it caught in a closing door.
A wolf shifter who looked to be in his early twenties came running up, his expression eager and happy. “Ysabelle! I found the best place to run! Do you want to see it?”
Ysabelle held out her hand, and he took it without hesitation. It seemed that she’d taken this wolf as a companion. The dog at her feet stood up and pawed at the wolf with a little whine.
“Muggsie wants to go for a run, right?” the wolf said, reaching down to scratch the dog. I saw the dog’s aura brighten, revealing the outline of something far more deadly than what Muggsie appeared.
Ysabelle unclipped Muggsie’s leash. “You two go for a run,” she said with an indulgent smile. “Don’t let anyone see you!”
“We won’t!” the wolf said, running off with Muggsie at his side.
“Aren’t they adorable?” Ysabelle asked.
The entire exchange had helped Marduk relax, but I could feel his continued apprehension.
“Very cute,” I agreed.
Ysabelle focused her attention on Marduk. “I know Danzig is fine with me, but you aren’t. Would it help to know that I’m friends with your mother? Call her, and she’ll vouch for me.”
“You know Mom?” I asked before Marduk could say anything.
“The last time I spoke with her, I was going by Mrs. Jensin, and she was answering to the name Amara.”
“She still uses Amara,” Marduk said, the rest of his tension finally leaving him. I could tell he still wasn’t happy, but knowing this medusa had a connection to Mom made him feel better.
“Mrs. J!” I exclaimed, memory surfacing from almost fifty years ago. “We went to your mating ceremony with a wolf shifter.”
“That was my beloved Harry,” she said. “I missed him so much after he died that I spent decades in my elderly body, clinging to his memory.”
“You’re the one that rescued Pike and Cora,” Marduk said. Both of us had been working when that happened, but we’d heard all about it when we got back. It wasn’t as if there were many medusas out there. As far as I knew, there were only three, but there could be more because they were very good at hiding.
“That’s how I got my wolf,” Ysabelle said, gesturing in the direction the wolf and Muggsie had run off to. “He’s a sweet boy who was forced into a drug dealing, abusive pack. He’s safe now, and I think he might ask to join Lobo Gris now that we’re back.”
“They’re a good pack,” I said without thinking about the implication of a medusa's partner being a member of a wolf pack.
If the Lobo Gris were safe from other packs encroaching in their territory before, they’d be bulletproof now!
“Yes, I know,” she said, then gave us a no-nonsense stare. “I’ve spent the day traveling on human conveyances. I want a shower, a meal, and my bed. Here is my information if you have any concerns, but don’t worry, I won’t let anything happen to your mate now that I’m home.”
She waved her fingers and a business card appeared in the air in front of me. I took it only to find an absolutely average white card with her name, number, and handles for various social media sites.
The moment I took hold of the card, she fearlessly walked between the two of us. We stepped aside to let her pass and turned to watch her walk up to the condo next to Bec’s and then disappear inside.
