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“While I do wish you had told us sooner,” Victor said. “I cannot deny we would likely have attempted to make a stand at the hotel.”

“Yeah,” Zee agreed. “I’d have gone for Spyros.”

“Syros.”

“Him too.” Zee smiled, trying to brighten the mood.

“And Syros would have burned it all down.”

Victor’s hand settled reassuringly on my leg. “Indeed.”

“If I’m not there, the hotel is safe. If you’re with me and we’re hiding, you’re safe.” I sighed and closed my eyes. Feeling Zee pressed close and Victor’s hand on my leg, just being with them and having them listen . . . it gave me hope that all was not lost. Not yet. “Running was the best I could come up with at the time.”

“Alright,” Zee said. “We have got this. Together. Like always.”

“Never apart.” Victor echoed the sentiment.

I should have told them sooner, but I was also glad I hadn’t. With distance came the time we needed to figure out what to do next. “I’m sorry I snapped at you, Zee. I never, ever want to change you. You’re perfect the way you are.”

“Uh, I know. And it’s fine. I like it when you get all fiery and protective. For a long time, at Razorsedge, I protected others. I’m not used to feeling safe, or knowing someone’s got my back, but I do with you.”

“In the past few weeks our lives have been turned upside down. We have much to adjust to,” Victor agreed. “There will naturally be some bumps along this road.”

I still wasn’t entirely convinced they wouldn’t team up and try to take out Syros on their own—it seemed like the kind of foolishly heroic thing they’d do—but while we were in the middle of nowhere, hunting a werewolf killer, they’d stay.

“Regarding our current predicament . . . I examined Cameron’s corpse, and it’s clear he was not killed by a werewolf, but something with a larger claw diameter. The loup-garou theory remains the most likely one. Unfortunately, my examination did not reveal any further clues to help us.”

“But how is this loop-guru thing in the area without the pack knowing?” Zee asked. “Werewolves are insanely territorial.”

“Unless the loup-garou is one of the pack?” I asked. “They can shapeshift, right?”

“Wolf packs rarely adopt other species as their own.”

“Yeah, okay. And they kicked Zander out for being slightly different,” I said.

“Duke?” Zee wondered aloud. “We thought we saw and heard him in town earlier, when the creepy mist came in. Maybe he’s pretending to be like them? Would Galbraith be able to spot an imposter?”

“Duke appears to have been their beta for a long time. They’d certainly know if he wasn’t a lupine shifter,” Victor said. “But we should speak with him regardless. It is the beta’s job to look out for the pack alongside the alpha.”

“You guys go speak with him,” Zee said. “Three is a posse, and I get the impression he does not appreciate my rampant fabulousness.”

It was true Duke hadn’t much liked us, and especially Zee. “What are you going to do?”

“Chat with Jenny and see if anyone else is staying at this motel who seems a bit special or murdery.”

“Can we all just agree right here not to take any risks or do anything heroic?” I asked them. “If there’s a risk, we regroup. No going it alone. No luring the bad guy away.” That one I aimed at Victor. “And no lurking in bushes to help.”

“Agreed.” Victor gave my leg a firm squeeze and stood. “Zodiac?”

Zee gave an all-over body shiver. “Say my name like that again, Daddy.”

Victor’s soft chuckle was all he deemed appropriate. “It appears we have a plan. Let’s deal with this loup-garou so we might then focus on our own unfortunate dragon situation.”

An “unfortunate dragon situation” was a great way to explain my murderous, psychopathic brother coming back from the dead to wreak havoc on my life and destroy anything and everything I’ve ever loved. I’d prefer dancing with a loup-garou than facing Syros, any day.

Leaving Zee to drop in on Jenny, Victor and I made our way across the lot toward the bar, where the very person we needed to speak with was sitting outside at a picnic table littered with engine parts. The rows of bikes that were usually parked outside the bar weren’t there now.

The big werewolf beta saw us coming, but said nothing, just continued to use a grubby rag to clean grease off the shiny metal bits and pieces.