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“Good day to ya, Charles,” Miss Patricia said.
“Thank ya, Nance,” he said, spotting Kade at the end of the bar.
“Surprised to see you here after the latest news,” he said, eyes grim.
Kade’s instinct clicked into place. “What news?”
Commissioner Doyle shook his head. “The third murder.”
“Another one?” Miss Patricia said.
“Aye, Sheila O’Brien. Found atop her horse without her head,” Commissioner Doyle said. “A sight I won’t soon forget. I thought Miss Ferriwether would’ve told ya by now, Cyrus.”
Kade snapped to attention, standing from his chair. “Wait, Evelyn knows?”
“Evelyn?” Commissioner Doyle asked.
“Charles, there’s a fair bit ya don’t know about those two,” Miss Patricia said.
He looked between Miss Patricia and Kade. “You’re not a huntsman, are you?”
Kade shook his head.
The commissioner assessed his bare feet and dirty exterior. “I don’t suppose I have you to blame for the giant wolf sightings from the last few days?”
Kade winced, scratching the back of his neck. “Apologies.”
Commissioner Doyle took a large swig of mead and cursed. “I think I’ll retire this year, Nance. Gettin’ too old for these surprises. Don’t catch ’em like I used to.”
Miss Patricia patted the commissioner’s arm. “You have a job here if you ever need it.”
They stared at each other, and Kade saw affection between the two. He sighed, staring into his soup. Had he and Evelyn been that obvious? Had everyone else noticed what had been brewing between them?
The patter of rain broke the peace of the inn, the main door easing open and slamming shut. A familiar scent, one warm, sweet, and woody, caught Kade’s attention. He glanced back as Aster and Tovi entered. Behind them, a cloaked figure waited in the rain. Kade didn’t have to see their face. His wolf, his entire being, recognized her.
Evelyn.
He rose from his seat. Had she come to see him? Was she ready to talk? Relief and hope showered over him like the drizzling rain outside.
Aster and Tovi approached the bar. Tovi’s lips were in a thin line while Aster’s steps were hesitant. The two glanced back to the closed door where Evelyn stood, unseen and in the rain.
“Is she—”
“If you’re about to ask if she’s all right, you’re being daft,” Tovi whispered.
Kade flinched. The bite in Tovi’s words froze his burst of relief and hope.
“She is here to see you, though,” Aster said with a small smile. “To investigate where they found Sheila.”
Kade nodded, his sights set on the door and his mate beyond it. His soul fought for his legs to move forward, but his heart thumped rapidly in his chest, the quickness pinning him in place.
Tovi laid a hand on his arm and swallowed. “Evelyn . . . She’s not ready to talk, and I’m not getting in the middle of whatever it is you both need to figure out, but remember, Kade, she’s a protector. That’s all she’s ever wanted. Perhaps if you don’t push her, she’ll tell you more herself.”
She released her hold on his arm, and Kade used Evelyn’s best friend’s words to fuel his resolve and head toward the door.
Outside, Evelyn stood under the scant overhang of the Runaway Radish’s doorframe. Rain droplets clung to her black hair, reflecting like beads of ink. Her hands were tightly clasped in front of her, knuckles white. When she finally looked up at him, his heart squeezed from the sadness threaded in her silvery-blue gaze.
“Did Commissioner Doyle tell you about Sheila?” she asked.
