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Stephanie pressed her lips together as she nodded. “Really. With dogs, it’s just pictures and emotions. It’s not like they understand English beyond a few words. Bennett, when Rambo looks at you, I can get all sorts of warm, happy feelings. But when I spoke to Annie—” she broke off and looked at the floor.
“I hadn’t thought about that before,” Rex murmured. “A psychic getting through our telepathic link.”
“Could this be because there’s already a link, with them being mother and daughter?” Kane questioned. “I’m not trying to be dismissive of any of this, but I want to understand how far it could go.”
“Yes,” Rex agreed. “That’s very important.”
“That became the topic once I told Joan and the others what was happening,” Stephanie explained. “We decided to do a little experiment, and I could speak fluently with anyone in the room as long as they were in wolf form. With what little I understand about who attacked us, I thought you should know.”
Rex scratched his jaw. “You’d be able to read the minds of the Silvergroves and figure out who genuinely has bad intentions toward us and who doesn’t.”
“That’s the idea,” she agreed.
Bennett could hear the fear in her voice, and his wolf hated it. “You can’t do that, Stephanie. Shifter battles aren’t just a few punches thrown in a dark parking lot. People die.”
“I know.” Stephanie’s nails now worked at the hem of her shirt. “Annie almost did already. I don’t want to see that happen again.”
“We can find some better way to do this,” Bennett insisted.
Rex straightened. “Stephanie, you could be very crucial to the plan. We’ll have to hammer out some details regardless, but I’ll need to know for sure that you’re willing to commit to this. You’ll probably see people die, and it won’t be pretty. You’re also taking the risk yourself, too.”
She nodded. “I understand.”
Bennett met her gaze. He wanted to tell her this was crazy. She could’ve already been killed earlier that day at her clinic, and what she was about to head into was far more dangerous. He’d failed to protect her once and couldn’t let that happen again.
But he saw everything in those green eyes: sadness and loss mixed with hope and determination. Bennett was willing to go to battle, to lay his life on the line, but Stephanie could fight for Annie and herself in a way he couldn’t. As much as it pained him, he knew it was up to her. He gave her the slightest nod.
“All right,” Rex said with a clap of his hands. “Then it’s time to get down to brass tacks and figure out exactly what we’re going to do.”
Stephanie fidgeted in her seat. “I think I’ll take that whiskey after all.”
15
“Mom.” Annie took Stephanie’s hand and held it tightly. “It doesn’t feel right to let you go out there and do this.”
“I think Bennett feels the same way, though he hasn’t said it.” Stephanie smiled. She’d noticed how much he’d held himself back when she’d come to Rex’s den to explain what she could do. “He doesn’t think it’s a good idea for a human to be part of a battle among wolves. He’s probably right, but sometimes we have to do the hard things.”
Annie sat on the edge of the bed in the room the Glenwoods had given her right next to Stephanie’s. She’d showered and eaten and even had a little rest, though she looked very pale. The dogs had stayed by her side as much as possible, and they snoozed on the floor. “I know. You’ve always said that, although I never thought the hard things would be quite like this.”
Stephanie sucked in a breath. “Me, neither.”
“I think what feels extra hard right now is that I can’t go with you.” Annie put her clasped hands on her knee. “It makes sense, and I get that. I’d really just be in the way right now, but I feel terrible that you have to go do this alone.”
“I’m not alone.” Stephanie was terrified, truth be told. No matter how much they explained everything to her, she didn’t really know what she was getting into. The one thing she could be sure of was that the Glenwoods wouldn’t just leave her to her own devices. “Bennett will be there with me, along with everyone else.”
“Yeah, he looks like he’s about to explode,” Annie commented.
“What do you mean?”
Annie gave her a look. “How many times do we have to have this conversation, Mom? He’s keeping his distance right now, but he’s nuts for you, and this whole thing is driving him crazy. I saw him for about five seconds, and I can tell. And it’s not just because you’re a human.”
“Now, who’s the psychic?” Stephanie teased. “Let’s just get surviving out of the way, then we can figure out the rest. You’ll be okay staying here?”
“I think so. I was a little put out at first, feeling like the weakling being left behind. But apparently, this is where all the little ones are brought in times of danger, so I get to help out. I’m kind of excited about that.” Annie was beaming.
“Perfect.” Stephanie kissed her forehead and stood up. “I’ll be back as soon as possible. Don’t push yourself too hard.”
When she stepped out into the hallway, she nearly ran into Bennett. He’d lifted his hand to knock but put his arm around Stephanie as she collided with him. “I was just coming to see if you were ready to go. I’ll drive you out there since the others will be going on foot. Timing is important.”
