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This was a dream. Had to be a dream.
Or a fucking nightmare.
“You really need a damn hospital,” he said, anger plain in his voice.
“Can’t. Can’t explain either.”
“Just like you can’t explain how you made squirrels attack those men?”
“They weren’t men.”
“Looked like men to me.”
Baer opened his eyes, pinning his pained gaze on Dane. “It’s time for your boyfriend to explain what’s going on. It’s not my place.”
“Right now, he’s definitely not my boyfriend. Apparently, I don’t know who he really is.” Dane scowled as he hit the blinker to turn right. He barely slowed for the stop sign.
“Aw, don’t be like that,” Baer said as he held on to the bar above his door. Something rolled along the truck bed. “He was trying to protect you. He’s afraid of losing you. But again, I shouldn’t be the one you’re talking to.” He winced and held his stomach. “One of those things got me good. Hurts like hell.”
Baer’s words both warmed and infuriated him, but he shoved the feelings down and focused on the man sitting beside him. “You better hope those crazy old ladies have some experience in this.”
“They can help me. I just can’t—”
“Explain, I know. Well, fuck that. I’m involved in this, whether you guys like it or not.” He realized he was shouting and calmed just as a red fox ran out into the road, forcing him to slow. “Did one of those guys have a clawed glove? That’s the one who attacked Clay more than a month ago.”
“No, no gloves. The one who got my neck had actual claws. Told you, not men.”
Baer winced again, and Dane felt bad for yelling at him in his current state. In a way. A part of him didn’t feel bad at all. He was sick of being kept in the dark. He’d gotten close to Clay over the last few weeks and felt he deserved answers.
A vehicle zoomed up behind him and at first, he tensed, thinking the bad guys had found them, but he quickly recognized Jo’s truck. The immediate relief gave way to anger almost as quickly. Clay had a lot to answer for.
When they arrived at the plantation house, Clay and Grey came up to help Baer into the house. He sagged between the two of them as they slowly walked up the steps. Jo came running out of the house, her lips tight with worry. “Take him into Clay’s room,” she said. “It’s the closest place we can lay him down.”
It wasn’t like Clay had been staying in there anymore anyway. No, he’d mostly been sleeping in the garage apartment.
Dane followed, his hands closed into fists at his sides. Clay glanced at him, and the concern he saw in his expression did nothing to ease his anger.
“What happened?” Jo asked as Flo and Willie came into the room. Willie clucked and flittered as they lowered Baer into the bed.
“One of those fuckers clawed my neck. But the bad wound is my stomach. They taped it up without doing anything to the wound first.” He grimaced and began pulling at the tape. “This is gonna be a bitch to get off.”
“Maybe we should soak it off,” Clay said. “And do we have anything in the way of painkillers?”
“Just whiskey,” Grey offered. “We picked up more while we were out.”
“And just why did you guys go out?” Jo asked, her hands on her hips. “I’m sure we told you not to leave.”
“We needed supplies, and we’re going stir-crazy here.” Baer said with a groan. “Shit, now I wish we’d used one of those stupid delivery apps.”
Flo clapped her hands. “Go get the alcohol for him while I get this tape off. I doubt soaking it would be a good idea—we don’t know how bad the cut is below.”
Grey left to go to the truck where the groceries were still in the back. Hell, as fast as they’d been driving and taking turns, the groceries probably hadn’t survived. Especially glass whiskey bottles.
Clay turned to Dane, his eyebrows high, his gaze full of entreaty. “We need to talk.”
Dane stared hard at him, eyes narrowed. “About what? That you somehow made those vines move? Made the earth shake? Gonna give me some kind of story that I didn’t see any of that?”
“No, what you saw happened. I’d like to explain—”
“Explain what? That you’ve been lying to me?”
“I haven’t actually lied, just failed to tell you everything that was going on with me. Come on, Dane, you knew something was up. That we went out into the woods daily for a reason.”
Dane threw up his hands. “I didn’t think anything like this. How could I have? That was some kind of magic and until today, I had no idea magic existed. What else have you got up your sleeves, huh? The ability to read my mind?”
