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The golden woman opened her arms. She was so beautiful, he wanted to weep. He wanted that body. To claim it, to feel her flesh under his fingers. . . . She smiled at him, and visions of her mouth swirled in his mind. He didn’t care that it was filled with sharp serrated teeth. He wanted to taste those red lips. The need was there, but it wasn’t coming from him.
She reached out and stroked his face with her fingertips. Her silver eyes shone. Her voice came in a shocked whisper. “You belong to someone else.”
“Yes.” His body tore with the last of its strength. The wolf spilled out, and he shoved his clawed hand into her chest. His claws punctured her heart. He tore it out.
She screamed, shocked, her shark teeth bared. Her body burst into ash. For a moment, it held together, and then the wind swept it off the rock into the city.
He was so tired, he didn’t feel himself falling. He didn’t hear Julie scream.
WHEN HE OPENED HIS EYES, the sky was the soothing night blue again. A thin blanket covered him. He was warm and aching in a dozen places, the last granules of silver burning like dying coals inside him as his body slowly pushed them to the surface of his skin. His head rested on something that smelled like horse—probably a saddlebag. Around him, the city stretched, the rare golden lights of electric lamps glowing weakly from a distance. He was still on Pillar Rock.
He caught Julie’s scent. It swirled around him and he savored it. No blood. She wasn’t injured. They’d made it through.
“Finally,” Julie said.
He sat up, wrapping the blanket around him like a robe. She smiled at him.
“How long was I out?”
“The whole day.”
She had stayed with him. She hadn’t left and called for pickup; she’d just stayed here, where he’d fallen, and watched over him.
Julie dug in the bag. “I grabbed some food from the food cart passing by. It’s not deer babies, but you’ll just have to suffer through it.”
He reached out and touched her hand.
She paused and looked at him, her eyes bottomless.
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For staying with me.”
“You’re welcome, Wolf,” she said quietly.
He realize
d then that she would’ve sat by him as long as it took and that he was still holding her hand. He made himself let go.
She looked away and pulled smoked venison and a jug of iced tea out of the bag. “Eat. You’re probably starving.”
“In a minute,” he said. “The moon is almost up.”
She put the bag down and lowered herself next to him. They sat quietly on Pillar Rock, side by side, almost touching and happy to be alive, and watched the moonrise.
EPILOGUE
“ANYTHING EXCITING HAPPEN while we were gone?” Kate cut the freshly baked bread in the kitchen.
“No.” That was one good thing about living on the street, Julie reflected. You learned to lie while your eyes shone with sincerity. “And you didn’t even mention my awesome timing. You came through the door, and there was bread already baked for you.”
Behind Kate, Curran glanced at her. He’d called Derek about the Iveses, so he knew, but Kate clearly didn’t. They would have to tell her, but not tonight. Tonight she was tired and hungry, and the look on her face when she came downstairs after she took a shower to wash all the blood off was too relaxed. Julie smiled at Curran. It will wait.
“Thank you for the bread. You sure nothing happened?” Kate arched one eyebrow.
Julie remembered finishing off Adams, seeing Derek fall as he turned human again, and then running too fast up Pillar Rock. She’d dropped to her knees and put her head on his chest, and when she’d heard the strong, even heartbeat, she’d cried and then kissed his lips gently, because he was asleep and he would never know. He’d scared her so much.
