Page 49 of License to Kill

Jake wanted to be near me all of the time, and to escape the conversations I didn’t want, I shifted and spent the vast majority of my time as a fox. No one could question me, no one could try to force me into anything, and when anyone tried to touch me, I reminded them I had a predator’s teeth.

My first full day outside of the basement, I bit seven people, including Jake. He got off the lightest; while I made him bleed, the wounds were shallow and healed far faster than the others who made the mistake of getting within range of my jaws.

“I don’t get it,” Jake confessed after the second time I nipped him.

Dr. Howards likely found the situation interesting, which meant he spent far too much time around the Thomas home. “From a psychological standpoint, it’s very simple. She doesn’t trust any of us. While she’s tolerating the situation admirably, there are limits. Currently, her limit is around four feet. If you stay out of that range, I suspect she’ll leave you alone. It’s a ‘if you don’t bother me, I won’t bother you’ type of situation.”

“So what do we do?”

“When she’s ready to approach someone, she will. Until that point, whether she’s human or fox, allow her to pick her own pace. She’ll either come around or she won’t. There’s no forcing a situation like this. All circumstances considered, you and your parents will have the hardest time reestablishing any form of trust with her. Strangers will have the easiest time. Your mother may never regain her trust, and you should be prepared for that.”

“She really is sorry,” Jake muttered.

“Sorry doesn’t cut it, not in a situation like this. An apology can’t erase months of suffering, uncertainty, and what was essentially psychological warfare. While Fenerec can readily understand your mother’s perspective, Karma is at a distinct disadvantage. At this stage, even if pack bonds were offered, I don’t believe she’d accept them. It’s a matter of trust, and while you can sense your mother’s remorse, she can’t. And even if she can smell emotions like Fenerec can, I suspect she’s too young and inexperienced to know what her nose is telling her.”

Huh. Given a little more time, I might actually like the damned psychologist. Then the reality of my situation settled in. I flattened my ears. A year ago, even the hint of being welcomed would have excited me. Now, I wanted them to let me go so I could try to rebuild some form of life, one without wolves in it.

Alone seemed better than part of a group filled by those who didn’t want me. The first chance I got, I’d see what I could do to add even more distance. As a human or a fox didn’t matter to me.

I would find a new path for myself outside of the FBI, outside of law enforcement, and as far away from Fenerec as possible.

“What can we do?”

“Give her time, give her space, and show her you trust her. The rest will fall into place or it won’t. No amount of therapy can guarantee anything, especially when she’s not ready. I’m sure you’ll figure something out.”

Jake sighed but nodded. “All right. Whatever it takes.”

“I only hope you won’t regret that later.”

Eleven

They are a reflection of my opinion.

I stayed a fox for two weeks, and I only shifted to human when everyone left the house, locking me inside. As a human, I could have unlocked the door and ventured out. I should have. Leaving would have simplified a great deal for me.

Instead, I dressed in clothes Jake had brought to his parents’ house, all of which were too big on me, hunted down the stack of papers Dr. Howards thought would help fill the time, and read. It contained a large part of the Greenwich case files, and as I finished with each sheet, I folded it into a paper airplane and sent it winging across the living room in the general direction of the hallway.

The hours slipped by, and I learned nothing new about the mercenaries who had tried to take my life, had shot Jake, and otherwise haunted me. I’d learned more from the black market, and I wondered if I could somehow get in touch with Amelia so we could resume our work.

We might actually get somewhere.

My fleet of paper airplanes covered most of the floor by the time I heard the alarm system beep and the front door open.

Jake laughed. “What are you doing?”

I folded the sheet I had just finished and launched it across the room. It winged its way into the hallway, crunched its nose into the wall, and flopped to the floor. Picking up the next sheet, I began to read, pretending he didn’t exist. When his parents followed him, I heard them both sigh.

“Let this serve as a reminder why we shouldn’t have another puppy anytime soon,” Sebastian muttered. “Between the two of them, I’ll be surprised if the house survives.”

“If you could convince her to go home with him, then you wouldn’t have to be worried about our house.”

Jake growled.

Since witnessing yet another dispute between the Thomas trio was low on my list of things to do, I folded the briefing page and launched it at Jake, smacking him in the head. “Stop picking fights. It’s annoying.”

“But I’m picking the fight on your behalf.”

“If I wanted to pick a fight, I would do so.”