Page 60 of Red

I lean my gun onto the ground next to hers at the door. “I am not. No shame here. Plus, nothing happened.”

“What? Did you just pass out on him?”

“No, he was sweet. We slept. End of story.”

“What a true gentleman.” She smiles like she wants to tease, but I don’t give in.

“Sure.” My voice comes out flat, ready for a change in topic. Though she isn’t wrong. Tripp was more than respectful, except he’d shoot me if he knew the truth.

“Anyway,” she says, clearing her throat, “what do you want to do today? I was thinking the range, if you’re up for it?”

My skin crawls at the memory of being in Tripp’s arms. “Give me like an hour to shower.”

“You’re looking good for how much you drank.”

Wolf blood runs fast, so it makes alcohol not last as long. Not that I can tell her.

“Surprisingly, I feel a lot worse than I look.” I duck away and head into the bathroom, hoping the water will wash off last night.

We make it to the range and shoot a few rounds. Tripp stops by to remind me to come to a meeting, so I can hunt with him tonight. He’s so sweet about it all.

Except he’s a murderer on a mission to eliminate werewolves. And some messed-up part of me wants to get over it. It’s my luck from the universe to get magic and be punished in every other way.

What pricks the spirits can be.

Chapter 19

Icheck for my phone tucked inside the inner layer of my coat as Gretch and I walk to the debrief. She’s on a different shift tonight, but they go over the night’s plan with everyone together. I watch her determined face as we walk, her steps still slow, and her ankle wrapped inside her boot. She’s been the only girl friend I’ve had as an adult who has talked about things beyond boys. I hate that we’re on such different sides of a war when it’s us on the couch curled in blankets. It’s a challenge to distinguish from the truth.

Inside the building, we find seats together in the middle. There are loads of men standing around the edge, leaning against the whiteboards. Everyone is dressed in various forms of either all black or white camo. Tripp is deep in conversation with Hudson at the end of the table, and when he turns toward us, his cheeks rise.

“Attention.”

The conversations in the room fade into the odd whisper until nothing. Everyone turns to look at Hudson standing at the end of the long table next to one of the whiteboards. He reaches up and pulls down a cord in the center, revealing a map. The Toridge pack land is missing a lot of details the farther out from our location, but it’s still covered with cross-hatched patches, lines, and other markings.

“Tonight is like any other night. You will be splitting up with your teams to survey a specific area. The beasts will be out there. You know not to pass”—he points to a rounded red line on the map—“this area in the dark. We don’t have enough knowledge of the landscape. Day teams are making progress, but we still don’t need to be ambushed. If you see a beast, you’re to shoot on sight.”

The room’s temperature might have risen, but I pull at the zipper on my coat. The fire in my chest burns to an uncomfortable level.

A few people clap. One man fist-bumps another across the table.

“Everyone, please head out. If you’re on the next rotation, please find your team swaps. Anyone else, feel free to rest in your bunks until it’s your shift. Like always, we don’t know where the night will take us, and if you hear the alarm, be prepared to help.”

I stay seated, having no idea what’s to come. Gretch gives my arm a squeeze before going to find the swap for her post. I calm the burning and lean back. A few ask questions to Tripp and Hudson before they leave. Hudson heads out soon after, leaving Tripp and me alone.

“So, what do you think?”

“It’s . . . Is it okay if I don’t have words?” Awful. Monstrous. Wrong.

He gives me a half-smile, an all-black version of that white rifle slung on his back. “You’ll be with me tonight. I need to go get a few things. Want to wait here or at my place?”

“Here is good.”

The smile stretches across his face, and he turns to walk out the door.

Once I’m alone, I count to five and stick my hand into my coat, unzipping the hidden pocket. Pulling out my phone, I keep it under the desk until the camera is ready, then I snap as many photos as possible. Their map doesn’t have our town on it, but it does have werewolf sightings.

My fingers touch home, a blank spot on the map. This is why I’m here.