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I frowned. “But the rangers told me the assigned witch had been evicted over a year ago—”
“Be that as it may, his presence remains.” She rose. “Gabe is a friend. I’d know his touch anywhere. Good night.”
I stared after her, confusion swirling. Surely even the most powerful witch around could not hide from three wolf packs for over a year. Someone, somewhere, would have seen or scented him.
Aiden appeared, giving Anna a brief nod before striding toward me. “Are you okay?”
I nodded. “There’s nothing wrong with me that a good fifty hours of sleep and several slabs of steak wouldn’t fix.”
A smile tugged at his lips. “I take it, then, that Blume wasn’t too rough?”
“No—although he did threaten to report the lot of you if you didn’t start passing on information.”
“It’s not the first time they’ve threatened that, and it probably won’t be the last.” He stopped opposite me and shoved his hands deep into his coat pockets. The energy that radiated off him was fierce and filled with the heat of the night. While the full moon didn’t actually force werewolves to change, it took a lot of willpower to ignore its call to run wild and free. “We didn’t catch the bastard.”
“So Blume said. Do you think magic was involved?”
“Possibly, given the trail went cold between Creswyn and Friar’s Point for no damn reason.” He rubbed his jaw. “I’ve asked the Sinclairs to keep an eye out, as the Point is part of their range.”
“If he is there, wouldn’t they have sensed him by now? I thought you said packs don’t allow uninvited strangers on their lands.”
“The Sinclairs have a somewhat more relaxed attitude to it than either the Marin or O’Connor packs.” He glanced around as Tala approached. “All done?”
“For now.” She looked at me. “I’ll need to get a formal statement for our records tomorrow, though, if you’re up to it.”
“As long as it’s in the afternoon rather than some ungodly hour before noon, it should be okay.”
“Done,” Aiden said. “We’d better let you get some rest.”
“Thanks.”
It was only after they’d left that Belle came down, looking every bit as tired as I felt. Her gaze hit the mess of broken cups and plates, and her expression dissolved into dismay. “The bastard has taken out some of my favorite pieces.”
“Better them than my head.”
“I guess.” She laughed and ducked away from my halfhearted attempt to whack her. “Let’s clean up this mess in the morning. I seriously can’t face it right now.”
“Agreed.”
She turned around and headed back upstairs. I trailed after her and, for the second time that night, was asleep before my head hit the pillow.
Warmth touched my skin who knows how many hours later. It was so light it was barely even a caress, but it was one that was both familiar and yet oddly alien. For several seconds I wasn’t even sure if it was real, or merely the last hurrah of a dream I couldn’t remember.
Then it ran across my skin again, its touch flame-like and oddly filled with a sense of urgency.
I opened my eyes to discover a wisp hovering in front of my face. The same wisp, I thought, that had answered my request for help in the forest.
The minute it noticed I was awake, it darted to the door then spun around and returned. It was pretty obvious it wanted me to follow.
I climbed out of bed and pulled on jeans and a sweater while the wisp hovered next to my shoulder, its light pulsing at an ever-increasing rate, seeming to suggest impatience.
“Okay, okay, I’m coming.” I grabbed my coat and headed for the door. “Belle? You awake?”
“I am now,” she mumbled. “What’s up?”
“There’s a wisp in our hallway and it wants me to follow him.”
“The lunar effect is certainly in full force tonight.” She appeared in the doorway. “You want company?”
