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“I’m not an assassin, Brody.”
“Maybe not, but you want to live, don’t you?”
I did. Very much. “Truce?”
He studied me. “For now.” He glanced in the direction the wolf had gone. “Did you recognize it?”
I shook my head. “The only wolf close to that size is the local alpha, West. That wolf is female.” Which meant it wasn’t Kane either, although I’d already determined that because the prince of hell’s enormous wolf form included a pair of griffin wings.
“Wore a collar, too,” Brody said. “Know anybody daft enough in this town to claim ownership of a wild wolf?”
No, but I was beginning to think Noah himself had moored his ark right on the riverbanks of Fairhaven.
CHAPTER 9
Every musclein my body ached as I dragged myself into the house. In this moment, I felt like I’d be sore for the rest of my life. My number one priority was a hot bath and a nap, which had nothing to do with a mystic donkey and everything to do with a nature mage called Brody. We’d parted amicably with the promise that he’d kill me the next time we met.
I added it to my list of Things to Look Forward to.
I crossed the threshold and immediately noticed the increase in temperature, which was odd given the state of my radiators. Ray was a competent ghost, but there was no way he could’ve fixed them without me. For a hot second I worried I’d started early menopause, until I turned the corner and saw a fire crackling in the hearth of the room I’d dubbed Fat Cheek City due to the carved cherubs all over the ceiling.
“Ray?” I crept into the room. There was a wingback chair upholstered in crushed purple velvet where one hadn’t been before, along with a familiar pair of Gucci shoes resting on the floor.
Every sore muscle in my body grew tense. “How did you get in?”
Kane remained seated. “It wasn’t difficult. I thought you intended to upgrade your ward.”
“I do, but last time I checked, magic isn’t free.” I was tempted to leave the room, but the warmth of the fire kept me rooted in place. At least that’s what I told myself.
“Nice flowers in the kitchen,” he said. “New admirer?”
“I’m not sure ‘admirer’ is the right word. More like psychopath.”
“What do you think of your new chair?” He patted the upholstery.
“It looks expensive.”
“It’s from an estate sale of a house built during the same time period as this one. I thought it would work well in this room.” He rose to his feet, and I was ashamed to admit that the sight of all six-foot-four of him took my breath away. The mature part of me wanted to kick him in the balls, run upstairs, and slam the door closed. I didn’t want to admit what the immature part of me wanted to do.
“I’d like you to leave now.”
“I only just arrived.”
“If you’d arrived two days ago—hell, even ten days ago, this conversation might have a different outcome.”
“You’re angry with me.”
“Congratulations, Detective. You solved the case.”
“There’s no need to be hostile, Lorelei.”
“Because you brought me a peace offering?” I motioned to the chair. “You think one decent piece of furniture will negate the fact that you ran away the moment I opened up to you?”
“I appreciated your honesty.”
“Doesn’t seem like it.”
He rubbed his temples. “There are things you don’t know.”
