“I’M COMING WITH YOU.”
Ethan’s response was almost automatic. There was nothing he could do that Mark and Benton couldn’t, beyond finding scents. And this thing left as little in odors as it did other clues.
But it was better than standing here. Better than wondering if the soul-sucker would follow the pattern it had set so far. Wondering if, in three days’ time, they’d find Janie’s body, sucked dry or mutilated.
Benton stabbed a finger his way. “You take one step toward that house, and your ass is in the nearest jail cell.”
“Captain—”
“I’m serious, Morgan. Keep your nose clean.” Benton glanced at Mark. “Let’s go.”
Ethan looked at his partner, and Mark nodded at the unspoken request. The two men walked out the door. For several minutes, Ethan stood there, weighing his need to follow them against the wisdom of staying put for the moment. He swore and locked the door, then headed into Gwen’s cabin.
Gwen was at the small table, staring into her crystal ball. He sat beside Kat on the sofa and gently touched her neck. “How are you feeling?”
“Tired. Sore.” She shrugged. “It’s to be expected.”
At least most of the bruising and swelling had gone down. Those herbs were definitely miraculous—either that or Kat had supernatural self-healing abilities, which he’d seen in werewolves, but never before in a human. He blinked. But she wasn’t human. She was a shifter, a raven.
“Where’s your boss headed?” she continued.
“Another kid has gone missing.”
Her hand caressed his and squeezed gently. “We’ll find her. Before the three days are up, we’ll find her.”
His smile was grim. “I wish I shared your certainty.” Wished he could share it with Luke. But he’d learned the hard way that some promises were never meant to be, and he wasn’t about to inflict false hope on his brother. Not when they both knew the reality.
She touched his face, forcing him to meet her gaze. “Believe it,” she said softly, “because it’s the truth.”
He stared into the green depths of her eyes and for a moment was totally convinced. Then his gaze flicked down to her lips, and before he knew it he was kissing her. Urgently. Hungrily. She responded in kind, her fingers so warm against his cheeks it felt like she was branding his soul with her touch. He released himself to the simple pleasure of being close to her. Of kissing her without caressing her, of feeling the closeness of her body, smelling the sweet aroma of heated desire that was both his and hers.
“Wow,” she murmured at last, her pupils dilated and body trembling.
“Wow, indeed.” He leaned his forehead against hers for a second and wondered what the hell was going on. He’d never felt anything like this before, not even during the moon fever.
Maybe it was just this case—and the stress of Janie’s disappearance—coming out in the most natural form for a werewolf. Especially with the moon rising. Yet he had a sneaking suspicion the answer was not so simple. And that was something he had no intention of exploring. Not now. Not ever.
He rose and walked over to the window. He felt the flash of her confusion and anger, and thrust his hands into his pockets. “How long is your grandmother likely to be scrying?”
“However long it takes.” Kat’s voice was calm, despite the turmoil he could feel within her.
He frowned, wondering why he was catching her emotions so clearly. While that particular gift ran in his family, it was never one in which he’d shown any ability. No, all he’d gotten was the damn curse. A curse that had first come into his family after his grandfather was bitten. While his father had escaped it, his uncle had not, and neither had Ethan or his brother. Which was why he would never have any kids of his own—he had no desire to pass this thing on. Luke had, but then, Luke had always been more accepting of the curse than Ethan had been. “If another kid has gone missing, why didn’t she see it?”
She shrugged, something he felt rather than saw. “Scrying is not a perfect science. It shows some possibilities, not all of them.”
“Has this Seline of yours come up with any answers about the soul-sucker?”
“No, but it’s obviously an extremely ancient spirit we’re chasing, which means the Circle have to go through all the old texts that have not yet been transcribed to computer. It takes time.”
“Time we haven’t got.”
“I know that. Gran knows that. Even Seline knows that.” She hesitated and he tensed, knowing her question even before she asked. “Why do you keep running, Ethan? What are you afraid of?”
“I’m not running. I’m not doing anything more than simply enjoying a moment.”
“And that’s all we are? A moment?”
He closed his eyes. “Yes.”