I’d felt guilt at the look on Bambi’s face when she’d come running toward Rico.

He grinned at her, but she stopped in front of him, eyes wide.

“You’re different,” she whispered.

Rico’s smile faltered. “Uh. Yeah.” He scratched the back of his neck. “I guess… I guess I am. Got myself a little full moon problem.” He glanced away.

And I said, “He saved my life. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for him. And he came back to you because he knew you’d murder him if he died.”

They both stared at me.

And then Bambi launched herself at him, wrapping her legs around his waist. He held her up by her thighs, and she cursed him, telling him he was fucking stupid, and how dare he scare her like that, and show me your eyes, show me your damn wolf eyes, and then he’d growled at her, and I realized I probably didn’t want to witness what was going to happen next, so I left them to it.

But when I turned around to walk away, I almost walked smack into Dominique and Jessie, and that wasn’t any better, given how Jessie was getting her own welcome home.

I left the town behind, heading for home. There was a crispness to the air, the leaves beginning to change colors and dropping to the ground. Every now and then a car passed me by, but I didn’t look up from the road.

At least not until I heard the woop woop of a siren as a car pulled up behind me, tires crunching in the gravel on the side of the road.

“Sir, I need you to stay right where you are,” a voice announced from a speaker. “I’ve had reports of a wild animal on the loose.”

I grinned and shook my head as I turned around.

Kelly Bennett climbed out of his cruiser, straightening his duty belt before closing the door. The light bar was flashing red and blue.

“Wild animal? Sounds serious.”

He arched an eyebrow. “Oh, it is. You gotta be careful ’round these parts. Things in the woods like you wouldn’t believe. Mountain lions. Maybe even a bear or two.”

“Is that all?” I asked.

He shook his head. “Heard stories.”

“About?”

His eyes flashed orange. “Wolves.”

“I think I can handle myself.”

“That right? Well. Might put me at ease if I could escort you wherever you need to be.”

“I don’t know where that is.”

His smile faded slightly. “You sure about that?”

Shit. “Gordo called you.”

He shrugged.

“Fucking witches,” I muttered.

“Didn’t say much,” Kelly said. “Just that you were walking home. He thought you could use some company.”

“And that’s all he said.” It wasn’t a question.

“He might have said a little more,” Kelly admitted. He leaned back against the front of his cruiser, crossing his legs. It was strange, really, this simple act of him being here as he was. He made it hard for me to breathe in all the best ways. And I understood what Gordo had been saying in his office. About me. About Kelly and what he did or didn’t deserve. About all of us. It made sense in ways it hadn’t even a few minutes ago.

Because there was this guy. This man. This wolf. And he was looking at me like he never wanted to see anything else. I knew as sure as I knew anything else that if I said no, if I said I wanted to stay as I was now, he’d be fine with it. He’d be okay. He’d support me, and he wouldn’t push.

Tags: T.J. Klune Green Creek Fantasy
Source: readsnovelonline.net