Climbing out of the truck, Tourmaline took a deep breath of the crisp, fresh mountain air, her eyes a little wide as she took in the surreal setting. Sunlight filtered into the clearing through the leafy trees, casting dazzling splotches of gold across the grassy carpet. It was like something out of a fairy tale, which sent a shiver of unease down her spine. Fairy tales always came with monsters, and she couldn’t help but feel that there was something unnatural about this strange, primordial place.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, obviousl
If he hadn’t been so irritated, he would have thought her reaction was priceless. She stumbled back a step, big blue eyes going all wide and shocked again. “I meant for helping me at the club,” she said after a moment, each word formed with slow, careful enunciation. “And you can be such a jerk!”“Yeah. And you can be an uptight little bitch.” His gaze followed her stiff form as she stormed across the room.
“It’s at times like this that I wonder why I put up with you,” Razl muttered, following the others inside as they all made their way to the kitchen.“You talking about me?” Brody asked with an expression of mock devastation as he leaned back against one of the counters, a grinning Michaela at his side. “I’m crushed, man. Crushed.”
Sayre Murphy’s soft voice floated in from the hallway.“You could ask Sophia Dawson.”Jeremy sighed as he shot a chastising look toward the empty archway. “Sayre, what have I told you about eavesdropping on Bloodrunner business?”
After a long, scalding shower to soothe her sore muscles, Tourmaline had snuggled up on the queen-size bed in the guestroom and crashed. She didn’t know how long she’d slept, but it was dark outside when she finally pulled herself out of bed.As she made her way back to the bathroom to brush her teeth, she was still a little stunned by how beautiful Razl’s home was. When he’d told her about the Alley, she’d imagined wilderness living, but the cabin was fully modernized, with gleaming hardwood floors and a rugged décor that looke
Panic had her throat feeling tight, as if strong hands were wrapped around it, squeezing her air off. “You’re serious, aren’t you?” she gasped, panting, unable to control the violent tremor that was shooting through her arms and legs. “This…this isn’t a joke, is it?”She would have loved to t
Realization slammed her between the eyes like a two-by- four. “You’re…one of them?” she wheezed, coughing, thankful she hadn’t just taken another sip of water, since she’d have spewed it all over the table.“My parents are both Lycan, so yes, I’m one of them,” Jillian said in a friendly, but matter-of-fact tone, as if she’d just admitted that her parents were members of Costco, instead of a shape-shifting wolf pack. “But as a Spirit Walker, I can’t take the shape of a wolf.”
“She’s doing fine. We got some wine in her, then fed her some lasagna, and gave her some coffee. But she’s still tired. I think the drug was pretty hard on her system. We only just left, but she’s probably already out for the count again in your guestroom.”“Oh. That’s, uh, good, then.”Jillian gave him a kno
“A little faith. That’s all you need. And if you ask me, the idea of the two of you together makes perfect sense.”“A human and a dark wolf?” He snorted, shaking his head.“Look deeper, Razl. And you’ll see what I’m talking about. I have a feeling you and Tourmaline are more alike than you realize.”