“I’m a Pride member though, right? He can’t make me go away?”
Emma’s expression softened. “No, Tabby. No one can make you go away now except you.”
“Okay. Wow.” Tabby blinked away the tears that sprung up out of nowhere. God, she was turning into such an idiot. “Thank you.”
“The worst Rick could do is decide he wants nothing to do with you, and knowing him, that won’t happen. Be honest with him, about everything. He’ll treat you fairly, I swear.”
Tabby bowed her head again. “Yes, Curana.”
“Cyn?”
Tabby flinched. Julian had found them.
“What?”
Cyn’s belligerent tone wasn’t a surprise to Tabby, but from the shocked looks on Emma and Becky’s faces, it was to them.
His eyes flashed at the sight of her bruised face. “Do you want to talk about this?”
“What’s to discuss? You made a decision about my life without bothering to…
What’s wrong with your hair?”
Tabby turned. Fully half of Julian’s hair was still white. Gray lights danced in his eyes. Whatever he’d done to help Chloe, he wasn’t fully back from it. He looked exhausted, otherworldly. “The healing was more difficult than I anticipated. She was farther into the dreamscape than I’d originally thought.”
Julian smiled at her. “Don’t worry about it.” He turned his attention back to Cyn.
“Let me heal that. Please?”
Tabby grabbed hold of Cyn’s arm. “Please let him, Cyn.”
“All right.” She handed the ice pack to Becky and moved toward Julian.
The man was shaking, whether with exhaustion or rage, Tabby couldn’t quite tell.
His eyes were still deep, dark brown, but those silver flecks were throwing her off.
His fingers drifted across Cyn’s face. The white in his hair deepened, the bruise disappearing under his hand. The swelling went down, the black and blue turning a healthy pink.
When he was done, he was shaking like a leaf.
“Wow,” Emma breathed. Tabby was pretty sure it was the first time the woman had ever been shocked speechless.
“I know you don’t trust me. I was hoping to give us both some time, get to know one another before I changed you. Is that such a bad thing?”
Cyn shrugged, looking uncomfortable. “You also said it wasn’t time yet. Can you please explain that to me?”
His eyes closed wearily. “I…know things. It’s part of who and what I am, but what I see is incomplete. All I know is that if I change you before it’s the right time, there will be serious repercussions.”
“What kind of repercussions?”
He opened his eyes. Something in his expression sent a shiver down Tabby’s spine, and suddenly she knew why Julian had been holding off on marking Cyn.
“Neither of you will survive.”
Julian nodded. “It’s coming soon. I can’t see what’s going to happen, but I know that a decision must be made that will change everything.” He held out his hand to Cyn. “Please. Trust me.”
Cyn studied Julian. Tabby couldn’t read her expression. It was closed off, introspective. She figured Cyn must be weighing her own past against what she saw of her friends’ future. “Give me one thing. One piece of information I don’t know. Everything I’ve learned about you, about
Julian lowered his hand. “I’m not sure I’ll survive what’s coming next.”
Cyn took a deep breath and nodded. “That’s the reason you haven’t
She made little quotations with her fingers.
“One of them, yes.”
She took her eyes off of him. Her foot started to tap. “You were trying to save my life.” She glared at him. “We’re going to have a nice, long chat about what you should and should not hide from me. Understand?”
He nodded. Whether or not he agreed with it, Tabby had no clue.
“All right. You do what you have to and I’ll do the same.”
“If you become Puma or Wolf, you’ll lose your life.”
He sounded so certain, Tabby couldn’t doubt him. “Cyn, you should wait.”
She nodded. “I’m not an idiot.” She turned back to Julian. “Give me reasons why you want things from me. I’m a lot more likely to listen to that than some bullshit about not being ready. Got it?”
He nodded again.
“I will deal with you later.” He opened his mouth to speak, but Cyn held up her hand, stopping him. Tabby could tell she was still furious, that Latina temper still riled. “I have to go clean my shop. Tabby, do me a favor. Make sure he gets home.
He looks half-dead.”
“We can drop you off first.”
Cyn smiled. “I could use the walk.” She headed for the door, making sure to avoid touching Julian on her way out. “Bye, Emma. Bye, Becky.”
The women echoed her goodbye and watched her through the plate glass window.
Julian kept his back to the door, his expression blank. Tabby knew he was hurt by Cyn’s rejection.
“Well. That was fun. Not.” Emma shook her head, her hands on her hips.
“Someone needs to give her a time-out. Maybe a nap.”
Tabby started to laugh. Julian rolled his eyes. “I’ll take care of her, don’t worry.”
“Whether she likes it or not?”
Tabby jumped to her friend’s defense. “She doesn’t think she needs taking care of. She’s got reasons for why she’s acting the way she is. I know some of them, but not all of them. Emma, remember what you told me about Rick, that I should be honest with him and tell him everything? Julian, that’s what you need to do with Cyn. She sort of had a mushroom childhood.”
“A what?”
“She was plunked down in the dark and fed a lot of bullshit.”
“Oh. Yeah, that would do it.” Emma waved. “Listen, I have inventory to sort out.
I’ll talk to all of you later. And Tabby? Be available when Rick gets here, okay?”
Before Tabby could protest, Emma was back through the curtain, effectively cutting her off.
“Nice exit.” Tabby turned back to Julian. He was smiling. More of his hair was its natural black. Very little could keep Julian down for long, not even rejection from his mate. Tabby bet he was already figuring out ways to get around Cyn’s temper.
“She’s good at those.” Becky settled back down on the couch. “Crisis over?”
“For now,” Julian said. He gave Tabby a long look. “We need to talk.”
“Ugh. More talking? I’m all talked out. How about hunting?”
Julian’s expression blanked. “Hunting?”
“No lunch. The pizza’s probably long cold by now and Alex already ate without me.”
“He wouldn’t want you out there by yourself.”
She grinned. “I won’t be. You’ll be with me.” She reached up and patted his cheek. “Couldn’t you go for a nice warm rabbit right about now?”
“Fine, but you’re letting him know where we are.”
“Can do. C’mon, let’s go. I’m dying for a good run.”
“Amen.” Julian shuddered all over. “I’d love to get into my fur.”
“Then it’s a done deal.” She knew just the place to take him, too. Far enough away from the college that
