Aric turned to watch her go, and a wave of sadness swept over him. His mate might hurry to him one day, if only he’d—
“Aric?”
He shook himself. “Sorry. Ready to go for that run?”
“After you.”
His route took them through the rec room, where Kalen and A.J. were playing a game on the Wii. Seeing the sorcerer without his pentagram pendant, he wondered again why it was now hanging around Mackenzie’s neck. Next chance he got, he’d ask Nick or one of the guys. Seemed he’d missed a few things while he was a guest in the motel from hell.
They exited through the door that opened straight to the outside, to the grassy lawn and a field beyond that. He pointed. “We play football, soccer, and other sports out here when we need to blow off some steam. You should see a bunch of shifters and a Fae prince out here playing ball and trying not to cheat. Funniest damned thing ever.”
“I’ll bet.” She laughed, as though imagining it. “I want to get a game going sometime, if the others are up for it.”
“Oh, they will be. You’ve never met a more competitive group of people than the ones living here.”
“I’m starting to get that idea. Which way are we going?”
“There are several great trails, but my favorite one starts over there,” he said, pointing to the far end of the cleared land, where the forest began. “I know I said we’d jog, but I wouldn’t mind walking if you want. Easier to talk and enjoy the view.”
“Sure.” She looked around. “I’d hate to miss out. It’s beautiful here.”
“Yes, it is.” The only beautiful sight he noticed was right beside him as they made for the trailhead.
Their footsteps, the wind through the trees, and the calls of various birds were the only sounds for a few minutes. He felt so at ease in her presence, as though his heart had been raw for the past thirty-five years and he hadn’t known it until they’d met, and she’d soothed the ache. Too bad a new one had taken its place, but he wouldn’t think about that right now.
“Tell me about being a cop,” he prompted. “Do you love what you do?”
Her expression lit up. “God, yes. I can’t imagine not being on the force. Every day is different, always a challenge. And then there’s my friends, they’re like my brothers. I guess you can understand that.”
“I can.” The new ache grew to a sharp pain that tore his insides. “What made you decide to follow that career path?”
“That’s an easy one. I grew up in the East Side barrio, in one of the most run-down slums in L.A. My mother was a legal immigrant from Mexico and my father, to use the term loosely, was poor white trash. It was the match from hell, and he took off when I was five and my brother was three. Never saw him again, but at least we were free from his rages.”
“I can understand the relief,” he said, thinking of his stepfather. “Sorry. Go on.”
“In the years before he left, the cops were always at our house. Some weeks, they came every day to break up the fighting, haul his ass to jail if necessary. But they were always so kind to me and Micah, even gave us each a teddy bear once, to hold when we were scared. Eventually, they knew us by name, and even after Dad was long gone, they’d stop by and make sure we were okay. I never forgot that. One of them is still on the force, though he’s almost ready to retire. How do I explain?” She paused. “The people of the barrio are mine to protect. Does that make sense?”
“Perfectly,” he assured her. “You’re paying it forward.”
“I guess so.”
She would never want to leave her home, her people. Not for him. He was doing the right thing. Which made his heart hurt, because he was starting to see what a truly special person she was.
He cleared his throat, which was more sore than it had been earlier. Crap. “Is your mother still living?”
“No. She passed away a couple of years ago from cancer,” Rowan said wistfully. “But she was content. I’d saved enough to help her buy a nice little house several years ago, and she got to enjoy it for a time. When she died, I sold it and stayed in the barrio.”
He frowned. “Why? Wouldn’t you have been safer going to live in your mom’s house?”
“Maybe, maybe not. I’m well-known in the barrio. Living there, where I work, gives me street cred, and if I move out, the gangbangers I try to keep in line would see that as a betrayal. Like I thought I was too good for them. They wouldn’t trust me anymore, and that could be more hazardous to my health than living there in the first place.”
“You’re
She eyed him in speculation. “What about you? What happened to your family?”
“What makes you think anything happened to them?” The question put him on edge.
“You told me that your mother had died, remember? After you left for the Navy.”
“Oh. Right.” He’d forgotten about that.
“It’s sad that you weren’t able to be with her when she passed away. Was it sudden?”
He took a deep breath. “She slipped and hit her head in the bathtub. It was ruled an accident.”
“You say that like you don’t believe it.”
“Part of me thought my stepfather was responsible, but I couldn’t prove it.”
“Where is he now?”
“Don’t know. In hell, if the world is lucky.”
“Do you have any siblings?”
“You’re starting to sound like a cop.”
“Is it such a hard question?”
“Damn it, Rowan, I—”
Whatever he’d been about to say was forgotten as a large shadow suddenly blocked the sun coming through the trees overhead, and there was a sharp flapping sound. Like someone snapping a heavy canvas. He’d heard that before—
“Get down!” he shouted, shoving her to the ground. They sprawled in the undergrowth by the side of the trail, Aric on top of her, as two sets of claws scored his back. “Ahh, fuck!”
He rolled to the side, had just enough time to see the look of sheer horror on Rowan’s face as she turned her head to witness the creature that was circling around for another attack. Coming in fast.
Placing his body between his mate and the ghoul bearing down on them, Aric let his wolf free. The change flowed over him, limbs reshaping, feet and hands to paws, his nose becoming a muzzle full of teeth, bared to protect what was his.
But not fucking fast enough.
Before he could work free of his clothes, the bastard hit him full force and they went sliding, tumbling together over the rough ground in a tangle of fur and leathery wings. Dirt and brush flying.
Rowan’s scream rang in his ears as the creature’s gaping jaws opened wide, showing yellowed, knifelike teeth dripping with saliva.
And those jaws clamped onto his side, teeth sinking deep.
Rowan stared in terror as the giant batlike creature dropped from the sky, just like the ones they’d battled at the old church in Colorado. It was a hideous thing with a wide face and a pushed-in snout, leathery wings snapping as it dove for Aric.
How the huge creature moved so fast was almost incomprehensible. She had a mere two heartbeats to see that Aric was shifting into his wolf for the fight. That the change wasn’t going to happen in time for him to get free of his clothes, and she needed to help him.
Then the bastard hit Aric like a cannonball, and the pair exploded, tumbling over the earth. The wolf ended up
