Page 53 of Broken Moon

Dr. Hayes was standing in thedoorway, with Belinda and Eli at his side. No one seemed to know what to do.I’d been dressed in a pair of slightly too large but soft pajamas, and Ispotted my belts and weapons spilling from a bag on a little table at the footof the bed. The hilt of my demon blade peeked from the bag and I breathed alittle easier to see it. There was also a cloth bag into which I assumed mybloody clothes had been placed.

“What the fuck,” I croaked, mythroat as dry as a cracked desert floor, “is going on? Rick, put that gun away.Detective,”I snapped, when he continued to stare at Jared, his gunpointed at the other man’s chest. “What are you doing?”

He ignored me. “Get her up, Ms.Shannon,” he told Lucy.

I felt better than I hadearlier, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t still a whole hell of a lot of painand weakness. My regular pain seemed worse, despite the fact that I no longerteetered on the sharp cliff edge of death, but I was likely just having aharder time dealing with it in my weakened state.

Lucy slid off the bed and tookmy arm, tugging gently. “Come on, Kait. The detective’s car is waiting. Let’sget you home.”

“Guys—”

“Kaitlyn,” Jared said, “Letyour friends take you home. I will come to you. Right now, there is noconvincing them that I mean you no harm.” Finally, he took his stare off thedetective and looked at me. “You will rest. Tomorrow night, I’ll call you.”

I knew what he was saying.Tomorrow night I would be strong enough to shift.

The detective’s jaw bunched ashe clenched his teeth. “If I see you near her house, I’ll arrest you.” Withouttaking his stare from the alpha, he grabbed my belongings and slung the strapsof the bags over his shoulder. He then stepped to me and Lucy, and with her onone side and him on the other, they walked me out of the clinic.

I glanced at the alpha, andthough he met my stare, his expression didn’t soften. His pack was in an uproarbecause of me. I’d brought human law enforcement to his land. Right about now,he was probably thinking I was more trouble than I was worth.

“They had an IV in your hand,”Lucy hissed, as they walked me slowly through the building. Detective Morenohad lowered his gun as we walked, but he didn’t holster it. “I took it out assoon as we got there. You seemed…drugged.”

I sighed. I’d explain when wewere in the detective’s car and away from Shadowfield. There wasn’t a wolf insight, but I knew they watched from the shadows that the lights couldn’t reach.Wolves didn’t need a lot of light to see by. “It’s dark,” I murmured,surprised.

“You were gone since thismorning,” Lucy told me. She got into the back seat as Rick helped me into thefront passenger seat, continuing to chatter. “You had the detective’s card onthe fridge, so I called him and he came right away. He tracked your phone andthat’s how we found you.”

I was barefoot, but they’dprobably put my boots into one of the bags Rick had slung over his shoulder. Heplaced the bags at my feet, then pulled the seatbelt across my body. Though hehad to feel my stare on his face, he didn’t look at me as he leaned over me. Igot the distinct feeling that he was pissed at me for scaring him.

He smelled slightly of waterand the subtle hint of soap, as though he’d been fresh out of the shower whenLucy had called him.

“I’m sorry, Rick,” I murmured.

The seatbelt clicked as itlocked into place and he flicked his stare toward me as he pulled away. He saidnothing, however, just withdrew, slammed my door shut, and strode around thefront of the car.

“We were very worried,” Lucysaid.

“Lucy,” I told her. “We’regoing to have to set some rules. You can’t call the detective every time I gomissing for a day. I hunt supernatural creatures, you know that. Shit willhappen.”

“And I,” she declared, as Rickclimbed into the car, “will be here to make sure you’re okay.”

I sighed. “Thanks for lookingout for me.”

“Of course,” she said, satisfied.“Ash will be so glad to see you. He’s been pacing and staring at the door.Spooked me a little…”

“Explain,” Rick ordered,sounding so much like Jared that I stared at him for a few seconds, my eyebrowsraised.

“There was a nasty creatureJared Walker hired me to hunt down and kill,” I told him. “You know what I do,Rick.”

“No,” he said, “I know littleabout your life, Ms. Silver. I know there’s a lot you don’t tell me. I know yousee…spirits, and I know there’s a demon causing problems. I thought he’dpossessed someone and had gotten to you.”

He cared about me. I reachedover to squeeze his forearm and his whole body seemed to tense even as his armjerked beneath my grip. I pulled my hand away. “Thanks, Rick.” I cleared my throat.“The creature. It was…vicious. I’ve been hunting it for days. This morning Ifinally found it, but I was alone when we fought. It nearly got the best of me.Jared and his people saved my life.” I hesitated, then, “He’s not going to hurtme.”

“He let you track and fightthis creature alone,” he said flatly.

“He didn’t know. He wasn’t intown when I started hunting this morning. He had no idea until it was over andI’d gotten my ass kicked.” I wasn’t about to tell them about the angry wolves,the time I’d spent in the rocky cell, or that Jared Walker was, in fact, a wolfshifter alpha. “The important thing is,” I told them, “that I killed themonster.” I turned to stare into the darkness outside the window. “It’s done.”

We rode in silence for a coupleof minutes before the detective spoke again. “Ms. Shannon told me she’s thefriend who had the dream about the abducted girl you were asking about.”

I turned to look at him. “Anyleads?”