Page 49 of Bad Medicine

Just because Zach was happydidn’t mean he wasn’t dangerous. I saw the hunter he’d been lurking in hiseyes, that particular eagerness to hunt, to kill, even, and his next wordsproved what I was thinking.

“Jared told me the councilcalled you in.” Zach brushed the sheathed handle of his blade with hisfingertips. “They gave you someone to hunt, didn’t they? I want to hunt withyou. What’s the job?”

“I’ll tell you and Jaredtogether,” I said. “And absolutely you’ll be on the team.” And a few secondslater, Jared was striding toward us.

He swept his hot stare over myface and I clenched my fists, keeping my hands to myself. For now.

“Let’s talk at my house,” hesaid, taking my arm.

“Joe’s on his way,” I told him.“I need to talk to the three of you.”

He nodded. “Send Joe to me whenhe arrives,” he told one of his guards, and halfway to his house I realized wewere holding hands, our fingers laced like teenagers in love.

It was…strange, and I liked it.

“Susan said you agreed tomoving to Huntersburg,” Jared said, as we walked into his house.

I couldn’t tell if he was finewith that plan or unhappy that I wasn’t moving into Shadowfield. “Yes,” I said,as Nell hurried down the hallway toward us. “And I’m taking Zach with me.” Ismiled up at him, then looked at Zach. “If you’ll come.”

“I’m ready,” Zach said. “I’llcome.” He hesitated. “Thanks, Kait. We’ll make a good team.”

“Wedomake a goodteam,” I said.

“Come into the dining room,”Nell told us, all smiles. “Dinner is waiting.”

We were going to need fuel toface the coming battle, and though I wasn’t as ravenous as I was before Adam’swolves had attacked me—which told me I still wasn’t all the way back to normal—Iwas hungry enough to pack some food away.

Despite the rage simmeringbeneath the surface, sparking to life at the thought of Adam Thorne and hisgoons, there was uncertainty, too. There was fear. It’d be buried beneath themadness of the fight, but it was there. Adam had always managed to do things tohurt me, and deep down, maybe I wasn’t sure I could end his reign of terror.

That pissed me off, because itwasn’t me. I’d always been confident in myself, even before Jared had freed mywolf. The attack had fucked me up and still had a hold on me. But I would shakeit off, and I would go to kill an alpha.

Though I’d rather meet him in afair fight, Adam Thorne would never in a million years agree to that. He wasn’tabout being fair—not with those he feared.

And he feared me.

He also feared the big wolf atmy side. “Jared,” I murmured, once we sat at the table across from each otherand Nell had left the room, “you have to let me fight him. Even if I’m losing,you cannot interfere.”

He lifted an eyebrow and leanedjust slightly toward me. “Kait, if you’re losing and I know he’s about to killyou, I will absolutely interfere. I will tear him to pieces, and I will saveyour life. Do not doubt that.”

I put down my fork. “Jared—”

“You would do the same for him,”Zach interrupted. “Simple as that.”

“And,” Joe said from thedoorway, “if he falters, I’ll step up to take his fucking place.” He grinned,set his machete against the wall, and strode to the table, taking time to shakehands with Jared and fist-bump Zach. Then he came to me and held up his hand.“We got you, Kaity Bug. From now on, we’ve got you.”

I sighed, smiled, andhigh-fived him. “I’m a lucky woman.”

“Damn right,” he said, thenwinked, pulled out a chair, and began to load an empty plate. “I’m starving.”

And surrounded by my people—atleast some of them—I was gratified to see that my appetite had picked up. As weate, I told them about the daywalkers. And not one person at that table wasupset with the news.

We were eager.

At that moment my mind healed alittle more from the attack. How different life was when you realized youweren’t alone.

And when we’d finished eatingand discussing plans to take out the daywalkers, Jared stood and told Zach andJoe goodnight. “Get some sleep. The battle coming won’t be easy.” Then helooked at me. “Come to bed?” he asked.

He didn’t have to ask me twice.