Page 89 of Silver Claw

He nodded. “Call Remy in. And it doesn’t matter how much of an ass-kicking I got. If you need me, call me.”

I watched him walk away, holding himself carefully, his walk a little too ginger. I hoped one night would be enough to help him recover. I had my doubts. Zach was amazing, but he had no business fighting a whole pack of brutal wolves.

I drove out of Shadowfield, feeling strangely subdued. I realized five minutes later why. There were two things hanging over my head that I needed to handle. Gavin Voss, and the council.

Both those things were unsettling. I needed them over and done with. Voss would end up dead, but it was taking too long to get him there. And the council…

After tomorrow night, after I went back to see if I could retrieve my blade, I’d cut them out of my life as completely as I could.

Then the itchy, restless, unsettled feeling inside me would go away.

To take my mind off my worries, I called Bastien.

I should have waited. I should have visited him when I had one of the guys with me. But I wanted to get my mind off the council and Voss, so I called the vampire master.

“Bastien,” I said when he answered. “I need to talk to you.”

“Come see me,” he said immediately, his low vampire voice somehow dead and full of emotion at the same time. “I’m at home in Alexandria.”

“I’m on my way to the office,” I told him, “and Max will quit if I show up late again.”

He laughed. “Max isn’t going anywhere. Scarlett’s is closer than Alexandria. I can meet you there before you go to work.”

Honestly, I was eager to tell him about my encounter with the vampire ghost. Bastien had such little light in his world that I was happy to give him something joyful to think about. “All right,” I agreed. “Back parking lot, though. I don’t want to go in.”

“I’ll be waiting,” he said, and ended the call.

I called Joe. “Tell Max I’m going to be a few minutes late. Just a few minutes. I’m stopping by Scarlett’s to talk to Bastien.”

“Understood,” he said. “I’ll tell him.” Then he added, “Chicken.”

I laughed. “Yeah, a little.”

“Be careful, Kait.”

But he wasn’t worried. I’d be with the county master, after all.

I hung up and sped toward the city, loading up some music as I drove. I loved my people, I did. But sometimes it was truly nice to be alone and not feel like I needed backup because I was weaker than I used to be.

I was Kait Silver, magic or no magic. I was still a force. I proved that every time I fought the baddies and came out on top.

Tonight was a full moon, and she not only gave the wolves more energy, strength, and fierceness, but created a pull thatmade us all want to cast off the human world and run the night away. Once a year, in October, we gave in to that need. Once a year, we celebrated.

The rest of the time, we controlled ourselves during a full moon. We weren’t fuckingwerewolves.

Bastien walked toward my car when I pulled into the back lot of Scarlett’s, and I saw the shadows change slightly as the vampires with him faded back against the building. Bastien kept the city as clean and safe as he possibly could, unlike the previous master.

I’d once believed there were no good vampires. Now I had Joe, and Bastien, and even Farrow, though that poor girl was as warped as anyone I’d ever seen. She’d lived through more horror than even a vampire should have seen, and ofcourseshe’d been changed.

I had a soft spot for Farrow.

Bastien got into the car, his stare softening almost the second he shut the door and turned to look at me. “Kait,” he said. “Farrow asked me to give you her regards.”

I smiled. “Tell her I said hello.” Then, “Oh, I almost forgot. I got something for her a few weeks ago. I’ll be right back.”

I climbed out of the car and hurried to the back hatch, where I’d stashed the gift I’d bought for the vampire. I handed the pretty pink and white striped bag to Bastien when I got back into the car. “I saw it and…” I shrugged. “I thought she’d like it.”

“May I see it?” he asked.