Page 57 of Bad Medicine

I crouched down to hug Ash.“Hey, little buddy. You want to help mama find a mean old shapeshifter? Yes?Yes you do!”

Several wolves snickered.“Baby-talking a dog,” one of them said. “Kinda takes the scary right off her,doesn’t it?”

But when I looked at him, myeyes narrowed, he grinned. “No offense meant,” he said, and there was nothingmocking in his stare—just humor.

I couldn’t help but return hissmile. Things had changed between me and the Gray Shadow wolves. “None taken,”I said, standing. I held out my hand. “I don’t know all your names yet. Youare…?”

“Shane,” he said. “Andactually, we’ve met and spoken before. On Halloween,” he went on, when Ifrowned blankly. “I brought you a plate of cookies.”

Abruptly, I remembered. “Oh,yes, Shane! You told me I should come around more and get to know you allbetter. Then the alpha walked over and chased you off with his growls andglowers.”

He hid a smile behind his hand.“Yes. I’m glad you remember.”

At that moment, Jared left hisconversation with Eli and a small group of wolves and walked to me. “Shane,” hesaid, glowering, “Weren’t you with the cleanup crew?”

“Yes,” Shane said. “We scrubbedthe place, Alpha.”

“Where are Joe and Zach?” Iasked. They’d stayed behind to clean the area, too.

“I sent them with some wolvesto Stonebridge,” Jared told me. “They’re searching for Lennon.”

I could feel my face going paleas I put my fingers to my lips. “Fuck,” I whispered. It was understandable thatShane might slip my mind, but thewitchwolf?No. “I forgot about Lennon.What the hell is wrong with me?”

Ash whined and pressed himselfagainst my legs, picking up my distress.

“You’re continuing to heal,”Jared said, his voice calm but his eyes blazing with a wolf’s rage. There wasremorse there, too, and I knew that part of him would forever regret notkilling Adam himself.

Frustrated, I took Ash andturned away from all of them. “I’m going to search for the shapeshifter,” I muttered,and knew without looking that Jared gestured for some of his warriors to followme.

Butdamn. Lennon. Mymind was still knitting, and I understood it would take time. That didn’t meanit didn’t frustrate the hell out of me.

She’d had a part in Max’sabduction and my beating, as well, and as much as I would have liked to get myhands on her, Jared was not going to stand down again. He’d tend to her and toany other Stone Moon wolf who’d had anything to do with that attack.

If he could find her.

To my surprise, Shane was oneof the wolves who accompanied me and Ash through the village, searching for ashapeshifter who was probably long gone. He’d done what he’d come to do. Butmaybe he yet lingered, eager to see the reactions to another of his grisly gifts.Eager to see my reaction.

It was for that reason alonethat I avoided the area where the corpse hung. I wasn’t giving Sam thesatisfaction of seeing my anger and sorrow over another dead human—though partof me was never going to be overly sad over someone who hurt children.

All through the gray, cold,misty day, dogs began to yip and bark with excitement as they were brought outof homes and encouraged to hunt. Normal excitement, though. I heard none of thepanicked, frightened, rabid snarls and frantic barking that would likely ensueshould they catch sight or scent of a hated shapeshifter.

“What will you do,” Shaneasked, keeping pace beside me, “if you do find him? How does one capture ashapeshifter?”

“Like most nonhumans—actually,more than most—they’re sensitive to silver.” I gripped my demon blade withoutmeaning to. Demon blade plus silver equaled one dead shapeshifter. I kept thatto myself, though, just as I would keep to myself the item Saul was supposed tosend me. I tell any of them the council ordered me to bring Sam to them.

“I’ve never seen ashapeshifter.” He stopped beside me when Ash decided to flop down on the groundand take a quick rest. I was beginning to think the pup might need to ease upon the treats.

“It’s not common to meet one,”I told him. “Too bad the ones that do exist are such monstrous fuck-ups. Butit’s said that if he meets up with you while he’s in your form, he’ll lose hisshift and you can see his real face.”

“Do you think that’s true?” Hisvoice shook a little bit, and I understood. Shapeshifters were one of the mostfrightening nonhumans out there—and this one was way too close for comfort.

“Maybe,” I told him. I didn’tsay that even if such a thing occurred, the shapeshifter would likely kill theperson he was mimicking.

“We need to load up on silver,”he said, then gave a dry laugh. “Never thought I’d say that.”

Silver would weaken the wolvesif they used it to fight, and they’d need every bit of their strength if theycame across the shapeshifter.

“Do you know what’s strongerthan a wolf shifter? No? I’ll tell you, then. A shapeshifter. A shapeshifter isstronger than a wolf shifter.”