Page 61 of Bad Medicine

I’d been restless since I’dawakened hours ago in the alpha’s arms, and I figured the exercise would help.I was itchy and a little sad inside, anxious and annoyed. Nostalgic, but forwhat, I couldn’t have said. Maybe it was just the weather.

We were on the hunt fordaywalkers, though I had yet to see one. Max, who’d apparently taken a littleinformation and plunged into his research, said he’d picked up the threads ofthree daywalkers—and that there would be more.

“The council said there arefive of them,” I told him. “The most important thing is finding what it is thatpowers them. There’s a magical power source somewhere close, which is what tiesthem to the city.”

“Oh,” he’d said. “That’ll besuper easy, then.”

“I missed your sarcasm, MaxPepper.”

“I missed your…”

“Yes?”

“I don’t know. Whatever it is,I’m sure I missed it.”

I smiled now, remembering theconversation.

“Thinking about Max?” Joeasked.

“How the hell do you peoplealways know what I’m thinking?”

“Your face is like a book witha reading level of about the third grade.” He shrugged, then grinned. “You’reeasy to read, Kaity Bug.”

I glared at him.

He laughed, then winked. “If itmakes you feel any better, when you have death in your eyes, that’s easy toread too.”

“That does make me feelbetter.”

“There are four wolves trailingus. They think we don’t know.”

I sighed. “Jared believes weneed the protection what with a shapeshifter and now the daywalkers.”

“Nah,” he said. “He just wantsto make sure we have backup should the need arise.”

“Hey.” I elbowed him, thenstepped around a group of heavily perfumed humans getting ready for a night onthe town. “Remember this place?”

“How could I forget,” he said.“That’s the biker bar you came tumbling out of after you fought vampire trollsin the underground tunnels.” He laughed, then. “Yeah, I just said those words.”

“Let’s go in and say hello.”

“Ask questions, you mean.”

“Subtlequestions, Joe.”

“I’m subtle.”

“Ha! Adorable.”

He growled.

The bar was called Mason’s, andit was full of supernatural bikers—and some human ones. I stood for a fewseconds, taking in the atmosphere, inhaling the various scents, and getting afeel for the place.

Everyone inside went quiet aswe studied each other, but then, the same grizzled man who’d carried the injureddetective for me strode forward, his hand out. “Kait Silver. I wondered whenyou were going to come by for a visit.” He clasped my hand with both of his,and though he looked like he kicked ass for a living, his eyes were kind.“Welcome.”

“Mason,” I said, pleased that Iremembered his name. “This is your bar?”

“It is,” he said, then pointedhis chin at Joe. “Who’s your friend?”