Page 97 of Silver Claw

“Max,” I said quietly, “imagine if Jared or Joe were hiding in the woods, watching, and they saw the werewolf hurting me. They would attack him. They’d kill him. And then Rick would die.”

“Then that means you can’t kill him, either,” he said. “So what are you going to do?”

“I’m going to do what he wants me to do,” I said. “I’m going to fight, and I’m going to run.”

“At least you can hurt him,” he whispered. “Can’t you?”

I smiled. “Ohhellyes. I can hurt him a lot.”

“Kick his ass, then,” he said. “If he has a weakness, I’ll find it. I’ll call you back in a few minutes.”

“It’s going to be a short night, really,” I told my quietly raging alpha and the supremely worried vampire. “Dawn will be here in a few hours.”

“Eight hours,” Joe said. “That’s not a short night, boss.”

He wasn’t wrong. “I need food,” I said, “and I want to see Rick. Those things will shave an hour off the night.”

As though he knew I was delaying, Voss texted as we were walking into Jared’s house.

I’m waiting, wolf.

I replied quickly.I’m going to have dinner and then visit Rick. I’ll be there when I get there.

What was he going to do if I was late? Kill Rick and ruin his night of fun? No. He’d wait for me, and I knew it.

So I took my time.

I ate and drank more than I should have been able to hold, but I’d need the energy for the coming night. I packed it away grimly, steadily eating my way through so much food that even Nell, accustomed to seeing wolves eat, was shocked.

My mother rushed into the house just as I was finishing up. “Kait,” she cried. “How could you not tell me what’s been happening?”

She flung her arms around me as I stood, nearly knocking me over. “It’ll be fine,” I told her. “You know I can handle a fucking werewolf.”

“I saw you handling him when you fought him before,” she said. “When it took you two days to begin to heal from it. Don’t do this, Kaity.”

“I have to, Mom. I won’t let Rick die. I’ll kick that bastard’s ass, and then I’ll come home. The moon is here. She’ll help me.”

“She’ll help him, as well,” she murmured, but she was already resigned. She knew I was going to do what I had to do to save Rick.

“Susan,” Jared said, “I want you to sit at Rick’s bedside. Call me when he wakes up.” He looked at me. “You’ll shift and lose your phone. When Susan calls me, I’ll be at your side immediately.”

Joe nodded. “I will, too. We’ll make sure Voss doesn’t leave Silverwood. I’m going to call the guys.” He slipped away.

“Jared,” I started, but I knew it was useless to argue. Jared would be waiting just outside the woods. And if for whatever reason I couldn’t do it, he’d make sure Voss died there that night, in Silverwood.

I explained to my mother what would happen if Voss was killed before Rick woke up. I made sure she understood that she had to call Jared the second he woke up. Not a moment before.

“I’m not a moron, Kaity,” she said, but her eyes were wet and there was only worry in her stare. “I understand. You can count on me.” Then she wrapped me up in her arms. “Don’t let him devastate you, honey. Don’t die. Don’t die.”

“He doesn’t want me dead,” I told her. “He wants to break me. He wants to put me in my place and make me see him as the big strong man. He may eventhinkhe wants to take me back to his pack in Colorado.” I smiled down at her, and I made sure she saw the confidence in my eyes. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

“I will be close,” Jared told her. “As will her pack. Nothing will happen to Kait. I swear it.”

I knew that even if it meant Rick would die, Jared had his limits. He was going to watch, and wait, and when he needed to step in, he would step in.

And there wasn’t a single thing I could do about it.

Abruptly eager to fight Voss, to run through my woods and be a wolf under the full moon, I went to Jared’s bedroom to dress for the night. I buckled a weapons belt around my hips, sorely missing my demon blade as I slid other, lesser blades into the sheaths.