Page 98 of Silver Claw

I allowed myself two minutes to visit Rick. I whispered into his ear, believing some part of him would hear me.

And finally, I drove out of Shadowfield, rushing into a moonlit night that I hoped would not destroy me.

I couldn’t trust Gavin Voss. He might never wake Rick up. He might not be able to. He might fight and hunt all night long just for the fun of it, and come morning, Rick might have already slipped away. Gavin could sneak from the woods just before daylight, knowing we couldn’t kill him until we were sure Rick was okay.

So many maybes.

But I had no other choices.

The detective would not die, and I had to believe that, or Gavin reallywouldbreak me.

Chapter Thirty-Seven

I parked in front of my house, sighing when Lucy rushed from the front porch, Ash at her heels. My mother, of course, would already have called her. Zach followed her, but slower.

Jared parked beside me, and before he and Joe had time to get out of Jared’s car, I heard Remy’s car roaring down the long lane.

“Sam’s on his way,” Lucy murmured. Then, “This isn’t supposed to be what Silverwood is for, Kait. Having its woods used for a monster to hunt the Silver Claw alpha.”

“And that’s not what it’s going to be for now,” I told her. “Tonight the Silver Claw alpha is going to hunt a monster.”

Her eyes cleared immediately. “That’s right! No mutant wolf is going to mess with you.”

“Oh he’s messing with me,” I said. “But I’m going to make him regret it.”

“You go get him, boss,” Joe told me as Remy skidded to a halt and jumped from his car. “We’ll be ready to move when Rick wakes up.”

Jared said nothing, but I could see in his eyes that he was thinking the same thing I was thinking. Gavin Voss wouldn’t put himself in a situation where he’d be in danger come dawn. He had a plan.

And I had no idea what that plan might be.

It was hard to anticipate the motivations of a crazy man—especially one who was a moon-drunk werewolf.

“Are we seriously just going to stand around while Kait faces off with Voss?” Remy asked. “Seriously, that’s what we’re doing?”

“He’s going to let Rick die if I don’t do what he wants, Remy,” I said.

He took me by the shoulders—and that was maybe the first time Remy Simon had ever touched me like that. “Kait. I know you need to believe something shiny so you can get through the night, but there’s a real good fucking chance that Voss can’t save Rick. He magicked him to death, and he’s going to play with you all night long and then use you as a shield to get himself out of these woods.” He looked at Jared. “You know that, don’t you? Because if you know that and are still planning on standing here like a dick while she’s getting the shit beat out of her, then—”

“Remy,” I bellowed. “Stop.”

Andthatwas maybe the first time I realized Remy Simon truly cared about me and was worried I was about to die.

Remy let go of me and took a step back. “Kait,” he murmured. “If you go into those woods alone, Voss is going to do shit to you that you won’t heal from. I know men like him.” Again, he looked at the silent alpha. “I don’t care what you do. Stand here if you want. But when she goes into those woods, I’m going with her.”

“Remy,” Joe said. “Have a little faith. After everything you’ve seen, do you really think a mad werewolf is going to take her out?”

Sam arrived, and with a cry of relief, Lucy ran into his arms. “You’ve got to help her,” she told him. She said it quietly, but I was a wolf. I heard her.

Sam led her back to us, looking around the little circle of somberness with a glint in his eye. “You ready, shapeshifter?” he asked me.

“I’m ready, shapeshifter.”

And Sam shifted into me.

I wasn’t going into the woods alone. I was going in with another me. Voss wouldn’t know what hit him.

“We’re about to fuck up his whole world,” I said.