Page 20

Back in human form and dressed in most of my clothes, I walked out of the theater with Duncan.

The mock turtleneck had disappeared, but my jacket hid that.

Duncan had also found his clothes and dressed, though the bullet wound in his shoulder was bleeding through his shirt.

He looked beleaguered, with uncharacteristic bags under his eyes and his hair more tousled than usual.

My stomach knotted with worry.

“I didn’t realize it would affect my ability to fight.” Duncan huffed out a breath and gazed skyward, toward the clouds that had wafted in and obscured the moon and stars. “I didn’t even fully realize… didn’t want to… Sorry, Luna,” he said again. “I hope I didn’t leave you in a bind.”

“You didn’t. You still kicked plenty of ass.” I didn’t want him to think I believed him any lesser because he was losing some of his strength. “And don’t apologize. This is all my fault.”

I shook my head glumly as we approached the thugs’ motorcycles.

Harold had done as he’d promised, slashing the tires, so even those men who’d escaped the theater hadn’t been able to ride off.

They’d departed on foot, leaving trails of blood.

Some hadn’t departed at all. I grimaced at the memory of losing my rational mind, of giving in to the wild savagery of the werewolf magic and killing.

A part of me believed the criminals deserved that fate, but the law wouldn’t agree.

And at least one of those police officers knew now what I was, knew that if a wolf was responsible for deaths in Shoreline, I would be the one to question.

Worse, Harold had recorded some of the fight.

Even though I’d been the wolf, I remembered him holding his phone up.

Since we’d helped him, I hoped he wouldn’t turn the footage over to the police, but even if all he did was put it on a social-media site, it might lead the authorities back to me.

“What a night.” I sighed. “It wasn’t as romantic as I’d hoped.”

“Maybe we should have gone on an actual hunt.” Duncan poked into the various bags attached to the abandoned motorcycles. “There’s something magical in here. Didn’t that guy say?—”

“It’s not the sword.” My time as a wolf was always a blur when I returned to human form, but I did recall the man I’d pinned spitting out that information. Hadn’t he said Radomir’s name? And that it was in… a laboratory near Maple Falls? That was it.

I scowled at the memory of Radomir capturing Austin up there and my battle in the vacation cabin on the lake. At least my son was now safely across the country, finishing his Air Force training.

“No, but I think…” Duncan drew out a hand device with ring attachments and a purple oval gem in the center.

The last time I’d seen it had been in the parking lot of Sylvan Serenity, and that gem had been glowing and attacking my brain. I bared my teeth at it.

“This and that magical ring the man inside was wearing…” Duncan tipped his thumb over his shoulder toward the theater. “They’re unlikely items for thugs off the street to have.”

“Bribes from Radomir. More valuable than mere money.”

“Indeed.”

We’d already suspected that Radomir had started working with these guys, so we hadn’t learned anything new other than receiving a lead to the sword’s location.

“Did you spend time at a laboratory in Maple Falls?” I asked. “When you were under Radomir’s control? Oh, you said he rented that cabin, right?”

The little A-frame on the lake wouldn’t have counted as a laboratory though. Inside and out, it had looked like a normal vacation home.

“Yes, but, most recently, when he called me to give me orders, he drew me to a hotel up there, and he was in the middle of packing. He didn’t mention where he was going next.

I don’t think he ever believed he had me fully under control.

He probably suspected I would happily tell you everything I learned about him whenever I got the chance.

Which was correct.” Duncan smiled faintly. “You’re my confidante, you know.”

“I thought I was only your chocolate supplier.”

“That’s why you’re my confidante.” He rested a hand over his heart, then handed the artifact to me. What I would do with it, I didn’t know.

I checked the rest of the bags on the motorcycles, hoping I would find Ivan’s bracelet in there, but it was a vain hope since my senses didn’t pick up on anything else magical.

Too bad. If I could have found everything without needing Rue to make another Elixir of Locus to inflict on my tortured esophagus, that would have been ideal.

“I’m going to ask her about you,” I decided.

Duncan, not able to read my thoughts, asked, “What?”

“Maybe Rue has some ideas about how to fix you.”

“Fix? What few flaws I have add whimsy and character.”

“You know what I mean. You can’t die .” Frustrated, I almost hurled the hand artifact into the parking lot, but I held back. It might provide a clue.

“I would prefer to avoid that fate, yes. I’ll cheerfully visit the alchemist with you, but I’m skeptical of her ability to heal me of this curse.” Duncan waved toward the scar on his forehead.

“We have to start somewhere. We might not have much time.”

“I am aware of that. Finding and questioning Abrams is on my mind. Since he placed the curse, he likely has more expertise on the matter than anyone else.”

“True. Do you have any idea about where to find him?”

“Not yet, but I will.” Duncan nodded firmly.

The determination in his eyes relieved me. I’d worried he believed his fate inevitable and wouldn’t fight it. But he gazed toward the north with speculation. I hoped he was scheming at that very moment about how to find Abrams—and wring the information out of him with his clawed bipedfuris fingers.

I walked the hand artifact over to a light and took a couple of photos of it, then texted them to Jasmine.

If your dad is pining for more research opportunities, I would be curious to know if he can dig up anything on this.

Since it was probably a random doodad that Abrams or Radomir had picked up years ago, I doubted it could lead us to them, but one never knew.

I’ll show him, came her prompt reply. The license plate didn’t pan out. It’s linked to the address of the lavender farm that’s up for sale.

I suppose that isn’t surprising.

I’ll get Dad on this though.

Thanks. I showed Duncan my phone when he looked over. “Shall we visit Rue while we’re waiting on our researcher? The good news is that if she can heal you, it’ll likely be in the form of a sumptuous potion that will perk your tastebuds right up.”

“Your tastebuds looked more tortured than perked when you drank her last potion.”

“They were perkily tortured.”

“My lady, I believe you’re lying to me.”

“I didn’t want to squelch your optimism for an alchemical solution.”

“I’ll accept any solution that we can find. If I must imbibe a potion, will you buy me chocolate-flavored espresso drinks to wash down the taste?”

“Of course. I’ll even fish coins out of the koi pond if I need the funds.”

“Dear Luna, I believe you’re falling in love with me.”

“It’s your charm. It’s polishing my jaded edges.” I leaned against him and blinked a few times, trying to stave off the tears forming in my eyes.

“It does have that effect on ladies.” Duncan wrapped his arms around me, and we stood there until rain started falling, dampening the rest of my face.