Page 5 of Curses and Casualties (Hunters Hollow #3)

Ryan

P anic explodes through the bond and propels me up the stairs three at a time. The scent hits me before I even reach the door—male, human, unfamiliar but carrying traces of Georgia’s scent in his DNA. Family. But that doesn’t mean safe.

I burst into Georgia’s apartment, claws extended, ready to tear apart any threat. My wolf surges forward, assessing angles, exits, potential weapons.

Instead, I’m brought up short by the sight of a strange man sitting calmly beside Georgia on the couch.

Not pack. Not threat. Smells like mate, Kane observes, though he remains alert, hackles raised at this stranger near our Georgia.

“Ryan, it’s OK,” Georgia responds immediately.

“This is my brother, Jason. I was just telling him how we lost some of the equipment in the storm.” She nods at me in a way that’s telling me to go along with whatever she says.

“And how we’re only in town long enough to get supplies so we can go back. ”

Through our bond, I feel her anxiety spike—not fear of her brother, but the sharp distress of having to lie to someone she loves. It makes my chest tighten with sympathy even as I force my wolf back down, retracting my claws just in time for Jason to turn my way.

“You must be the new boyfriend Georgia mentioned,” he says, standing to approach me. “Weird entrance, but I guess I did startle you all showing up unannounced.”

I clear my throat, relieved the threat is human and not wolf. Still, I’d rather there be no threat at all. This was supposed to be a quick in and out. Not a family reunion. “Yeah, sorry about that. I get worried about my girl. I’m Ryan.”

We shake hands, and I take a moment to study Jason.

He’s tall and lean, with brown hair and the same green eyes as Georgia.

But something about him seems guarded, like he’s holding back.

My wolf catalogs him automatically—no enhanced strength, no hidden weapons, defensive posture but no real threat.

Protective of his sister. Good. That’s something we have in common.

He doesn’t seem happy to meet me at all. Can’t say I blame him on that. My scars and the rasp in my voice tend to shock even battle-worn shifters. To a human, I’m downright scary.

He judges us. Doesn’t trust us with mate, Kane growls, not liking the assessment in Jason’s eyes.

“Is everything OK?” Scarlett bursts into the room, all wide-eyed concern. “With the way Ryan took off I thought...” Her voice trails off as she spots Jason and blinks, surprised. “Is that a hu?—”

“Scarlett,” Georgia interjects before she can finish her question. “This is my brother. Jason.”

Scarlett blinks, then grins and extends a hand. “Nice to meet you. I’m Georgia’s, um…” Her gaze flicks to me, a silent question passing between us.

“Colleague,” I finish for her. “We’re all working together on the excavation.”

“Oh, yeah. The excavation. I just love doing all that digging. I’m like a puppy; I love digging so much.

Dig, dig, dig.” Scarlett mimes a dog digging in the dirt, and I nudge her in the side with my elbow, giving her a look that says enough with the improv.

“Sorry.” She ceases her enthusiastic pantomime and clears her throat.

“Georgia, what’s going on?” With a slight narrowing of his eyes, Jason turns his attention back to his sister.

“I don’t believe for a second you’re just gathering supplies so you can go back to studying your rocks.

No offence”—Jason looks around at Ethan, Scarlett and me as he speaks—”but not one of you looks like a scientist. And if you needed supplies, you’d be getting them from work.

Right now, I feel like I’m standing in the middle of some militia group.

Add to that how you sounded so off when we spoke on the phone last. I’ve been worried sick ever since you went radio silent.

I even asked your neighbor to keep an eye out for you in case you showed up here.

Now I’m glad I did. Maybe I can get some straight answers. ”

My muscles tense at the mention of the neighbor. I catch Ethan’s eye and see the same concern there. If Jason asked someone to watch for Georgia, who else might be watching? I subtly move to the window, scanning the street below for any signs of surveillance.

Georgia chews her lip, uncertainty in her eyes. “I am giving you straight answers, Jase. I swear to you, I’m fine.”

The wave of guilt that pulses through our bond makes me want to pull her into my arms, but I resist. Her brother is already suspicious enough.

Jason steps closer, face etched with concern. “You don’t seem fine, Georgie.” He lowers his voice to a level that would normally make it difficult for the rest of us to hear, but with our wolf hearing it’s clear as day. “Are these guys holding you captive or something?”

He thinks we would hurt mate? Kane snarls, offended. We protect. We cherish. Stupid human. Put him down.

We are not putting our mate’s brother down, I return, noting the petulance in the way Kane bristles beneath my skin.

“No,” Georgia says in a rush. “They’re my friends, Jase. I’m safe with them, I promise. And we really are just gathering supplies. Those rainbow stones you sent me to look at are the find of the century.” She forces a smile as an attempt at enthusiasm, but it doesn’t touch her eyes.

Jason takes a deep breath as if trying to keep his emotions in check. He turns his gaze toward me, and I can sense the tension in his body. “Ryan, you said? Mind telling me what happened to your face?”

Before I can answer, Georgia jumps in. “Jase, come on. Don’t be rude. Ryan doesn’t owe you any explanation.”

I move farther into the room, placing a hand on Georgia’s shoulder, silently thanking her for coming to my defense.

Through our bond, I send reassurance, trying to ease her distress.

“It’s OK, love,” I say, looking Jason in the eye.

“I’m happy to explain to your brother how I was attacked by an animal and barely survived. ”

Jason’s expression seems to soften as he takes in my words. “I’m sorry, man. I didn’t mean to come across as rude. It’s just that seeing my little sister with a limp and surrounded by people who look like they’re ready for battle has me on edge. You can understand that, right?”

I nod, silently acknowledging that if our positions were reversed, I would probably react the same way. “No worries, man. It’s been a rough few days for all of us.”

“Because of the storm,” Georgia adds quickly when her brother’s brow creases again. “It was basically a mudslide up there. No one on the mountain had power for days. Lots of people got hurt.” The lie falls from her lips easily. “And my limp is so much better now. I can even walk without a stick.”

“OK.” Jason sighs and rubs at the back of his neck. “I guess I’m just glad you’re all right.”

“I am. I promise.”

He nods. “So if this is just a supply run before you go back up there, when can I expect you home for good?” Jason’s shoulders lose some of their tension, though his eyes remain troubled.

Georgia and I exchange quick glances. “Um, I’m not sure yet,” she hedges. “We’re still trying to gather data and salvage what we can from the team’s equipment.”

Jason frowns. “Can’t someone else handle that? I don’t like the idea of you traipsing around the mountains right after a disaster. Especially when you’re obviously hurt.”

“I’ll be fine, really,” Georgia assures him. “This is my project, my responsibility. If I step away now someone else will swoop in and take all the credit.”

Jason still seems reluctant to let Georgia go, but after a moment he sighs and says, “OK, is there anything I can do to help while you all are up there?”

Scarlett pipes up from behind us. “We could really use some money. It’s tough on our budget trying to work through all that mud and damaged equipment.”

“Scarlett!” Georgia hisses.

Jason’s eyes narrow warily. “Money? What for?”

“It’s fine, Jase,” Georgia says. “We’re just dealing with a lot of red tape, right now. But we’re OK.”

“No. I want to help.” Jason looks from Georgia back to Scarlett. “How much are we talking here?”

“As much as you can spare,” Scarlett says smoothly. “We just need some help covering extra costs. Food, mainly.”

Jason frowns, hesitating, but finally pulls out his wallet. “I only have a couple hundred on me. But if you can meet me tomorrow, I can get you more from the bank.”

He hands the cash to Georgia, but Scarlett quickly intercepts it and pockets it with a smile. “We appreciate it, Georgia’s big bro. You’re a lifesaver.” She gives him a friendly punch on the shoulder. He just frowns some more.

With yet another sigh, Jason turns back to Georgia. “I don’t believe a single fucking thing you’re telling me here. But if you need my help, I’m gonna give it to you. Just...whatever this is you’re involved in, I want you safe, OK?”

“She’s safe with me,” I say, meaning it. “I assure you no harm will come to her.”

We keep mate safe. Always. Even from nosy brothers, Kane adds internally, making me fight back a smile.

Jason worries his lips together, but he nods, sliding his wallet back into his pants pocket. “You’ll text me a dollar figure and where to meet you tomorrow?” he says to Georgia. “And you’ll let me know if you need anything else?”

She nods, moving in to give him another quick hug. “Promise. And thank you, Jase. I know this is weird, and I’ll pay you back for everything. But I just need you to trust me.”

“I do. I wouldn’t agree to this if I didn’t.”

After a few more assurances, we make our exit. I keep my senses alert as we leave the building, checking for any signs that Jason was followed or that we’re being watched. The neighbor he mentioned is nowhere to be seen, but I make a mental note to be extra cautious.

I can feel Georgia’s emotional exhaustion through our bond, the weight of lying to her brother pressing down on her. Once we’re a safe distance away, I pull her close, pressing a kiss to her temple.

“I know that was hard,” I murmur.

She leans into me with a shaky breath. “I hate lying to him.”

“I know, love. But you’re keeping him safe by keeping him in the dark. At least for now.”

“Between what Dad gave us, the money from Georgia’s freezer, and the couple hundred from big bro just now, we should be OK for a while,” Scarlett says, squinting up at the sun as we walk down the street.

“Do you think your brother will come through with some more cash tomorrow? I know we agreed we’d seek out the witches, but does anyone know how much their help is going to cost us? ”

“It’s hard to know,” Ethan says. “I think the first witch we should seek out is the one your dad said could help with your mark. She works out of a tattoo studio on the edge of the city. But the cost of her work will depend on the strength of the magic needed. If we had heartstones, we could drastically reduce that cost, but those things aren’t so easy to come by in the city. ”

“Maybe we should wait then,” Scarlett suggests. “I mean, this poultice is working well enough for now, right?” She gestures to the bandage covering the concoction spread over the Alpha’s mark on her neck. “It’s not perfect, but it’s keeping things under wraps until we can manage something better.”

I shake my head. “We can’t risk waiting. A poultice isn’t permanent enough. Every time you take that thing off to refresh it, your mark becomes a beacon, drawing the Alpha in.”

Georgia nods in agreement, her hand reaching out to give Scarlett’s arm a reassuring squeeze. “And Jase will definitely get us more money. We should go see that witch and block that asshole’s connection to you for good.”