eight
I stared at my phone screen as my body flashed hot, then cold, then hot again. Kendal’s text was only four words, but it short-circuited my brain.
Jade wants you here.
I wanted to run to her, wrap her in my arms and tell her nothing would ever happen to her again. Knowing she would run screaming from me turned my feet to concrete. An impossible w my legs could never overcome. I was built for shadows and she was the sun.
Ideas swirled in my mind, rejected as fast as they formed.
Before I knew what I was doing, I was dialing Zeus. The owner and leader of Superhuman Security, Zeus had helped integrate us into Supernatural Society shortly after we escaped the lab that created us. He answered on the second ring.
“Thurl. Is everything okay?”
“Yes. No.” I rubbed my palm over my scarred eye. “There’s a woman. I helped her. Now she wants me to sit with her only…”
“Only she hasn’t seen you.”
I nodded, realized he couldn’t see me, and made a noise of confirmation.
I heard a chair squeak as he sat and sighed. “How can I help?”
“I’m not sure. I can’t think. I don’t know what to do. Drym believes she may be my mate.”
“That certainly complicates things. If she were just a random woman in trouble, I could send one of my guys to pose as her protector.”
I growled and startled at the noise.
Zeus chuckled. “And that’s why that won’t work.” The chair squeaked again. “Thurl, I know this is scary, but you’re going to have to show yourself. If the meeting goes sideways, call me and Supe Sec will deal with it. But if she really is your mate, then she’ll accept you. The fates wouldn’t have it any other way.”
I grunted through the fear that closed my throat. Memories of women, naked and huddling in the corner of my cell flooded my senses. I could hear their whimpers, see their fear written in every bone and muscle.
The times the scientists put women in with us to see how we’d react were the worst. Especially for me and Roul—the biggest among us.
I didn’t want her to look at me like that. I didn’t want to scare her, and I didn’t see how it would be possible not to. She was human. She had no idea supernaturals existed—much less ones who look like me. There was no camouflage for us. We couldn’t hide under a too-big hoodie or shroud ourselves in capes. The hoodie I wore when I killed her attacker only masked my shape and gave me a pocket for my phone. If I hadn’t been moving fast, she would have seen my horns, my fur, my muzzle, my claws.
I shook my head to clear it and opened the group text to my brothers.
Jade is asking for me. Zeus told me to go, but revealing myself concerns you, too.
Drym: She’s your mate, Thurl. It had to happen at some point. Better sooner than later.
Quin: Wait, what? Cat lady is your mate? How the fuck did that happen?
Kragen: Not something we need to focus on right now, Quin. What else did Zeus say?
Reinar Hilbertson, or Zeus as everyone called him, was also this region’s Society representative. He was responsible for making sure the supernaturals of Damruck and surrounding areas followed the rules—and kept out of human sight.
He said to call him if things go sideways.
Kragen: I say go. Give her a chance. We can trust that Zeus has our back.
I watched as one by one, all five of my brothers told me to go to her. I sent a text to Kendal, letting her know I was on my way.
I walked with my heart full of wasps and my head repeated inane words as I thought through what to say. Hi, I killed the guy who dared to touch you? No one will ever hurt you again? Oh, and by the way, I’m a Wyrfang. A socially and emotionally stunted lab experiment who is touch-starved and possibly crazy.
And I’m near blind in one eye.
How in the hell could this ever go right?
Full dark settled over the forest as I stared at the back of her house. The enormous orange cat from before jumped into the window and I swore I could hear it call me a coward. I took a deep breath, shook my entire body, and checked that my new set of claw caps were secure for the fifth time.
I made it all the way to the door before freezing again. I stood there and talked myself into leaving. Before I could turn, the door opened and revealed Kendal’s smiling face.
“Thought you might need some help getting through the door.”
I tilted my head as I searched the frame for hazards.
She laughed. “It’s a figure of speech.” She grabbed my hand and pulled me inside the warm kitchen that smelled of sugar and sunshine.
I shook my head and pulled back, surprised she kept her grip. “I don’t think this is a good idea.”
Kendal’s grin was impossibly wide. “It’s the best idea.”
From deep in the house, I heard her voice.
“Kendal? Is that your friend?”
Before I could slap my palm over her mouth Kendal answered.
“Yes.”
“Do I need to stay in my room? I promise I won’t peek. I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.”
I gave Kendal a head tilt.
She answered me in a whisper. “I told her you were scary looking and nervous about how she’d react. She offered to let you stay hidden.”
My ears pricked at the idea, but before I could nod Kendal called out, “Nope. You can come out!”
“Oh, good.”
Did I hear relief in her voice, or was that wishful thinking? I sank onto my haunches, tucking my arms against my belly and tucking my head to my chest. Even as small as I could be, I would be taller than her.
Kendal gave me a soft smile of encouragement.
Jade came around the corner into the kitchen, her face obscured by a towel as she rubbed it in her hair. “Hi. Sorry, I just got out of the—”
She stumbled to a stop and froze; her face a blank mask, her eyes wide. The towel fell from her fingers and her wet hair dropped into her face. Her mouth was open, and I could hear her breathing, but everything else had gone still. It was as if someone took a picture and now we were eternally trapped in our positions.
I startled, and Jade jumped when Kendal broke the silence.
“Jade, this is my friend, Thurl. Thurl, this is Jade.”