“And who’s that?” I asked.

“His name is Ianto. Big, burly fellow. Probably the largest of all of us. Hard to miss.”

“I’ll be staying clear of him then.”

“But like I said, even he is used to animal flesh. I wouldn’t be afraid of us. What you need to worry about is what will happen once more witches join forces with Annora. We don’t know if Mona will be strong enough to hold up this protection…”

Thanks for reminding me. I’d been trying to push this thought from my mind since there was nothing we could do about it.

Griff stood up and walked over to the waves to wash his hands and mouth.

“Griff?”

“I’d better get going,” he said quietly. “I told my mom I’d be back by now. There’s something around the house she wanted me to help with.”

He was avoiding my eyes as he spoke. Something wasn’t right. I hoped it didn’t have anything to do with the attention Micah was paying me.

“Okay, well, stop by tomorrow, will you?” I closed the distance between us and held his hands, forcing him to look at me.

“Sure,” he said, giving me a forced smile before turning on his heel and striding away.

“Bye, Griffin,” Micah called.

“Bye,” Griff muttered.

I watched him leave, then turned back to face Micah, an uncomfortable silence now falling between us.

He walked to the water and washed his hands in the waves.

Although I was disturbed by Griff’s behavior, I couldn’t deny that I was glad to have more time with Micah. I was curious to know more about werewolves and discover what other myths about them were untrue.

“What’s it like to turn every time the sun goes down? Does it hurt?”

He took a seat back down on the sand, removing his wet shirt and spreading it out on Griff’s empty slab before replying. “No. I’m so used to it, I don’t even think about it.”

“I see,” I said, drawing my eyes away from his tan chest. “I’ve never seen a werewolf turn before.”

“You should watch me tonight,” he said.

“I’d like that.”

He stood up and reached his hand down to help me up. I took it and he pulled me to my feet. He flashed me a smile, revealing a set of perfect teeth—a little too sharp for a human’s. “I’ll come to fetch you just before sundown, if you like. But be ready, because once it happens I have no control over it.”

“Okay,” I said, returning his smile. “It’s a date.”

Chapter 19: Abby

I wasn’t sure what we had, Ben and I.

For the past few days, he’d shown up at my doorstep each afternoon to accompany me in taking Shadow for a walk. We strolled around the island, mostly sticking to the beaches because that was where Shadow liked it most.

It was a strange feeling. We’d grown up together, spent most of our lives together on the same island, yet it felt like we’d only just been acquainted. The conversations we had were those of strangers getting to know each other.

But I didn’t know if it was anything more than that. In the submarine I’d told Ben he didn’t need to be timid around me. And he wasn’t. He was true to his word in treating me like he would any other person. But I wasn’t sure if it was just an obligation he felt, or some kind of morbid curiosity, rather than spending time with me because he genuinely enjoyed my company.

There wasn’t really a way for me to know. But since he kept calling on my door and insisting on accompanying me for several days in a row, I guessed he got something out of hanging with me.

I felt embarrassed about my feelings toward him, especially while we were out together. It was hard to relax. I felt on edge, self-conscious, not sure where I stood with him. Or how I should relate to him. I was afraid to hope. After all, that was how my own brother had gotten his heart broken.

Expectations. Assumptions. I was careful to harbor none.

The most I held was a light optimism that Ben might want to keep joining Shadow and me on walks.

Because whatever it was we had, or were beginning to have, I was glad for his company.

Chapter 20: Aiden

I’d been avoiding Adelle like the plague and she was beginning to notice it. The fact that my daughter and son-in-law had almost died gave me some excuse for my reclusiveness, but even that was beginning to wear thin for the witch. She’d visited my penthouse twice in the past twelve hours. I’d ignored her. But when she knocked a third time, I decided to answer the door.

She stood on my porch, clutching a pile of papers in one arm. Her long fiery hair was tied up in a bun and she wore her signature summer dress, showing just enough of her long smooth legs to make my breath hitch.

“Aiden!” she gasped, reaching an arm around me and drawing me in for a hug.

I hugged her back awkwardly and stepped away as soon as she released me.

“I haven’t seen you around. How are you?”

“Fine.”

I stepped aside to allow her entrance into my apartment. She set her papers down on the dining table and drew up a chair.

“I’ll put some tea on,” I said, turning my back on her and busying myself brewing the chamomile tea I knew she was fond of. It was all I could do to avoid looking at her.

“So you’ve recovered?”

“Just about.”

“I knocked twice already. I guess you were sleeping.”

“Yeah…”