“So glad you volunteered,” Kendrick said, his tone dry. “A bear would be handy, as would a healer.”

Zander made a face but didn’t argue.

Addie noticed that Kendrick had told the tale and discussed Lachlan’s demise with his cubs in the room, without sending them away. They listened even now, eyes on their father. Addie knew Kendrick hadn’t forgotten they were there—he’d included them in his eye contact as he told his story. He must have decided that they deserved to know about their enemies and the danger.

The Shifters began discussing the technical details of the hunt—who would go with whom and where they would look. Addie slipped away and down the hall to check on Jaycee.

*   *   *

Jaycee was sitting up in her bed in a tank top over her T-shirt, her golden hair tangled. Any other woman might look haggard like that, but not Jaycee. She looked pleasantly mussed, like a pinup girl at an old-fashioned mechanic’s shop.

“Kendrick giving you the spiel about Lachlan?” Jaycee asked when Addie entered. She tapped her ear at Addie’s surprised look. “Shifter hearing.”

“Yeah, he did. Lachlan sounds like a peach.”

“There was always something wrong with him.” Jaycee looked troubled. “Kendrick doesn’t say, but he admired Lachlan, even wanted to be like him. Lachlan had a lot of courage and, at first, was very protective of his people. Then . . . something happened. Everyone says he snapped but I think he was finally showing his true colors.”

“Well, whatever he is, he has everyone spooked,” Addie said. “He wasn’t dragging you off to do anything good, that’s for sure.”

Jaycee flushed dark red. “I heard how you stopped them. Thank you.” The words came out awkwardly, and Jaycee flicked her gaze away from Addie’s.

“I was scared to death,” Addie said. “I had no clue what to do but getting in their way seemed the best thing.”

“You didn’t have to.” Jaycee brushed her hair from her head with one plump hand. If she were human, she might worry she was “overweight” and frantically go on crash diets, each one weirder than the last, but Jaycee looked exactly right to Addie. Her form fit her perfectly—strong but with curves, soft rather than hard.

“Didn’t have to do what?” Addie asked. “Save you from crazy Shifters? I didn’t, in fact—I only delayed them until Kendrick could get there.”

“I haven’t exactly been nice to you.” Jaycee’s flush deepened. “Not real subtle of me, trying to keep you from Kendrick.”

Addie waved it away. “Oh, please. If I gave up everyone who wasn’t nice to me to kidnappers and murderers, the population of my hometown would dwindle real fast. It doesn’t matter if we don’t get along, Jaycee. You’re Kendrick’s family—or as good as. Families stick together, even if they fight. Just ask my sister. We used to go at it when we were kids—we still do if I think she’s being ridiculous about something.” She said the last with a pang in her heart. She looked forward to a nice cozy talk with Ivy when this was all over.

Jaycee watched Addie in surprise. “I didn’t think a human would understand that.”

Addie huffed a laugh. “You don’t know much about humans do you? We’re not that bad. Well, some are, some aren’t. Probably a lot like Shifters.”

“How do you tell?” Jaycee hugged her knees to her chest, the sheet tight against her legs. “How do you know the good humans from the bad? With Shifters, at least, we have scent, body language, warning signs.”

“They’re there with humans too. You just have to learn them.” Addie lifted her shoulders in a shrug. “Truth to tell, it’s mostly trial and error. If I was better at it, I wouldn’t have let myself get engaged to a total jerk. I had a lucky escape but only because he dumped me. I would have gone through with it.”