Charity flinched when I told her about Jude. About the things he’d done. Where he’d been for the last several months. And where he was now. “Can I go see him?” she’d asked.

“Not yet,” I said, trying to keep my shame from bubbling up in my voice. Here was my not-quite-thirteen-year-old sister, ready to take on the task I’d been dreading for days—and had botched terrifically only yesterday. “I don’t think he’s ready for that.”

Daniel remained silent as I spoke, but he gave me a knowing glance when I said this about Jude. I wondered, when Daniel and I were psychically connected in our dreams, if he’d been able to channel the fear and the pain I felt toward my brother. When I got to the part about what had really happened to Dad, Daniel put a soothing hand on my shoulder, and I wished again he’d been there with me in the hospital.

Charity took it all in with a maturity I should have credited her with a long time ago. Her eyes flitted to the rifle that sat next to Daniel in the grass only a couple of times. When I’d caught her up on everything relevant, from the Shadow Kings to the hunting party looking for the wolf that supposedly killed Pete Bradshaw and, lastly, to this morning’s run-in with the sheriff and Deputy Marsh, she sighed heavily and pinched her fingers above her nose like she was trying to keep all this new information from leaking out of her brain.

“Okay,” she said. “But the thing I still can’t figure out is why everyone keeps saying Pete Bradshaw is dead when he’s not.”

“I’m sorry, Charity. But he is. I was at the hospital when he passed away two days ago.”

She shook her head with such denial it surprised me. “That can’t be.”

“I know it’s hard to hear that someone you know is dead.…”

“But he’s not,” she insisted. “I saw Pete Bradshaw when we stopped at a gas station in the city early this morning. He was acting kinda wacko, but he looked pretty darn alive to me.”

It took me a full thirty seconds to respond. Like my brain and my mouth decided not to communicate with each other. “Are you sure it was Pete? It wasn’t, like, someone who looked like him? He might have cousins in town for the funeral.”

“Pete doesn’t have any cousins. His mom said something about that when they had Thanksgiving dinner with us.”

“He doesn’t? I thought…” I recalled the fact that Pete’s only uncle was barely older than we were. Even if he had any cousins, they’d be too young to be mistaken for Pete. “This doesn’t make any sense.” I’d been there when the doctor pronounced Pete dead in the hospital, and even the news had reported his death. There couldn’t have been a mistake. There had to be another explanation.…

Charity bit her lip. “So if Pete died, and now he’s alive again like Daniel, does that mean he’s a werewolf now, too?”

“I don’t know.” I pushed myself up from the grass. “But I’m going to find out.”

Even though it meant I was going to have to do something I never wanted to do again.

Chapter Twenty-one

TRICKS OF THE TRADE

WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON

Charity wasn’t too happy that I wouldn’t let her come with us. Truth is, with this new Pete development, I didn’t know what Daniel and I would be heading into, and I didn’t want her to get hurt. Before we left, I swore her to utter secrecy and then tasked her with the more-than-important job of covering for me with Aunt Carol.

“When Carol gets up from her nap, tell her I went to the hospital,” I instructed Charity before getting into the Corolla with Daniel. “Or that I’m at April’s working on a project or something. But I might not be home until late.”

Daniel and I headed to his apartment first in order to find him some proper not-pajamas clothes for our mission. I waited on the sofa bed while he changed in the bathroom, and I tried not to dwell on what had almost happened the last time we had been alone in this room together. Because of that, I wasn’t exactly allowed to be in here.

“Sorry I took so long,” Daniel said as he came into the living area, wearing dark jeans and a white button-up shirt that was open at the collar and clung to his carved chest. “Had to try three different pairs of pants before I found one that didn’t fit like floods.”

“I told you I wasn’t imagining things. You’re bigger now.” I rose from the bed and walked to him. My hand rested on the hard muscles under his shirtsleeve. “I can’t say I’m bothered by the end result. And I’d thought you couldn’t get any hotter.…” I rocked up on my tiptoes and kissed the curve of his jaw.

Daniel made an appreciative noise. “You looking to calm your nerves before we go?” He bent his head down so his lips could meet mine. Just as I thought he was about to kiss me, his head snapped up at the sound of the apartment door opening. “We’ve got company.”

I let go of Daniel’s arm and turned toward the door to find Brent, Ryan, and Zach crowded in the doorway. Slade stood farther behind them on the concrete stairs that led down to the apartment.

“We heard voices down here,” Ryan said. “Thought we should check it out. Didn’t want anyone breaking into alpha’s place while he’s gone.”

Brent elbowed Ryan in the chest and then gestured to Daniel, who stood behind me. “Doesn’t look like he’s gone anymore.”

“Holy crap,” Ryan said. “Is that really you?”

“Last time I checked,” Daniel said.

“Holy crap!” Ryan bounded into the apartment and came right up to us like an excited pup. Brent and Zach followed. Slade stood in the doorway, looking so shocked I might say he was actually a bit frightened.

“I can’t believe it,” Ryan said. “I guess I lost Slade’s betting pool. I didn’t think we’d see you in human form until Thanksgiving, at least.”

“You bet a year from next March,” Brent said to Ryan.

Ryan reeled on him. “No. I. Didn’t.”

“Yes, you did. I’ve got all the bets written down.” Brent stuck his hand in his pocket, and Ryan made a move to pounce on him.

“Guys,” I said. “Seriously?”

Ryan and Brent dropped their argument and looked at me.

“I guess it’s time you officially met the lost boys,” I said to Daniel.