“It is under control for the moment,” she said.
“But not good,” Kade growled.
It was impossible to judge the woman’s age. She had long, mostly white hair that seemed to have crystals woven through it. And was that a feather? She peered past it to the coppery skin, and the most amazing blue eyes.
“Jessie,” Kade said, “meet Cara Saunders.”
“Hello Jessie.” Cara turned to scan Kade’s bloodied state. “Anything I need to take a peek at?”
“Nope,” he assured. “I’m good.”
Jessie opened her mouth and then closed it again. He had stopped dripping blood. Mostly.
The woman’s gaze dropped to the flowered pants. “Nice look, Kade.”
“Yeah. Have a change of clothes in the truck. Haven’t wanted to leave her to get them.”
Cara shrugged and smiled at Jessie. “Weres are hard on their clothes.”
“Why I shop at thrift stores.” Kade crossed his arms and leaned his hips against the counter.
“I get that,” Jessie managed. They’d picked up the scraps of Kade’s clothing through the kitchen, the hall, and up the stairs. No amount of spandex could accommodate the stretch from human to beast.
She eyed the harem pants. Covering the human was difficult enough.
Cara smiled at Jessie, and some of her tension drained away. That was some kind of smile. And did she hear music? An instrumental piece?
“I’d like you to come and stay with me until this is over,” Cara said.
Jessie stared at her. Then she looked at Kade. “I thought you said humans didn’t know about you.”
Kade snorted softly. “She’s not human.”
Jessie’s gaze shot back to Cara. She sure as hell looked human. But as Cara smiled benignly at her, Jessie’s heart rate dropped again.
Flute. Or flutes. And a crystalline chiming. The music soared through her, relaxing her muscles.
Dammit, that was better than a sedative. “Are you a witch?” she asked Cara.
Kade laughed, a hoarse, rumbling sound. “Some would say so.”
“You’re one of these Cryptid things too? Like Kade?”
“Not like Kade. He’s a Sabre Were. But yes, I am a Cryptid. The humanoids can pass as human. The beastoids take beast form. The plantoids are plant based. And the shapeshifters, also known as Weres, can shift between beastoids and humanoids.”
“But—all these live among humans?”
“The shifters and humanoids, yes. The beastoids and plantoids, mostly no.”
“Mostly?”
Cara smiled. “The important thing is that at the moment, you need protection. And I can offer it to you.”
Protection? How was she going to protect Jessie from a werewolf? Kade’s growly-beastly-mountain-of-muscle side matched what Braden brought to the table. This woman looked like a grandmother.
“Why is Braden so determined to get to me? The police thought these guys would run.”
Kade shook his head. “He won’t stop trying to get you back. He’s bitten you. He wants to mate with you.”
