He was so full of fear and anxiety, as well as being completely exhausted, he literally couldn’t think straight. His mind struggled to deal with the situation, and he kept returning to the fact he was going home without Jenny.
Sorrow built in his breast, sending longing streaking through his blood. The emotion became something else in his wolf heart, something beyond human comprehension. He tilted his head back and howled at the sky, a lament to his loneliness and his failure.
I’ve let you down, Mother. I couldn’t keep her safe. Now she’s out there. I don’t know where, and anything could happen to her.
The horrible images flew through his mind again. Slade struggled against them, trying to tell himself that none of it was true. These things had happened, though, to other shifters, including his best friend. It could happen to his sister too.
Why can’t she see that?
Emptiness rose in him again, but he couldn’t sit here all day and howl. He was bound to be noticed. Slowly, he got up, testing his paw. The wound had closed, even though his leg was still sore. He had no desire to turn back and find his clothes; his wolf was comforting in his current state.
As he loped through the side streets, his fear for Jenny was replaced by his need to get home. He had to see his best friend and his mate. They were the only ones who could soothe him.
I hope they’re home from the dodgy job. I couldn’t handle it if both of them were caught.
It took some time to run through the streets, but he was glad for it. Running and feeling his body stretching and pushing past endurance comforted him. By the time he got to the house, his mind was wiped clean of fear and doubt.
There was still plenty of rage, though. The wolf had covered the fear and replaced it with the need for violence. His mother’s eyes lurked in his memory, berating him for not being strong enough to look after Jenny. Slade couldn’t be free of it or from guilt.
He shifted on the doorstep and charged inside, slamming the door behind him. When he walked into the main living room, he saw Cass sitting on the couch, watching him with alarm. Flash was at the bar making himself a drink and barely looked up.
“My man,” Flash muttered, pouring from three different bottles into a tall glass. “What can I get you?”
“A straight jacket and a butterfly net,” Slade snapped. “Then the location of my sister.”
Flash looked up in surprise. Cass laughed softly. “Yeah, family can drive you mad, I guess.”
Slade turned to look at her. His eyes were cold. “I’m not joking. I’m going to run her down and throw her in a locked room.”
Cass frowned, obviously trying to figure out his elaborate joke. “You can’t be serious?” she said.
Flash hurried around the bar and put a glass of bourbon in Slade’s hand. “Drink up, brother,” Flash said. “It’s human stuff, but it is finely aged. It’ll calm you a bit.”
Slade threw the alcohol down his throat in one gulp. He shook as the high emotions tried to settle against his raging hot blood.
“I found her, okay? I questioned her. She won’t tell me what she’s doing or why, and she won’t stop. She fucking bit me. Like, actually tore into me.”
“Whoa,” Flash muttered.
“I mean, what kind of response is she expecting after running away and refusing to tell me where she went?” Slade cried, exasperated.
“How old is she again?” Cass asked, frowning.
“Only nineteen,” Slade said, shaking his head. “Poor kid. She has no idea what she’s doing. I’ve got to bring her home and keep her here until I can figure out what to do.”
“When I was nineteen, I was kicking demon butt on the streets,” Cass said, shrugging. “Just sayin’. If she’s your sister, she’s probably a badass. Why are you so worried?”
“Because she’s a fucking kid!” Slade yelled. Flash turned to Cass, a worried look on his face.
“Look, you don’t know Jenny, okay? She’s super spoiled and does things just to get to Slade. She doesn’t know how dangerous the situation is or that she’s putting all of us at risk.”
“Okay,” Cass muttered as if she had more to say but thought better of it.
“She’ll be back at Phar-Scape soon, I imagine,” Slade said. “Have we got a plan?”
“Yep,” Flash said proudly. “We’re going to get ahold of Crenshaw and squeeze him until he squeals.”
Slade looked at them both with a flat expression. “That’s it?”
