Page 33 of Into the Night

“And Kali is my mate.”

Henry turns to Jack, and they both stare at each other, dumbfounded, a silent conversation going on as they both process this new information.

“Damn. I thought you were just some stalker ex.” Jack shakes his head, looking at me in wonder. Clearly, being a mate is a big deal. I don’t really understand why. But if it gets their attention and keeps me out of jail, I’m not beyond using it to my advantage.

“When Jack told me about a weirdo who flipped out and then was harassing Kali at the bar, I was pretty sure we were heading out this morning to find you and haul you in.” Henry’s eyes drift over the swelling crowd, all pushing in to get out of the driving rain. “Shit. Then it looks like we have a real mystery on our hands.”

They both look concerned. Instead of having a solid hunch to work on, they’re back to square one.

“Stalker, not exactly. Weirdo, maybe,” I admit. “Ex? Hopefully not.”

“You’ve gone from prime suspect to probably the most useful man here. Even if you have a shocking lack of control over your beast,” Jack comments, frowning as he releases his hold on my shoulder. “But I suppose until I experience it myself, I can’t judge.”

Again, I have nothing to compare my behaviour to so I keep my mouth shut.

“How are you holding up? I’m surprised you’re keeping it together today when you lost it so badly after just smelling her on me.”

I shrug, not understanding how I’m keeping it together so well, either. Before now, I couldn’t wait in line at the store without worrying about flying off the handle, but today, I have endless calm. Maybe it’s because I’ve satisfied my blood lust.

It’s a scary and yet satisfying thought.

“I don’t know. I just need to find her.” Admitting the next part feels like failure. “But we just only met, so I don’t even know where to start.”

Guilt churns inside me. I should have done a better job of taking care of her. I should never have left her side. And above all else, I should have talked to her and gotten to know her instead of sleeping together and then sneaking out like a fucking coward.

Feeling like my terrible behaviour is there for everyone to see, I growl. This is torture.

Jack saw her kick me out of the bar, and he knows she didn’t want me there, despite our beasts connecting. I pray that he doesn’t tell Henry she didn’t want to be near me.

“This is all new to me.”

Jack nods, thinking I mean finding a mate, when what I really mean is this whole entire thing. Sharing my body with my other half. Beasts. Claws. But now isn’t the time to correct him.

Henry sighs, and takes a deep breath, his quick mind running through the pros and cons of whatever he’s considering.

“Right. Let’s keep the mate thing on the down low for now. Even if I believe you, which I’m not sure I do completely, it’s not pertinent to the investigation right now. Let’s just keep everyone focussed on finding her.”

With a tip of his head, he gestures for me to follow him to the front of the room.

Every set of eyes tracks me as we stop in front of the dozens of volunteers. This isn’t a town that welcomes strangers easily.

With an ear-splitting whistle, Henry calls everyone to attention, and the murmurs around the room stop immediately.

“You all know what happened last night. I’m not at liberty to discuss it, but what I can say is that we believe this is an unconnected incident.”

When the whispers in the room begin again, he angrily shushes everyone. Henry looks like a man who’s running on fumes. His patience is thin.

“While I’m dealing with that, Jack and our new ranger, Griffin, who’s kindly starting early to help us locate Kali, are going to run point on the searches, along with Officer Peters, who you all know. We appreciate you coming out in this weather, but please people, mind yourselves out there. I don’t think I can cope with anyone else getting lost or hurt.”

Nobody laughs, because it’s not a joke. The strain on the young deputy, and the residents of Sutton, is easy to see.

“Take a pack with you on your way out. Keep in contact, and if the weather turns bad again, come in. Good luck.”

Henry’s sombre as he shakes Jack’s hand and then heads straight for the door before any of the lingering Sutton residents get to corner him with questions. He looks like he has the weight of the world on his shoulders.

“Where’s he going?” I ask, annoyed that this isn’t his top priority. Nothing could be more important than finding Kali.

“To bring in Evan King. That’s why he looks like he’s heading to his own funeral.”

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