Page 52 of Into the Night

Bristling, I grit my teeth. “I don’t know anything about the curse, and I couldn’t give a fuck about some stupid folklore. Excuse the language.” Shit. I tip my head to Carol in apology before continuing in a more even tone. “Your daughter is special to me. Meeting her was just unexpected and overwhelming, but incredible. If she’ll let me, I plan to make sure she knows that. Forever.”

Jim narrows his eyes, trying to decide whether I’m full of crap or not. His gaze drops briefly to my shoes, and I notice the dried drop of red on the toe of my boot when I spot Jim looking at it. The corner of his mouth turns up when he takes a quick sniff.

“Anyone who kicks the shit out of Eddie Thompson is okay with me.” Finally, the big man smiles at me, which has Carol rolling her eyes. “What?” He looks at his wife. “You know that if I did it, I’d lose my job.” Then turns to me. “I bet it felt good.”

Surprised by this turn of events, I don’t want to sound too enthusiastic about resorting to violence. I want Carol to like me, not only Kali’s apparently blood-thirsty father.

“You can trust me when I say that he deserved it. I was restrained considering what he said, and he was breathing when I left him.”

Jim chuckles, giving me another once over, before his features darken again. “If you ever hurt Kali again, I’m going to hunt you down. I might not be fast anymore, or able to do what I want to Eddie and Jed with their Daddy owning the town, but I can protect her from you. And you bet I’d enjoy doing it, too. I’ve a lot of frustration to work out.”

Nodding, I hold Jim’s stare. “I’d expect nothing less, Sir.”

Jim sits back, satisfied. “We don’t know where she is, though.” He growls, low and menacing. “Jed was here asking the same question, claiming he wanted to check in on her.”

That fucker. I obviously didn’t make my point strongly enough the last time I saw him. I won’t make that mistake again.

“I, eh, can’t explain it, but I keep getting flashes of an old, weathered grey cabin. In a clearing. It looks like it might be backing onto some cliffs. It’s all a bit hazy.”

I expect her parents to laugh at me, or look at me like I’ve lost my marbles, but instead, Carol considers my words carefully.

“The hunting cabin, maybe? Jim, what do you think?”

He nods, pensive. “Could be.” Grabbing a piece of paper, he draws out a rough sketch. “I can’t make it that far into the forest anymore, but Kali used to love going there because it’s so remote. John showed it to her, told her to go there when she needed a break from this place.

Clinging to the paper like it’s my lifeline, I smile gratefully.

“Thank you. Thank you so much. If I find her, I’ll let you know.” On my feet already, I’m desperate to get going and check this place out. Maybe this is where she’s hiding. Before leaving, I turn to Kali’s parents and ask, “You believe me? That I can see something?”

Carol nods and reaches for Jim’s hand, twining their fingers together.

Jim pulls her hands to his mouth and places a kiss on the back of her knuckles.

“The bond is a powerful thing when yielded correctly,” Carol says. “There’s magic in it. Nothing would surprise me when it comes to bringing two mates back together.”

Jim says nothing, just watches me as I pocket the paper and turn to leave. He doesn’t need to say more. His intimidating size and protective gaze do the talking for him.

I don’t want to give this man a reason to come looking for me, because if he’s pissed off with me, I’ve done something stupid. And that’ll mean I’ve ruined my chances with Kali.

“Hopefully, we’ll see you soon. I have a good feeling about you two,” Carol says with a kind smile as she lets me out. “But a word of advice, let your beast run before you see her. You need to calm him down, or you’ll do something reckless.”

Leaving Kali’s house, I feel a weight lift from me.

My beast has been keeping secrets from me. He knows where Kali is, and she’s not recuperating in luxury at a friend’s house. She’s in an old, dark cabin, god only knows where. But maybe I know that because of the bond, and not any other reason.

Ditching my truck in town feels like a bad idea, so I drive further down the road and pull into a narrow logging trail until I’m certain I can’t be seen from the road. Scanning my surroundings, as soon as I’m happy the coast is clear, I sprint to the woods and don’t fight my beast when he forces me to shift.

The pain is horrific and it’s a strange feeling, being a passenger in your own body. It’s like I’m watching from behind him as his large, black paws pound into the earth, begrudgingly taking me where I want to go.

He’s letting me in on his secret, which means Kali’s parents were right. Me finding her was inevitable, so he’s decided to take control of the situation. I feel equal parts excited to see her yet concerned about why he’s changed his tune so quickly.

I watch the forest fly by, enjoying his perspective. The strength of the scents we pick up as we fly by. The sharpness of his vision, and how he can pinpoint the tiniest noise from so far away is fascinating. If we can learn to live together, this could be pretty great.

As he runs, I start to enjoy myself, admiring his strength and determination. I can feel his fierce protectiveness of Kali, his desire, and somehow, I know he’ll never hurt her intentionally.

Maybe I can sort this out and bring Kali home before they figure out that I’ve been lying to all their faces. And before Jed works out where Kali is.

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