Page 56 of Half Dead

The wolf released a howl that shook the leaves from nearby branches.

“Unreal,” the chief murmured with a pinched brow.

“Freakin’ fantastic,” Leo said, still beaming.

The wolf circled the perimeter of the clearing, stopping to sniff Leo’s shoes.

“Goosebumps,” Leo declared, rubbing his arm. “I just got goosebumps.”

I smiled at Phaedra. “Good work.”

The witch bowed her head slightly. “Thank you. It was an old recipe I found in the family spell book. Say what you will about my family, but the Bridger witches had their uses.”

“Your work has been invaluable. You know that.” Her ward on my house had probably saved my life ten times over by now.

The wolf’s fur receded, and his snout and claws retracted. Bones crunched as the figure returned to human form.

Leo slapped his hands together. “That was awesome! Do it again.”

“I’m starting to regret this,” Chief Garcia muttered.

“We’re not your trained poodles,” Francis said, “but if you want to meet us out tonight, a bunch of us will be running wild over by the Falls.”

“I love to run,” Leo said. “I run through these woods all the time, just not usually at midnight.”

“With good reason,” I said. “It isn’t safe.” As friendly as the pack was, they were still animals when in their wolf forms. They couldn’t be trusted to let someone like Leo run with them. It only took one wolf to lose control and target a hapless Leo as prey.

“I agree with Lorelei,” the chief said. “No running with wolves.”

Leo’s face soured. “What if it was supervised?”

“Not this week,” I said gently. “Remember that issue we discussed at Birdie’s house?”

“Starts with ‘L’ and ends with ‘ucifer?’” Leo asked.

“That’s the one.” My heart beat faster just at the mention of his name. “Our theory was correct. He’s here.”

“Who’s here?”

I whipped around as West and Anna approached the clearing.

“The devil himself, apparently,” the chief said.

West met my gaze. “Is this true, Clay?”

“Unfortunately.”

The alpha’s brow furrowed. “How did he get here? We’ve had the crossroads under twenty-four surveillance.”

“He must’ve gotten here another way,” I said. “His spies probably warned him that we have the crossroads under constant surveillance.”

“It’s possible, but I want to make sure everybody in the pack is taking this job seriously.” West’s expression was grim as he looked at Anna. “Make a list of everybody who was on duty this past week and invite them to an emergency meeting at seven.”

I would not want to be on the receiving end of whatever lecture West was planning to give.

West pivoted to face us. “I heard about Birdie Danvers. Do we think the two are related?”

“Yes,” the chief and I said in unison.

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