Page 53 of Howling Night

I quickly hit the call button, and he answered on the first ring.

“Everly! Where have you been? Are you alright?” His voice was tight with concern.

“Um, I’m okay,” I said, glancing down at my blood-splattered clothing. “Service went out on my phone again. Where were you? I was trying to?—”

“Tried a different idea to get things to end with Kellan,” Ryder said, shaking his head. “I meant to call sooner. I know it’s late, but can I stop by? I need to talk to you.”

I glanced down at myself again — blood on my clothes and skin, dirt on my hands, and a leaf in my hair. “Um, sure, but I have to jump in the shower.”

“A shower?” he asked. “I figured you’d be sleeping.”

“Well, I wasn’t. I’ll explain later,” I said, not wanting to think about my encounter with Francis over the phone. Not to mention if he heard about Kellan, he’d probably lose it. “How far are you?”

“Twenty minutes maybe,” he said, pausing. “I heard Trevor dropped off your car, and for a minute I thought you bolted.”

I drew in a slow breath. “I haven’t yet. See you soon, okay?”

“Bye,” Ryder said, ending the call.

I rushed to the bathroom, stripping off my stained clothes and piling them in the corner of the floor. I’d deal with them later… by burning them.

The hot water hit my skin, and I watched as Francis’s blood swirled down the drain in pale pink spirals. I scrubbed frantically, needing to erase every trace of the night’s horror from my body.

As I rubbed shampoo into my hair, I thought about what I would tell Ryder. I couldn’t keep what happened with Francis a secret because Kellan or another wolf would tell him about it.

I’d also have to tell him I tried to leave, but that, for some reason, I just couldn’t. The worst part would be telling him that Kellan had saved my life… then again, maybe that meant Kellan would actually finally leave me alone. None of his wolves had been outside my house trying to scare and threaten me. It was possible that he’d given up on trying to kill me. Maybe everything Ryder was doing had worked.

I finished my shower and wrapped myself in a towel just as there was a knock at the door. My heart jumped into my throat, and I quickly slipped on my robe.

I rushed to the window. Relief washed through me when I saw Ryder standing on the porch, his shoulders tense under his flannel shirt.

I unlocked the door and opened it. “Sorry, I just finished. You weren’t out there waiting long, were you?”

“No,” he said, his eyes scanning my face. “Just got here.”

“Let me get dressed,” I said, and he caught my arm.

He gestured to the couch. “Let’s talk first.”

As I sank down on the couch, I tightened my robe, trying to appear more composed than I felt. My hands settled in my lap, fingers fidgeting with the tie of my robe.

Ryder remained standing for a few minutes, pacing the small space in front of the coffee table. He sucked in a deep breath before lowering himself to the cushions.

“So,” I said, swallowing hard, “what did you want to talk about?”

Ryder looked at his hands and then at me. “I managed to talk to Kellan earlier today.”

“And?” I prompted when he didn’t continue.

“After a short discussion, I managed to get him to agree to leave you alone,” Ryder said, his voice measured.

My shoulders relaxed. “That’s wonderful!”

“No more threats. No more wolves harassing you, nothing,” he said, looking back down at his hands.

“Why aren’t you relieved?” I asked, my eyes narrowed.

Ryder took my hand in his. “I have to agree to his terms.”

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