Page 86 of Forget Me Not

Ray had no specific thoughts about who was behind the small conspiracy, if one existed. But there were easier ways to kill even a werewolf, if the department or a few in the department had decided on that course of action.

The thought was a distant one. Ray supposed he’d probably feel it more later, when he really thought about it.

“They didn’t just want me out of the way. They are using him, hisname, against me.” Ray’s panic and pain at those words could not be a coincidence either. “Indirect or not, they might decide to try hurting Cal himself. He should stay out of sight, go somewhere safe, away from me.”

Calvin raised his eyebrows. “Very probably true.” He looked ill. “But are you going to tell him that? Because I would like to not be there for that explosion. And he’s not going to go. You could be logical, you could shout and order him to, you could try pushing him away…”

“But he’ll do what he wants anyway,” Ray finished. That Calvin had ever convinced Lis to go must have been some sort of miracle, if she was anything like her son. No, Ray corrected his absent thought; Cal had implied that Calvin had been the one to leave and then Lis had moved away on her own.

That would never work for Ray unless Ray left Los Cerros altogether. To keep Cal safe, he would do it, although he had no idea where he would go. Back home to his mother’s? Farther than that?

Somehow, he imagined,knew, that Cal would follow. Unless Ray truly did not want him, Cal would follow. It had only been three days, but Ray didn’t think he could believably convince Cal that Cal should stay away from him.

So the solution then was to stay near Cal, be sharper, be ready.

“Whatever you’re thinking, I would advise against any decisions until you’ve rested some more and maybe eaten.” Calvin rose to his feet, then paused. “And talked with Cal.”

“Calvin,” Ray stopped him before Calvin reached the door, “are you all right?”

“This morning was not my first moment of danger,” Calvin answered without moving. “No,” he said a moment after that. “First time I was ever a civilian facing that. First time I ever had to think what it might do to them to have both of us gone.” He cleared his throat. “In less than a second, I thought, Lis would protest. Grieve, but protest. Cal… Cal would take over the city.”

Ray pulled in a breath.

Calvin cleared his throat again, but his voice stayed rough. “But don’t agonize over it now. There’s no point. We solve this.Thenit’s a matter for our therapists.”

“I have a therapist?” Ray was genuinely surprised.

Calvin turned back to him to offer a smile. “No. But maybe you should look into it, when this is over. Rest up now, kid. All right? Cal’s not going to go easy on you for much longer.”

***

IT WAS NOT a statement to make Ray relax.

He replayed the scene in Guerrero’s in his mind more than once. Not the moments with the two officers, which heshouldthink about, but couldn’t. He thought of standing over a stranger’s kitchen sink while they washed his hands for him, unafraid of a werewolf who had lost control. He ought to know their name. But he had never spent as much time in the village as he should have. Never talked to people outside of work. Guerrero’s was an institution. Ray should know it better. He shouldn’t have let anyone take that from him too.

Another half an hour went by. Then an hour. Ray’s stomach growled although he couldn’t imagine eating anything. His washcloth grew warm. Cal did not return to the bedroom. He might have hoped Ray was sleeping. He might have been angry. Ray couldn’t tell from his tone in the conversations he could make out through the walls.

Benny called Cassandra back and put her on speaker with the volume so loud, Ray nearly assumed Benny had done it for his benefit.

“I’ve been asking around, looking through sources.” Cassandra’s voice went in and out as if she was using speakerphone as well and kept stepping away. “The problem, as I said, is that werewolves tend to avoid magic and magic-users. But a friend at a college that has different magic schools hooked me up with a contact—someone who is mated to a werewolf, in fact. I also…” She lowered her voice so that Ray had to go to the door and strain to hear her. “I happen to know a were who lost a mate.”

The others made commiserating noises. Ray put a hand against the door and stared at his fingers to make sure they stayed ordinary and human-looking. Then he wondered what other were Cassandra knew and if it was the one Ray had met outside her shop.

But that were had been happy.

“…If you have questions about that, he said he’s willing to help,” Cassandra continued.

Calvin was confused. “This werewantsto talk about it?”

“Well,” Cassandra hesitated, “he’s willing, anyway. It probably helps that he… he found a new mate.”

Ray’s hand slipped. He barely stopped his head from cracking into the doorjamb.

He thought his ears were ringing, then realized it was Benny and Cal exclaiming at each other until Calvin finally snapped for everyone to calm down.

Then Cal said, “Sorry,” in a quiet enough voice that Ray wondered if it was meant for him. If it was, Ray could go out there and listen without effort.

He didn’t move.

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