Page 69 of Grace of a Wolf 1
"Sorry it's tight." Lyre squeezes past to grab three glasses. "Always harder to move around when the slides are in."
My eyes follow her gesture toward the back half of the RV, which looks practically inaccessible. "What are slides?"
"Parts of the RV that extend outward." Lyre sets down the glasses and pours water from a filtered pitcher. "They give youmore living space inside. But when they're extended, I hang over into neighboring parking spaces, so I don't do it unless I have to. When I'm renting a space it's fine, but parking lots are a different matter. But it's free, so I can't complain."
Andrew shifts beside me, checking his watch as she hands us each a glass of water. "Actually, Grace, we should probably get going. We've stayed longer than we should have."
She rests her chin on her hand, observing us with her strange, slitted eyes. I fiddle with the glass, not answering him. He's right about the time, but I'm oddly reluctant to leave this tiny, colorful haven.
I've known this woman for all of an hour, yet there's something about her—something free and untethered, calling to the part of me that's been controlled my entire life.
"You could come with me, you know." Lyre's voice breaks through my thoughts.
My head snaps up, my heart suddenly thumping faster in my chest. "What?"
"You can come with me. I want to visit Yellowstone, so I'm headed that way tomorrow. I've got a friend there with some land and full hook-ups, so I can stay a while if I want to." She traces a pattern on the tabletop with her finger without looking, her eyes on mine. "You'd be welcome to tag along."
Yellowstone. It's a national park; I've seen pictures of it. And it's really far from here, putting a massive amount of distance between me and anyone with fur.
"Absolutely not," Andrew says, glancing at me. His voice lowers. "Don't forget, Rafe's coming soon."
Ugh. This is why I didn't want him to stick around.
Lyre's eyebrows rise, but she doesn't seem particularly offended. "Just offering." She shrugs, the gesture fluid and unconcerned, and sips at her water.
"Sorry. I'm not trying to be rude. We appreciate your help, but we have plans. And we don't know you very well." Andrew's polite, at least, as he explains things to her.
"Fair enough." She smiles at me, not him. "The offer stands though. Especially if thoseplansaren't really what you want to do."
I open my mouth, not even sure what I'm going to say, when his hand presses lightly on my arm.
"We really should go," he murmurs.
If he wasn't here, I know I'd take her up on the offer, but Andrew—
Wait. So what if he's right here? It isn't like I'm obligated to follow along with their ridiculous plan of bringing me back to the Blue Mountain Pack. In fact, I never planned on playing long with their plan to begin with. Andrew was always just a means out of there.
I square my shoulders, my shirt damp against my back, thanks to my wet hair. Something about the chemical smell lingering on my skin feels like a transformation—like shedding my old life.
"I want to come with you," I tell Lyre, my voice louder than I meant for it to be. "To Yellowstone. If you really don't mind."
The words hang in the cramped air. For a split second, I feel weightless, like I've jumped off a cliff and haven't started falling yet. It's even better than when I tried to escape the first time; it feels as if I can reach out and touch the light at the end of my dark and twisted tunnel of life.
"Grace!" Andrew jumps up, but his thighs slam into the underside of the table. Water sloshes over the rim of his glass and he drops back into his seat, rubbing his legs as he curses, "Shit!"
Lyre's slitted eyes widen slightly, but her expression remains neutral as she watches our exchange.
"You can't be serious," Andrew hisses at me, snatching at my forearm. "What about Rafe?"
I yank my arm from his grip. The mention of Rafe's name hardens something inside me—calcifies all the doubts swirling through my mind. Lyre might even be the kind of person who lures innocent girls out of stores only to sell them later, but I'm taking my chances.
"I have absolutely no interest in returning to the pack, Andrew. Not for Rafe. Not for anyone."
Andrew's lips press together, his face dark. "The plan—"
"Was never my plan. It was yours and Ellie's, remember? You should go back, Andrew."
"Grace, you don't understand what you're doing." His voice drops even lower, eyes darting to Lyre and back to me. "The Lycan King—"
