Page 32 of Ashes

“She lied. Again.” I lean back in my chair, resting my hands on the table. “I do believe she wanted you to know the truth, Nova. But I also believe she called me because she’s out of options.”

“She thought you could help find him?”

I nod. “Yes.”

“Can you? Find him?”

I take the phone back and slot it into my pocket. “Sarah hired a private detective.Severaldetectives. She spent every last dime trying to track Sam down. So, wherever he is, it’s not going to be easy.”

“Will you try? You and Mack?” Nova pulls her hair over her shoulder and smooths it between her hands. “I know we have bigger things to deal with right now, but… he’s all I have left of my family. If he’s out there, and if he’s in trouble, I need to know.”

Since the moment she walked into town, I’ve refrained from looking into this human’s eyes for too long. But now, I look.Reallylook. They flicker with the same heat I’ve seen in my own.

“I’ll talk to Mack,” I tell her. “But we’ve got some hurdles to jump first.”

“Nico,” she breathes.

“And the Bureau.”

She looks out at the fountain. It won’t be long before sunset. “If he’s been lying, why hasn’t Tanner felt it? I know he doesn’t like him, but wouldn’t he have known if Nico was…” She sighs, shaking her head.

“He lied, Nova. Tanner didn’t feel it because Nico hid it from him.”

“I didn’t know that was possible.”

“It takes practice. Wolves are hard to read at the best of times, and they’re good at masking.”

“Right.” She smooths her thumbs over the sides of her mug. As she opens her mouth to say something else, Mack appears with his phone in his hand.

“He just text. He’s at the wall.”

I raise my eyebrows. “He came back?” I didn’t expect that.

Mack nods. “Seems like it.”

A moment later, Kole and Tanner appear behind him. Kole moves straight to the table and puts his large hands on Nova’s shoulders. His finger brushes the bruise on her neck.

“Did he email you the results?” I ask Mack, trying not to think about what the hell happens now that Kole has tasted Nova’s blood.

“No. He said it wouldn’t work. Said he’d printed them.”

“Okay,” I reply quietly. “So, no one doesanythingto let him know we’re suspicious until we have that printout.”

“Get him inside. Get the test results. Then we’ll restrain him,” Mack agrees.

“Mack, our restraining privileges have been removed,” I remind him. “If we use police spells, we’ll—”

“Be suspended?” Mack laughs ironically and rolls his eyes.

I nod, biting my lower lip. Fair enough. We’re already in shit loads of trouble. Might as well throw all caution out of the window.

We settle into silence and watch the lawn. After a few minutes, Nico appears. He shifts by the fountain and strides up to the house dripping wet from the river.

He takes the steps two at a time. When he reaches the top, he waves. He’s smiling. The asshole is smiling. So, we smile too.

* * *

“Hey, what a welcome party.” Nico pushes the doors open and grins broadly at us. “Luther, welcome back, man. You okay?”

---