Page 31 of Shifting Spirits

It’s definitely time to go home.

Chapter Eighteen

Carter

Thesunisburningthrough the breaks in the foliage by the time Wolf Creek’s entrance road can be seen from the woods we’re running through. Despite making good time since we started heading back, we apparently spent a whole night in the forest.

When we run out of coverage, I look to Silas for a plan.

He steps out onto the empty road, so I guess we’re staying in our animal forms and hoping no one who’s only human sees us wandering out here. As far as plans go, it’s probably the most sensible one we’ve got. We might not want humans to see two wolves walking on the road, but we definitely don’t want any random people to catch us wandering home naked and dirty, either.

We have a bad enough reputation with our neighbors as it is.

Silas takes the lead when we get to the house, darting around back and leaping the backyard fence into the more local woodland we turned our noses up at earlier.

He shifts into his human form and slings his shirt over his head swiftly.

I don’t put enough effort into my jump, and I end up with splinters in the back of my leg.

“Damn it,” I mutter as I try to pick them out.

“Not your priority right now, Carter,” Silas tells me as he’s shoving on his jeans.

“Well, it feels like it is,” I tell him. “It fucking stings.”

He rolls his eyes. “Put your clothes on. I’ll find tweezers and take the splinters out when we get inside.”

“Fine,” I mutter, throwing on my shirt.

Fuck knows where my wrist cuffs are and I’m not looking around for them when I’m already several hours late for a good night’s sleep. I yawn as I put my underwear back on. I carry my pants over one arm, and I only stumble a little when I step over the fence.

Silas moves ahead of me, his boots in one hand while the other roots around inside his pockets.

He turns around and walks back to the fence suddenly, making me pause.

“Did you lose something?”

“Keys,” he grumbles as he looks around.

“You never lose your keys.”

“I also never spend all night running around forests.” He gets down on his knees and then looks up.

“It’s her, isn’t it?” I ask, making him frown. “She’s out here, now.”

He confirms it with his thoughts. Sara’s back. I swallow the urge to ask what she’s here for.

He lets out a sigh and looks back at me. “Adrian came out here a while ago and took the keys out of my pocket. The doors will be locked to keep Rachel safe.”

“I’ll go around front and make a scene,” I decide out loud, attempting to give Silas a chance to speak to his half-sister alone, and without forcing her to possess me again.

He doesn’t seem happy as I walk away, but he also doesn’t follow me.

I bypass the back door and head around the side of the building. It’s warm out and I’m tempted to lay down on the front lawn and take a nap. Maybe if Adrian ignores the doorbell, I will.

I’d much rather get inside and curl up next to our sleeping beauty of a mate.

The thought of snuggling into bed beside Rachel makes my lips twitch into an unsinkable smile.

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