Page 73 of Piece You Saved

Rylan was at the hospital, and he could only have been there for one reason: to finish what he’d started in the attic. If he’d found Aden there…

The memory of Leo’s tortured body and his torn-out throat swims in my mind. Except it isn’t Leo’s face. It’s Aden’s.

I force myself to release my hold on the gun before I blow a hole right through the table, and probably my leg.

“Jane?” Concern softens Harley’s voice.

I shake my head. “What did he look like?”

“Dark hair, blue eyes. Expensive suit. He looked like he came from money. An alpha.” His gaze sharpens on me. “You know him.”

I put the gun on the table. It clatters as it hits the wood because my hand is shaking so much. Nodding, I wrap my arms around myself, hoping to chase away the coldness spreading within me.

His eyes dart to the bites on my neck. “The same man responsible for those?”

I consider how much I can or should tell him, but after a moment, I nod.

“And the same man who killed your friend’s brother and tossed his body in the garden for you to find?” he guesses.

I blink in surprise. “How did you know he was Dariel’s brother?”

He taps his right ear. “Heard the talk going on out there. And I saw him, Jane. They could’ve been twins.”

Right. Shifter. He’d have heard the alarm, my scream, and followed Kade out to the garden.

I try not to think about what Rylan must have done to Leo to put that look of agony on his face. And of course, my mind goes there anyway. Dariel warned Leo to stay out of the city, but Leo must have gone, and Rylan made him suffer before he died. Probably for hours.

He couldn’t get to Aden, so he went for someone else connected to us.

“Jane?”

I blink to bring Harley back into focus. Telling him about Rylan means involving him in this—pulling him into this mess. After what happened to Leo, I can’t do that.

“Yes. It’s the same man.”

Aden’s voice makes me whirl around to face the kitchen doorway.

He’s in sweatpants and nothing else. He looks weak and tired, but he doesn’t appear to be in a fight with his wolf.

“Aden!” I push myself to my feet. Before I can get halfway up, Aden is crossing toward me.

“You came here to help,” Aden says, his gaze on Harley as he sits at the table beside me. “You—” His eyes flicker and a growl emerges from his throat.

I freeze.

“He needs grounding, Jane,” Harley says calmly.

I glance at him. “What do you mean?”

He nods at Aden. “Your friend is through the worst of it, but he needs human touch to ground him. It helps tether him to his human self.”

I hesitate, remember it’s Aden, then stretch a hand across the table to take his left.

It’s probably a stupid thing to do when he’s not fully in control of himself, but if there’s anything I can do to help Aden, I’ll do it.

I squeeze his hand, and I watch, relieved, as the wolf in his eyes gives way to the man.

“Did your pack tell you this?” I ask.

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