Page 90 of Love Bites

“How much is Izzy struggling?” I asked Avery, knowing she was the only one everyone really talked to about that stuff.

“More than she’ll admit. She doesn’t feel like she fits here. You know how independent she is.”

I frowned. “We need to get rid of Curtis, so she can have more freedom.”

“Have you talked to Hale about that?”

“No.” Something in her expression made me suspicious. “What have you heard?”

“Clem has me spending time with her and the vampires when Zora gets tired of them. A few of them were talking about an argument someone overheard between Hale and a werewolf last week.”

My forehead creased. “An argument over the phone?”

“No. I guess he has an old friend who’s a wolf, and they met in his office.”

The crease deepened.

I remembered him mentioning someone who might be able to help with the situation, but last he’d told me, he hadn’t been able to get in contact with him.

“If they met in our wing of the Manor, Damian trusts him,” I said.

“I would assume so. He hasn’t mentioned it?”

“No, but we spend most of our time together playing our game,” I admitted. “I’ve been avoiding deep conversations, but I’ll ask him. Maybe his solution could pan out.”

“Maybe.” Avery lifted a shoulder.

We reached the security checkpoint, and I stopped before we walked through.

One of the guards waved at us, and I frowned again when he didn’t move to stop us.

“You’re not a prisoner here any more than we are,” Avery told me. “Watch.” She towed me through the security gate and down the hallway. We turned the corner and left, without anyone yelling, calling out behind us, or grabbing us.

We reallywerefree.

“We shouldn’t go any further,” I said, looking around the hallway of the neutral building we’d officially entered. The guy at the reception desk waved at us, and I recognized him from that first night.

Johnny, I think his name was?

He jogged over to us, his eyes bright. “Hey, it’s been a while. How are things going?”

“Pretty well,” I said, looking over my shoulder and then looking past him, toward the entrance to the wolves’ building.

He asked us something about our new rooms, and when I didn’t answer, Avery chatted politely with him.

As soon as she got the chance to end the conversation, we slipped back into the hallway.

“I haven’t heard from Damian. I’m surprised his guards didn’t call him,” I whispered, as we walked deeper into the hall.

“Maybe they did.”

“He would be here already if he knew I was trying to leave,” I said.

“Do you think he’d try to stop you more than the guards did?”

I didn’t have to think about the answer. “If I wanted to leave, he would just insist on going with me. But if he thought I was risking my life, he’d drag my ass back to our room.”

Avery’s lips curved upward. “You could do a lot worse.”

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