Page 29 of Relics of the Wolf

“I’ve known the van alongtime. We’re still new.” Duncan smirked and lowered his hand, fingers brushing along my bare back and my hip before they dropped away completely.

The fleeting touch sent a zing of hot pleasure through me, and I stepped away, turning my back so he wouldn’t see the gooseflesh tightening my body. I didn’t want him to know I was attracted to him, that he could so easily have an effect on me. Not until I knew where he stood.

“I will take that shirt, thanks.”

His amused, “Indeed,” was too knowing for my tastes.

9

When we reached the cabin,we found Lorenzo in human form—an olive-skinned man in his sixties with thick white hair—waiting on the porch with the rest of the family. Mom had gone inside. Thankfully, my cousins hadn’t returned. I didn’t want to worry about them anymore today.

Cars I didn’t recognize filled the small parking area, so Duncan had to tuck his Roadtrek under a pine tree beside the driveway. His new enormous tires had no trouble rolling over protruding roots.

Duncan was fully dressed now. It helped that he had a closet—well, a cabinet—in his van that he could draw upon. He’d lent me a checkered flannel shirt and sweatpants that I’d cinched so they wouldn’t fall down. My underwear had disappeared along with everything else, and without bra support, I felt like I was wandering around in oversized pajamas. Duncan hadn’t had anything suitable for me in the undergarment capacity. Maybe that was good. I might have judged him if he’d whipped out a collection of women’s lingerie that former lovers had left behind.

A few of my relatives had noticeable bruises, and one had a black eye, presumably from the fight the night before. The silver bullets might have made the only grievous wounds, but it looked like numerous pack members had ended up involved. Even Jasmine—who might have gotten my text and been the one to bring Lorenzo, Mom, and the others up the driveway to intervene—had a puffy, split lip.

“Thanks for coming,” Jasmine whispered to me when we got out of the van. “Augustus was supposed to know better than to attack you. Lorenzo told him to leave you alone.”

I nodded. I’d been there when Lorenzo had issued that warning to him.

“He was attacking Duncan,” I said, though I wasn’t positive that initial charge hadn’t been meant to take me out.

“Hi, Duncan.” Jasmine waved shyly at him, then leaned in close to whisper to me, “He’s hot.”

“He certainly thinks so.”

Duncan snorted. I had no doubt his hearing was keen enough that he’d caught both comments.

Jasmine blushed and waved for us to head into the cabin. We climbed the steps together, Duncan walking so close to me that I could almost feel the heat of his body.

Considering the number of sour looks we both got, I didn’t mind having a bodyguard. It was possible the family wouldn’t have been as grumpy if only I had arrived, and that they were mostly feeling prickly because of the attack the night before, but I didn’t know that. It wasn’t as if my going on one hunt with them had changed people’s feelings about me. Augustus had a reason to dislike me more than the others did, but I suspected many felt similarly to him, that I’d betrayed the pack by leaving—and taking that potion for so many years.

“You wait outside.” Lorenzo lifted a hand toward Duncan as he nodded for me to enter the cabin. “This is a family matter.”

Duncan lifted his hands unthreateningly. “No problem. Mind if I sniff around to see if I can catch a trace of the guys who attacked?”

“Wealready sniffed,” one of my relatives said, thumping himself on the chest. “They ran off into the woods that way before jumping into trucks that were waiting on the road.”

Ignoring him, Duncan looked at Lorenzo. “Mind if I sniff around?”

He might have picked out the white wolf as the pack alpha. I didn’t know if Lorenzo was considered that or not, especially given that he was on the older side, but he clearly had status with the family.

Lorenzo opened his mouth, looking like he might also say something dismissive, but he paused to consider Duncan, looking him up and down. He didn’t comment on Duncan seemingOld Worldor whatever others detected in him, but he did nod and wave a hand toward the woods.

“If you wish.”

When Duncan turned to head down from the porch, the young man who’d spoken moved to stand in front of him, chest puffed out. I’d been about to step into the cabin but paused. Was therealreadygoing to be more trouble?

“Take it easy, Rocco,” Jasmine said. “He kicked Augustus’s ass, and Augustus can flatten you with his hind legs tied by his tail.”

“He can’t take on the whole pack,” Rocco said. “And he doesn’t belong here. What are youdoinghere, outsider?”

“I’m Ms. Valens’ chauffeur,” Duncan drawled, looking and sounding unconcerned by the youngster blocking his way.

“She doesn’t belong here either,” someone muttered under their breath.

On the crowded porch, I couldn’t tell who, but my cheeks heated with the knowledge that my thoughts were correct. Augustus wasn’t the only one who resented me.

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