Page 34 of Bite Marks & Broken Hearts

I watched them bicker like it was an increasingly aggressive tennis match, my head swivelling between the two. The tension crackled, so thick you could cut it with a knife.

“Fine!” Rory shoved his phone in his pocket. “I’ll email it all to you later. Happy?”

“Ecstatic,” Maxwell deadpanned.

We left through the same back entrance, Rory practically vibrating with rage. The moment we were out of earshot, he exploded.

“That absolute wanker!” He paced in tight circles, running both hands through his already chaotic hair. “Can you actually believe him? The nerve of that self-righteous prick, going on about proper procedure when he—” Rory cut himself off with a sound that was distinctly inhuman, and I flinched. Was he about to wolf out on me? “He arrested both me and another shifter. Threw us in a holding cell during a full moon, of all fucking things. Ruined our investigation, just to make himself look good at the station.”

“Hey.” I caught his arm, the muscles under my fingers coiled tight as springs.

I stumbled back at the sound that ripped from Rory’s throat—a deep, rumbling growl that sent every survival instinct in my body into overdrive. My heart leapt into my throat as his eyes flashed, something wild and decidedly not human flickering across his face.

“Shit, sorry.” Rory’s expression softened instantly, the anger draining away. He ran a hand through his hair again, messing it up even further. “I didn’t mean to… Sometimes I forget how new you are to all this.”

New? As in, yesterday?

My pulse gradually slowed as we walked back to his car in awkward silence. The moment we rounded the corner, Rory stopped dead.

“Oh, fucking great.” He yanked a parking ticket from under his windscreen wiper, threw it on the ground, and kicked the front tyre with enough force to make the whole car rock. “Don’t tell Seb.”

He and I were quickly amassing a long list of things I wouldn’t tell Sebastián about.

As we climbed into the Cortina, my chest twinged. I pressed my palm against my sternum, where the ice-cold sensation had thankfully started to fade.For now.The marks on that woman’s body… Would that happen to me? Was I going to end up on a metal slab while Rory and Detective Maxwell argued over my corpse?

My phone buzzed in my pocket, making me jump. I pulled it out, my stomach doing an odd little somersault when I saw Sebastián’s name on the screen.

Sebastián

Just heard you were at the police station. I sincerely hope you weren’t caught in the crossfire between our resident wolf pup and 'Detective Dickface’s' eternal feud. Their sexual tension gives me migraines.

I snorted, then quickly tried to hide it as a cough when the wolf in question glanced over from the driver’s seat. I stared at the message,finding my heart curiously pounding at the surprisingly friendly, conspiratorial tone.

I’m fine. Though I think I now understand why you pinch your nose so much.

The reply was instant:

They’re like children. Extremely dangerous, supernatural children with access to firearms and magical abilities.

I bit my lip to stop from grinning. What could I say to make the conversation continue?

For entertainment purposes, of course. It could be a long car ride, after all.

That detective seems… intense.

That’s one word for it. I prefer 'human embodiment of a Monday morning.'

A laugh escaped before I could stop it.

“What’s so funny?” The driver’s eyes narrowed suspiciously.

“Umm…” I shoved my phone away, probably a touch too quickly. “Just a friend.”

He didn’t look convinced. My phone buzzed again. I couldn’t resist immediately checking it.

Don’t let our puppy drive too recklessly. That car is held together with prayers and duct tape.

I glanced at the dashboard, which did indeed have several strips of silver tape holding various bits in place.

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