Page 23 of The Dog in the Alley

I echoed his sigh. “Yeah, I know.”

One of those people was Elliot’s cousin, River. She’d disappeared from work one day when I was fourteen and Elliot was fifteen. She’d been two weeks from her nineteenth birthday.

No one knew what had happened. Then it hit me like a punch to the gut.

“Hey El, would you want to know? If River—”

“You seriously have to even ask me that?”

I felt like a total ass now. I should have asked Ward a year ago, when I’d found out just how powerful he really was. Fuck. I should have asked him to try when I first met him, but the fact that I hadn’t even thought about River Crane until now was just more evidence that I was an enormous, self-centered dick.

Elliot knew that, in theory, but I didn’t need to make a point of emphasizing it by admitting just how big of an asshole I actually was.

“I know a guy, El. He could find out.”

Elliot went quiet. “You mean that?”

“Would I say it if I didn’t?”

“No,” he whispered, and I could hear the emotion in his voice.

I amsucha selfish dick.

From his doggy bed, my furless friend looked up at me. “Don’t give me that look,” I told him.

“What?”

“Not you, El. My new shifter friend.”

“The Xolo?” I could hear him getting his emotions under control.

“Yeah.” I let out a breath, still berating myself internally. “My new friend who won’t shift. Which is what I wasactuallygoing to ask you.”

Elliot was quiet for a moment. “Won’t, or can’t?” he asked.

“What would make itcan’t?” I wanted to know. Mark Roberts had told Ward the same thing—that hecouldn’tshift. And if Elliot could tell me what could actuallystopmy hairless friend from shifting, then I might be able to fix the problem. Or find someone who could.

Elliot made a soft humming growl. “Could be a few things, I suppose. Trauma, for one. I’ve known shifters who can’t shiftintoanimal form because of PTSD, so I’d expect it’s possible for them not to be able to shift out of it for the same reason. And drugs. Beta blockers, specifically. In some cases, sickness can make it too difficult.”

“What kind of sickness?”

“I’m a carpenter, Val. Why the fuck would I know that?”

“I don’t know! You knew thatbeingsick could make a shifter not shift.”

Elliot made a huffing sound that was eerily reminiscent of the damn dog. “I’m sure there are several options. But if you really think he’s not shifting because he’s notableto shift, you should take him to a doctor.”

“I did that already. I didn’t ask the vet to look for drugs or anything, though. We were more concerned the dislocated hip and broken leg.”

“Shit, Val. What did this poor guy get into?”

I sighed, trying to ignore the fact that the dog kept staring at me. “Honestly, I’m not completely sure. But out of five shifters, he’s the only one who didn’t get his throat torn out by a vampire.”

“Fucking hell, Val.”

“I know, El.”

“That’s enough to traumatize anyone.”

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