Heart's Price (MxM)

Chapter 48

By the afternoon, I've pretty much recovered. I might not heal as fast at some Wolves, and maybe I'm a bit more susceptible to things like the common cold than most, but I'm still a Wolf at the end of the day.

Speaking of days, I learn I've been out of it for most of the last two, and that now only two remain until the full moon.

In the meantime, I can't stop thinking about Ambrose, and about what exactly had triggered his abrupt reversal.

In the space of twenty-four hours, he'd gone from charming me out of my clothes to throwing me out of his life, and I want to understand why; I want to know if this is really what he wants, or if whatever he discovered drove him to do the only thing he could to keep me safe.

I'm just worried that by the time I figure it out—if I ever do—it might be too late either way.

When I raise the topic of keeping a watch on Ambrose's house, though, Dane surprises me.

"We have been. Freya and I are taking it in turns. There's been no sign of...well, anything," he says. "No one's come in or out, and most of the lights stay off at night. It's almost like there's no one home."

We're standing outside, watching Julian and Freya throw Dougal's ball as far out into the meadow as they can, making him hunt for it through the tall grass. The weather has turned, the clouds clearing off, and the afternoon sun is golden and warm and feels good on my back through the borrowed sweater I'm wearing.   

"Almost?" I ask.

Dane shifts his weight, leaning against one of the posts supporting the porch's overhanging roof.

"We've seen lights in what I take it are the bedrooms," he says. "It seems like everyone's holed up in their own, probably only coming out at predetermined times for meals and so on."

"I guess that makes sense," I reflect.

Dane shrugs. "It's the best they can do, in the circumstances. The thief and/or murderer has been able to infiltrate even the most secure spaces without detection. Of course, if I were them, I'd put the final gift-relic somewhere beyond reach, at least until after the full moon—a bank vault or something—but I'm guessing Aileen isn't willing to part with it."

"I'm not sure she can," I say. "I mean, once they all realized what was happening, that would've been the thing to do, right? Lock the relics away somewhere more secure. None of them have done that, though. I think that's probably what the thief has been counting on. If she—or he—knows where the owner is, she knows where the relic is, too."

"It's the warnings I don't get," Dane says. "Why alert the victims to exactly when and where each relic would be stolen? It's done no good, but why give them the chance to prevent it from happening at all?"

"Maybe that's the point," I consider. "Maybe the thief is giving the Oakfields and Thornes one last chance to...to give up what's most important to them in order to protect it."

Dane regards me, a slight frown pulling at his mouth. "If that is what Ambrose is doing, then he's the only one out of them all who's managed to pass that test. I think you ought to respect that."

"What do you mean?" I ask, returning his frown with my own.

"I mean it's clear that, for whatever reason, he wants you nowhere near that house. I don't either. Freya and I will keep watch, but I want you here, where it's safe."

"Dane, I—"

"This is still my case," he interrupts, "and it's not over."

"You were hired to protect a painting," I remind him, "and the guy who hired you is dead."