Magic Misled (Lizzie Grace #7) - Keri Arthur Page 0,58
purse and carefully wiped away the grit from my hand. It hurt like blazes, and I found myself hoping that the werewolf ability to fast heal asserted itself overnight. I wouldn’t be doing a whole lot in the café tomorrow if it didn’t.
The sound of light footsteps had me glancing around. Aiden appeared, his gaze quickly scanning me as his nostrils flared. “How bad are the wounds this time?”
“I skinned my palm, but it’ll be fine.”
“What about your back? Because the blood scent is more prevalent there.”
“Her claws tore open my jacket and sweater, but I don’t think she did too much damage given it’s not really hurting—”
“You always say that when the opposite is generally true. Turn around.”
I did so. He inspected the damage, his fingers so warm against my skin as he parted the various layers of clothes. “The cut’s not deep, but it’s long. You’ll not be very comfortable sleeping for the next few nights. Hand?”
I turned and obediently held out my palm. “Who was our other searcher?”
“Jack Martin.” He gently peeled away the tissue. “This is certainly nastier than your back. The first aid kit in the truck contains some numbing salve. You’re probably going to need it before the night is out.”
I needed it now, but I wasn’t going to admit that. He’d only fuss some more. “Is Martin connected to the other victims?”
“Unknown. What happened to our creature?”
“She threw magic at me and got away. But I did at least get a good look at her.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Good enough to do a facial composite?”
I nodded. “She really is a mash of human and wolf, but it might be enough for recognition software to do a database search.”
“That’s presuming she’s in our database.” He wrapped the tissue back around my hand, then lightly touched my arm and guided me through the trees. “If she’s human, she may not be.”
That had my eyebrows rising. “Meaning you keep photo IDs of all the werewolves in the reservation?”
“In a manner of speaking, yes.”
“Care to define that?”
“The council keeps a detailed register of all births within the reservation.”
“That much I already knew.” The High Witch Council did the same thing and for the same reason—to avoid inbreeding.
“Yes, but wolf registers are fully accessible to all other reservations, no matter where in the world they are. It contains not only lineage details, but descriptions, photo ID of the subject when they turn eighteen, and what they might or might not want in a mate.”
I blinked. “So it’s basically a dating site?”
A smile teased his lips. “Basically.”
“And have you ever accessed this site?”
“Never needed to.”
“Because you’ve already found your perfect woman?”
“I believed so.”
Believed. It was a word that had my hopes stirring and yet it was an undeniable fact that until Mia did come back to the reservation, he and I would never know for sure whether she truly was his “one.”
“Does Martin live in this area?”
“No. He was visiting a friend.”
“So he might not have been our hunter’s intended target?”
“Indeed. I’ve sent Tala over to interview them both. Monty will meet her there.”
“So he finally answered his phone?”
“He did.”
“Did he say why he had it switched off?”
“He did not.”
The amusement in his tone had me glancing at him. “You have suspicions?”
“And you don’t?” He tsked. “You disappoint me.”
I raised my eyebrows. “He can’t have been with Belle and Ava. They’ve been out all day, and he made his usual appearance at the café for coffee and cake.”
“Doesn’t mean he couldn’t have joined them for dinner.”
“True.” I pursed my lips. “I shall have to interrogate Belle in the morning.”
“I’m surprised you’re not doing that now.”
“It’s easier to do face to face. She can’t hide her reactions as well.” Besides, my hand and my back were aching with renewed vigor, and I really couldn’t be bothered.
He must have sensed my tiredness, because he wrapped an arm around my shoulders and tucked me close. “Let’s get you home.”
“Don’t you have to meet Tala?”
He shook his head. “She’s more than capable of handling the situation, and with Monty there, they shouldn’t be in any danger.”
I certainly hoped not. It took half an hour to get back to his truck, and by that time, my head had joined in on the pain party. I raided the stash of food he kept in the glove compartment, retrieving a small tetra pack of juice and a Mars Bar. After swallowing a couple of painkillers, I munched on the Mars Bar and watched while he spoke