little unpredictable when a more dominant wolf was injured. It was a good time to eliminate the dominant and take his place. It didn't usually happen when an even more dominant wolf like Charles was around to keep the peace and protect the pack, but better to be safe. Happily, Malcolm seemed honestly concerned about his Alpha.
Anna ranged, sometimes walking beside Charles, but mostly trotting in a wide circle around them, looking for danger. Leslie took rear guard, her gun out and ready to shoot. Hally walked in front of them, leading the way as she mostly ignored them all.
They staggered and stumbled, wounded but triumphant, singing the old Welsh folk song "Ar Lan y Mor." And if there was something odd about returning from battle singing about lilies, rosemary, rocks, and - for some reason he'd never fathomed - eggs, of all things, by the sea, well, then the three of them made it sound pretty good and only he and Beauclaire knew Welsh.
Chapter 10
On the boat, Charles stretched out his legs and tried to ignore the lingering ache of that last change. Anna had tried sitting several different places, but the human seats were too narrow and the wrong shape. The ledges she'd used on the way over were slick, and instead of using her claws to dig into the fiberglass, she slid around with the motion of the sea. Finally she'd heaved a huge sigh and curled up by his feet on the deck.
Beauclaire had forbidden any questioning of his daughter until she'd seen a doctor. Goldstein and Isaac had elected to stay behind until the various agencies summoned arrived on the island. Malcolm told them that he'd decided Beauclaire and the wolves might need rescuing when he heard a boat leaving the island. Charles felt safe enough making the assumption that the horned lord they'd fought had left in that boat. Which would mean that very little danger remained - but it was good that Isaac had stayed anyway, just to make sure everything was okay.
Charles rather suspected that Isaac had decided to put off the boat trip until he felt better, though he'd felt good enough to change back to human. Hally was staying with Isaac to make sure that the residual magic didn't get a grip on any of the forensic people who were going to go over the island with a fine-tooth comb.
So the boat was a lot emptier on the way back than it had been on the way over.
Leslie left Beauclaire in the back half of the boat to sit beside Charles.
"She's in pretty rough shape," she said, sitting precisely on the edge of the seat. "There will be an ambulance waiting for us at the Daciana's regular berth."
The FBI agent looked a little less than professional, wrapped in a blanket from the boat, her hair windblown. Like Charles and Anna, she'd been up for a little more than twenty-four hours. Lack of sleep and lack of the subtle makeup that had worn off sometime while running around the island added years to her face.
It intrigued Charles that she chose to sit next to him with so many seats available.
"You aren't afraid of me?" he asked.
Leslie closed her eyes. "Too tired to be afraid of anything. Besides, if you could see my husband, you'd understand that it takes a lot to scare me."
That sparked his curiosity. "How is that?"
"Linebacker for the LSU Tigers for three years in college," she said without opening her eyes. "Hurt his shoulder his senior year or he'd have gone pro. He's six-five and two hundred forty-two pounds. None of it is fat, not even now. He teaches second grade." She looked at him. "What are you smiling about?"
Charles opened his eyes wide. "Nothing, ma'am."
She smiled a little. "Jude says he loves the kids better than he ever did football. But he coaches the local high school team anyway."
"You didn't come over here to tell me about your husband," he said.
"No." Leslie looked at him and then away. "How old are you?"
"Older than I look," Charles said. "A lot older."
She nodded. "I've asked around about you. We have some werewolves who talk to the FBI. They tell me that you're a detective for all the wolves. You come in and solve crimes."
He wondered if that was all they'd told her - and thought it probably was. He didn't respond because he didn't know if agreeing with her was more of a lie than disagreeing with her would