Resting against the tree trunk, he savored the feeling.
It couldn’t last forever, and after a few minutes, the chill broke into Tynan’s quiet. The air was too brisk to stay human for long.
He looked down at the little female at the center of the pool of calm. Sitting on the grassy bank.
So pretty. Dark hair, big eyes, and a determined jawline. Compellingly full breasts. Curves that he’d love to enjoy under a full moon. Or any time at all.
With a sigh, he turned his thoughts away from that line of thought.
Mentor, remember?
Right. Okay, then. She had healthy, sturdy legs…with scars.
Despite the dark night, wolf eyes could discern the appalling number of white lines on her skin. “Can you tell me how your ankle was injured?”
She froze like a rabbit spotting an eagle overhead, making his protective instincts roar to life.
Fecking git, why had he let his mouth ask that question? “I’m sorry, that was out of line.”
After a second, she gave him a wry smile. “Was it out of line? I haven’t quite figured out where the boundaries lie. In the compound, we weren’t allowed to speak to each other, so my knowledge of even basic manners, let alone traditions, can come up short.”
Ah, he hadn’t considered that handicap of imprisonment. Something else a good mentor should probably tackle. He rubbed his shoulder against the tree as he considered how to answer. “My question wasn’t completely out of line for a mentor. At the same time, it was…because you’re not yet comfortable with me.”
She nodded.
“As for the Daonain culture… Shifters, especially cats, are curious. Wolves stick their noses into anything having to do with pack members. In comparison, humans hide their bodies and emotions. Perhaps because of our animals, Daonain show more and worry about it less.”
“That’s…the most coherent explanation I’ve heard.”
He grinned. “When I went to live in Seattle, human behavior surprised me every day. After being there for a decade, now I can find it bumpy to be among shifters. So I do understand some of what you and the other hostages are experiencing.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Did the alpha figure that into his calculations when he assigned me to you?”
Smart females were so fucking appealing. “Shay weighs things out before he acts.”
“I bet you two are a lot alike.” Her shoulders straightened—and, aye, being a healthy male, he enjoyed the wobble of her full breasts. He could almost feel the weight of them in his palms.
No, mentor.
Pulling in a determined breath, she touched her ankle. “To answer your question, my ankle was broken soon after they let us out of the basement laboratories. We were weeding one of the vegetable gardens. Barbara—my friend—had never gardened. After a guard backhanded her for pulling a broccoli seedling, she was too scared to move. I got caught whispering to her, and the guard started hitting me with his cane. When I begged for him to stop, another guard joined in.”
A decade ago. Meggie couldn’t have been much older than thirteen. Tynan’s lingering guilt over killing Scythe guards disappeared. “The second guard broke your ankle?”
“I’m not sure which of them did.” Her hand tightened on her leg. “Darcy yelled at them. Shoved them away. They beat her—horribly—and came back to me. I guess I was an example to the others. By the time they finished, I had a lot of broken bones.”
Unable to speak past the growl in his throat, he watched as she unconsciously touched the long scar on her face, her arms, her ribs, her legs.
“The uniforms locked me and Darcy up for days. Left us. I’m still surprised we survived.”
“I’m glad you did.” Uniforms? A sick taste fouled Tynan’s mouth. Was that what she thought when she looked at him when he was dressed as a deputy? That he could be the type to brutalize children and females?
Fuck him, but he wasn’t going to let her continue to think that way. Not about uniforms. Not about him.
“Come, Meggie. It’s getting late. Time to head back to town.”
A while later, Tynan watched the little female as she followed him through an unmelted patch of snow. Her gait had slowed. She held her left hind leg off the ground—obviously because it hurt.
Despite his order earlier, she hadn’t said anything about growing tired or hurting. Next time, he’d watch her more closely…and choose a shorter route.
At the clearing outside the Wild Hunt caves, he paused so she could get a good sniff and orient herself. She understood, and her tail wagged