expecting an angry cat searching for treats, but Cricket was nowhere in sight. Deirdre smiled very faintly when she caught me searching, and instead glanced yet again at Henry. The wolf at least put down his ruined sandwich and wiped his hands very, very deliberately.
“He won’t get to you here,” Henry said, and it sounded like a promise.
My cheeks heated as I found myself caught in the blue intensity of his gaze. My mouth dried out and every word I knew fled until I could only stare at him.
Deirdre broke the silence with an authoritative, “No, he will not.”
I jumped, holding onto the arms of my chair so I didn’t take off running. No man had ever looked at me like Henry did just then, and I didn’t know how to react. It reminded me in a distant way of the possessive air Rocko took on when he first told me I was never leaving, that I had to be with him forever. Everything Rocko said sounded like a threat, while Henry… Henry made a promise. It left a warmth in my chest that I couldn’t explain. I should have wanted to run from the way Henry reacted, and yet… it still felt fine to stay.
Better than fine, truly.
But that didn’t mean I could let them dismiss Rocko’s threat so easily. “You don’t understand. He’s…powerful. He’s a talented sorcerer and he’s…very focused on using a witch’s magic to supplement his own. I don’t think he’ll give up.”
Miles shrugged and took a strawberry off Deirdre’s plate. “He’s never tried to take someone from my pack before. He’ll fail.”
“Someone from your pack?” I looked around, uncertain. “I appreciate that you’re letting me stay here, but I certainly don’t expect you to sacrifice to—”
“Not a sacrifice,” Miles said. No one else spoke. The abrasive, antagonistic tone sounded almost reassuring—he was so certain of himself that I couldn’t help but feel certain as well. “The cat likes you, so you’re part of the pack as long as you want to be. We don’t keep people hostage.”
He jerked his chin in the direction of the windowsill, where Cricket sunned himself, and went back to scrounging for food on his mate’s plate. Deirdre pushed him away and offered me a faint smile. “You can tell me more about this sorcerer and how his magic works. We have other friends in the city who might be able to help deal with him, if it comes to that. I have full confidence that Miles’s ego will inflate to the size of the entire city and will simply suffocate the bastard to death.”
I snorted, then clapped a hand over my mouth to keep from laughing more. At least Henry cracked a smile, and Mercy giggled loudly enough I didn’t feel bad for my own outburst. Miles yawned and stretched his shoulders, using it as an excuse to tug on Deirdre’s braid. “Confidence, girl, not ego.”
“Whatever you say,” she said under her breath. Deirdre got up and gestured for me to do the same. “If you’re done eating, I can show you my workroom and we can go over how to track down this sorcerer.”
“Track him down?” I got slowly to my feet. “If he’s not here in the city, why would…”
“Because we don’t believe in a fair fight,” she said, smiling. A certain coldness slid over her features and made her look both ancient and terrifying. “We will bring the fight to him, if that’s what it takes to convince him to leave this city alone.”
I picked up my plate and looked around for where to take it, but Deirdre shook her head. She patted her mate’s head. “Luckily Mr. Confidence here volunteered to do the dishes.”
“I did no such—” he started, but Deirdre squeezed his shoulder and whispered something in his ear, and he turned a little red and shut up.
The rest of the pack grinned and traded looks, then everyone disappeared with impressive speed. Well, everyone except Henry. He lingered, gripping the back of his chair, and didn’t quite look at me. “You will be safe here, do not worry.”
Then he disappeared up the stairs without another word and without looking back.
I frowned as I watched him go, then shook myself and turned my attention back to Deirdre. I found her studying me, an oddly intense expression on her face, and I flushed without having any real reason to. “Your workroom?”
She gestured toward the back of the house. “This way.”
I followed her but nearly stumbled into the