"So we lose the information we came here to get?" he said, frustration evident in his voice.
"No, we won't. Just trust me, okay?"
He frowned, and then his gaze swept me. "How come your clothes are suddenly tatty? And how the hell did your hair change color?"
"Long story. Let's get these back to Uncle Rhoan before he comes looking for us."
I grabbed my purse and walked out. He was very quickly beside me. "You're avoiding the question."
"Too right."
"Why? What are you hiding?"
"Secrets, of course." I gave him a somewhat wry glance. "Secrets I'm not about to reveal to a reporter, let alone the one who besmirched my mom's name."
He was silent for a moment, then said slowly, "Nadler's not the only one who's a face-shifter, is he?"
I didn't say anything. He grinned. "That's it. That's the secret. Or at least one of them. I suspect you have a whole lot more, because from what I understand of face-shifting, it doesn't destroy clothes like shifting into wolf form can."
"And you've talked to lots of face-shifters to confirm this, have you?" I asked.
"Ha. Confirmation of my guess. Where'd the skill come from—your mom?"
I glanced at him. "You're the one who did the extensive background check on my mom. You tell me."
He grimaced. "Pack background wasn't something I could pin down. But if she was a face-shifter, she had to be a Helki. No other pack has that skill."
"You know I'm not going to confirm or deny anything, so give it up."