"He's coming," Tao murmured, reaching back to grab another sweater from the backseat and thrusting it at me. "Put that on."
With some difficulty, I hauled it over my head, struggling to thrust my hands through the sleeves then pushing them up because they were way too long for me. The wool smelled of Tao—the musk of wolf combined with exotic wood and Oriental spices—and for some reason it made me feel safe. The world might be going to hell, but I had my friends—and that was all that mattered.
Soft footsteps echoed across the night. I blew out a breath that flicked the sweaty strands of hair away from my forehead, then pressed the button and lowered the window the rest of the way, watching Uncle Rhoan's approach through the side mirror.
"Have either of you been in there?" he said, his silvery gaze sweeping us both as he leaned down. His expression was dark, to say the least.
"I went in there briefly as an Aedh," I admitted, knowing it wasn't the time for all-out lies. "I wasn't in time to help and there was no one else in there, so I came back out."
"And you didn't touch anything?"
"Other than the floor briefly when I shifted shape to see what scents haunted the room, no."
"Good. Now, would you like to explain just what the fuck you're doing here?"
I retreated from the anger that was practically boiling from him, even though his voice was calm. "We were just following him."
"Risa, I said we'd deal with it. You haven't got the training to handle this sort of stuff."
I might not be trained, but I sure as hell was more capable than him when it came to sensing soul stealers. I wisely kept the words inside, though. Taking that particular tack wouldn't gain me anything more than his fury. And he was angry enough as it was.
"Go home, Ris," he said, slapping the car with his palms. "I'll contact you when we have any news."
He stepped back. I glanced at Tao, who grimaced but shoved the car into gear and left.
"Well, that went surprisingly well," I commented once we were out of earshot.
Tao gave me an incredulous look. "The man was barely resisting the urge to rip you out of the car and spank you!"