Before she could pursue that thought, she heard a strange noise outside her door. Was Coyote coming back?
Something large struck the door hard a split second before it was wrenched open. Reacting purely on instinct, she charged the newcomer and kicked out with everything she had, hoping it would be enough to overpower him.
He fell straight to the ground, where he rolled back and forth on his shoulders in utter agony. A loud groan filled her ears. She moved to kick his groin again.
"Abigail!" he snapped, lifting his arm to prevent her infamous nut-cracker stomp. "Stop!"
Unsure whom she was dealing with, she narrowed her gaze on the man. "Are you Ren or Coyote?"
He flashed into the body of the crow. But it didn't last long. A heartbeat later, he returned to his male form.
Granted, he was still a little green around the gills ... and cupping himself. But he was Ren again. And he was whimpering.
"Oh, come on, you big baby. I didn't hit you that hard."
"I completely disagree. You kick like a damn mule, and I swear both my testicles are now lodged in my throat." He let out a long breath as he pressed his hand to his groin. Then slowly, he rose to his feet. Biting his lip, he let out several sounds of severe pain before he stood and glared angrily at her.
She backed up, unsure of his intent. Would he kill her for his brother?
"What's wrong with you?"
Abigail hesitated. "I'm fine. What's wrong with you?"
"You kicked me in the balls."
There was that. And then there was the other matter. "What are you doing here?"
"I was trying to rescue you, but I'm thinking it was bad idea. And damn, you're still bundled up. I'd hate to see what you could do with unrestricted access."
Likely story. Who would have ever questioned him coming in to save her? But she wasn't that stupid. "How did you know where I was?"
"I tracked one of the coyotes back here." He pulled a knife out of his pocket and took a step toward her.
Abigail backed up in trepidation. "I'd rather wait till Jess gets here."
He didn't listen. Instead, he sliced through her bindings and let them fall to the floor. "We don't have time to wait.... Are you sure you're okay? You're as skittish as a cat in a Doberman factory."
She hesitated. Was he leading her home?
Or somewhere far more sinister?
"Abigail?"
"I don't want to go with you."
He recoiled as if she'd slapped him. "You don't have to worry about your privacy. I won't betray you."
"That's not what I'm worried about."
"What, then?"
"Your loyalty. You want to talk to me about Coyote and explain why he looks just like you?"
Busted. It was written all over his face. She could almost see the gears grinding in his head.
"Yeah," she accused. "That's what I thought."
He shook his head. "No. It's not what you think."