door that led to our backyard. But there was a lock, and I didn’t know if I’d have time to unlock the door and get through it before he reached me…
I never would have thought Brad could turn violent, but I never would have thought he could break into my house either. I needed to be smart more than I needed to be nice.
“Give me some time to think about it,” I said gently, going to the door. “I just need some space.”
He frowned at me as I reached the door. I released the lock.
He made no move to leave the chair, even though I was obviously ushering him out.
“That’s it?” he demanded. “You’re going to think about it? After I poured my heart out to you?”
“Brad, you hurt me,” I said, which was true. “I still love you—” Well, that was not. “But I need time to…think. But I’ll be in touch soon. I know where you live.”
I managed to smile, even though I was terrified.
He got to his feet.
The look on his face scared me.
I threw open the door and bolted.
“Lily!” he yelled, racing after me. He slammed into the kitchen table as he rushed toward me, and he cursed.
I ran across the dew-soaked grass of the backyard. It was a bright, sunny morning, the kind of morning where it feels like nothing can go wrong.
I almost slipped through his hands as he reached for me.
But I tripped over one of my grandfather’s potted plants.
I could feel him right at my back as I fell heavily onto my knees in the wet grass.
36
Brad tackled me, pinning me down by my shoulders. I should shout for help, but I was trying so desperately to throw him off me that I couldn’t draw breath to scream.
“Lily, I love you, don’t walk away from me,” he said, and there was a crazy gleam in his eyes that had nothing to do with the special frogs.
I knew in that moment that he really could hurt me.
He tried to pin me down. “Just listen!”
I got an arm free and punched him across the face as hard as I could.
He rocked back, his eyes widening with surprise.
Then he hit me across the face. Stars exploded in my vision.
He wrestled me up, over his shoulder, and carried me through the yard toward the street. I hadn’t noticed the rental car parked on the street like I would have noticed his car, but he was carrying me toward a gray sedan with rental plates.
Oh hell no.
I flailed around, trying to escape him.
I could shift into a cat, scratch him and get away, but then he would know all over again what I was. I couldn’t do that to Silver Springs or the shifter community. He would totally use that knowledge against not just me, but all of us. He would hurt Silver Springs to get back at me.
Just then, three dogs raced toward us, all barking furiously.
A fierce German Shepherd.
A golden lab that looked like he was usually smiling, but didn’t seem friendly at all as he plowed into Brad’s legs.
A husky with bright blue eyes.
Brad dropped me and threw up his arms, trying to protect himself from the dogs. He ran for his car, barely getting into it before one of the dogs slammed into his car door.
Brad was bleeding, and I wondered which of them had gotten a bite out of him.
“I was just trying to tell you I love you!” Brad shouted, right before he drove away.
The dogs chased him down the road, still barking and growing furiously.
I smiled as I headed into the house. I knew they’d come back.
And when they did, I was a cat, sitting on the front porch, lashing my tail.
I let the three of them catch me, licking me, nuzzling me, as if they were checking that I was all right.
When the nuzzling got to be a bit much, I batted them away with my paw and got up before stalking down the street, toward their house.
Cats never say thank you.
But I wanted them to see me as I was—in every way.
I ran for their house—and the three dogs followed me.
After all this time, I was going to let them catch me.
We’d see what happened after that.
37
“How did you know I was in trouble?” I asked as I sat on their couch, wearing one of Archer’s t-shirts.
Blake crossed his arms, a rueful smile crossing his lips as the other two glanced at him. Then he said, “Some of