There’s four of this sized bed in there—and a whole lot of dog beds.”
“Ha. Neat.” I yawn and fall back, dragging the covers up to my neck. “Well, good night again. Sleep good, kiddo.”
“You too. Thanks.”
My hand swims out from under the covers to brush her hair behind her ears. I lay my hand on her smooth cheek. “Hey. Anytime you need me. We may not have been able to legally adopt you all these years, but you’ve got to know you’re one of my girls.”
I can’t see her smile in the dark, but I can hear it. “Thanks, Sue.”
Her hand covers mine briefly, and then I snuggle up to my pillow, she gets comfy on her side, and we both fall asleep, Deek a silent, easy presence that’s also quietly soothing.
CHAPTER 30
SUSAN
A male hand—huge, warm, strong fingers—closes over my shoulder. “Susan?”
I crack my eyelids open. I’m lying on my back somewhat in the middle of the bed, and Deek is stretching himself to lean over me. Ginny is sleeping on her stomach beside me, and he’s standing beside her head, not touching her as he leans over, but she must sense him hovering near her face.
She rears up, banging her head into his abdomen, snarling and slapping at him. She rears back her elbow to jab—
But Deek is gone.
I sit up, catching Ginny by the shoulders. “Shh, it’s okay! Ginny! Shhh. Deek was just waking me up. You’re okay.”
Ginny is frozen under my hands.
I lean around her and find Deek below us, a werewolf caught in his sweatpants. Clearly a state he’s used to by necessity. He doesn’t even try to slide out of them. He just stays flat on the floor beside the bed, head touching the floorboards, ears tight against his skull, gaze down.
Ginny is looking down at him too. She blows out a shaky breath. “Sorry,” she croaks, her voice breaking on the word.
And then she bursts into tears.
Deek creeps clumsily to the door, but he can’t seem to make himself stand to nudge it open. So he presses himself against it, hugging the floor and keeping his face turned away from us.
“I’m sorry!” Ginny cries. “I thought—”
She stops, not saying more.
She doesn’t really have to. She’s never talked to me about what her mom’s boyfriends have done to her. I think she’s shared with Charlotte. She may have even talked to the school counselor once or twice, and maybe those confidences are what led to her being pulled away from her mom and put into the custody of Child Protective Services.
Sometimes people have the best intentions, but their intervention wasn’t the success story they were probably hoping for.
It’s obvious from her reaction to Deek’s position over her that no matter what help she’s received (or not received, as the case may be) she has been taught that she needs to protect herself.
Feeling that she’s open to a hug, I pull her into my arms and rock her comfortingly. She quiets herself almost immediately, and soon, she’s pulling away, embarrassed.
“I’m going to hit the bathroom,” she mumbles. She pushes the covers back, and without looking at me, she leaves the bed and moves for the door.
Once she gets there, it’s with almost comical timing that both Ginny and Deek flinch away from the chance to connect stares, both of them turning their heads in the opposite directions at exactly the same time.
Except that there’s not anything funny about this at all.
With a whispered, “Sorry, Deek,” Ginny opens the door and leaves the room.
CHAPTER 31
LUCAN
I stay flattened to the floor, facing the wall as Ginny leaves.
I’m thinking a lot of things. Particularly that I need to talk to Finn. As in, real soon. Now, would be good.
“Deek?” Susan says from behind me.
I turn, and find her sweatpants-covered legs and bare feet.
Her toenails are painted yellow. It’s a very cheery color.
“You okay?” she asks.
I turn back into my human form, only needing to tug up my track pants a little in order to be properly back in them, now that the bushiness of my tail isn’t dragging them down my ass.
I chance a glance up at Sue, and sensing my attention, her eyes jump from my lower spine where she’d been looking, to my eyes. “Umm,” she squeaks oddly.
I clear my throat. “I’m not the one to worry about,” I tell her in answer to her question. “Finn volunteers as a Victim Advocate. He can help Ginny. If she doesn’t want to talk to him, he can find