as distinctive scrollwork.
Kenji took out his phone, pulled up a photograph of the murder weapon. “Perfect match.”
Folding her arms, Garnet stared at the accusatory gap in the blue velvet of the drawer lining, but it had no more secrets to tell. “Let’s go see if Revel’s matched the fingerprints—I asked him to take care of it on my way back from the infirmary.”
Locking the case, Kenji pocketed the key. “I think we should lock up the whole studio. Just in case.”
“Good idea.” It turned out the door to the studio had a never-used thumb-scan lock that Garnet programmed to respond to only her or Kenji.
The living room was empty when the two of them returned to it. She followed Athena’s scent to the bedroom, where she found the artistic woman lying down while Julie patted her back. Catching Julie’s eye, Garnet motioned that they were leaving.
Before she could step away from the doorway, however, Athena sat up. Shoving her curls out of her face, she said, “Can I see Shane?” It was a plea.
“No, I’m sorry, Athena. No one can speak to Shane until I’ve had a chance to interview him.” She’d swung by her quarters and picked up her phone earlier, aware Lorenzo would alert her the instant Shane began to show signs of consciousness. “I’ll tell you as soon as I’m done; you have my word.”
Athena’s face threatened to crumple again. She was a sweet and talented wolf with a gentle heart but she wasn’t the strongest of them. So when she squared her shoulders and set her jaw, Garnet’s own wolf looked at her with new eyes.
Love, it seemed, could make warriors out of even the most fragile.
“I don’t believe it.” Athena’s voice was fierce. “I don’t think Shane would hurt Russ. He’s just not built that way.” Yellow wolf eyes locked with Garnet’s in a show of truly unexpected strength. “You do this right, Jem. You find the truth.”
Chapter 5
Kenji saw the renewed lines of strain around Garnet’s mouth as they left Athena and Shane’s quarters, and though his wolf snarled, wanting to take care of things, he knew there was nothing he could do but back her. Even had she been his, it was all he could’ve done—Garnet would allow nothing else.
The thought had just passed through his head when a pack of pups in wolf form ran down the corridor, clearly racing. He knew without asking that they were breaking the rules, but with it being so wet outside, all the den kids were probably going stir-crazy.
He’d certainly broken this particular rule more than once as a pup.
Garnet didn’t stop or censure them. Laughing in open delight, she stood in place as they streamed around and through her spread legs. Looking at the pack of brown-furred bodies, Kenji noted the tiny one at the back who was determined to keep up but falling behind. The runt of the group.
Garnet had been like that. Tiny and fierce and refusing to be left behind.
Not stopping to question his instincts, he tugged off his necklace and dropped it on the floor. It was unlikely the shift would cause any damage to something as solid as the pendant, but he wasn’t about to take the chance.
A second later, he shifted and raced to grab the huffing and trailing pup in his mouth, taking a firm grip halfway along the pup’s small body. Then he loped after the other little ones, racing past them to the far end of the corridor, where he put down his tiny burden. Turning, the pup bounced and yipped at Kenji excitedly, and when his friends skated to a stop in front of him, their tiny claws scratchy on the stone, Kenji’s pup made a noise that in human form would’ve been a smug raspberry.
Chuckling inside at having given the pup one victory at least, Kenji left them to their boisterous play and padded back to Garnet. Who had her hands on her hips and was trying to look stern. “All the parents are trying to teach this lot not to shift while in their clothes, and there you go, setting a bad example.”
He pretended to bite her leg.
She laughed . . . and then her hand, it was in his fur, gripping lightly as she crouched down in front of him. “Your room’s on the way to my office.” Affection in her words, in her touch as she ran her free hand through his fur. “You can get fresh clothes.”
Looking into eyes gone