Secrets in the Moon (Crescent City Werewolves #1)

Chapter Twelve

Freddy's mansion looked very different in the harsh light of police lamps. Cora watched as officers roped off the property to keep reporters from sneaking in and party guests from sneaking out. There were more inside, their flashlights sweeping through the rooms.

No one had been allowed to leave, and she could hear quite a few people who were unhappy about that, arguing with any officers they could find while trying to hide their faces from the reporters' cameras. Cora couldn't understand why they bothered; information always had a way of leaking out, and she felt sure printing presses were already stamping out shocking headlines and unsavory details for the rest of the city to read in the morning.

That fact no longer bothered her. Frankly, she had other things on her mind, and it was quite nice to be sitting there in the back gardens, tucked away from all the others. An officer had given her a blanket against the crisp night air, but after that, she'd been left alone. The sweet smell of roses and the gentle light of the moon cleared her senses, and she knew there was no reason to delay things. "All right. I'm ready."

Beside her, Hayes glanced up from examining a shallow gash on his forearm. He wore only his undershirt, trousers, and shoes but didn't seem to care about his shocking state of undress. "To give a statement?"

"Oh, not that," she said, already distracted by him. He'd always appeared sleek and powerful in his suit, but now he was downright virile. The breadth of his shoulders and the strong muscles in his arms and chest were apparent with the slightest movement.

With effort, she returned to her original intention. "I'm ready to eat humble pie for breaking my promise and investigating Freddy on my own. I knew better but did it anyway, just because I felt left out of things earlier today. I'm sorry."

To her surprise, he smiled a little. Despite the lingering wildness in his eyes, he didn't seem nearly as remote as he had in his office. "And I knew better than to pick a fight with a bunch of wolves itching to kill us both, or to get blackout drunk right after. Seems like I'm ahead in the mistakes department."

Relief rushed through her. "I could try to make it even."

When he just shook his head, she added, "I really thought you were going to lay into me."

"Can't say I see the point. You've already told me why and apologized." His focus returned to his injury, and he licked it clean before adding, "I'm not saying I'll keep quiet if you do it again, but... Jane knows how to provoke people. She prides herself on it."

Then he began bandaging the wound without any sign of pain. The muscles in his arms flexed while he worked.

Cora decided there was no way she could pretend disinterest. "When did that happen?"

"I broke through a window to get in."

She moved closer, noticing a faint line near it—a similar cut long healed. "For such a smooth-talking fella, you sure have a lot of scars."

As he tied off the bandage, she saw a much nastier one beneath his collar bone, its shape suggesting a knife blade that had gone in deep. The teasing left her voice. "That one could have killed you."

Unthinkingly, she reached out. He didn't move away when her fingers gently brushed the scar, or when she said, "Hayes, what happened?"

For a moment, she thought he wouldn't answer. He looked at the officers milling around the heavy bulk of Freddy's mansion, at the distant chaos of headlights in the front driveway, and finally at the stars glimmering beyond as if debating with himself. When he spoke, though, there was no hesitation to the words. "After I left the pack, I worked as a pit fighter."