Patient lacks family support. My stomach clenched. I couldn't stop reading that same line in my patient's file over and over. It hit too close to home and reminded me of my little sister.

She was still living in that horrid compound I'd escaped from months ago. Living with the delusion that she could leave at any time, but chose not to. It was just the two of us, and I was gone, living hours away. My worry for her ate at me every day.

I was so focused on my thoughts that I jumped in my chair when my phone loudly buzzed and rattled against my desk. Seeing the name on the screen, I immediately picked it up.

"Aly," I said as I answered, "are you okay?"

My question was met with a giant sigh of annoyance.

"No, my intestines have been torn out of my stomach." My sister let out an exaggerated moan of pain. "I dragged myself twelve miles to the nearest payphone to say my final goodbyes." She gasped and wailed, "My hair's a mess and I have no makeup on." For the finale, her voice dropped to a dramatic almost-whisper. "And I forgot to put on clean underwear this morning."

I closed my eyes and clenched my jaw. My sister tried my patience like no one else.

"Aly," I said, drawing out her name, "I asked you a simple question. Drama is not necessary."

"Really, Soph," her voice was back to normal, "I talk to you almost every day. The first thing you always ask when I call is: 'Are you okay?' You're like a broken record. I'm an adult. I don't need you acting like my mom anymore. You're smothering me."

"I am not." I shot out as a lance of pain went through me. Did I really always ask her if she was okay? Was I actually smothering her?

Aly was quiet for a moment. Then she said in a soft voice, "I'm sorry, Soph. I'm a little cranky today, that's all. Don't pay me any mind. You've been a great mom, even if you smother me." There was a hint of amusement creeping back into her voice.

"I wish it hadn't been this way, you know. I wish Mom and Dad were still alive. I miss them."

"Me too," she whispered.

Silence fell between us as it always did when we spoke about our parents. I would give anything to see them one more time. To feel Mom's soft hugs or Dad's gentle kiss on my forehead. They always showed us how much they loved us. Then, one horrible day when I was barely eighteen, they were ripped from our lives.

Overnight, I had to be the parent to my eight-year-old sister. The one to give soft hugs and gentle kisses. The one who taught her how to be a cougar-shifter. My thoughts threatened to turn dark but I pushed them away and focused on happier things.

"Do you remember the time we decided to help Mom with her garden?"

Aly's laughter flowed over the line. "And we pulled half of her seedlings and left most of the weeds?"

"I really thought she was going to kill us."

"The way her eye twitched when she saw what we'd done." Her voice broke up as laughter overtook her and I joined in.

My mother's enraged face came to mind. Her left eye had twitched and her mouth opened and closed, no words coming out. When she finally could speak she said one word, her voice deep and demonic, "Go." We'd hightailed it out of her sight so fast I was sure we'd left cartoon-y puffs of dust in our wake.

Our laughter slowly died down as we got ourselves under control.

"Y'know, sometimes I just . . . I wish I had as many memories of them as you do."

I smiled sadly. "I know. I wish you could have had more time with them too." Silence drifted between us.

"Aly?"

"I still don't get why you left here. You were all I had."

The smile fell from my face as I stared blankly into the distance. She made it sound like I abandoned her. But I had tried so hard to get her to come with me. "I had to go. I've told you this before."

"I still don't get why. You and Edward got a little pissy with each other, so what? Get over it and move on."

"Aly, it was much more than that."

"What else was it? Is it because he's an enforcer? So what? He's a nice guy."

My mind went back to just before I left eight months ago. I'd been thinking of leaving but Aly was in school, so I kept putting it off. However, things came to a head shortly after Aly's eighteenth birthday.

Our old pack Alpha had retired a year earlier, and the new Alpha had kept all the pack members together in a large compound. While they called it a commune, it felt more like a prison. He'd spent the year integrating his cronies into the pack, and one of the worst was Edward.

On that horrid day, the day that changed everything, Edward had cornered me as I was leaving for work. He somehow managed to sneak up on me as I unlocked my car.

I could still feel his nasty breath on the back of my neck as he pushed into me, his body flush against mine. The smell of his lust choked me, and I could feel an unmistakable bulge through our clothes. His hands gripped my shoulders and his fingers dug into my flesh.

"Hey, sweetheart—"

I jerked an elbow into his chest and slammed my head back against his. I heard a crunch and he cursed, but only gripped my body tighter. I knew I would have bruises where he held me.

"Now, is that any way to treat someone who just wants to get to know you better?"

"Fuck you," I growled. I kicked back, and he jumped away before my foot could connect.

His eyes narrowed, and he looked furious. Then a slimy smile crossed his face, and he ran his gaze over my body. It felt like he was undressing me with each flick of his dark eyes.

"I intend to," he said. "Thanks for the offer."

I raised my chin, upper lip curled back in disgust. I wasn't interested. At all. I knew my eyes had shifted to my cougar's and a growl rumbled through my voice when I spoke. "The only way I will ever have sex with you is if I'm dead."

The smile disappeared, and his cat was in his eyes as he looked at me. His eyes bore into mine, and I realized he was trying to use his dominance to force my submission. His face filled with fury when I continued to meet his gaze and didn't bow my head in surrender. My cat was as dominant as his—maybe even more so.

He snarled, "You'll either submit to me or I'll kill you. Either way, I'm going to have my fun."

I knew from the look in his eye that he'd been serious. We had been moments from shifting and having a lethal fight when Aly and a group of her friends interrupted us. He went from deranged psycho to concerned uncle-figure so fast that I nearly got whiplash.

However, his expression before he walked away had told me he wasn't going to leave me alone. If I had stayed, he would have made my life a living hell. If he hadn't simply killed me . . .

"He's not as nice as you think, Aly. Be careful around him, okay?"

"Yeah, whatever. It's not really an issue anyway."

"Oh, why not?"

"He's not even here."

Her words sent a chill up my spine.

"What do you mean?"

"I haven't seen him for about a week."

"Do you usually see him often?"

"Oh yeah," was her bright reply. "He checks up on me daily. Asks about you, too. He's been really worried about you ever since you left. But you don't need to worry about him. This isn't the first time he's disappeared. He does that from time to time."

"He disappears from time to time?" The chill had spread through my entire body and I felt like I was encased in ice.

"Yeah. I didn't really notice it until after you left. But it seems like he's been gone more frequently, lately. And, y'know, he's been acting kinda pissed about something recently."

"Alysse," I said, my voice filled with fear, "have you told him where I am?"

"You think I'm that stupid? Of course not. I don't get why you went all cloak and dagger when you left, but you made it clear to keep quiet."

"What do you say when anyone asks about me?"

"That you're volunteering with doctors without borders."

I paused, tilting my head to the side. "Seriously?"

"Well, what else was I supposed to tell them? That you bailed on me and aren't coming back? Nobody would believe that."

"Did they buy it?"

She laughed. "Of course. But, seriously, you've gone off the deep end, Soph. You're seeing conspiracies where there aren't any."

"He was going to kill me, Aly. I had no choice."

"Oh, stop being a drama queen."

A surge of anger ran through me. I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. It seemed like we had this same argument at least once a week. Not always about that creep Edward, but about my old pack in general. I had no idea how they had fooled my normally-perceptive sister, but they had. She thought they were all sweetness and light.

I decided this conversation was going nowhere and forced my tone to be light. "Drama queen, am I? This is coming from Ms. I-Have-On-Dirty-Underwear."

Aly's laughter flowed through the phone. "I deserved that one."

"So why'd you call, anyway?"

"Oh, yeah. About that . . ."

I laughed. I knew that tone. Like college kids everywhere, she wanted money. When I was in college my friends called home for funds all the time. She probably wanted money for some new outfit or something.

"How much do you need, and for what?"

"You're a saint, Soph," Aly said. "This stupid lab I'm taking needs all these expensive supplies and the pack is being really tight with their purse strings lately."

After complaining about the class for a few minutes more, she got around to tell me how much money she needed to be transferred into her account. I reassured her I would take care of it tonight. The conversation ended shortly after that.

After I hung up, I thought uneasily about our call. My old pack was seriously messed up, but I couldn't convince Aly of that. The fact that they were refusing to pay for her college supplies alarmed me. Why couldn't she see how wrong that was? Packs paid for education, end of story.

My claws slipped from my fingers and lightly scraped the top of my desk. I needed to take a break. I obviously wasn't getting any work done anyway. My inner cougar was becoming restless and agitated—it needed me to get up and move. I'd been sitting here going nowhere for too long.

My gaze hit the glass on my window and I was surprised to see that night had fallen. My pale reflection looked back at me. The bags beneath my eyes said I was as tired as I felt.

My dark hair blended in with the night, making my face hover like in Snow White's Magic Mirror. I could only hope that I wasn't being hunted like she was because my huntsman wouldn't spare me. I tore my eyes away from my reflection and grabbed my purse.

A quick stop at Two Steps would net me something tasty and healthy I could bring back with me, then I could hopefully finish my work. The café was just down the street, and I could walk there and be back in under ten minutes. As I stepped outside, the scents and sounds of the night invaded my senses.

I took a moment to sort through it all as the door closed behind me with a loud click. Exhaust from cars that had recently passed by mixed with pine from the trees. Mice rustled in the underbrush, various bugs sang, and I heard the light rustle of feathers as an owl quietly flew by. My spine tingled and tension coiled inside me. Something was watching me.

My conversation with Aly fresh in my mind, I felt fear squeeze my heart. I had never been completely convinced they let me walk away. Had they found me? Had Edward found me?

I fully shifted my eyes and the night shadows disappeared. Everything was clear as if it was the middle of the afternoon. I carefully scanned the wooded area by the clinic. For a brief moment I thought I caught a terrifyingly familiar scent on the breeze, but then it was gone.

A stray cat bolted out of its hiding spot and disappeared into the bushes. The spine-tingling feeling of being watched disappeared. I took a deep breath and scanned the area, in case I was wrong, but nothing else caught my attention.

I couldn't resist the urge to look around once more before I quickly started the walk to Two Steps. Within minutes, I arrived and opened the door. The aroma of fresh-baked bread immediately hit me, followed by the buzz of multiple conversations.

The tension in my shoulders eased as I stepped into the relaxed atmosphere. I scanned the room, looking at each of the patrons out of habit. Their bright, happy expressions reminded me of my sister and her friends.

Packed booths lined the walls and tables for four filled the center of the room. People carried trays holding sandwiches and bowls of soup to their tables. Quick, easy food was a staple of Two Steps. You're in and out in two steps, I thought with a small smile. It had its charm.

As I stepped in line to place an order, the man in front of me gave a warm smile as he ran his eyes over me. I suppressed a sigh and turned to look at the menu on the wall. Hopefully he'd get the hint.

My shoulders relaxed as he turned his attention elsewhere, and my thoughts drifted to another man. A certain blond-haired fae who I would never be able to so easily dissuade. A hint of a smile touched my lips. Not that I really minded.

Ever since I took Alex home when he was three sheets to the wind at the neighborhood barbecue, he had become a regular fixture in my life. Somehow, he managed to run into me a couple of times a week. Sometimes it was accidental, but other times, I knew he'd made it a point to find me because he would have some sort of snack or treat for me.

I now found myself watching for him, always halfway expecting to see him pop up. I actually looked forward to it sometimes. I liked joking with him and enjoyed his wit. Not that I'd tell him that.

At first, he came on too strong. I remembered how I had snapped at him at Maddox and Rose's wedding. He had taken me by surprise. I felt his breath on my neck and my mind flashed to Edward. First, I felt fear, then it morphed into anger and I lit into him.

I couldn't tell him the real reason he set me off, so I threw out the first thing that came to mind and made it clear that I wouldn't be just a notch on his bedpost. I knew him well enough by then to recognize how false that accusation was. Somehow, he bought it and asked for a second chance. I felt so bad for yelling at him for no real reason that I'd grudgingly agreed, though I knew I shouldn't have.

Even if he was sexy, gorgeous, and made my heart beat faster, my life was too busy between work, Aly, and anxiety over my old pack. I didn't have room for that sort of thing. He eased up on the flirting, but he only backed away from me a little.

I stepped forward as the line moved. The door opened as a group of people left the café and a scent caught my attention. I tensed up. It couldn't be. I slowly turned my head to look at the door and watched as Alex stepped in, as if my thoughts had conjured him. Since I was a shifter and not a witch, I knew that was impossible. Yet, there he stood.

He casually looked around the café, and I had a moment to observe him before he saw me. His blond hair looked wind-tossed and a small smile sat on his handsome face. He was part fae, so of course he was attractive. Many were almost unearthly and androgynous in their beauty, but his masculine appeal was undeniable.

My eyes roamed over him in appreciation. His muscles were clearly defined by the way his dark blue T-shirt hugged his chest. All those hours working with his plants—lifting heavy bags of soil and digging holes—had been good to him.

I brought my attention back to his face. I knew the moment he saw me by the way his eyes lit up and the smile that creased his cheeks. My breath caught in my throat as heat coiled through me.

His smile always had an erotic undertone, full of promise. I pushed my body's reaction down and reminded myself that I wasn't interested. My body didn't seem very convinced, to say the least.

He sauntered up to stand beside me. His scent of plants and sunshine hit me first. Then I caught the smell of the soil he'd been working with along with several different flowers.

"Fancy meeting you here."

"Well," I replied calmly, forcing my smile from my face, "my office is up the street. This is a logical place for me to eat."

His eyes filled with glee. I tried to figure out what I'd said that pleased him so much.

"Of course it is." He nodded as he turned to study the menu, his grin still tugging at the corners of his mouth.

My eyes narrowed as I watched him with suspicion. He was up to something, but then again, he was always up to something. I probably wouldn't be able to figure it out until it was too late. Whatever it was, I didn't think he planned to find me here tonight, but that didn't mean he wasn't already concocting something. I knew he liked to play with me and keep me guessing.

I shook my head and resolved to ignore him as I turned my attention back to the menu board. He kept asking me out on dates, and so far I'd managed to stay out of that trap. But I'd recently started to consider saying yes.

Would it be so bad to go out to dinner with him? I hadn't heard from my old pack in eight months. Maybe they had decided to simply let me leave. Good riddance to bad rubbish in their minds. What was holding me back?

My eyes drifted over him as he continued to study the menu. I had to stay strong, even if his body made my blood run faster and my heart race. I took a deep breath to still my heart and cleared my throat. Calm yourself. I was glad he wasn't a shifter and couldn't tell how much he affected me.

"So, you eating here?" he asked casually.

My eyes snapped to his face, but he studied the menu board and didn't look at me.

"No, I'm in line because I like to wait and waste people's time."

"Oh, that explains it."

"Explains what?"

"Well, you do work in a medical office . . ."

I rolled my eyes and didn't dignify that with a reply, although my cat urged me to play along. Cat-shifters liked these sorts of games, but it was rare that I did. I seemed to be missing the fun and games gene possessed by others of my kind.

"Honestly, though," I finally said, "I planned to get it to go. I have some paperwork to finish back at the clinic."

"All work and no play," he said, his voice ending in a lilt.

I snorted as I tried to hold back my laugh. "I think this Jill's already a dull girl, so I'm not worried."

"Trust me, dear Jill, there's nothing dull about you." He grinned but didn't look at me. "Why don't you take a break and eat with me?"

"I'm taking a break right now. I came to get food."

"That's not a break. I think you need to sit down and have dinner for once. Besides, you have the perfect dinner date right here." He waved his hand as if he was some type of display.

I slowly arched a brow. "I could sit at my desk."

"You know exactly what I mean."

He was right.

"Okay," I said thoughtfully. I could use a distraction, and Alex definitely counted as a distraction. "You've convinced me. I'd love to join you for dinner."

His eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed in suspicion that I'd given in too easily. Before he could comment, I stepped forward to the register. Immediately after I finished ordering, Alex stepped up and placed his, as if we were together.

Sneaky, my cat thought. Little did he know, I could be sneaky, too. I might be a dull girl who worked too much, but I was still a cat on the inside. When he finished and the cashier asked if we wanted anything else, Alex shook his head, but I spoke up.

"That cinnamon roll, please." I'd seen Alex eyeing it and had decided to get it for him. I handed the cashier my credit card before he told us the total. It was my turn to give Alex a gift. He shot me a knowing glance, then chuckled to himself.

The cashier placed the table buzzer and plastic glasses in front of me.

Alex nudged me with his side and gave me one of those amazing smiles. "Thank you for treating me."

I looked off to the side and cleared my throat as I handed Alex his glass. I didn't want him to get the wrong idea. I was only buying him dinner because he had bought so many small treats for me. That was all.

We meandered through the café, weaving through the tables of people. I wrinkled my nose as the smell of a tuna sandwich assaulted me. It was quickly overwhelmed by the sauerkraut on the Reuben at the next table. I would take sauerkraut over tuna any day.

All the side booths were taken, and the various conversations flowed over me, mixing into background blur. I scanned the tables in the center of the room, but they were packed as well.

"Maybe we won't be eating here after all," I said, frustrated at the full restaurant.

"I could think of something better to do . . ."

I gave him a flat look. "Very funny, Alex."

His grin only grew wider as he scanned the room.

"Over there," he said breezily.

I followed his gaze and saw an empty corner booth.

"Good catch."

"I'm a man of many talents."

He wove in front of me, hurrying to claim the booth. My eyes ran over his backside and I bit back my grin as I thought of his other talents. I quickly lifted my eyes before he could catch me looking.

We made our way over and I slipped in, Alex settling on the other side of the booth.

His bright smile appeared and I knew he was going to try to charm me again. He was good at it, too. Unfortunately for him, the buzzer for our order rattled before he could begin.

"Let me do the honors." He winked for good measure. I looked away, hiding my smile.

He was on his feet and headed to the window to pick up our order. It didn't take him long to return with the food.

"My prince," I murmured as he set my tray down in front of me with a flourish.

He grinned at me as he set his own tray down and slid into the booth. "I could be."

I bit down on my lower lip, trying to resist the urge to smile. He was so cheeky sometimes.

I glanced around the room as we started eating and saw a woman wearing a bright, pumpkin-orange shirt with bright white ghosts printed all over it. I'd never seen someone wear that outlandish color outside of Halloween. Alex looked up and followed my gaze.

"It's a bit early for that. She should be taking some kids trick or treating, or something."

I nodded. "Yeah, just a bit. I mean, she's jumping the gun by a few months, but who am I to judge? My closet is multiple colors of the same outfit."

He chuckled and shook his head, his eyes distant, as if he was somewhere other than our conversation.

"What?"

"Sorry, I went on this weird mental tangent. I was thinking of how much fun it would be to take you out on a haunted trail."

I smirked. "Right. That'd be great. I'd know we were about to be jumped before it happened, every time. So much fun."

"You never know. We've got a lot of magical people here in Fayoak. I could get some people together and set something impressive up." He grinned. "Maybe we could even surprise you."

"Oh, sure. That'd be a good idea. Startle the woman who grows knives out of her fingers."

Alex burst into laughter. "I can just see it." He held his hands apart as if reading a headline and said in an imitation of a television announcer's voice, "Now featuring realistic blood!"

"Free disembowelment," I added with a laugh.

"Don't like the cut of your clothes? Come for the stylish new look: Clawed."

"And what if I turned furry? Could you just see that? People would be calling animal control left and right."

Alex threw his head back and laughed. His eyes sparkled with mirth. I couldn't help but join in.

"Oh," he said, "what if we got an entire pack involved? Large cats with glowing, menacing eyes in the darkness. People would be scared silly."

"So we're running a haunted trail now, are we?"

"Hey, I have access to an entire orchard. We could make it happen."

I shook my head. "Dream on. The shifters wouldn't come because we'd know all the surprises. The witches wouldn't come because they don't trust anyone. As for everyone else, well . . ." I shrugged.

"Don't get dull on me now, Jill." He pouted slightly. I had to tear my eyes away. It was a surprisingly good look for him—the sort of look that made me want to stay here and play with him.

My cat was all on-board with that idea, but I knew where it would lead. And I couldn't go there. I busied myself with cleaning up my trash instead. It was time to get back to work.

"Heading back to the office?" he asked.

I nodded and smiled in apology, feeling a little guilty for ruining the moment.

"Great, I'm going that way, too. I'll walk you there."

I blinked slowly, my smile fading from my face as all my earlier amusement drained away. I didn't need an escort. Sure, it was night, but I could take care of myself. There were few things that could take on an adult shifter and other supernatural folks would leave me alone.

"You know I shift into a big cat with sharp teeth and claws, right?"

"Sure do. It's one of your most intriguing features. Speaking of, when do I get to see big bad Sophie's cougar?"

I ignored his joking question and sharply said, "I don't need a babysitter."

I realized my tone may have been too severe from the way his eyes widened slightly. But I was an adult, I didn't need anyone to look out for me. I looked out for other people.

"I didn't say you needed a babysitter," he said slowly, his hands held out to his side in apology. "I simply wanted to spend a little more time with you. Is that really so bad?"

Suddenly, I felt like pond scum. He'd been nothing but pleasant and had brightened my dull evening, and here I was, going feral on him for no apparent reason.

"I'm sorry," I said. "You're right. I just . . ." I looked down at my cup as I tried to figure out what to say. I forced myself to meet his gaze and offered a small smile in apology. "I'd love company on the walk back."

The light came back to his eyes and his grin reappeared. I cursed at myself. I had been trying not to encourage him and, with one sentence, I destroyed any progress I might have made. Of course, the dinner probably did that anyway.

As we stepped out the door, the breeze brought that terrifyingly familiar scent to me and I froze. For a moment, I thought I'd caught Edward's scent again, as I had at my office. Alex gave me an inquiring look, but the scent was abruptly gone.

I shivered slightly. Was I imagining things? I was glad Alex was here—his company helped pull my mind away from those imaginary shadows. The walk back to my office passed before I realized it. Alex smiled and waved as I closed the door behind me, and I noticed he waited until the lock clicked before he turned to walk away.

I watched him as he left. I couldn't help but admire how his shirt hugged his shoulders and outlined his lean muscles. I didn't miss how graceful his walk was, either, much like a shifter. My eyes trailed down his back to his tight pants. I arched a brow, my lips parted ever so slightly. For a tall guy, he had an amazing build.

The moment the thought crossed my mind, I instantly tore my eyes away and shook my head. I had no idea what was coming over me tonight. Had to be work fatigue.

I headed to my office and sat down at my desk. I stared at my paperwork, but my thoughts swirled back to my dinner partner. Alex was a nice guy. The spontaneous dinner had been fun. He had a way of making me laugh, but I needed to be more careful. I didn't want a relationship right now, and I was worried I was leading him on. I wasn't certain he wanted something long-term anyway, but I definitely wasn't interested in a fling, either.

With a sigh, I forced myself to focus. I finished faster than expected and soon headed out. As I stepped outside the clinic doors, the shadows in the trees reminded me of Alex's haunted trail idea. I smiled, thinking it might be fun.

My smile soon faded as I had the feeling of being watched again. I scanned the area but couldn't see anything. With a shiver, I hurried to my car.

All the talk of haunting must have gotten to me. The hairs on the back of my neck disagreed, and my cat was alarmingly certain something was hunting me from the darkness.