Pacing around his apartment, Sawyer couldn’t get Naomi Moore out of his head. It had taken guts to show up at his place with the story she had, and she must have known how it would most likely turn out.

But she came anyway, desperate to help her friend.

Loyalty was something Sawyer had great respect for. So why hadn’t he helped her?

Because there is no such thing as demons, he reminded himself.

Could he really be sure of that, though? It wasn’t that long ago that people didn’t believe in shifters, yet they were very real. And while he no longer kept in touch with the wolf pack he was born into, some whispers had reached Sawyer.

Pinedale, Wyoming, hadn’t been his home for decades, but the wolves there were still his brothers. So when the passing of the Alpha title caused a stir, Sawyer kept his ears open. Things seemed to have worked out well since then, but not all the things he had heard from fellow wolves seemed to make sense.

It’s none of my business anymore, he told himself, as he found himself clutching his phone tightly in his hand.

His wolf disagreed, growling in his chest, and pawing at him. Naomi had opened up something inside him that he couldn’t ignore, no matter how much he wanted to. And his damn curiosity got the better of him as he dialed the number of Tate Silver, new Alpha of the Pinedale wolf pack, and an old friend.

As the phone rang, Sawyer had just enough time to second-guess himself. Calling Tate up like this, out of the blue… It couldn’t have been a good idea.

“Hello?” a gruff voice sounded in Sawyer’s ear.

Now it was too late to hang up. And in his heart, Sawyer knew he should have made this call a long time ago.

“Tate. It’s me, Sawyer,” he said. “Blake,” he added after a brief moment.

“Sawyer,” Tate replied, perking up. “Hey, man. How have you been?” he asked, and Sawyer could hear the smile in his voice.

“Good, good,” he replied, because what else was he supposed to say? ‘I’m drinking myself down the river and bitching and moaning as I go?’ Not exactly a good starter. “Congratulations are in order for you, though,” he added. “Alpha, engaged to your mate… How did you get so grown-up and responsible all of the sudden?” he joked.

“It just kind of crept up on me, I guess,” Tate laughed. “And Tessa is the best thing that ever happened to me,” he added. “That’s my fiancée.”

“I heard,” Sawyer nodded. “That’s great, man.”

In the shifter world, finding your mate was a big deal, on the same level as becoming Alpha of a pack. It was like finding the missing part of your soul, if other wolves were to be believed. The connection a mated pair shared was said to be incomparable to anything else.

That had always seemed a little exaggerated to Sawyer, but then again, the happiness in Tate’s voice was hard to miss.

“And how are you?” Tate asked. “I tried reaching out after what happened in New York…” he trailed off, sounding hesitant.

“I needed some time alone,” Sawyer quickly said, not wanting to get into it.

“Well, it’s good to hear from you,” Tate replied. “I heard you moved to Arizona?”

“Tempe,” Sawyer confirmed. “I work as a consultant with the police department, now. That kind of has a little to do with why I’m calling you,” he said, sinking into his couch to stop himself from pacing around.

After all this time, and after all the calls from him Sawyer had ignored, Tate still talked to him like nothing was wrong. Like they were just catching up. And Sawyer was surprised at just how good that felt.

And it pained him to be calling for a favor, not for an apology for ignoring his childhood friend for so long.

Tate’s tone turned more serious.

“Is something wrong?” he asked.

“I’m not sure,” Sawyer admitted. “There’s this case…” he trailed off, not knowing exactly how to put it. “Just stop me right now if this is total bullshit, but I heard you had something to do with a… magic book?”

He winced just saying that aloud. The stories that had drifted his way had to be just that – stories. Right?

On the other end, Tate sighed.

“Who knew wolves were such gossips, huh?” he joked, but his tone remained serious.

“So it’s true?” Sawyer asked, eyes widening.

“Why don’t you tell me about this case of yours,” the man replied. “Before I make myself sound like a crazy person.”

“A woman came to see me,” Sawyer started. “Saying that her friend’s husband was killed by a demon.”

That sentence hung in the air for a moment longer than was comfortable. And when Tate finally spoke, there was tension in his voice.

“I guess I’m going to have to sound crazy after all,” he said.

“What do you mean?” Sawyer asked.

“Demons are real, Sawyer,” Tate replied. “I’ve seen if for myself. They’re as real as me and you, and they’re as nasty as they come.”

Stunned, Sawyer sat on his couch, wondering if he had really heard that right.

I guess I have more catching up to do than I thought.

* * *

Having been glued to his phone for the past half an hour, Sawyer quietly absorbed what Tate had been telling him. Not only were demons real, they were vicious creatures that used magic to cross over to the human realm, mostly to cause chaos and pain.

Tate had gotten sucked into that world thanks to his mate, who used to run an antique store and stumbled upon an amulet she never should have stumbled upon. Assuring Sawyer the situation got handled with minimal injuries to the wolves in the pack, Tate wrapped up his story.

“I don’t really know that much about how the creatures operate. As far as I understand, there are different types of demons, with different… skills, you could say. But there’s someone who knows more,” he said.

“Who?” Sawyer immediately asked.

“A woman came to our lands last year, looking for the amulet Tessa found. Turns out, she’s from some sort of demon-hunting family. And in an odd twist of events, she’s also Wes’ mate,” Tate replied.

“Wes, too?” Sawyer arched a brow. “Damn, are there any single wolves left out there?”

“Just you,” Tate laughed. “But anyway, her name is Dakota, and she knows a whole lot more than I do. I can give you her number. She doesn’t always pick up, but if she does, you can tell her you’re my friend.”

“I don’t think I’ll bother her just yet,” Sawyer replied. “It’s not that I don’t believe you, but even if demons are real, it doesn’t mean the woman who came to see me is actually dealing with one. She could just be a run of the mill crazy person.”

“True,” Tate admitted. “But on the off chance she isn’t loony… Just watch your back, Sawyer. These creatures are ruthless, and powerful. And if humans catch on to their existence, it will be panic on the streets.”

“I’ll be careful,” Sawyer replied.

There were a thousand thoughts running through his head – like if he had ever investigated a crime committed by a demon and never even known it? And was it possible Naomi’s friend actually saw one of these creatures?

If she did – and it was a big ‘if’ – then Naomi was right – the cops would be useless.

“I’ll text you Dakota’s number,” Tate said. “And Sawyer – it was good to hear from you. Let’s not let years go by before we talk again.”

Sawyer didn’t know what to say. After pushing everyone away the way he had, what could he say?

“Thank you, Tate,” he finally replied. “Take care.”

“You, too.”

Ending the call, Sawyer tapped his fingers on the edge of the couch, feeling more restless than he had in a long time. There was a war going on inside him, and he didn’t know which side would win.

In the end, he knew he couldn’t just sit by when he was possibly the only person in Tempe who could actually help Naomi. Did he want to get involved in some weird-ass demonic shit? Not particularly. But then again, things had been kind of dull lately…

And I wouldn’t mind seeing that pretty face again, the thought slipped through, as Naomi flitted through his mind.

Sighing, he dialed another number. Hill picked up only after a couple of rings.

“Hey,” Sawyer said. “I need you to look up an address for me.”