“A warg female.” He examined every inch of my exposed skin as though he expected to glimpse the fur I had shed earlier. “It was you.” His grip eased. “I came outside because I sensed… But that’s not possible.”

“She partially shifted.” Dell presented her hand for his inspection, though the wound I had inflicted on her had long since healed. “It was very cool. Too bad we don’t have anything more interesting for her to shift into. We see wargs all the time. We ought to—”

Graeson tore his gaze from me. “Ellis is not a toy for you to play with.”

Dell cringed at his tone, and her chin bumped her chest.

“Don’t snap at her.” I kicked his shin. “Dell didn’t do anything wrong.”

Those fierce golden eyes settled on me, and I fought the impulse to run when he set me back on my feet. Graeson still gripped my arms, and his thumbs stroked my skin absently. “There are dynamics within a pack you don’t understand.”

Dynamics sounded like code for belittling females. In which case, I understood plenty.

“I’m ready for that trip into town.” I glared at his hands and gave a wiggle. “That means you have to let go of me.”

He released me with a shake of his head, and I left him staring at his hands as though blaming them for the red marks on my arms. “We have to wait a few more hours. Knox took the SUV on a supply run.”

“What about the vans?” There were two of them parked behind the house. I saw them when we first arrived, but I hadn’t spotted them again since.

“The vans are Chandler pack property, and the tags are registered with the conclave and several other fae organizations that get nervous around native supernats.” The gravel in his words told me exactly what he thought about that. “I don’t want our presence advertised around town.”

“Yes,” I agreed, “it would be a shame if the conclave mounted a rescue mission, wouldn’t it?”

“You’re hardly a prisoner,” he said with a sour twist of his lips, as if he didn’t quite believe what he was saying. That made two of us.

“You captured me and brought me along for the ride.” I shifted my stance. “The only thing holding me here is the possibility we might end this before another child is taken.”

Graeson looked like he wanted to argue, but he wisely kept his mouth shut.

“I’m heading inside to see if I can find something to stop the itching.” I scratched my arms lightly with my nails. “Come get me when you’re ready to leave.”

“Ellis.”

I faced him, eyebrow arched, and waited.

“I wish that you and I…” He clamped his mouth shut, spun on his heel and strode into the cover of darkness without another word.