A thick bracelet of black leather circled his wrist, almost melding with the wide bands of ink, the design brightening its center an intricate braid of honey-blonde hair. My hair. Of all the things I had imagined him doing with the chunk of hair he’d sliced off with a sharpened nail, turning it into a fashion statement wasn’t one of them.

“The wolf wasn’t wearing any jewelry.” That much I was certain. “How is it you kept it through the change?”

“The stronger the wolf, the more control he has over his change.” He let me run my finger across the design. “I can hold on to one or two small items.”

I squinted up at him. “Like underwear?”

“Probably.” A grin split his cheeks. “But where’s the fun in that?”

“Exhibitionist,” I grumbled.

“Nudity is part of our culture. I won’t say we don’t notice each other’s bodies, because that would be a lie. Our souls are spliced with wolves, and wolves have strong mating instincts. We’re not immune to the lure of perfect breasts or…” his gaze swept down me, and his tongue darted out to moisten his lips, “…soft curves, but we learn early the difference between nudity and intimacy.”

A flush riding my cheeks, I dropped my hand and glanced down at my bare toes.

“Dell’s here,” he sounded distracted. “I should get going.”

“I don’t trust her.” I didn’t have to specify the her in question.

He crowded me, smooshing his clothes between us. “Worried about me, Ellis?”

“My interest in your well-being is strictly professional.” I managed a cool tone. “I need your help tracking down Charybdis.” My throat tightened. “We’re running out of time.”

Graeson pressed warm lips to my forehead. “We’ll find Harlow.”

I nodded when the words got stuck in my throat.

“Aisha is waiting,” Dell huffed out as she slowed to a walk and leaned against the trailer’s exterior.

“Another minute won’t hurt her,” he said, loud enough it carried.

Dell fidgeted with the buttons on her sleeveless shirt, her lips a flat line. “Be careful tonight.”

He palmed her shoulder, bare skin to bare skin, and that contact appeared to soothe the restlessness in her. She left the threadbare buttons alone and sucked in a deep breath that she released in a slow gust.