Physical contact was important to wargs on a level I didn’t fully grasp. The thought of Aisha touching Graeson…it did dangerous things to my blood pressure. But the way he was with Dell, and with the other female pack member who had followed him to Mississippi, didn’t ruffle my feathers at all. The males slapped backs and bumped shoulders more than humans or most fae did. Those observations helped put our interactions into perspective. What I viewed as an invasion of personal space, he saw as a welcome and necessary part of our social interactions. It made me wonder if he pushed so hard at times because I wasn’t fulfilling his need for touch. And then I wondered if that lack was one I wanted to rectify.

Non-warg-to-warg etiquette was something to ask Dell about later, where even if he overheard our conversation through the bond, at least I didn’t have to look him in the eye while figuring out if I had to pet him to keep him happy while we worked together.

“Keep Ellis out of trouble.” He winked at Dell. “You two stay inside tonight.”

“Why?” I had planned to quietly work on my case notes right up until I heard the casual warning in his tone. “Is the pack hunting?”

“Something like that.” His gaze lingered on me. “Don’t give Dell a hard time, okay?”

I made him no promises.

Turning on his heel, Graeson leapt, and wild magic enveloped him. The change swept over him fever-fast, bones and muscle snapping into place with one decisive crunch. He landed on four graceful paws, glanced over his shoulder with reflective eyes and caught me gaping after him.

“Show-off,” Dell called.

The sleek wolf barked once then loped toward Aisha.

“Why doesn’t he do that every time?” I marveled. “It seems like it would hurt less—like ripping off a bandage.”

“The pain is always the same. Unless it’s worse. You can’t cheat the wolf.” She smoothed her hands down the front of her shirt. “The insta-shift is flashy—not many can execute it and none as well as Graeson—but it’s not practical except under dire circumstances.”

An intense uneasiness prickled my skin. “What, exactly, is the pack up to tonight?”

The valiant button gave up its struggle to stay attached and popped off in her hand.

“Mom can’t find her can opener.” Heavy footfalls squished over damp grass. “All I have is a bottle opener.” Isaac rounded the corner and drank in the sight of Dell with hungry eyes before blinking away the fledgling spark and replacing it with cool courtesy. “Do you have a spare?”