Part of me was impressed. But the rest of me was furious at whoever was responsible for this girl. If Kaci was a Pride cat, some team of enforcers was seriously neglecting its duty. If she was a stray, someone had infected her, and whoever the bastard was, he was going to pay for that when we found him.

Just like I would pay for what I did to Andrew.

A sob caught in my throat and I forced it down, startled by the sudden reminder that I was in as much trouble as whoever was responsible for Kaci. Yes, I’d infected my ex by accident, but that had made no difference to him. What had mattered to Andrew was that I bit him, then abandoned him. His blood was on my hands, and I would pay.

But not before someone paid for what had happened to Kaci. And to the hikers by extension.

“Kaci, when you were in cat form, did you see any humans?”

“Not very often.” She fingered the collar of the leather coat, her gaze tracking her hand up and down the smooth surface. “I followed the river most of the time, but I stayed in the woods, and there weren’t many people out there. Mostly just animals. Deer and rabbits. And raccoons.”

“But you did see some humans?”

She nodded slowly. “A few. Why?” Her voice grew cold with suspicion, and I steeled myself in preparation to simply spit the question out. Surely that would be easier on us both. But before I could do more than open my mouth, a soft, rapid series of knocks sounded on the door.

My nose supplied me with Dr. Carver’s name even as he eased the door open.

Kaci froze, and startled recognition flashed across her face. “It’s okay.” I moved quickly to put myself between the two of them, facing her. “You remember Dr. Carver?”

Her head bobbed stiffly.

“Doc?” I twisted and arched my brows at him in question, which he took as an invitation to enter.

“I’m sorry to interrupt.” He smiled confidently, but his left hand rubbed the bandage on his right arm, a painful reminder of their last meeting. “But I need to borrow Faythe for a few minutes.”

“What’s up?” I glanced at my watch. I still had forty minutes.

“Michael’s asking for you downstairs.”

I scowled, showing him silently how bad his timing was. “Can it wait?”

“Um…no.” The urgency in Dr. Carver’s eyes sent an adrenaline-spiked surge of dread through my bloodstream, and I frowned. What’s wrong now?

Twenty-Five

“Kaci, I’ll be right back.” I hesitated, one hand on the doorknob. “Can I bring you a soda?”

She nodded, eyeing us both suspiciously, but voiced no protest when I followed the doctor into the hall.

“Sorry,” Carver said as soon as the door latched shut behind us, heedless of the guard obviously listening in. “But Michael—”