When we’d walked for several more minutes, Marc sticking close to my side without actually touching me, I realized the stray was following us. I could no longer smell him, and I only heard him because I knew what to listen for. But he was definitely there, and the guys definitely knew it.

They’d also definitely altered our course, so that we were no longer leading the stray to the murder scene.

“What are we doing?” I breathed so softly I barely heard my own voice. But Marc heard me.

“Drawing him out,” he murmured as softly as I’d spoken. Memories of us whispering to each other on much more pleasant nights almost made me miss his next words. “We’re going to have to let Jace take him.”

“He won’t go near Jace,” I whispered. “The claws are too much of a threat. One of us will have to draw him out.”

“I’ll do it.” His response was automatic, and it was exactly what I’d known he’d say.

“He won’t be interested in you. I’m better bait.”

“No.”

I’d known he’d say that, too. It was a direct quote from my father.

“Fine. Lose him.” I resisted the urge to shrug and let the stray know we were whispering. “Malone’s just waiting to see all three of us humiliated, and this will make him pretty damn happy.”

“You can be a real bitch sometimes,” Marc said without pausing even a second in his smooth, relaxed gait. But there was real irritation in his tone.

“So I’ve heard.” I smiled in the dark, knowing I’d won. “We gonna do this or not?”

“Fine. You get to play your favorite role. I’ll kiss you, and you slug me. Make it good, then run off.”

He was going to kiss me? “He’ll never buy that,” I said, stepping over a fallen pine branch. But in truth, my hesitation came from the potential kiss—our first since we broke up. Kissing Marc was not a good idea. It would just make me want more of what I could no longer have.

“Of course he will. He’ll buy it because he wants to. And so what if he doesn’t? No stray’s going to give up his shot at a tabby. You’ll run off, he’ll follow you, we’ll follow him, me on the ground, Jace in the trees.”

Jace fake-sneezed to let us know he understood his part.

Before I could argue further, Marc grabbed my arm and swung me around. He kissed me so hard and fast I didn’t have time to think. Which was bad, because I forgot I was supposed to be resisting. Instead, I settled, sinking into him like I might my favorite armchair.