“What—” He lifted his head. Her face was ice-white and still. Though her body was rigid beneath his, there was lively fear in the hands that dug into his back. Muscles tense, he turned to look in the direction she was staring. “Damn.” The word was hardly out of his mouth before a hundred pounds of fur and muscle leaped on him. This time, Lee’s scream tore free.

Adrenaline born of panic gave her the strength to send the three of them rolling to the edge of the bank. As she struck out blindly, Lee heard Hunter issue a sharp command. A whimper followed it.

“Lenore.” Her shoulders were gripped before she could spring to her feet. In her mind, the only thought was to find a weapon to defend them. “It’s all right.” Without giving her a choice, Hunter held her close. “It’s all right, I promise. He won’t hurt you.”

“My God, Hunter, it’s a wolf!” Every nightmare she’d ever read or heard about fangs and claws spun in her mind. With her arms wrapped around him to protect him, as much as for protection for herself, Lee turned her head. Silver eyes stared back at her from a silver coat.

“No.” He felt the fresh fear jump through her and continued to soothe. “He’s only half wolf.”

“We’ve got to do something.” Should they run? Should they sit perfectly still? “He attacked—”

“Greeted,” Hunter corrected. “Trust me, Lenore. He’s not vicious.” Annoyed and resigned, Hunter held out a hand. “Here, Santanas.”

A bit embarrassed at having lost control of himself, the dog crawled forward, head down. Speechless, Lee watched Hunter stroke the thick silver-gray fur.

“He’s usually better behaved,” Hunter said mildly. “But he hasn’t seen me for nearly two weeks.”

“Seen you?” She pressed herself closer to Hunter. “But…” Logic began to seep through her panic as she saw the dog lick Hunter’s extended hand. “You called him by name,” she said shakily. “What did you call him?”

Before Hunter could answer, there was a rustling in the trees behind them. Lee had nearly mustered the breath to scream again when another voice, young and high, shouted out. “Santanas! You come back here. I’m going to get in trouble.”

“Damn right,” Hunter mumbled under his breath.

Lee drew back far enough to look into Hunter’s face. “Just what the hell’s going on?”

“A reunion,” he said simply.

Puzzled, with her heart still pounding in her ears, Lee watched the girl break through the trees. The dog’s tail began to thump the ground.