I pull my eyes away from the night. I look at him. When he’s in front of me, there’s nothing else. He’s all there is. “Well, that’s a relief.”

He laughs. “Oh, good.”

“Good.”

“You want to shake hands now?”

“No. No, I don’t want to shake hands.”

We turn toward each other. I get up on my tiptoes. He leans down, and I tilt my head back.

“Can I kiss you?” he asks.

“Just be careful,” I whisper. “I have such sharp teeth.”

He kisses me anyway. Not careful. Not afraid.

I kiss him back.

Not afraid.

Rory—

Hello from the Lone Star State from a lone star.

I’m liking it here. A lot of wide-open space. Great barbecue.

Delicious snacks. As for the things I don’t like . . . well, same as everywhere. There sure are a lot of pigs, if you know what I mean.

Don’t worry. I’ll be a good little wolf. Keep my promise.

For now.

Scarlett’s baby is fucking cute, at least in the pictures she posted. Seems like everyone’s happy & everything’s boring.

Doesn’t it make you miss me, just a little?

XX Mia

PS If you ever change your mind & feel like gnashing your teeth, come find me. . . .

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

To Lucy Carson, the most incredible agent, thank you for everything but especially for believing in me. To Jess Wade, the most brilliant editor, thank you for your insights and for always guiding me in the right direction. To Claire Zion, Alexis Nixon, Jessica Plummer, Miranda Hill, Katie Anderson, and the entire team at Berkley, please know I marvel every day at how lucky I am to work with all of you. I’m grateful every day for your faith and talent and hard work. Thank you!

To Molly Pohlig and Clay McLeod Chapman, to Jenna Lyn Wright, and to Stephanie Kent, Jai Punjabi, and Amble Johnson. Thank you for your inspirational talent and for your sweet encouragement when I needed it most.

To my family, I’m so thankful for your support. Shout-out to Ryan Shepherd and Alison Cerri—your presence in the book world is a gift.

To Courtney Preiss, thank you for your enthusiasm, patience, and friendship.

And to Nic, you know I couldn’t do it without you.

Before I set off writing this book, I read The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk, MD, and She-Wolf: A Cultural History of Female Werewolves, edited by Hannah Priest. These books helped me shape Rory’s story, and I extend my deepest gratitude to their creators.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rachel Harrison is the author of Cackle and The Return, which was nominated for a Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a First Novel. Her short fiction has appeared in Guernica, Electric Literature's Recommended Reading, and as an Audible Original. She lives in Western New York with her husband and their cat/overlord.