Lucas rolled with the impact and resurfaced lightly behind the larger man. He lunged for his neck, and was again tossed away. He bounced as he landed, whirling upright with a manic grin. He knelt for a second, then leapt back in.

I couldn't tell who was winning-Lucas seemed on the offensive, but he appeared to be losing, repeatedly. In between attacks and defending himself, the Bear-man was overly still, like a kung fu master searching within to find inner peace. But Lucas's willingness to get thrown around was interrupting whatever the Bear-man was trying to do-until the taller, furrier man's skin flushed darker, and his chest widened in all directions, like an expanding barrel. Then Lucas was there again, dancing forward, only to be swatted back. Lucas rebounded and the Bear-man raged-all progress toward his animal side lost with his temper as he grabbed Lucas up and threw him to the ground. Lucas skidded across the cement floor, picked himself up, and rushed back at the Bear-man, who still hadn't recovered from his turn.

In a flash he was a wolf. There was Lucas, who'd begun the leap, and then the wolf who'd finished it. Lucas's change had been fluid, magical, from one form into the other. He had been a human, and now he was a wolf even larger than I was, with fur the color of rust with streaks of gray. He had paws as big as dinner plates, teeth as long as my fingers. Lucas's wolf shoulder checked the Bear-man, knocking him to the ground, and twisted to put fangs on the Bear-man's throat.

"No!" I cried out, but all the other people in the crowd were cheering. I pressed forward as they did, to somehow stop what I thought was going to happen next. But the Bear-man, still not fully changed, slammed his paw-like hand against the ground, and wolf-Lucas let him go. Hopping back on all fours, Lucas changed back into a man again, instantly-all man, naked. The room was quiet as he stood.

"Are you going to offer me fealty, minor bear?"

The Bear-man, his bear-side completely lost with his defeat, got to his knees. "Not tonight, wolf." He slapped the floor with both hands and laughed, shaking his head. "But I will buy you a drink."

Lucas smiled and offered his opponent a hand. The Bear-man took it, and clapped Lucas on the back as he moved to stand.

I stood there, flushed at their nakedness, wondering what I'd just seen. And then I remembered Gina outside, and that I was definitely where I did not belong, even less than I had mere minutes ago. I dove out through the crowd of weres pushing in to congratulate Lucas, and made it to the bathroom, hopefully unseen.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX.

Asher picked up on the second ring. The background wherever he was sounded like the background where I'd just been. "Hey, it's me," I shouted into the phone.

"This is a surprise. Hang on." The background noises, wherever he was at, lessened. "Let me guess-the single nurse needs a house call?"

"Um. In a manner of speaking."

"In that case, your wish is my command."

I thought about asking him for inappropriate things-then briefly remembered the naked men I'd just seen and Gideon's parts at home. I really didn't need any more random genitalia in my life, and Gina and I needed to go. I closed my eyes, and the words spilled out. "My wish is to come over to where you live-" Asher gave a malevolent chuckle as I continued"-with a drunken co-worker. Who can't go home. And I can't go home either."

"Dare I ask why?"

"There's no more room at the inn. It's a long story. Can I tell you when I get there?" I bit my tongue so I didn't add a please.

He paused to consider things, then told me his address, and I committed it to memory. "I'm downtown right now, though-"

I thought I might know the club he was at. "We're even downer-town. You'll beat us."

"See you there, then."

"Thanks, Asher."

I went back to the Gina and the bar. "We have a plan now. Let's go." I started to pull her gently off her seat.

"I don't know why I did it. I could have just gone through with it. I loved him. It wasn't his fault-" There were three more empty gla.s.ses in front of her, and I gave the bartender an angry look. He saw me and shrugged. "I could have gone along with things. If I'd just stayed strong," she went on.

Denial. I doubted Gina would make it through all the stages of grief in one night, but I wanted to get her out of here before she hit any more of them. "Come on, Gina."

We were lurching as one through the growing crowd, and now our fellow bar patrons were looking at us smugly. I glowered back at them. Then the back door opened and the crowd from the fight surged in.

The bear and the wolf led the way, in their human forms, now with clothes on. Lucas wore a tank top, totally inappropriate given the the weather outside. Beside him was the Bear-man, still with a cauliflower ear, and behind them both, Jorgen. I started hauling Gina away faster, hoping we hadn't been seen.

"Edie-" I heard a voice call from behind me. Gina started to turn around, and I pulled her closer. We were so close to the door. "Edie, wait-"

There was silence behind us, and the were-bouncer I'd seen outside blocked the door. He didn't need to have changed to be menacing. I looked behind me. If Lucas was the one who'd sicced those girls on me earlier today-my mind ran through options. I had my silver-buckled belt on. I could-Lucas reached out a placating hand.

"Hey." He was smiling, the first time I'd seen him look happy since I'd met him-although I realized that was less than forty-eight hours ago. "Why are you here?"

Lucas was close enough that I could see his tattoos. One arm was prison-style, dark and faded, the other j.a.panese-sleeved, expensive. He was glazed with sweat and still breathing a little rough. Jorgen stood by his side, radiating displeasure at me.

"I just came to get my friend." Everyone in the room who'd been pretending to ignore us finally stopped pretending. Being the center of attention was unnerving. It felt very much like being prey.

Gina swung forward and lunged for Jorgen. "Do I still smell like a consort to you now, a.s.shole?"

Even though the bouncer was still blocking the way, I tried to haul her up the first stair. Gina fought to concentrate on Lucas, or on one Lucas out of the many I bet she saw. "I hate you," she said, pointing her finger at Jorgen. "And you," she said to Lucas, moving her finger down the line, "and you and you-" Gina took control of herself and took a step up of her own accord, using this small leverage to wave her hand like a fervent preacher and include the entire crowd. "You're all a.s.sholes! All of you men!"

I grabbed for her and pressed her to me. The room filled with a pregnant pause. Had anyone at County made a code for what to do when your co-worker was going to get you killed?

Booming laughter began nearby. I opened eyes I hadn't realized I'd closed, and saw Lucas grinning from ear to ear. "She does have a point," he said, looking out at the crowd of gawkers himself. "Half of you are dogs."

"And those that aren't are b.i.t.c.hes!" someone else yelled from the back of the room.

There were snickers all around, and I could feel the tension in the room defuse. Lucas closed the gap between us. "Need some help?"

"Yes. Please." Anything to get out of here faster.

Muscles rippled up and down his arms as he picked up Gina and pulled her up into a fireman's cradle, like he was off to carry her over a threshold. Her chin lay on her chest, and if she was going to throw up, I prayed for her to wait until we'd gotten outside and nearer to my car.

"I'm parked nearby-" I led the way out. Lucas followed, and luckily Jorgen stayed behind.

"What was all that about?" He hefted Gina's weight easily-not that she wasn't thin, but he had no problem carrying her.

"A lover's spat. Nothing personal, I swear."

"I know."

I stopped, and he almost ran into me. "You do?"

"Sure we do. The second I found out you were caring for my uncle I asked around. She may fraternize-but she's d.a.m.n good at what she does." He looked down at the woman he carried. "She couldn't fall in love with one of us if she didn't love us all a little bit, I suppose."

I started walking again, quickly in the cold. "And what did your background check tell you about me?"

"Like Jorgen said. You're the one the vampires employ."

"That's not true," I said as we reached my Chevy. Gina was snoring. I unlocked the pa.s.senger door, and Lucas set her gently inside. "There's just the one. She needs my help, but only for a little bit more."

"You are compelled?" he asked me as I rounded my car.

"No. She just needs my help."

"And you are good at helping people."

"Like a f.u.c.king Girl Scout."

He gave me a wolfish grin over my car's hood. "What an interesting image."

I snorted, unlocked my door, and sank inside. I leaned over Gina to buckle her seat belt and reached to close her door. He held it open.

"Where are you taking her?"

"Someplace where she can sleep it off."

"Take good care of her." He stood and made to close Gina's door.

"Lucas-" There was nothing about him that gave the vibe he'd sent attackers after me earlier. If he had, wouldn't he have let the patrons of the bar off their leash, so to speak? He ducked down to peer inside. The winter air was misting off his skin, and beneath his tattoos moved muscles that could have torn my car's door off. "I was attacked this afternoon. By two were-women."

His eyes narrowed, making his red-brown eyes look like angry embers. "When? Where?"

"The Woodbridge Mall. At five P.M., or thereabout. One of them wore a fur-lined parka, the other didn't. That's all I know."

"Viktor," Lucas growled. Anger washed across his entire body. I could almost see it flow over him, the water of humanity parting to let the wolf show through. His hand clenched around my car door, and I realized that between that and the dent I'd probably just hit my deductible. "How did you survive?"

"I hit one. With silver. She might still have a scar. And then a friend of mine showed up-a vampire friend." Calling Dren a friend was stretching things, but I was smart enough to know that if this was a were-ploy, it would be better to seem like I had protection. "Are you sure it was Viktor?"

"His pack and mine have a long history. He can't get to me, and now he can't get to Winter, but you'd be easy-"

"Nothing personal, but I don't even know you. Why would he attack me?" I interrupted.

"You know me well enough. He'll do anything to stir up resentment before the full moon."

"If I'd died, I'd be a little more than resentful," I said.

He snorted and shook his head. "We need to put guards on you, Edie."

"No way."

"My pack owes you. For my uncle's life, such as it is."

"I-I don't trust you," I blurted out. His anger seemed real, and I wanted to trust him, but I also wanted to trust everyone, and that instinct wasn't wise. "I want to, but I can't."

His eyes measured me, I could almost feel him weighing my resolve. He released my car door and took a step back. "I'll find out who they were, Edie. As soon as I can. I'll let you know."

"Thank you." I nodded and put my keys into the ignition, waiting for the engine to catch and turn over before reaching for the door.

Lucas stood there watching me, with his wild-wolf eyes. "Take care of yourself, Edie."

"I will. Promise."

He closed my pa.s.senger door, and let me go.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN.

Gina groaned a few times during transit, and I felt for her. I didn't get drunk often, but I knew how she'd feel in the morning, physically at least. Emotionally-I blew air through half-parted lips. Dating a were-bear-almost becoming one? And I thought I had the market cornered on bad ideas.

I followed Asher's quick directions and reached a neighborhood I hadn't been to before.

It was genteel. Not new money, but comfortably old-the houses were sprawling two-story brick affairs with dormered attics, surrounded by full tall trees. This was the land of the normal, storybook almost-strange, considering I knew Asher was anything but. I pulled into the driveway and left the engine running for Gina.

Asher met me at the door, looking like the Asher I knew best. Olive skin, dark hair, dark brown eyes. He took one look at me, and then past me to Gina, still slumped over in my pa.s.senger seat. "You want to put her in a spare room, or a spare bathroom?"

"Someplace with a lot of tile."

He followed me out to my car, and we retrieved her. Gina kept murmuring things that sounded sad, while Asher helped me help her down his entry hall. We made it up the stairs together, and I arranged her inside a clawfoot tub while Asher went to get extra towels. I sat on the toilet beside her, petting her hair, and Asher returned to lean against the wall.

"Do I want to know what happened?"

"Girl meets were-bear, girl falls for were-bear, were-bear says if you love me you'll let me bite you, girl says good-bye." I wished I had an IV start kit and a banana bag-IV fluids with vitamins and minerals-right about then. We could've set her impending hangover straight in no time.

Asher's eyebrows rose high up his forehead. "I meant at your house."

I looked down at Gina. Chances were she wouldn't remember any of this, so I told him. About Gideon, and Veronica. He let out a low whistle.

"Good thing she waited until after Christmas to dump them on you."

"You're telling me." The kind of leverage Jake would have over me, if I'd had to have a sleeping vampire and a mutilated daytimer hidden in my bedroom closet during Christmas lunch. I shook my head at the thought.

"You think she's going to be all right here?"

"I hope so." She was propped up, and she looked pretty cozy. Asher's house was warm against the winter, but I knew the ceramic tub she was curled up in was cold enough to feel good, in that way that you craved when you were wasted. I sighed and put my hands to my head.

"Want a gla.s.s of water, or a gla.s.s of wine?"

Wine would have been lovely, if I hadn't had such a shining example of the early stages of alcohol poisoning lying nearby. "Water, please."