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  “Ariadne came to me for advice about that job,” Gwen said. “Maybe if I’d known the depths Cecily would sink to, I would have told her to accept the offer.”

  Dale said, “Not on the terms Cecily was giving. First she wanted Ari to give up Bitches. Now apparently breaking up with me is part of the bargain.”

  “Why?”

  “To be a cruel bitch?” She winced and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Sorry.”

  Gwen glanced toward her. “For what?”

  “Uh. Nothing.”

  After a moment, Gwen realized what she meant. “Ah. Because I once tried to force you and Ariadne to break up.”

  “I didn’t mean anything by it,” Dale said.

  “Did I ever apologize for that?”

  “I’m sure you did. It’s in the past.”

  Gwen said, “Not far enough in the past. I didn’t realize what the two of you had. I had no idea what you meant to one another. If I had, if I knew how lucky my daughter was to have you in her life...” She flexed her fingers on the steering wheel. “Every day I’m grateful that Ariadne forgave me for that. Because if I had someone like you, I would never forgive the person who tried to take her away. I love you like a daughter, Dale.”

  “I don’t know how to respond to that.”

  “You don’t have to,” Gwen said. “It’s just information for you to have, if it’s ever needed. When you need help, I’m not just ‘Ari’s mom.’ Not to you.”

  “Thank you.” Dale looked out the window. “It doesn’t make sense. Ari’s a great detective, but why go to all this trouble just to hire her? There are other detectives in this town.”

  “But how many of them are wolves?” Gwen asked. “This woman is a succubus... maybe there are other creatures employed at the firm as well.”

  Dale considered that as Gwen pulled into the garage. “You think GG&M is making some kind of menagerie?”

  Gwen shrugged. “It’s possible. It would explain why she’s going to such ridiculous lengths just to recruit Ariadne.” They got out of the car and faced each other across the roof. “You and I know how special she is, but no employer would kill just because she said no to a job offer. No sane person would do it, anyway.”

  “Are we sure Cecily is sane, though.”

  “That’s a good question.”

  Dale sighed and took the keys from her pocket. “Okay. Uh, thanks for keeping my head on straight and taking care of everything this morning. I honestly have no idea what I would have done if you hadn’t been there.”

  “Where do you think you’re going?”

  “Home. I need...”

  Gwen was shaking her head. “You’re going inside. You’re going to sleep in the guest room. You’ve been up most of the night, and it’s been an incredibly stressful few hours. You need to sleep and you need to not be alone.”

  “Thank you, but--”

  “Dale,” Gwen said softly, “I need to not be alone, too.”

  “Well. When you put it that way...”

  Gwen moved to the front of the car and held out one hand. Dale joined her and let Gwen drop the arm across her shoulders as they went inside.

  “There’s nothing we can do at this moment, so we’re going to regroup and recharge. And because I don’t want you to worry about anything, I’m going to take care of your bills until all this blows over. Rent for your home and the offices, whatever you need.”

  Dale said, “That’s far too much...”

  Gwen stepped in front of her. “Ariadne ran away when she was a teenager. I didn’t get to take care of her during those years. This is my chance to finally make up for that lost time by taking care of the life she built for herself, and by taking care of you when she isn’t able to.”

  Dale fought back tears. “Well, gee. You make it hard to say no.”

  “Good.” She kissed Dale’s forehead. “I’m going to let you make up the room. You remember where the linens are, right?”

  Dale nodded. It had been a while since wolf manoth, when she’d camped out in Gwen’s house while Ari was undercover with the hunters, but she had a fair idea of where she could find everything.

  “Okay,” Gwen said. “Get some rest. I have some calls to make.”

  #

  Ari’s cell was at the far end of the room, the last one on the lower level. The door was propped open and, as she approached, she could see someone was stretched out on one of the beds. She paused on the threshold and examined her new home. Two beds, one on either side of the door, each with a small table at the far end. On the wall opposite the door was a little window, high and narrow enough that escape wasn’t an option.

  “Looking for decorating tips?” The woman on the bed had been reading, but she put the book face-down on her mattress and sat up. She was wearing tan khakis and a V-neck undershirt which showed off her heavily-inked arms. A khaki button-down shirt was tossed carelessly on the foot of the bed. Her black hair was shaved at the sides and slicked back on top.

  “I... no. Ah, apparently I’m your new roommate.”

  Her shoulders sagged. “Ah, damn. Knew it was too good to last.” She motioned Ari forward. “Well, it’s your home, too. Don’t wait for an invitation.”

  “Right.” Ari stepped inside and put her pillow and blanket down. “I’m Ariadne Willow. You can call me Ari.”

  “No, I won’t. We generally use last names in here. The guards do it, so it’s just easier.” She stuck out her hand. “Shae Segura. How you holding up?”

  Ari shook her hand before taking a seat on her bed. There was space between her and Segura, but not a hell of a lot. The cell as just a little wider than most supply closets she’d seen.

  “I don’t think it’s real enough for me to react yet,” Ari admitted. “Twenty-four hours ago, I was at home worrying about what I’d have for dinner. Now I’m sitting in jail awaiting trial for murder.”

  “Murder?”

  “I didn’t do it, if that makes you feel better.”

  Segura chuckled. “I might still sleep with one eye open. No offense. I’m just in here for fraud, forgery, theft.” She leaned forward and lowered her voice. “I’m what you might call a con artist.”

  “Is that so,” Ari said.

  “Yeah. I was pretty good, if I do say so myself. But I got caught by one of my marks. I’m not a murderer - again, no judgement on you - so I tried to run. I’ve always been better at lying than running. So I got caught. Once I was in the system, all my sins started coming back to bite me.”

  Ari said, “Is that what the friendliness is all about? You’re trying to gain my confidence so you can screw me over at a later date?”

  Segura smiled devilishly. “You’re quicker than I like my marks. But no. You’ve seen the size of this room. You and I have to share it for the foreseeable future. I could play the alpha bitch and try to make you fall in line, or I could try to become your friend. There’s plenty of time to make your life miserable later if you turn out to be an asshole.”

  Ari smiled at the ‘alpha bitch’ comment but let it go. “I’ll do my best to stay on your good side.”

  “Good. So, Willow, you have a choice. You want to settle in, relax, settle your mind? Or do you want to find out about your new home? I’m good either way.”

  Ari said, “I think settling sounds good right about now.”

  Segura picked up her book and stretched out on top of her blankets. “Works for me. Try to do it quietly, though. House rules: don’t talk to me when I’m reading.”

  “I’ll make a note.”

  “See that you do. And when you’ve been around long enough to have rules of your own, I’ll respect them. It’s a partnership. That way we have harmony.”

  Ari nodded. She spread out her blanket, put her pillow at the far end of the mattress, and lay down. She crossed her feet at the ankles and laced her fingers over her stomach. It only took her a minute or so to quiet her mind and shut out all the extraneous noise of the prison. Segura was silent as promised, and the com
motion outside the cell - voices echoing as women called to each other, the crash-clang of doors automatically locking as they were closed - was easy enough to ignore.

  She liked to imagine the wolf was something deep in the center of her brain. It wasn’t caged, but it was secure and restrained there until she called on it. The wolf was obedient, but only to a point. It was a part of who she was and it could only be denied for so long. Four weeks, give or take. She rarely let herself go that long. She enjoyed running as much as the wolf did, and letting herself go was a pure pleasure that no non-canidae could hope to understand. But now she didn’t have a choice.

  Listen, she said.

  She felt the wildness stirring in the center of her brain.

  I don’t want this any more than you do. I know right now you’re scared and confused. I want to tell you it’ll get better, but I won’t lie to you. It’s going to get worse. And it’s probably going to be a long time before I can let you out. Be good to us, and I’ll do everything in my power to get you free. You’re a part of me. I’m not locking you up, I just can’t let you out.

  Her focus shattered into the swirling, unhinged feeling that came right before blacking out. She felt nauseated and drunk as the wolf pressed against the edges of the barrier she had put up. Her hands curled into fists and she could feel her nails scratching through the material of her jumpsuit and shirt.

  No.

  She thought the word once, as firmly as she could manage. It was calm and unpanicked. She felt the bunk trembling underneath her and realized it was because she was having a very small seizure from the effort of keeping the wolf at bay.

  I will let you out the moment it’s safe, she thought, still calm even as the darkness closed in on her vision. Listen to me. Trust me. I don’t want you to be hurt, but I have to hold you back in order to protect you. Remember the lessons. There are right times. There are wrong times. This is the wrongest time there’s ever been, baby. Trust me. Let me take whatever punishment is going to happen.

  The tremors subsided. Her muscles relaxed, and she felt the darkness retreating. She waited until it was entirely gone before she let herself sigh with relief. She blinked her eyes open and turned her head to see Segura watching her over the top of her book.

  “You okay there, newbie?”

  “I’m...” Her voice cracked and she coughed to clear her throat. “Yeah. I’m fine. Just a little, uh, meditation trick my mother taught me.”

  “I thought meditation was supposed to relax you.”

  Ari sat up and put her feet on the floor. Her forehead and upper lip were beaded with sweat. “Don’t I look relaxed?”

  Segura closed the book on her finger. “Yeah, come to think of it, you do. Are you going to be doing that a lot?”

  “No, I don’t think so,” Ari said.

  She might have calmed her wolf for the time being, but she knew it wasn’t anything like a permanent solution. Sooner or later it would start to push at the edges again and she would have to fight it back. Eventually there would be no reasoning with it. She examined the cell again. Not much room to pace or prowl, certainly not enough room to run. The wolf would absolutely hate it, but if she was pushed into a corner...

  “How much privacy do we get in this place? Could I close the door, put a blanket over the window, and just chill for... say an hour?”

  “You got a habit?” Segura asked. “Or are you coming on to me?”

  Ari shook her head. “No, I just... I’m... curious. I like my private time.”

  “Well, you’re going to have to say goodbye to that. An hour of alone time? I would agree to make myself scarce as long as you needed, but the guards and the other ladies would get real curious about what you’re up to. The guards would think you’re digging a tunnel, and everyone else would think you’re dealing drugs and get huffy because you aren’t sharing. Secrets don’t survive long in this place.”

  “Just making sure,” Ari said. “I had to ask.”

  Segura nodded. “Better to get it out of the way early.” She looked back at her book. “About the, uh, other thing...”

  “What?”

  “Coming on to me.”

  “Oh. No, I’m... I am gay. But I have a...” Again, that hated term. Girlfriend seemed so small and partner was just so vague. “I’ve found the love of my life. She’s waiting for me outside.”

  Segura clicked her tongue against her teeth. “Damn. Well, can’t have it all, I guess.”

  Ari stood up and went to the door. She looked out over the common space and the women who were now her neighbors. She knew her mom and Dale were working hard on getting her out, but Cecily Parrish was probably marshalling every tool at her disposal to make sure Ari stayed in jail as long as possible. She didn’t want to say it sounded impossible, but she had a feeling she was going to be staying in this place a lot longer than she would like.

  Chapter Five

  Gwen waited until she was positive Dale was upstairs before she collapsed into one of her dining room chairs and covered her face with both hands. From the moment Dale showed up, almost hysterical and barely able to speak, Gwen knew she would need to be the strong one. Dale and Ariadne had both needed someone they could lean on and from whom they could draw strength. Gwen was happy to provide that for them, for both her daughters, but the entire day had been an enormous strain on her. Now that she was alone she could focus on her own emotions.

  She was well-trained in worrying for her daughter. When Ariadne was a teenager and learned the truth about what Gwen had done to her as a baby, she responded by running away. Gwen still believed she had done the right thing. Ari was the daughter of a hunter and was born human. The only way to make her canidae was a blood transfusion which gave her the ability to transform into a wolf, but with great physical pain.

  Would she still feel it was the right thing if Ari had died from the procedure? Had it still felt like the right thing when she knew that every transformation was excruciating? And now that Ari was locked up, her canidae nature was like a sword hanging over her head by the thinnest of threads, would she have done things differently? Risked having her daughter grow up human? The wolf helped her overcome whatever hunter DNA she might have gotten from her father. It gave her a chance to become a good person. Whatever consequences came from that decision, Gwen still believed it was the right thing to do.

  Gwen wiped her hands over her face. She’d always worked out her worries and stress by Doing. For years, that had been gathering funds and recruiting wolves to help in the war against the hunters. Now her girls needed her. She took out her phone and tried to think of any lawyers she might know. She was about to begin scrolling through her contacts when she realized there was another call she needed to make first.

  She checked to make sure Dale hadn’t come back downstairs and then dialed. There was a time difference to consider, but her call was answered while she was still trying to figure out how late it would be on the other end.

  “Hi,” she said. “I need you to come to Seattle. Now.”

  #

  Dale was adamant that she wouldn’t sleep. Not when Ari was in such a dire situation. She went upstairs because she knew Gwen wouldn’t let up, but she only planned to take a quick shower and then go back down to the kitchen to begin brainstorming. The only reason she sat on the bed was to take off her shoes, and that felt so good that she decided to put her head down. That way, if Gwen asked, she would be telling the truth if she said she’d laid down for a little bit. She was smiling at her own cleverness when she drifted off.

  At some point, she was aware of Gwen bending over the bed to tuck a blanket around her shoulders. Late afternoon sunlight was streaming past her, making her look godlike.

  “I’m not sleeping,” Dale murmured.

  “I know, sweetheart.”

  The light had shifted the next time Dale opened her eyes. It wasn’t yet night, but her stomach was very aware of the fact she’d missed breakfast and lunch. She freed herself from the blankets, found h
er shoes, and went into the bathroom. She finally took her shower and dressed in the clothes Gwen had left hanging from a hook on the bedroom door. She couldn’t tell if the outfit was Ari’s or Gwen’s, but it fit her well enough despite the fact she was curvier than either of them. She left the shirt untucked and went downstairs.

  Gwen was in the kitchen, stirring something on the stove. “Hello, Dale. Did you sleep well?”

  “I didn’t want to sleep at all.”

  “Sometimes it’s not up to you. It’s been an incredibly stressful day. Your brain needed time to process everything. I’m making some pesto soup, if you’d like to get the bowls.”

  Dale’s stomach grumbled as she retrieved the bowls. The silverware was in the second drawer she checked, and she joined Gwen at the stove.

  “Is she going to be okay?”

  Gwen looked at her and seemed to debate between the harsh truth and a hopeful lie. In the end, she said, “I don’t know. I’ve put in some calls and hopefully we’ll have reinforcements soon. I also did some research and discovered that the prison only allows visitation on certain days. We can see Ariadne again on Monday.”

  “Monday?” It might as well have been a month away.

  “I’m sorry, Dale, but there’s no wiggle room on that.”

  “No, I know, it’s just... I don’t like being away from Ari that long. I know it’s harder on her, since she can’t transform, but...”

  Gwen put a hand on Dale’s arm. “I understand. Come on. Let’s eat.”

  They sat together at the dinner table. Despite her stomach’s protestations, Dale didn’t expect to have much of an appetite. She surprised herself by emptying her bowl before Gwen, licking her lips and wondering if it was impolite to ask for seconds. Gwen saw her contemplating the question and saved her from asking by pointing out there was plenty more on the stove.

  “I feel guilty,” Dale said as she refilled her bowl. “We’re probably eating better than Ari is.”

  “You’ll drive yourself insane if you keep thinking like that. Ari doesn’t want you to punish yourself just because she’s locked up. Don’t play that game.”