“Why are you arguing this with me?” Ric demanded with a laugh. “She already said if you say no, she’s coming over here to sob until you agree.”

“Why? She didn’t care I didn’t come to last year’s party.”

“That was last year. Not this year. This year she wants you. And I have yet to see you turn down a sobbing, wailing wild dog.”

Because he couldn’t! His weakness sickened him.

“I’ll think about it.”

Ric smiled. “Of course you will. And then you’ll say yes anyway.” Ric glanced around. “So…are you here alone?”

Lock dropped back in his industrial-strength office chair. “I wish I could believe you were asking to be nosy about Gwen and me. But you’re not. You’re asking about Dee-Ann.”

“Well, is she here or not?”

“Not. And if I were you, I wouldn’t try and track her down.”

“Why not?”

“Because when it comes to Dee, you’re better off not knowing where she’s going or what she’s up to.

You’ll only have to lie to the authorities later.”

“Oh. All right then.”

Smitty looked away from his computer monitor and over at the big feet resting on his desk. Relaxing back, he interlaced his fingers and rested them on his belly.

“Look who’s put her big, fat hooves on my desk.”

“And a good day to you, too, Bobby Ray.”

“Where the hell have you been, Dee-Ann?”

“I didn’t know I was on some sort of schedule that I might be late for.”

“I thought you would have been here a couple months back.”

“I told you I’d think about it.”

“And why didn’t you tell me you were in town as early as last week?”

Dee smiled. She had her momma’s warm, pretty smile, but her daddy’s eyes. Eyes like the wolf she shared her body with. And although when Smitty shifted to wolf he had the same eyes, Dee’s and Eggie’s never seemed to change, whether they were human or wolf. They remained as watchful. As cold.

He loved his cousin, but Smitty would never cross her. Because the older she got, the more like her daddy she became. Just as dangerous, just as lethal.

“How did you hear I was in town?” She asked, watching him closely.

“A Van Holtz said one of my cousins was in town. He didn’t give me any names, but I figured it was you.”

She studied him for a moment. “You want me to leave?”

“No, darlin’. I want you as part of the Pack.”

“I don’t like feeling hemmed in.”

Smitty had to smile. “And the one thing my daddy always taught me was to never hem in Eggie Smith—

or EggieSmith’s daughter. You join the Pack on simple terms. We’re always here for you and, when I need you, you’re there for us.”

Dee-Ann nodded. “Give me a few days.”

“If you like.”

Dee-Ann swung her long legs off Smitty’s desk and stood.

“And there’s a party this weekend. You’re more than welcome to come.”

“I’ll think on it.” She walked to the door, stopped. “And which Van Holtz told you I was in town?”

Smitty glanced back at his monitor, an e-mail from Jessie Ann with a silly subject line making him smile.

“Uh…one of the younger ones. Um, Ric? Ulrich? He’s a friend of—”

Staring at the empty doorway, Smitty let out a breath. How his cousin always did that whenever the mood struck her, he’d never know.

Gwen pulled open the door to her office and stepped inside. Only to get slammed back into the wall by a five-eleven wolfdog.

“Paaaaaarrrrrrrttttttyyyyyy!”

Not entirely in the mood for this, Gwen snapped, “What?”

“Party! Party! Party!”

“I’m not going to any party.” Gwen pushed past Blayne and headed toward her office, but she was yanked back by her hair and a thick envelope held up in front of her.

“Party! Party! Party!”

“Would you stop saying that!” Gwen snatched the envelope from her. Both their names were on the front, the letters raised, the paper thick and high quality. Opening it, Gwen pulled out the card inside.

You are viciously invited to the most bloodthirsty party of the century. Dress as the most ghoulish, most frightening, or most terrifying fiend of the known world and dance the night away with other like-minded terrors. Costumes are mandatory. Drinks are free. And chocolate! Chocolate! Chocolate!

—The Kuznetsovs

“Is it really hard for them to be normal?”

Blayne yanked the invite from her. “We’re going.”

Again pushing past Blayne, Gwen at least this time made it in to the office. “You’re going. I’m not.”

“Why not?”

“Not in the mood.” Why would she go to some goofy Halloween party with a bunch of goofy dogs? Her life was too short and getting shorter every day. She didn’t plan to spend a minute of it bored out of her mind, if she could help it. “But go. Have a good time.”

Gwen slipped off the straps of her backpack and she was pulling out her chair to sit down and get her paperwork together before they headed out to the snake farm, when Blayne tossed in, “Your mother’s going.”

Gwen froze in midsit. “What?”

Blayne shrugged. “She was invited and you know how she—”