Page 43 of Scout’s Honor

Bonhi shook her head, her expression scared.

“Go inside, lock the door and call 911.”

Bonhi nodded and went inside.

Dallas leaned closed to Maze. “What the hell’re you doing here?”

Maze spoke quickly. “I’ve been looking for Thorn on Jameson’s orders. I spotted this guy and his vibe was all off, and he was stalking in the forest out back where he had no reason to be. I knew you were here, so I checked him out—tried to talk to him. He was completely unreasonable and all he cared about was getting inside the house.”

“You knew I was here?”

“Everybody knows.”

The guy on the ground moaned and stirred. He touched his jaw, then he jumped to his feet and backed away. Neither Maze nor Dallas tried to stop him.

Aven and Dakota came to the back door and opened it. Aven wore shorts and Dakota had a blanket wrapped around her.

“Who’s this guy?” Aven said.

“Who the hell are you?” the kid yelled, backing over the fence panel that lay on the ground. “Did you kidnap me?”

He ran into the forest before any of them could react.

“You’re welcome,” Maze said. He also disappeared into the forest. A moment later, a hawk flew overhead, SKREE-ing goodbye.

Dallas turned to Aven and Dakota.

“You stay here and guard Bonhi. I’m going to make sure that kid is gone.”

Aven nodded. Dallas stalked into the forest.

Three hours later the police had come and finally gone, the guy who’d broken through her fence hadn’t been found yet, Dakota and Aven were asleep in the guest bedroom, and Bonhi was watching the police officers walk to their car. It hadn’t been the same officers as last time.

Bonhi was exhausted. She locked her front door, then she double-checked the lock on the back door, then she turned around to find Dallas leaning against the wall, watching her. He didn’t say a word, only locked eyes with her and waited for her to talk.

“Why do men keep trying to abduct me?”

Dallas shrugged. “Both of them were charmed by vampires.”

Bonhi shook her head. “I didn’t see any vampires.”

“He twitched, and we’re figuring out that means charmed,” Dallas said, not meeting her eyes, but then he looked up and locked onto her gaze. “I think it’s because you’re a switch.”

Bonhi took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. “Okay then, I’m willing to go to the magical house.”

Dallas smiled, a warm and genuine smile that made Bonhi’s heart twinge. “Great. Maybe you’ll have a room and that would solve all sorts of stuff.”

She didn’t like the sound of that. “I don’t need a room, I need answers. Besides, what would that even solve?”

Dallas looked around like he was hoping help would come to him from somewhere, then he said, “I’m the only one who sees you glow, but all the shifters should be able to. Aven and I think it’s because you aren’t ‘switched on’ yet, because you haven’t gotten close to a vampire yet. I could see Dakota glow before she was switched on.” He shook his head. “We don’t know why, but I could, and now all the shifters can see her glow.”

Bonhi shook her head slowly. It was too much to think about in the middle of the night. She took Dallas’ hand and led him up the stairs to her room. She stopped by the bed, took both his hands in hers, and looked up at him, fully trusting him. “Will you stay with me tonight?”

Dallas nodded. They didn’t speak as they got ready for bed separately. He was standing by the bed in boxers when Bonhi came out of the bathroom, and he looked good. He’d already taken the shoe off his prosthesis, so it looked like a leg and foot. His right knee was scarred up pretty good, but the thigh was strong and muscular, and so was the other leg.

Bonhi smiled and got into bed. He sat down next to her, then laid down, facing her, entwining his hands with hers.

Bonhi closed her eyes and drifted, not quite falling asleep, but enjoying the feeling of Dallas in her bed, holding her hands.