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Typhon grumbled and shifted in the chair, probably to take some of the pressure off his wounds. "They have good aim," he muttered.

"They shot you? Raina and Camille shot you?" My voice kept rising with every word, and I could only stare at him, incredulous.

Typhon nodded. "In the leg. The blonde one hit first."

I swallowed hard, remembering Lain digging bullets out of Typhon's thigh. My brain was clearly broken from everything I'd learned today, because the very next image that came to mind was the curve of Typhon's ass and how damn good he looked naked. I'd tried not to look too much after he changed shape, but it was really hard to ignore a gorgeous naked man walking around my house, even in the middle of a nightmare.

"Donovan's partner, Will, is Camille's twin brother," Lain went on, oblivious to my inner struggles. "Donovan said he was going to tell Will what was going on, so that means Camille and Raina will know within the next half hour at the latest. If Will doesn't tell the girls, Alex will. They're his best friends. So, between all of us, someone will keep an eye on Quinn at all times. I'll come in with you until we know for sure, though. That'll give me time to organize my thoughts and give you the explanation you deserve."

I raised an eyebrow. "You hate coming in on weekends."

"Only because I hate waking up early. I'm already awake, so I might as well make myself useful for a bit."

I didn't want to put my only real friend in danger, but I had to admit that I'd feel a lot better about going to work today if I had someone with me.

"I still don't like it," Typhon said, but he sounded a little less grumpy about it.

It took a deep breath or two and some serious effort, but I dragged my brain back on track. "I have a short day today, at least. I only have four appointments this morning, then I can come home."

"Two of them are just baths, too," Lain chipped in. "Calvin and Leesi are good pups, so they should be easy."

"You know you just jinxed me, right?" I groaned. "Now our hose is going to start leaking and the dryer is going to break."

Lain laughed. "You are so weirdly superstitious. It'll be fine, and you'll be home in no time."

"Jinx," I muttered again.

It was easy to focus on work. I'd spent years burying myself in building my business and blocking out the bad things happening in my life. It was an old habit, one I slipped back into uncomfortably quickly.

"I'll be back as soon as I can, Typhon," I promised him. "I'll take Rom with me for extra protection." As far as I knew, my dog wouldn't hurt a fly, but he looked intimidating, and that's what really mattered.

"Do you want me to hang out here with Typhon instead?" Lain offered. He didn't sound thrilled about spending time with Typhon, though I think him suddenly being a very gorgeous man helped ease some of the animosity. Lain enjoyed quality eye candy, and Typhon's human shape really was stunning.

"I'll be fine," Typhon responded before I could.

"Thanks, though," I added.

"If you change your mind, let me know," Lain said, then pushed himself up to his feet. "I'm going to head back into town. I need to stop by Ori's shop, but I'll meet you at the salon when you get there."

"I'll be fine. You really don't have to stay with me."

"I'm going to, though. I'll see you in a few."

Lain lingered just long enough to pet Romulus, then let himself out, leaving me and Typhon alone again. The silence was a welcome reprieve after the chaos of the last hour.

"I'm sorry," Typhon said before I could even finish gathering my thoughts. He stroked D'Artagnan's soft fur as he spoke, not quite meeting my eyes.

"None of this is your fault. Someone was holding you against your will, and you escaped. Going after Landon isn't great, I'll admit, but he's home safe and I know it was an accident."

"You're probably the only person who feels that way, but that wasn't what I meant."

This sounded like it was going to require my full attention. I needed to get ready for work if I was going to make it on time, but this felt important. I perched on the edge of the coffee table right in front of him, so we were face to face.

"What did you mean, then?"

"I scared you." He didn't look at me as he spoke, voice low. "When I lost control of the beast and he… and we attacked the detective. We made you afraid. I'm sorry."

It took effort to swallow back my automatic denial. My knee-jerk instinct was always to appease everyone, to reassure people and make them happy, even if it meant lying to them. Anything even remotely confrontational made me squirm, and it'd only gotten worse during my disaster of a relationship.