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“Unquestionably,” he said after a moment. “You never got a good look at what was hunting you?”
“No. But it sounded large and it didn’t…”
I racked my brain, trying to dredge up memories that didn’t want to be remembered.
“Didn’t what?”
“He said it wasn’t a wolf.” I shivered, thinking of the rueful smirk on Malcolm’s face in the woods. Had he known the fight was over? Had he simply resigned himself to his own death? “Derrick, what could be out there that’s worse than a werewolf?”
He huffed a humorless laugh and shook his head. “You’ve lived a very sheltered life, Nora Grayson, if you think werewolves are the biggest and baddest that’s out there.”
“So it could be anything?” I asked, trying not to sound as horrified as I was.
“Anything from a gallu to a witiko,” he admitted. “These are old woods. And the Leslie clan has been less than diligent in its patrols in recent years.”
Swallowing hard, I struggled to find words. Here was yet another testament to my lack of education. Bess might have warned me away from old woods, but she never went into detail about the monsters that may lurk there. Sensing Derrick’s mind was on the same thing, I tried for a smile but that felt false. There was nothing to be happy about. My ignorance was a danger not only to myself, but to those around me. Maybe if I’d known better, I could have helped Lord Malcolm.
I wasn’t sure how, given the drugs in my system and the runestone still lodged in my hand, but I’d managed to help Derrick when it was needed. Surely I could have done the same for his grandfather if I’d tried.
“I’m so sorry, Derrick. Malcolm…”
He leaned forward and pressed his forehead to mine, letting out a heavy sigh as he did. “You’ve nothing to be sorry for, Nora. He was there when I couldn’t be and I will forever be grateful to him for that. But Maker help me, it was easier to hate him.”
“It doesn’t erase the past,” I said. “The past is still relevant. It made you who you are.”
“No, but it does…” he trailed off, letting the words hang for several seconds. “I suppose it proves that when it mattered most, he stood his ground between danger and an innocent life.”
His gaze dropped to my mouth, one hand drifting behind my neck to make little stroking patterns against my skin. I shivered, all the fear of the last hours slowly dissolving to something far sweeter. We would find a way to get my magic back, he promised, and I wanted so badly to believe him that I did. Never mind that he was a Constable, that his choice to knock on my door landed me here, he was good and solid and safe and when he leaned forward, I met him. He was so close I could feel his breath against my cheek, and I closed my eyes, allowing his safety to cover me.
“The second thing?” I whispered, trying to bring us back to safer ground.
“Maker help me, Nora…”
I felt the words as he spoke them, his mouth settling firm on my own, and all my fear went scattering to pieces. He pulled me closer, one arm sliding to my lower back, and I felt the warmth and solidness of his chest against me. My wounded arm remained strapped and secure, palm facing down against my heart, but what pain there had been slid away from me. All the world honed to the sweet taste of his mouth, to where his fingers slid into my hair. He smelled of the forest in autumn, freshly fallen leaves and crisp earth.
His teeth scraped my lower lip and I gasped, tilting my head back. “Nora,” he murmured against my mouth. He pulled away, pressed his forehead against mine. “I have never wanted anything more than I want you.”
A little startled by this confession, I closed my eyes. “Maker only knows why.”
His fingers tightened in my hair, loosening again in the next instant and he pressed a kiss to my temple before he spoke again. “You’ve been told a lot of lies, Nora. I can handle the ones they told you about the CEB being evil and Fairy being dangerous, but the lies they made you believe about yourself are the worst.”
I blinked at him as he drew back. “Lies?”
He seemed to be struggling. His jaw flexed and he gathered my good hand in both of his, cradling it in the space between us. “When it was apparent that you were telling the truth about never visiting Fairy, I asked the Lieutenant to do some digging.”
Stiffening, I might have drawn away, but his thumb was stroking a gentle line over my knuckles and the concern in his face kept me still. He was frightened I wouldn’t listen, I could see it, and that brought me up short.
“About me?” I asked.
“You and your caretakers,” Derrick said and held my gaze.
The emphasis he placed on the word caretakers sent a little shiver down my spine. Part of me had resigned itself to the fact that Bess and Martin were crooks. I knew that much. But as I stared at Derrick, foreboding prickled at my neck.
I swallowed. “And?”
He let go of a breath. “They were still gathering reports, so I don’t have a full picture of the situation yet, but it isn’t good. And I know they raised you and you trust them, but I am begging you, please, when we have the reports in hand, to read them.”
“You’re scaring me, Derrick.”
