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We hadn’t been in Fairhaven ten o," I whispered, and climbed out of the car

"Elise" Nic climbed out, too "Maybe you should stay inside"

I shook e of town Despite the darkness, I could see pretty well

Enhanced nocturnal vision and superior sense of s while in hu a olf No clouds and a three-quarter moon didn’t hurt either

I listened and heard nothing Drew in a deep breath and caught so Too faint to tell, alhost

Lack of sleep, too ier than I’d ever been before I blew the strange sh ain

This time when I tested the wind, I detected hu

Shadows eed from the trees Five of the behind, then pushing in front, as the shadows became people and drew near

"It is about time you arrived, Elise"

We’d driven alh Which was as typical of Edward as his outfit - dark pants and dark shirt accented by a bandolier of bullets across his chest He carried a rifle in one hand and a pistol on his hip A black skullcap covered his fading blond hair

When the others had teased him about his Ra about Once I’d explained, he’d thought the reference a coure

Edward took in my attire with obvious confusion Sweats, a T-shirt, and tennis shoes were not aze beca loose to my waist From his scowl, he didn’t like the new me any better than the old one

"Who is this?"

Edward had turned his faded blue eyes, as well as his rifle, toward our visitor I tried to inch in front of Nic, but he shouldered me back I was tempted to force the issue but settled for introductions

"Nic Franklin" I pointed to the tall, lanky woman on Edward’s left "Meet Jessie McQuade"

With short brown hair and eyes nearly the same color, Jessie was attractive in an athletic sort of way

She was a law enforce deer hunter by hobby, and one of the newest and best agents in our olf division

My gaze shifted to the h cheekbones and solden feather swinging from one ear With eyes that nearly matched the shade of his black hair, William Cadotte was a professor by trade, an Ojibwe by birth, and an expert in Native American totems and mysticism by choice

I touched the plastic ina mental note to show him the totem ASAP

Both Will and Jessie nodded to Nic, then frowned at er here, and they knew it In an attempt to stave off the inevitable, I continued to introduce people

My arerald and her husband, Dah was as short as Jessie was tall Petite, with an alave her a doll-like appearance, which had fooled the enemy on countless occasions

Her fah had taken to hunting them with a ferocity only Edward could love She’d fallen hard for Daerald - the hunky, Irish-American drifter at her side - before she’d discovered he was a olf

Nic greeted Leigh and Daed Jessie and Will: a quick nod before returning his gaze to my boss I had little choice but to introduce them

"This is Edward Mandenauer"

"Sir" Nic stepped forward, hand outstretched

Edward didn’t retract the gun, and the barrel tapped Nic in the chest The older er one without expression

"I repeat, ’Who is he?’"

Nic’s eyes narrowed, but I gave hiun

"I’m with the FBI, Mr Mandenauer I have soency"

"Uh-oh," Jessie h quipped "Hope you’ve enjoyed your life so far"

The four of them moved back, away from Edward and Nic, away from me

"Elise, have you lost your mind?" Edward murmured "He could be anyone He could be - "

"He isn’t," I blurted before Edward said too much

In Edward’s mind, everyone was a olf until proven otherwise

"Ah, well, it is easy enough to find out"

I threw round before Edward could shoot him with silver and see if he erupted into a ball of fire or merely bled

The others hit the deck, too, just as the rifle discharged above our heads

"Stay down" I shoved Nic into the grass He was shaking, which was understandable Edward scared the crap out of everyone

I leaped tothe boundaries of sanity"

He shrugged and aiain I was tempted to yank it out of his hand, but I refrained

"Leave him alone"

Interest lit Edward’s eyes "Who is he?" he repeated

He was asking forwho Nic Franklin was to oing to tell him

"He’s FBI You can’t just shoot hiht be"

Edward’s lips twitched "You are sure he is who he says he is?"

I was sure he was Nic Pretty sure he was FBI Certain he wasn’t a olf - or as certain as I could be with the daot

Because there is one other way to distinguish a olf in human form If we touch, skin to skin, we know

I’d touched Nic in anger, in lust, even love I’d felt eain, but I hadn’t felt olf

"Hold on a second" Daers against Nic’s

Frowning, Nic snatched his hand away Damien’s hazel eyes , either

Edward saw the exchange and put up his gun Nic stood scowling at Dah

She brushed his shoulder-length, auburn hair back from his face Just under six feet, Damien towered over his tiny wife Not only handso turned into a olf just after the invasion at Noriven Damien a lot of years to work on his pecs

He pressed his mouth to her knuckles, then rubbed his thu, which he’d placed on Leigh’s finger less than a o

"Now that that’s settled," Edward said "Go away"

Nic glanced at Damien "What’s settled? Why did he touch me?"

"Damien’s" I wasn’t sure what to say Lucky for us, Leigh was a terrific liar

"Psychic," she supplied "He can tell all sorts of things just by touching a person"

"Bullshit," Nic snapped

I couldn’t blame him for his disbelief Nic lived in the world we had created A world where monsters didn’t exist except in fiction Our job was to keep things that way

Edward sighed "Believe what you will Now co"

He stalked toward town and Nic hesitated, looking first at me, then at Edward

I trusted o away, co - even less than I trusted myself I cast my eyes heavenward, then hurried after Edward "Wait"

Edward turned and stared past me to Nic "You want to talk? Keep up"