It took a full minute before his head rustled, the grinding of stone against stone as he moved and woke from his slumber. Smirking, Molly kept the heat up until he was fully bared to her as much as he could be. Just his head and neck moved. He groaned and snorted, dust coming out of his nose.

  “Stop.” His voice boomed through the underside of the bridge.

  Molly kept it going. His order wasn't going to stop her one way or another. It felt so good to let loose on someone after keeping everything pulled inside her for days.

  “Stop!” he shouted.

  Pulling back, Molly kept the heat as a very real threat in case he dared to defy her or ignore her. “I need answers.”

  “I have nothing for you.” His voice was slow still, but there was a sense of urgency to his words. She had no doubt that the pain was very present in his body that he couldn't move away from it.

  “Answers or your fate will be no different.”

  “I did not intend to kill her.”

  Molly’s lips parted, but she barreled right through that confession. He had said it all to her before, but she didn’t care to listen. He had killed her, and that was all she cared to know. She’d witnessed every second of it. “Are you dealing the drugs?”

  He laughed. His voice boomed through the underside of the bridge, this time sending shivers down her spine and into her toes. Molly increased the heat, not wanting to deal with his antics that night. She wanted answers then she wanted to get out of there. “Where are they coming from?”

  “I have nothing to give you.”

  “I want answers!” Her voice rose in rage.

  “I know nothing.”

  “Horse shit.” Molly stepped closer, still staring up at him and having to crane her neck to look into his pitch black eyes. “You may be stuck here by my hand, but you’re fully aware of what is going on. Tell me what you know.”

  He didn't respond. Cranking up the level on the heat, Molly added in a few sparks of electricity to make her point.

  “They’re killing Tainted.”

  “I know.”

  Finally, she was getting somewhere. “Tell me who is doing it.”

  “I do not know.”

  Looking up into his eyes, she knew he was telling her the truth. She let up on the electricity but kept the heat as a constant reminder of all she could and would do to him. “Tell me.”

  “I know nothing.”

  “Tell me!” Molly yelled, her voice burst from her in a lash of anger. Her chest rose and fell in sharp gasps as she tried to control herself while at the same time wanting to let it all go. This was why she didn’t ever tread down to the bridge to see him.

  “Faye came here to get drugs. Where did you send her?”

  “Nowhere.”

  “Don’t lie to me!” She raised the heat and intensified the electricity. “Where did you send her?”

  “I do not know anything. What am I going to learn from here? I am in prison.”

  His words stung. Molly let out a breath. He was right. What could he do from his position? He had access to some things, he had information for sure, but there was no way he was the one manufacturing the drug or even handing it out to other dealers.

  Frustrated, Molly increased the heat in one last time to try and get an answer, but she had little hope she would. Molly swung her hand out behind her, ending the spell before she got into her vehicle. Slamming the door, she pressed her forehead to the steering wheel and let out a sigh. She needed to get a hold of herself. She couldn't slip back into what she had been a year before when she was cursed. With no more answers than when she’d come, Molly headed home.

  ###

  Faye slipped into Ben’s room after knocking and making sure he was alone. After her last encounter with Joel, she would be fine with not seeing him again for a little bit. She wasn’t as mad at him as Molly was, but she didn’t want to see him either. Ben sat at his computer, the sun setting over the horizon behind him through the window.

  Bouncing on his bed, she backed up on it until she could sit comfortably. “Let’s do this.”

  “Do what?” He spun around to face her, eyes wide and confused.

  “Shift.”

  “What?”

  “Let’s train you to shift without pain. I’ve been thinking about it, and I’m the perfect person to teach you how to do it.”

  “You literally just told me it’s always going to hurt.”

  Scoffing, Faye rolled her eyes and landed flat on her back on the messy bed. “I did, but that doesn’t mean you can’t learn to make it easier. So let’s do that.”

  “Let’s not.” Ben focused on his computer, typing away.

  Faye gave him a minute before she sat up and moved over to him at the computer. She spun him around in his chair so he had to face her and leaned over so that her face was right in his. “You need to learn.”

  “I will, but not with you.”

  “Why?” Faye stood up straight and crossed her arms offended. “You don’t trust me or something?”

  “I don’t want it to hurt.”

  “Ben, it’s going to hurt whether you do it with me or not, but let me teach you this. Come on. I’m the one who’s going to know the most, you know that.”

  Ben gave her a hard stare. “What do I get out of it?”

  “Uh…a lesson from yours truly.”

  Rolling his eyes, Ben glared. “No.”

  “Come on, Benny-boy.”

  “I’ve told you not to call me that.”

  “Get up.” Faye grabbed his hand and pulled him to stand. “What did you change into?”

  “Skoll.”

  “Okay, do you want to change into something else? Like…a fish?”

  “Won’t I die from not being able to breathe?” Ben paled.

  “Doubt it. You can breathe out of water, so your shifted form should be able to as well.”

  “Can I breathe underwater?”

  “We’ll have to find out. Maybe not today though unless we’re jumping in with the sharks in the river.”

  “There’s sharks in the river?”

  Laughing, Faye put her hands on her hips. “You have no idea what is in this city, do you?”

  Ben’s lips parted, but he closed them sharply with no retort. She’d called him on something he didn’t want to admit. Bypassing that conversation for another day, Faye grabbed his hand.

  “Something easy then. If you shifted into a skoll, then let’s try a dog or a cat.”

  “Okay.” Ben let out a breath. “Okay.”

  “I want you to think about it. Whichever one you want. Think about the shape of the body. Think about the feel of the fur. The lines of muscles. The breath in your lungs.”

  Ben didn’t say anything, but he closed his eyes. Faye walked around him, giving him space he needed. She knew this was a huge ask, but if he was willing to give it a shot, then she was willing to teach what she knew.

  “When you’re ready, feel for your powers, pull it in to you, focus on it, and then turn it to the wild.”

  Keeping quiet, Faye stayed back. He would need the room. She pressed her lips together, and when she sensed he was about to shift, she gave him one more piece of advice. “Loosen up every muscle in your body, Ben. You don’t want to be tense.”

  He shook out his arms and his legs, his knees trembling. It wouldn’t be perfect, but she had faith he would succeed. They stood there in silence for another two minutes before he popped his eyes open and stared directly at her. Faye held her breath, waiting to see what would happen.

  Before her eyes, Ben shifted down to the ground, his back arching up, hair sprouting along his spine and his skin as his clothes ripped to make room for the new him. When his hands touched the floor, they didn’t have fingers but paws. He looked up at her, his eyes reflecting surprise at her in his gaze.

  Faye grinned. She got down onto her knees and held her hand out for him. Ben walked toward her, his gait unnatural. They could work on that later, and she knew he’d get more used to it as he moved and became more comfortable with his body. Ben’s head moved against her hand, his back arching as she scratched it and under his chin. He made the cutest little cat there was.

  He waltzed around the room, prancing from one side to the next. As he came back to her, he jumped up on the bed, stretched his back, and hopped down to meet up with her again. Faye patted his head.

  “Whenever you’re ready, Ben, you can come back into your human form. I’ll get you some clothes.”

  He didn’t shift back right away. Faye waited patiently, enjoying watching him explore his shifter side. As he got closer to her, she realized his scent had changed to reflect that of a feline. Interested and curious, she drew in a deeper breath to try and catch more of his exact smell. There was still a faint hint of him underneath it all, and that earthy smell that had come to the forefront of his blood since he’d stopped his medication. He was still Ben, no matter what form he took.

  Ben got up on his keyboard, stomped around the keys as they clicked under the weight of his paws. Faye giggled. He meowed and walked back to her. He brushed his head against her arm and walked to the center of the room where he had originally shifted. Faye knew without him saying anything that he was going to shift back to his human form.

  Getting up onto her feet, she grabbed a pair of jeans. As soon as he was back to him, she tossed them at him. Ben groaned when he moved his arms and his legs. “It hurts.”

  “That will go away the more you get used to it. It’s like starting to work out when you haven’t in forever. It takes your muscles time to get used to it.”

  “I get that, but it still hurts.”

  “Take a hot shower.”

  Ben gave her a sharp look.

  “What? It helps. I’d suggest a bath, but I don’t think that’s quite your style.”

  “Yeah. That was good though.”

  “You’re definitely getting the hang of this. You should try something other than a mammal next time. I’m curious just what all you can shift into.”

  “I think it’s limitless.”

  “Maybe.” Faye sat on the edge of the bed as Ben went back to his chair. “You’ll also likely have to work on doing that much more quickly. Can’t be taking your time when we’re in a true emergency.”

  “Faye—”

  “Practice, Ben. It just takes practice. Don’t give up on it yet.”

  “I wasn’t giving up on it.” A slight whine was in the edge of his tone.

  “Maybe not, but you weren’t practicing either. We’ll set up some more times to practice.”

  “Great.”

  Chuckling, Faye clapped him on the shoulder. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to go wrangle Malek, per Molly’s request.”

  “Oh? What did he do now?”

  Faye heaved a sigh. “Exist.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Faye skipped seeing Malek and went straight for her motorcycle. With the machine between her legs, she pulled out of the garage while Molly pulled in. Cursing her luck, Faye tried to escape, but Molly was fast and grabbed her wrist to keep her still.

  “Where are you going?”

  “Out.” Faye was thankful for the helmet hiding every facial reaction she had.

  “There is no reason for you to be out tonight.”

  “Other than I want to be. I did my chores, Mom.” Rolling her eyes, Faye shifted to a more relaxed stance. “I can go have some fun.”

  “You’re going to get more drugs.”

  Faye didn’t want to respond, though she doubted she could hide it much more. Molly was anything but stupid. Her shoulders tensed, and she pulled her helmet off to give her more time to find an answer.

  “This is the first time I’ve been sober in weeks, Molly. What makes you think I’m going to go get more drugs?”

  Molly’s dark brown eyes narrowed in her direction, eyeing her up and down. Faye shuddered. She loved having that gaze on her, and she wanted to feel it again over and over. No matter what she did, it was as though she was addicted to everything Molly. Molly was her drug of choice, but she was also one she couldn’t freely have whenever she wanted.

  “I want you to talk to your friend.”

  Groaning, Faye settled her helmet on the bars of her bike. “That is stupid. He doesn’t know anything.”

  “He knows something. Joel agrees. More Tainted have been coming to us where these drugs are concerned.”

  “He wouldn’t talk to you, would he?”

  Molly’s tongue dashed against her lips before her jaw clenched. Faye inwardly smirked, knowing she had caught Molly right where she didn’t want to be caught. “No.”

  “And did you torture him like last time as well?”

  Molly drew in a sharp breath. “He wouldn’t answer my questions.”

  “What the hell? He’s a troll that you’ve put in a prison of constant torture and then you up and go add more pain to that and expect him to answer you? That’s not how to get information.”

  “Lofty coming from the likes of you.”

  Faye gritted her teeth.

  “You know I may use my skills to my benefit, but rarely do I cross the ethical boundary into torture.”

  Molly gave her a hard stare.

  “What crawled up your butt these last few days? Seriously. Everyone has avoided you.”

  Brushing a hand through her hair, Molly stared from the Tesla to the door to the garage that would lead her inside. Faye had a feeling she was looking to run, which was also very unlike Molly. Normally she would confront this head on. Faye cocked her head to the side, wanting and waiting for an answer. Since when had she become the patient one?

  “I don’t have time for this.” Molly turned to leave, but Faye gripped her arm this time.

  Something compelled her to try and get an answer. Whatever it was, clearly it was a weight she hadn’t expected to bear. “No, you do.”

  Molly’s lips thinned. “I don’t.”

  “Then make it.” Faye held Molly’s gaze. “I’ll tell you this is reminiscent of your curse, and the boys are pretty scared of you right now. I had the advantage to not being here for that.”

  “You wouldn’t understand.”

  Faye snorted. “Well, with that attitude, I certainly won’t. Grow up, Molly.”

  Plopping the helmet back on her head, Faye roared the engine to life on her bike. She pressed down on the clutch and was about to release the gas when Molly’s hand on hers stopped her again. Easing up so the engine made less noise, Faye focused on Molly.

  “I had a sister, and he killed her.”

  “So you torture him daily for the rest of his life?”

  Molly’s eyes widened. “It was an unjustified killing.”

  Faye got into Molly’s face. “Since she was your sister, I’m going to also assume she was a witch—”

  “She was a half-witch.”

  Surprised, Faye pointed a finger at her. “We’re going to come back to that because you have not shared that one with me. Either way, she had some sort of magical power since she is your sister, which means she was able to protect herself, and knowing you as I do, I strongly suspect you and she were in the middle of something you probably could have avoided if you’d just stuck to yourselves. So was it really unjustified? And is torturing the Tainted who killed her for thirty years a justified reaction?”

  When Molly said nothing in response, Faye shook her head and revved her engine. In second, she sped out of the garage. Her first stop was to see her friend under the bridge. He transformed only his head as soon as she arrived. Faye had no idea why Molly had allowed only his head to be free from the prison on occasion, but she was glad for it.

  Climbing up on his hand and then his arm, Faye made her way up to him. She patted his cheek and pressed her forehead to his rough leathery skin. “How bad was it?”

  “What do you speak of?”

  “Don’t try to hide it from me. I talked to Molly, and I know what she did. How bad was it?”

  He didn’t answer, which meant it was awful. Faye ran her fingers over his skin and closed her eyes. On a deep breath, she had made a decision.

  “I’ll go get you something.”

  “I do not need it.”

  “Stop being the tough guy. Take what I can offer, please.”

  He remained silent. Faye was about to climb down when she stopped to give him one last look. He was already shifting back into his stone facade that was his protection. Faye got onto her bike and sped off toward the docks. She should have gone there first. She’d known Molly had done something to him, and she should have gone to get him something to ease the pain before even thinking about seeing him.

  The man in the red cap was in a new spot. He probably had to move for fear of getting caught by someone. He was a few blocks away from where she’d last found him. Faye pulled her helmet off and shook her hair out before straightening her back and stalking toward him.

  As soon as he saw her, he grinned, his rotted teeth making an appearance. She was so glad she’d never have to deal with that. One distinct advantage to being a vampire she had learned to love from the start.

  “Hello, my friend,” she started.

  “Ryan. Come once again for what I can offer?”

  “Yeah, but not as much this time. It’s for a friend.”

  “It’s always for a friend now. When do I get to serve you again?”

  Faye pressed her lips together. “Probably not for some time. Would you mind? My friend is in a lot of pain.”

  He held out the bag, and Faye slipped him some money. She pocketed the drugs and popped her helmet back over her head. She would be happy to never see him again, but he had always been good to her. She would have to stop seeing him at some point because he’d figure out she wasn’t aging and she’d have to find a new dealer if she were to continue to visit her friend under the bridge, but until that time came, she was going to use him.

  As soon as she was back at the troll, she injected the drug into his neck. He sighed as it worked through his system. Unlike her, he took very little drugs to ease his pain and find a high. Something about the make up of their bodies. She’d read about it in one of Molly’s books ages ago when she’d been curious enough to go searching, well, and bored enough.