“I aim to please.” He reached for a plate of blueberry pancakes, along with an industrial-size bottle of syrup.

“We don’t need tactics. All we really need are these.” My brother flexed his arms. His giant biceps bounced once, then solidified into stones like they weren’t playing around anymore. “Why on Earth would we mess with perfection?” He gave me a dimpled smile.

“Ha.” I chuckled. “The last time you came anywhere near perfection was when you were ten and stood up for Nick. You made his life a little more bearable around here, and that had nothing to do with using your big, powerful guns.”

My brother’s face grew serious for a moment. He took his role as Nick’s protector to heart. Nick was like a brother to both of us. “So if you aren’t really leaving the Compound, what do you think is going to happen now? The tension around here is at an all-time high. It’s so thick you can almost see the edges. With Mitch all banged up, it’s going to get uglier. The wolves are going to be pissed.”

“I wish I knew,” I said. “I’m not looking forward to it, I can tell you that much.”

“It would be a lot easier if I could still hear you in my head,” Tyler grumbled. “Then your safety would be less of an issue. You could let me know if something was going on from anywhere on the Compound, and I could take care of it like that.” He snapped his fingers. “If you refuse to have a bodyguard and I can’t hear you, you’re taking your life in your own hands.”

“My life has always been in my own hands,” I quipped. “But you’re right; if you could hear me again, it would make the upcoming challenges easier to navigate.” As twins, my brother and I had been born with the ability to talk to each other telepathically. Every Pack wolf had that ability with the Alpha, to ensure their survival, but it was highly unusual for us to have it with each other. Dr. Jace had attributed it to our kin-bond, but he’d only been guessing. The connection had never worked consistently, and had run from Tyler to me better than the other way around, which had been cause for constant irritation when we were kids. But, no matter what, it’d always been invaluable when I found myself in trouble. Tyler would hear me even if I hadn’t “called out” on purpose, and he’d always find me. The tenuous communication line had blinked off suddenly when he’d made his first shift—a little over two years ago. Now there was only dead space.

“We’ll find a way to take care of you,” Danny said. “Nothing to worry about.”

I snorted milk out of my nose. “Oh, Danny,” I said, covering my mouth, coughing slightly. “‘Nothing to worry about’? That’s incredibly funny. You can’t take care of me any more than you can tell the wolves how they should feel. The Cain Myth makes it impossible for them to be anything but biased against me, and you know it. They believe it to the letter, which equals worry and fear with no breaks in between.”

Danny shook his head. “Yes, the mysterious Cain Myth. The silly one citing you as the true Daughter of Evil?” He put air quotes around “Daughter of Evil” and said it in a snarky voice. “That somehow, some way, your birth has kick-started the end to our race as we know it? You know, it’s really too bad I wasn’t around when the hubbub started all those years ago. I’m telling you, English blokes are much more rooted in reality. We’re known for our infallible sensibilities, and I could’ve used my ridiculously charming wiles to explain to these American wolves the difference between true myth and reality.”

“That’s rich,” I said. “When our reality means werewolves, vamps, witches, and demons all exist. Most of our myths and legends are all true anyway—you guys are why fairy tales exist, so why wouldn’t the Cain Myth be true?” Intrinsically I knew I wasn’t evil, but it didn’t matter. “That’s the rationale the wolves use, anyway. If supes exist, the Cain Myth can exist. It’s concrete enough and they revile me for it.”

“I couldn’t care less about the Myth,” Danny said. “It’s all a bunch of rubbish, and anyone with half a brain could bloody well figure that out.”

“Please clue me in. I’ll be sure to pass it on to all my haters,” I said. “I’m sure they will be giddy to learn their wrath has been misplaced for all these years.”

“Because look at you,” Danny sputtered. “You’re totally harmless. How could you be the true Daughter of Evil when you’re not even scary? Surely the Daughter of Cain would generate some sort of massive power? Or give off some sort of otherworldliness? You emit no such thing, not even a tiny spark. You’re weak like a mortal, without means to survive. Like I said, totally harmless.”

“Um, okay? You’re right. I don’t possess any power like you guys do. But completely harmless? I’m not so sure about that.” I grinned. “Lack of power is not enough to call off the dogs. They’ll think I’m just masking it or using my witch talents or some such thing.” Wolves, and supes in general, gave off a shitload of energy. Sometimes, depending on how powerful the being, it was thick and tangible. For wolves, their power was the strongest when they shifted. They reeked of power in true form.

“If you were evil, you’d have warts,” Danny said matter-of-factly. “Or live eels for hair. Or at the very least, you’d have six fingers on your right hand, or something off-putting enough to signal your great malice. But you’re completely free of anything out of the ordinary. Just look at you.”

I glanced down my body in spite of myself. Other than a fair amount of gauze and Band-Aids covering my wounds, I had nothing unusual going on.

“You’re completely unmarred,” he continued. “In fact, you’re quite the opposite, really—you’re too beautiful to be evil, with all that rich, gorgeous dark hair and those sky blue eyes. Sorry, luv, it’s just not meant to be. They’ve got it all wrong.” He popped a forkful of pancakes into his mouth and smiled though a big bite. “Not. Evil.”

Tyler snorted.

“Danny.” I laughed. “You are honestly something else. You’re right. I don’t have warts or live eels for hair, but I do have boobs, and those seem to be more than enough for the wolves around here to believe I’m the same female from the Myth.”

“Well, it’s certainly enough proof for me.” He winked. “Not the evil part, of course, but the breasts equating you to female. I heartily agree. You’ve quite a nice rack. But without the power to go along with it, I’m sticking with my original conclusion. Not evil.”

My brother coughed, choking on his last mouthful of food. “Jesus, Danny. That’s my sister you’re talking about.”

I rose from the stool and pounded on Tyler’s back a few times just for fun. It felt like I hadn’t laughed in years. “Danny, you’re impossible,” I said, still chuckling. “But I’m happy you don’t think I’m evil. In light of everything that’s happened here lately, it’s nice to hear it.” Danny and I didn’t hang out much, and most wolves don’t verbalize things unless you poke or prod them to death. It’s not in their nature to share. “I’m going to find Nick.” I carried my empty bowl to the sink. “He may have some ideas to toss around for a new plan of escape.”

Tyler pushed back his stool, putting down his drink and wiping his mouth with a napkin. “I’m coming with you.”

“Don’t worry,” I said as I started for the door. “I’m not going far. Finish your breakfast, you still have fourteen pancakes to eat. The wolves would be crazy to attack me with the Alpha right here and extremely pissed off. I’m sure Nick is outside in the gazebo waiting for me.” The small log structure had a beautiful view of the lake and was our favorite place to meet. Nick would be anxious to hear what had happened. The gazebo sat in plain view of the Lodge and my father’s office. “It’s twenty paces from our front door. I’ll be fine.”

He sat down reluctantly. “Watch your back, Jess. The wolves are going to be uptight with the condition Mitch is in and how everything went down last night.”

“I know,” I said.

“You know, you could always just marry me,” Danny half joked. “I could help solve your problems in a jiff. A mated female is off-limits, even for the idiotic wolves who think Cain had something to do with your birthright.”

I paused at the doorway, smiling. “Thanks for the offer, Danny, but you’re just too good-looking for a girl like me. I usually go for the brooding types, but I appreciate the offer. I’m certain another lucky lady will snap you up and you two will be wildly happy together.”

Danny lifted an imaginary hat and bobbed his head. “My chiseled features have intimidated many a maiden, it’s true. It’s been my cross to bear for being gifted with unbelievable genes. Not everyone can claim such a burden of perfection. But I’m sure there’s a woman out there with similar issues, and I do plan on rescuing her in the near future.”

“She’ll be one lucky lady,” I said, meaning it. “I’ll see you both later.”

“Jess,” Tyler called to my retreating back. “Don’t get into any more trouble. I don’t want to bail your ass out of another fight this early in the morning.”

“Don’t worry. Brawling in this condition is the last thing on my list.”

Chapter Four

Hey there,” I said as I stepped onto the worn wooden floor. “Contemplating the universe?”

Nick jumped, turning to face me. He must’ve been deep in thought, because there was no way he couldn’t hear me. All supes had killer hearing. He stepped forward, but then stopped abruptly. “Jeez, you look like shit.”

“Thanks,” I said as I passed him, taking a seat in my favorite spot, an Adirondack chair perched at the very edge of the open rail. “I feel like crap too, but thanks to a mountain of painkillers, the hurt is at bay for now. They’re starting to wear off, however, and I’m not looking forward to what’s lurking for me underneath.”