So we were being careful. Some of us more than others. Not that I disagreed. Not…really. After all, it was only nine months. I could handle not picking up lawn chairs for a while. It was the “not doing anything at all” part that was driving me nuts.

I could argue that I’d just Changed into a wolf-surely lifting chairs wasn’t any more strenuous than that. But I knew what they’d say-that Changing was a necessary stress, and all the more reason for me to reduce all other physical activity to compensate. Remind them what I’d just done, and Jeremy would probably cancel our trip to town and replace it with an afternoon of bed rest.

“You can grab the lanterns,” Clay said finally. “But I’ll get them down.”

“Are you sure?” I said. “They are oil lamps, you know. I could set myself on fire.”

Clay hesitated.

I bit back a growl, but not before the first note escaped.

“I’m thinking of the oil,” he said. “Is it okay for you to breathe that stuff in?”

“Hmmm, you have a point. And what about the air? I caught a whiff of manure out there today. God knows what kind of drugs they’re feeding cows these days.”

“I’m just saying-”

“Clay, get the chairs. And the lanterns. Elena, I need to speak to you.”

As Clay walked away, I braced myself for “the lecture.” Not that Jeremy ever really lectures-you need to say more than a few sentences for that. In this case, I already knew those few sentences by heart. He’d agree that Clay was being overprotective, and so was he, but they knew how important this pregnancy was to me, and they just wanted to make sure it went smoothly. Just eight months to go. Thirty-four weeks. Two hundred and thirty-eight days…

“Have you been taking the new vitamins?”

I gave him a look. He lifted a finger, then darted his gaze in Clay’s direction, telling me to play along.

“Yes, I’ve been taking the new vitamins and, no, they don’t seem to be upsetting my stomach like the last concoction. Next time, though, as long as you’re mixing up a batch, could you add some cherry flavor? Maybe mold them into little animals? Bunnies would be good. I like bunnies.”

Clay’s chuckle floated back to us, and he quickened his pace. Jeremy glanced over his shoulder, estimating werewolf hearing distance, then lowered his voice.

“You got a call while you were out,” he said.

Clay stopped.

“It was Paige.”

Clay’s shoulders tightened. He hesitated, then shook it off and resumed walking.

“Now this is the part of being coddled I do like,” I murmured. “He doesn’t even complain about Paige phoning. Does she want me to call her back?”

Jeremy said nothing, just kept watching Clay’s back, letting him get farther this time before continuing.

“She was relaying a message. Someone’s been trying to reach you. Xavier Reese.”

At that, Clay wheeled. Jeremy grimaced.

“You tried,” I said.

“Reese?” Clay strode over. “The guy from the compound?”

“That’s the only Xavier I know.”

“What the hell does he want?”

I had my suspicions. “Did Paige leave his number?”

“You’re not going to call him, are you?” Clay said. “After what he-”

“He saved my life.”

“Yeah? Well, if it hadn’t been for him, your life wouldn’t have needed saving. And I’m sure you’d have been fine without his help. The only reason he jumped in to ‘save’ you was so he could hold a marker over you-” He stopped, jaw setting. “That better not be why he’s calling.”

I took the message from Jeremy. “I’ll know in a few minutes.”

“Hey, Elena!” the voice crackled across a weak cellular connection. “Remember me?”

“Uh-huh.”

I settled onto the sofa and pulled my legs up under me. Clay sat on the other end, making no effort to look like he wasn’t eavesdropping-enhanced hearing meant he could hear both ends of the conversation. I didn’t care. If I had, I wouldn’t have let him in the room.

“Uh-huh?” Xavier said. “That’s all I get after three years? We spent a harrowing week together, locked in an underground prison, fighting for survival-”

“I was fighting for survival. You were drawing a paycheck.”

“Hey now, in my own way, I was just as much of a prisoner as you.”

I snorted. “A prisoner of your greed.”

“Trapped by my shortcomings. It’s tragic really.”

“Know what’d be even more tragic? If you teleported into the middle of a wall and got trapped by your shortcomings there. Does that ever happen?”

“My momma taught me to always look where I’m going.”

“Damn.”

“What did I ever do to you-er, better not answer that.”

I glanced over at Clay, who motioned for me to hang up.

“What do you want, Xavier? I was just about to head out for ice cream.”

“And that’s more important than talking to me? No, wait, don’t answer that either. Since you’re obviously not going to play nice, I’ll cut to the chase. You owe me a favor.”

“No, you said I owed you one. I never agreed. As I recall, you offered the trade in return for giving me two pieces of advice about the compound, but you hightailed it out of there yourself after only telling me one.”

“The second was about the dogs. They had trained bloodhounds and attack dogs.”

“Right, that’s what nearly ripped my throat out. Left a nice scar on my shoulder too. Thanks for the warning.”

“Okay, so you only owe me half a favor, and I’m really only using that as an opener for a fresh deal. I’m a useful guy, Elena. I could really help you out.”

“Uh-huh. So who’s chasing you?”

“No one. Let me finish. I started thinking about this last year, that I should get in touch with you and renew our acquaintance.”

“Uh-huh. Who was chasing you then?”

“A Cabal, but that’s not the point.”

“I’m not a bodyguard, Xavier.”

“That isn’t what I have in mind. This particular proposal has zero violence potential. It involves another of your…specific skills. In return, I can tell you where you’ll find that rogue wolf you’ve been hunting.”

I glanced over at Clay. “What rogue-?”

“David Hargrave. Killed three women in Tennessee. Your Pack has been looking for him for almost five months.”

“Who told you-”

“Contacts, Elena. I’m a regular Rolodex of supernatural contacts. Point is, I know where Hargrave is hiding. That got me thinking. If I gave you that information, you might be willing to do a little something for me in return.”

“So I do this ‘little something’ for you, and you give me an address, and I show up to find Hargrave cleared out a week ago…”

“No. If you agree to the deal, I’ll tell you where to find Hargrave right away. Not only that, but I’ll wait until you have him, and then you’ll do the favor for me. I don’t con anyone who can rip out my liver with her bare hands.”

“What’s your end, then? What do you want?”

“It…takes some explaining. Come to Buffalo tomorrow and I’ll tell you.”

“ Buffalo? Too far. Meet me halfway, in Rochester.”

“ Buffalo is halfway. I’m in Toronto. Your hometown, if I remember the compound records. Hey, maybe you can recommend a good sushi-”

“What are you doing in Toronto?”

“That’s where the, uh, service would take place. Should make it easier for you, right? Operating on familiar ground? Anyway, I’m here setting it up, so I’ll meet you halfway, in Buffalo, tomorrow. Got a place all picked out. Nice and public. A daytime meeting. Absolutely nothing for you to worry about…so there’s no need to bring the boyfriend.”

“Uh-huh.”

“I like all my limbs just where they are.”

I rolled my eyes. Clay mouthed something, but I waved him off and took down the time and address from Xavier.

“It’s Buffalo, not the Gaza Strip,” I said as we returned to the study with Jeremy.

I plunked onto the sofa. Clay tried to sit beside me, but I swung my legs up to stretch out. He reached to yank them off his spot, then stopped, remembering my “condition,” and stalked across the study to sit on the fireplace hearth.