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braid.
    “Much better,” he grumbled.
    Rachel never forgot how deep his voice was or the way it vibrated in her chest . He’s vampire; never forget that.
    “Rachel.” He smiled and held out his hands.
    She ran down the three steps and into his arms. He lifted her off the ground and spun her around like she was eighteen again. Giggling, she braced her hands on his shoulders, and like the years apart had never happened, she was light inside. He lowered her down and kissed the back of her hand. Tears glistened on her cheeks.
    “Sweet, Rachel, don’t cry,” Wolf soothed, tucking his knuckles under her chin and tilting her face up so he could wipe the tears away with his thumbs.
    “I’m just. . .happy. . .sad. . . oh, hell.” She jerked away. “I missed you, okay?”
    “I missed you too, sweet Rachel.”
    “Oh stop with the ‘sweet Rachel’.” She rubbed her cheek. “It’s corny.”
    Wolf burst out laughing. “Good to see you haven’t lost your spark.” He grabbed the fleshy part of her arms and crushed her to his chest. “It’s good to see you.”
    And as many times as she’d rehearsed their first meeting over the years—reprimanding him for taking advantage of her when she was so young, for staying away so long, extracting a promise from him that he would never do anything like it again—she couldn’t follow the script. It all was unexpectedly moot because now that he returned she was acutely aware there was still a bond between them. Not of blood, but one they had forged with the little and big life moments they shared. Like when her high school boyfriend broke up with her before the prom, and Wolf had taken her to Paris to show her there was a much bigger world. He was her protector, her rock when the rest of the world fell apart. At least he had been until he left.
    “Why did you stay away so long?” she murmured into his chest.
    Wolf held her a moment before unwrapping his arms, the leather jacket creaking. “I’m sorry about that.” He rubbed the side of his nose, his eyes contrite. “I lost track of time.”
    Rachel punched him in the sternum.
    “Ow.” He rubbed the spot, flinching as he stepped back, trying to look wounded. “You’ve gotten stronger.” It was almost endearing.
    “Have you been to see Nan? She’s missed you too. You didn’t have to stay away from her.” Rachel stuck out her bottom lip, very aware she was acting childish but not able to stop.
    “Yes, I did have to stay away from her. She was pretty pissed.” His eyes twinkled, and he threw her over his shoulder and strode toward the house with Rachel kicking and protesting the entire time.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~
    Loti groaned in her sleep. She was hiking through the dark woods, on a trail too dark to see.
    “David?” she called. He couldn’t have gotten far. They’d miscalculated how long it would take to get to the campsite and the sun had set an hour ago. They were getting close, but he hiked on ahead, and now she couldn’t see or hear him.
    “David,” she hissed, afraid to raise her voice in the eerie, still night. Resentful that his long legs ate up the trail miles so much faster than hers, she hustled to catch up, but the damn rocks and roots kept grabbing the toes of her boots. She tripped outright over a rock, almost falling, but she caught herself with a hiking pole. Footsteps crunched behind her, and she whirled around, exasperated and relieved.
    “How did you get behind me?”
    But nobody was there. She spun around, peering down the trail, but even with the big moon above, she couldn’t make anything out. Alone at night in a hundred miles of wilderness, she was less and less certain where she was. Her neck tensed as she strained to hear the footsteps behind her. Despite the frigid air, her hair stuck to the back of her neck in warm clumps. Her calves ached. They’d been hiking all day toward the grove at Mast Hollow where the every eastern white pines towered over the perfect grassy tent site next to the