“You can turn into a… seal?” Jacqueline asked.
“Not exactly.” Arlo gazed into Jacqueline’s eyes. His mind had this all twisted up, but his heart? His heart, and his wolf, knew what he needed to do. “I—”
*Kenna Dylan wanna fish!*
“I—”
*Wanna fish fish FISH!*
Arlo paused. Dylan had told him the toddler’s name before using his megaphone-like telepathy.
*Tally…* he began—and then realized his mistake.
Tally stared at him. He felt her look at him, and then look deeper, into what he really was.
“I—” he tried again.
*WANNA FISH WANNA PLAY WITH DOGGY—*
*No no no!* Kenna’s telepathic voice was much more on edge than her spoken voice. *No, she was like this just before she slipped away before. Dylan, make her stop!*
*She already ate all the chocolate!* Dylan yelled back. He looked like he might cry.
“Hey, it’s not that bad,” Jacqueline said. She put her arm around Dylan’s shoulder and squeezed. “Everything’s going to be fine, okay?”
“But she already ate everything,” he whined, sagging against her.
Arlo shook his head. His temples were pounding. He shot an apologetic look at Jacqueline.
“I think these kids need their dinner, and I’ve got food on the Hometide.”
Jacqueline’s eyes slid past him, to his boat, moored out in the darkness. “Oh,” she said, her voice listless. Arlo opened his mouth to speak, but then her whole body stiffened, as though she’d stepped on a live wire.
“I’m coming with you,” she declared, her eyes blazing.
“Of c—” Arlo began.
“I’m not going to go home and pretend I never saw any of this. I can’t.”
Her voice broke on the last word, letting through a sliver of desperation. She caught her breath and Arlo felt like his heart had stopped as he waited for her to speak again.
She stared into his eyes as though she was searching for something. Arlo’s chest tightened.
What does she see when she looks at me?
He knew the face that had looked out at him from the mirror that morning: hair a tangled mass of knots, stubble like he’d dipped the lower half of his face in a pile of iron filings, eyebrows that you could hide half a football team in.
She was beautiful, and he was… a mess. In more ways than one.
Jacqueline narrowed her eyes. “I’m not going anywhere until I know Kenna, Dylan and Tally are safe.”
Good, Arlo’s wolf huffed, satisfied. Arlo was bewildered at its reaction—and relieved.
Jacqueline took another deep breath. “If you’re going to tell me this is none of my business—”
“I’m not.” Arlo raised his hands in surrender. “I was going to say thank you. Am going to say thank you. I appreciate the help.”
“Oh.” The fight went out of her. “Um. Good. Because my car is stuck in a ditch about a half-mile back, and I don’t expect my phone will have agreed with that little dip I took in the sea back there, so going with you is basically my only option here, anyway.” Her shoulders dropped and the wan smile she gave him made his heart break.