Tarnished by Rhiannon Held Page A

fur.
    Tracy waved at her from the foot of the stairs, clearly bursting with something she wanted to tell her friend. Susan hesitated a beat, then started nudging through the crowd. She’d decided she wasn’t going to let them get to her, after all. Most people were polite enough to edge out of her way, but the beta stayed a stubborn obstacle and eyed her, arms crossed, as she detoured past. Susan was used to that from him by now. The feeling was mutual.
    Dare came down the staircase as Tracy chattered in Susan’s ear about the dress that had won in the program after Susan left. He looked regal, standing above the throng with the white streaks in his hair. “Silver,” he called back over his shoulder. “Coming along?” Heads in the foyer turned to her as she came to the top of the stairs. Several of the people’s expressions surprised Susan. They looked annoyed, like Dare had invited his bimbo of a girlfriend along on an important mob hit. But Silver was a werewolf like the rest of them.
    Silver’s back stiffened. “I’ll stay and help with the cubs.”
    Dare shot everyone a look, but by then they all looked innocent. “Are you sure? I could stay, and we could drive out later to catch the end of it.” Even Susan could tell he wasn’t wild about missing most of the hunt.
    “I was going out too.” Susan wanted to wince under the pressure of all the eyes that switched to her. Predators. She pushed back through the crowd toward the door without looking at anyone. “Just shopping. But if you wanted to get out for a while, Silver?”
    John frowned, and drew Susan aside into the doorway to the kitchen. “That’s probably not a great idea,” he said, leaning in and lowering his voice. Susan frowned at him, trying to formulate her question. Whatever disqualified Silver from a hunt shouldn’t have anything to do with a simple shopping trip.
    “Thank you.” Silver said it loud enough to cut John off even from the stairs. “I’d love to.” She followed the remains of Susan’s path through the crowd, Dare on her heels.
    When John reached out to stop Silver, Dare got there first, blocking the man with his body. He pulled out his wallet, and extended a folded twenty to Silver. “If you find something you want.” Silver eyed him as if she had expected him to try to stop her too. When he just nodded to her, she smiled at him in a quick flash and took the bill. She turned it over in her fingers and examined it with concentration for a moment like it was some cryptic puzzle that had to be unlocked before use.
    Did she even understand what it was? Susan had bristled at Dare’s attitude, but she lost the feeling to confusion now. Silver grimaced at the money a final time in incomprehension and shoved it into her pocket. She tugged on Susan’s arm.
    Since she still had her coat on, Susan let Silver propel them both outside without protest. “I don’t actually need anything. I thought I’d wander around the store when I can do it without calibrating the timing between feedings and naps.” Back when she was single and grocery shopping alone, she’d actually rather enjoyed it. She wondered what John would think of her old comparison of it to the thrill of the hunt, discovering what new items the store held that day.
    “I might pick up some ice cream to eat before we get back. Food enters this house and it’s gone before I blink, never mind eat any. I don’t know how interesting it will be for you.” Susan gave Silver an apologetic shrug.
    Silver nodded but didn’t answer as they got into the car. Susan let silence reign for as long as she could stand as they drove through darkness. Light slipped and slid off the dampness on every surface from drizzle earlier in the day.
    The trouble was, she saw no good way to work what she wanted to ask Silver into a casual conversation. Every time she thought of an opening, the question filled her mind again, choking out the innocuous comment.
    Silver turned away from staring