She continued walking swiftly, pulling Olaf with her. The bear still protested, but he’d quit fighting her, seeming to understand that she’d won. Maria didn’t halt until she reached the sunlight and the spot where she’d dropped her big shoulder bag to go running inside after Olaf. She leaned against the stone wall outside the culvert, absorbing the warmth of the concrete, and closed her eyes. Her heart still raced in panic, her breath choking her. She knew, logically, that the Shifters inside the tunnels were her friends—except maybe Broderick—not the evil beasts who’d imprisoned her. Even Broderick followed Shifter rules whether he liked them or not. He and the other Austin Shifters understood that they had to curb their feral tendencies in order to survive. Miguel and his pack hadn’t. “Maria.” Ellison was there, in front of her. He’d resumed his jeans, but he held his shirt crumpled in one hand.
