Free Red by Kate Serine

want to harm her in any way, but I could imagine about a thousand ways that I was going to make that person pay for it.
    I sat down in the chair next to her bed and took her uninjured hand in both of mine. “What happened, Gran?”
    She exhaled a shuddering breath. “I honestly don’t know, dearest. I had just finished the interview with the Panellas and had gone to my dressing room to freshen up. The next thing I know, something attacked me from behind. It all happened so fast.”
    I gently patted her arm. “Did you happen to see who attacked you?”
    She shook her head. “No, my darling, not really. All I can tell you is that it wasn’t human. I saw . . . fur. And its claws and teeth were so—” Gran broke off, fighting the tears I heard in her voice.
    “Don’t worry, Gran,” I told her gently. “I’ll figure out who did this to you.”
    She smiled and patted my cheek. “I know you will. Just be careful. I am always so afraid for you.”
    “I’m not working this one alone,” I assured her. “I have a temporary partner.”
    At this, Gran’s eyes sparkled. “Indeed? Would it be that handsome detective?”
    I let out a short laugh and felt my face growing warm. “Yes, Gran. It’s Nate.”
    She settled into her pillow, her eyelids growing heavy. “I like him. I think he’ll be good for you.”
    I started to ask what she meant by that, but she had already drifted back to her drug-hazed sleep. So, instead, I stood and pressed a kiss to her cheek before pulling the covers up to her chin and making sure she was as comfortable as possible. When I exited her room, I saw Nate sitting in the waiting room chairs exactly where I had expected him to be. He immediately launched to his feet and hurried toward me.
    “How is she?”
    “Okay,” I told him. “She’ll be all right after a couple of days, but she’s pretty shaken up.”
    “Did she get a good look at the guy?”
    I shook my head. “Not good enough to make an ID. She did say that he wasn’t human.” I paused before adding, “He had fur.”
    Nate gave me a sympathetic look and said, “Werewolf fur?”
    The look I shot his way made him take a step back. “Just fur, okay? Like I said, she didn’t get a good look.”
    Nate held up his hands in mea culpa. “Sorry. You’re right. I shouldn’t be drawing any conclusions yet. Seth might have really been at work this morning. We confirm the alibi his girlfriend—”
    “We don’t know she was his girlfriend,” I interrupted.
    “Okay, sorry,” Nate amended. “We confirm the alibi his houseguest provided and all is well. At least we can definitely take Caliban off our list. He was in custody when the attack occurred.”
    I started down the hospital’s hallway, my angry steps drawing the stares of the Ordinary employees and visitors. “We need to get her out of here,” I muttered. “Why did her assistant call the Ordinaries? They’re going to figure out she’s not like them when she starts healing up quicker than humanly possible.”
    “I’ve already taken care of it,” Nate assured me. “The Chief has people on it as we speak. Our contacts in the Ordinaries’ police force will take care of the incident report, so we don’t have to worry about them getting involved. And Al’s sending over a couple of FMA agents to order Gran’s transfer. They’ll transport her to our own facility where Tale doctors can make sure she has the proper medical treatment.”
    I was silent the rest of the way to Nate’s car, mulling over what I knew—which was damned little—and thinking about how many ways I was going to rip the head off this thing once I got my hands on it. It wasn’t until we were back in his car and on the interstate that I spoke again. “Thanks.”
    Nate shrugged off my gratitude. “It was nothing.”
    “Maybe to you,” I replied, “but I appreciate it. Gran is everything to me. She took me in when no one else wanted me. I owe her my life.”
    “We’ll get him, Red,” Nate