'Here,' Jack muttered, dumping Bobby in his mother's arms without another word.
'Thanks, mister,' the woman called gratefully, but Jack was already walking away. The crowd began to disperse.
Ava appeared, carrying his rucksack as well as her own. 'What am I, the porter now?'
Jack slumped down on another bench and sank his face into his hands. 'I … I thought maybe I could find something good in all this mess,' he whispered. 'That perhaps I could help.'
'You did help,' Ava said softly, joining him. 'You were right about the boy and you sniffed him out.'
Jack pressed his head into his palms. 'I wanted to eat him.'
'But you didn't,' Ava said quietly. 'You drew on the wolf in you without letting it out. I've never seen that before.' She smiled at him. 'Hey, Boon. A perfect synthesis of man and wolf … '
'There's nothing perfect about me,' Jack muttered. 'What if next time that hunger hits me, I can't control it? Can't stop me?'
