Wolf Ties (A Rue Darrow Novel Book 2) (10 page)

“Really?”

“Yes, really.” The serenity in her tone grated. She seemed pretty satisfied with her assessment of the situation. I spun away from her and dried my skin then began to dress as I scoured my mind for a way to change hers. Then it came to me, and I faced her.

“Arianna, does your organization care only about the humans in whichever state you’re located?”

“Of course not. We have all humans’ welfare at heart, all over the world. We travel far and wide to protect them, especially when a nonhuman threatens their safety or even another human gets out of hand who has extra abilities.”

I smirked. Now I had her. “That’s interesting. We’re close to the full moon.”

“So?”

“So, I need to find the one responsible for Dalton’s murder before the full moon. I believe the killer is a feline shape-shifter, and if the werewolves find out they will attack the cat shifters here in New Orleans. With a full moon, their rage will be such that they won’t stop after the cats are gone. Do you understand my meaning?”

Arianna paled. “The humans are in danger.”

“Yes, how many do you think will die before the police ever figure out what they’re dealing with and how to put them down?”

She sank into a chair and ran a hand over her face. “What do you want to know?”

“Is there a cat shifter among your people, or have you given refuge to one of them recently?”

“No.”

I studied her face and listened to her pulse. She seemed to be telling me the truth. My hope that she would be of help faded. “Are you sure none of your shifters changes to a cat?”

“Why would I not be sure, Rue?” she snapped. “You said it’s a cat shifter. You obviously have this person’s scent, and the wolves should have already tracked him.”

I groaned and dropped into the seat across from her. “We’ve kept it from them.”

“How?”

“Never mind that.”

She glared.

“I thought maybe it was a human who could change, like you, and that’s why I can’t find him.”

Arianna blinked at me as if I must be stupid. “Humans and nonhumans have a unique scent of their own. There are also similar elements in that scent based on their makeup. For example, sisters will smell alike but distinctly different.”

“I know that much.”

She appeared doubtful. “Shifters of a species are grouped. Since you are familiar with the scent of the werewolves, you can identify one anywhere in the world, even if he’s in his human form.”

“You’re teaching me what I already know.” I crossed my legs and bounced one foot.

She stood up and faced me. “You have my scent?”

“Of course.”

The next instant, instead of the dark-haired beauty, my own face reflected back at me as if I looked into a mirror. I started and sprang to my feet, staring at her. Arianna was taller than me, but when she changed, she shrank to my height of five foot three. I scrubbed my eyes, not believing my vision. She’d even created a great imitation of my flaming red hair.

“Well?” she said.

“Unbelievable,” I whispered.

“Rue,” she growled. “Do I smell the same or not?”

I sniffed and marveled, nodding. “Yes, it’s you.”

“Exactly. I can change myself all I want, but I’m still me, and you can pick me out right away. If it smells like a cat shifter, it’s a cat shifter, not a human.”

“Okay, now switch back. You’re giving me the willies.”

She became herself again, and I dropped into my chair as she did hers. I was back to square one.

Chapter Ten

When I left the spa, I knew I had a tail. Keeping it casual as I strode, I let him come closer. Yet, he didn’t come too near. If he had any sense, he would realize within a few miles of me was too close. Then again, maybe it didn’t matter. We both knew he followed me, but it might be about intimidating the vampire rather than hiding in the shadows.

Just for the fun of it, I led him over half the city. I’m exaggerating, but I did wander around for a while, leaping onto rooftops, zipping along alleys. The werewolf had no trouble keeping up, and even if he did fall behind, he would find me. So far, I sensed no danger from him, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t a bubbling pot, ready to boil over. His heart rate and his breathing were erratic, and I sensed eagerness in him.

At the next street, I hung a right and started forward, but to my surprise, the wolf dropped down from somewhere above. He blocked my path and stalked up to me, a good foot and a half taller.

The werewolf reached out to me, but I shook my head. “You don’t want to do that, Cecil.”

His hand froze midair, and he scowled. “What are you up to, vampire?”

“I gave you the courtesy of using your name, but you can’t use mine?”

He grunted in answer.

“I’m doing you a favor, not the other way around.”

“You’re doing nothing for me! I don’t care what happens to Nathan.”

I put my hands on my hips. “But you care about finding the killer.”

“You already know who did it.”

I worried he overheard me talking with Arianna. He had been outside the spa the entire time, waiting for me. He could have listened in to our conversation, but to do so, he’d have to have pretty good hearing. As a test, I tried opening my senses to listen in on his thoughts, but he crowded me, causing me to fall back a step. I wasn’t afraid of Cecil, but neither did I want to provoke him.

“I can feel you poking at my head. Stay out!” A low rumble started in his throat.

I peered around us and caught sight of a human just turning onto the street where we stood. Zipping around Cecil, I started walking. To my relief, he fell into step beside me. “What do you think you know, Cecil?”

His long legs outdistanced my shorter ones, but I slowed to a normal pace, and he matched mine. “I know you were discussing shifters with that woman.”

Darn it!
“I know her from an old job. We were just catching up.”

“Don’t play games with me. I’m not stupid, Rue, and when I go back to the others and report what I heard, you’re going to answer a few questions.”

I stopped walking and folded my arms over my chest. “Well, if you think you heard something important, you would have already gone back to the others. Instead, you’re following me.”

He pointed a finger at my chest but didn’t touch. “You were talking to her about shifters. I heard that word, even if it was difficult to hear everything through the walls. We know she’s a shifter, but not a real one.”

When he mentioned Arianna’s ability, it was with a look of disdain. Everyone thought their kind was the superior species. The arrogance was getting out of hand, and I’m not saying I wasn’t guilty either, because I was pretty darn proud of my own makeup. Just acknowledging the craziness that existed.

Cecil went on. “If you thought she killed Dalton, you would have come straight back to tell us because it didn’t look like the two of you are friends from the way you parted.”

“You’re right. We’re not friends, and no, I’m sure she didn’t do it.”

“Then it’s a real shifter!”

I’d be willing to bet Arianna would have a problem with being named a fake shifter. I did what I could. I bluffed. “Just like you said,
if
I knew who the killer was, I would have come to talk to the pack.”

He bared his teeth. “That’s not what I said. You would have come if it was her.”

And he would be wrong of course because that decision would involve me putting a human in danger.

“If it’s a shifter, specifically a cat shifter, you won’t because Violet doesn’t want us to be sure about them.”

He had a point there. More bluffing. “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. Violet isn’t pack, sure, and she loves being a police officer, but above all else, she’s werewolf. She’s not going to betray her own kind to keep a cat shifter safe. Use your head, Cecil.”

Doubt crept into his expression. Good.

“Listen, it’s been delightful chatting with you, but I have things to take care of, so if you’ll excuse me—”

He cut across my false cheer. “You’re coming back to the restaurant.”

“What?”

“I was sent to bring you there, but when you started running, I decided to see where you were going.”

“Who was running?” I demanded. As if I was afraid of this beast! The very idea was insulting. “You could have called. I don’t appreciate being stalked all over the city.”

“Take it up with Trace. Are you coming willingly, or do you want to fight it out and see who wins?”

The challenge appealed to me. I wanted to test my skill level, but I dared not push it. Even if I did best Cecil, and I wasn’t convinced I could, the others might see it as turning against them. “I’ll go,” I conceded. “Why does Trace want to talk to me?”

“Because he knows you were meeting with the human, and after I tell him about you discussing a shifter, he’ll want to know the details of what you two talked about.”

Crap! Crap! Crap!

We arrived at Trace’s restaurant a short while later, and when I strode in it was to find everyone there already. The blinds were drawn over the windows and the glass doors covered. From the looks of it, no one would be able to see inside the restaurant. Once again, the wolves were the only people on the premises, no humans. As I paused by the door, I sensed an increase in Cecil’s agitation. Just being in the presence of the other pack members heightened his animal side.

As I walked farther into the main dining room, I noted the wolf in the corner. That had to be a health violation. Golden eyes stared at me, and I recognized one of the men I had met previously. Another man sat beside him and reached out to grasp the scruff of the wolf’s neck just as he leaped toward me. That didn’t stop the low growl and the dark intent rolling off him.

“Should he be allowed in here?” I asked Cecil.

Cecil grunted. “He won’t be able to change back until a couple days after the full moon. Just stay away from him if you want your throat.”

I ran a hand over my neck and swallowed. Most of the werewolves in the room paced like caged animals. Even the one or two sitting down tapped their heels on the floor or drummed fingers on the table. When Trace spotted me, he rushed over and took my arms in a punishing grip. I suspect he didn’t realize how tight he held on.

“There’s a rumor about a shifter and Dalton.”

The entire room erupted in chatter, and their energy ratcheted higher. I hadn’t planned to open my senses, but their voices converged in my head, sending a shooting pain over my skull. I winced and wrenched myself out of Trace’s hold. He said something. I think it was an apology. I squinted at him and then at Cecil. Both of their mouths moved, and such wildness was present in Trace’s gaze, I couldn’t believe this was the same man I had spoken with previously. Was it because of losing Dalton, or were they like this every month? I would go insane if I had to deal with such a thing. No wait, I did, and it was called blood lust.

Temptation to close them out came over me, but I resisted. Someone might have information I could use. If I could gain control of myself, it might help. I shut my eyes while rubbing my temples. No one touched me or tried to force me to speak, which was a relief. Slow and easy I began to calm down and was able to block out the force of their voices so that the pain disappeared.

“How are we going to be okay without Dalton?”
a female voice.

“Is Trace strong enough to lead us?”
a male voice.

“I could be alpha,”
someone else.

“Will the baby be okay when I shift and hunt?”

Who was that? I opened my eyes and left Cecil and Trace standing where they were and wandered around the room. Keeping my gaze directed at the floor and rubbing my temples to avoid unwittingly provoking them, I listened in. The werewolves were too worked up to realize I dipped into their thoughts, but I doubted right now any of them could block me.

I found her, sitting alone, head bowed and tears in her eyes. Ella wasn’t built like the other werewolves, rather like none of the men. The women were of various sizes human women came in, but all exuded greater strength being shifters. When I reached her, I put a hand out and touched hers. “Want to go to the store with me?”

She blinked, and Cecil appeared out of nowhere. “Leave Ella alone.”

“I’m asking her a question, Cecil, not you.” I did wonder if the baby was Cecil’s or if his feelings were one-side.

The woman stood and offered him a smile and a touch on his arm. “It’s fine, Cecil. Come on, Rue.”

We walked to the exit, and I worried Trace would stop me, but he seemed to be busy helping another man keep his cool. Outside on the street, I turned to Ella. “Are you all like this every month?”

“No.” She rolled her eyes and chuckled a little self-consciously. “We get antsy, of course, but everyone’s so confused right now with Dalton gone and us not sure what to do. Dalton usually leads the pack as we hunt.”

“You all go away together?”

“Most of us. Trace is—
was
—his second, but he’s kind of at a loss too. I think if we could put this behind us, then Trace will feel better, and he can lead us. We have to have an alpha, no matter what.”

“Why?”

She looked at me, but it wasn’t with condescension as the others did, just curiosity. “Because the alpha has the ability to control the others.”

I thought about this. “So if the police had let Trace get to Nathan, he could have calmed him down.”

“Probably.”

Nathan never would have had to go through all that suffering or even what he might be dealing with in his own heard right now if only Trace could have helped. If Violet was alpha, she could have, but she wasn’t. Nathan had me, an ignorant vampire and no one else.

“Ella, you’re pregnant, aren’t you?”

She started, eyes widening, and then she patted her flat belly. “The vampire sense of smell is incredible.”

I refused to correct her assumption. Who the heck had those kind of supersonic nostrils?

“I’m early. There’s not even a heartbeat yet, so I suppose my little pup smells like me. I’ve never had a baby, and I don’t have any family of my own other than the pack to guide me. I’m nervous.”

She stared at the ground as she walked, shoulders hunched. On impulse, I hugged her and then drew away lest I provoke her anger. “You’ll do fine. There have been generations of shifters, and many who were pregnant during that time of month.”

She offered a half smile at my attempt to comfort her. “If you’re wondering if it’s Dalton’s, the answer is yes. I didn’t tell him though. I wasn’t going to. I know he loved women, and I accepted that before we ever got involved. It was over before it began, and I don’t regret it. Well, not entirely.”

“Doesn’t it upset you that your baby will never know his or her daddy?” I hoped my question didn’t sound as insensitive as it rang in my own ears. Probably did though.

“Yes, but there’s nothing I can do about it.” Her voice cracked.

“You can help me.”

She gazed at me but remembered what I was and turned her head. “Just tell me how.”

“Help them stay calm. I believe I’m close to finding out who the killer is,” I lied. “But I can’t have the pack going on a rampage.”

Her eyes rounded. “Who is it?”

I clicked with my tongue. “Can’t tell you that.”

“You’re right. Okay, I’ll do what I can.”

“Good, and try not to worry. Remember, having a baby is natural, and the most wonderful experience in the world.”

“You speak as if from experience.”

My heart ached as I thought of Jake. “I do. It’s nothing short of a miracle and never to be regretted.”

* * * *

“Violet, you don’t understand how hard it was to get out of there without giving them any information. I thought I was going to be killed.”

“I’m sure you could hold your own,” she countered.

“Are you trying to be obtuse?”

I heard a squeal of tires over the line, and she paused before answering. The woman drove like a maniac, and I wondered if she did it to work out a bit of aggression. “No, I believe you. We’re all in a state, myself included.”

“Anyway, Ella got me thinking about whether the killer was a jilted lover. If I can visit the places where Dalton took his dates, I can sniff around. Do you know what spots he frequented, like restaurants or nightclubs?”

“No, but I don’t doubt he took many of them to Trace’s restaurant.”

“Nothing there,” I said, “and Dalton wouldn’t be crazy enough to take a cat shifter to a wolf’s den.”