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“Come on,” I urge gently. “You look like something’s really bothering you. Is it about the explosion?”
She nods. “Yes. I’m so relieved no one was hurt, but there’s a rumor going around that cat shifters were part of it. And that’s crazy. They would never do something like this. Not the Spanish Harlem pride, anyway, and they’re the only cat shifters anywhere close to here. They are the sweetest, gentlest people you’ll ever meet, Willow, I swear. They don’t have a violent bone in their bodies. Even when they probably should.”
I pull in a breath, hating that I have to be the one to tell her what went down, but she rushes on before I can speak.
“One time, a bunch of homeless teenagers raided their warehouse,” she says. “They stole all the jewelry the pride was going to sell at concerts and stuff to cover their bills for the year.”
I nod and return to taking down lamb chops, hoping the extra protein will make it easier to break the bad news.
“It was, like, a hundred thousand dollars’ worth of product,” she continues. “And they had the kids on camera, so they knew exactly who did it. They could have gone to the human police and nailed them to the wall. But they didn’t. All they did was ask them to give the jewelry back and promised they would help them find food and shelter if they did. And they did! The pride got their stuff back and helped all six kids get set up with good foster families and jobs at one of the grocery stores they own.”
Her breath rushes out and her eyes begin to shine. “And they do stuff like that all the time, Willow. They are such amazing people. They make me hopeful, you know? Hopeful that we can learn to solve our problems with kindness and compassion, and we won’t have to keep fighting humans and each other all the time. That we can actually make the world a better, more peaceful place.”
I set the last picked-clean bone back on my plate and push it away. “I know. Truly, I do. But—”
“But nothing,” she insists. “They are innocent. They didn’t do this, I know they didn’t.”
I sigh. “Maybe not, but a man attacked me tonight, Diana. He tried to kidnap me. And he wasn’t just a man. He was a tiger shifter.”
Chapter 17
Willow
Diana’s eyes go saucer wide. “What? Oh my God, Willow, are you okay? I’m so sorry. Here I am, sitting here running my mouth and you’re probably still totally freaked out.”
“I’m okay, and I’m fine…considering. But a cat was absolutely involved. I saw him shift.” I shudder. “Nearly met the ugly side of his teeth and claws, too.”
Her forehead furrows. “No way. Really?”
I nod. “I’m sorry, but yes. He’s in custody now. You can probably sneak down and get a look at him if you want. See if he’s someone you or your boyfriend might know.”
Her brow wrinkles harder. “There’s only one tiger in the Spanish Harlem pride, and Becca’s still a kid. Maybe twelve, thirteen tops.”
“See, that’s good,” I say, the tightness in my chest easing a bit. “So, maybe this guy was hired muscle from somewhere else and not part of your friend’s pride at all.”
“Maybe, but…” She plucks at her bottom lip for a moment before she adds in a softer voice, “Becca’s dad is the head of the Albany pride. He’s a tiger, too. Becca lives down here with her mom because her dad’s so busy.” She rolls her eyes. “And rumor has it that he and Becca’s mom have been on the outs since he joined this secret society a lot of the shifters upstate are into a few years ago. It’s all about prophecies and the end of the world and stuff. Pretty out there, even for cats, and they tend to be kind of woo-woo to start with.”
“Huh,” I say, crossing my legs and then recrossing them, chewing on that information. I was certain the kidnapping had something to do with Pax and Victor, but…maybe not. Of course, that’s assuming Becca’s dad is the guy who tried to take me. “I don’t suppose you know Becca’s dad’s name, do you? So we can look him up online?”
Diana scrunches her nose. “Matt, I think? Or maybe Chris?”
I nod and offer dryly, “Matt and Chris do sound a lot alike.”
Her lips twitch. “Hey, they’re both short, ordinary boy names. It was something like that, something super normal. I remember that because it was so different than his nickname. They call him Shere Khan, after the tiger in The Jungle Book, because he’s so freaking huge.”
My stomach sinks. “Yeah, I think you’d better go take a look at him when you can, snap a pic of him or something to show to your boyfriend. Because I swear, I was thinking about Shere Khan when he was after me. He was insanely huge and scary.” I pause, replaying the attack in my mind through the lens of this new information before I add, “But he didn’t hurt me. He might have if Maxim and his enforcers hadn’t showed up, but it seemed like he just wanted me to come with him. Though I can’t imagine why, unless he was working for my Alpha and was sent to fetch me so they can string me up by my intestines outside the Blood River pack headquarters.”
Diana shakes her head. “I can’t imagine that. All the cats I know hate the Parallel wolves. And Becca’s dad is a boss in his own right. He doesn’t work for other people; other people work for him.”
“So, maybe he had the wrong person,” I say, returning to my other theory. “Maybe he was here to take you and grabbed me by accident? Were you supposed to go to the theater with Maxim tonight?”
She snorts. “Hell, no. Maxim doesn’t have fun anymore. He just stalks around barking orders and glaring at people all the time. I’m shocked he took you, honestly. What was his motive? Do you hate musicals or something? Was it a unique brand of torture?”
“No, I love musicals,” I say, then confess, “And we were having a really good time until the explosion. Your brother was…nice tonight.”
She snorts again. “Maybe he’s been possessed by a friendly ghost. Did you bring one with you when you jumped through the portal?”
“No, I’ve been trying to lay off the ghost possessions. High stakes habit. Too much karmic debt.”
