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She felt his sudden anger boil off his skin in waves.
“No,” she said quietly. “It was a remnant of a recent search. She may have been tracking our location in the future. No doubt Kryder knows we’re here by now.”
“Ryan,” he all but shouted.
His voice brought the tourists in the boat craning their necks in the direction of their hidden spot.
“Let’s get back to the house,” she said.
He slid an arm around her waist and just as together they moved toward her back gate, Ryan and three of his men landed in front of them.
“Yes, Boss.” Ryan had a fierce, wild look about him. All the wolves on the property were warriors. Not one of them was under six-foot. Each was muscled like Grant. Ryan was the shortest but had to be six-two.
“We may have had an intruder, an invisible type. I want the men flying overhead in quick unpredictable patterns and patrolling the perimeter in the same way. Let’s keep our visitors on their toes even if we can’t see them.”
Ryan nodded to the three men. They disappeared but as they entered the property, each man gathered a group of three more warriors and before long, the entire house looked like a stage for war games.
Natalie approved.
The tourists did as well, since they started applauding from the boat.
Ryan opened the gate for them.
“What food have you got coming in?” Grant asked. “We both need a meal, especially Natalie. But I want the men fed as well.”
Ryan smiled. “I knew you would. I’m having steaks brought in and the grill fired up. Beer. Potato salad.” He met Natalie’s gaze. “I asked around and the best Italian Revel restaurant said you often order pasta primavera. I took the liberty. They said for you, they’d deliver. Will that do? There’s time to change the order if you want.”
“Sounds perfect. Exactly what I would want.” She smiled, then added, “And a beer or two as well.”
“Then we’re set.” He shifted his gaze to Grant. “Anything else, Boss? We’ve only got a couple of hours til dawn. We’re bedding down here for the day, right?”
“Yes, just for tonight, though.”
Ryan’s expression sobered. “How’s Alanna?”
“Shaken up. She was fighting her abductors when the van drove up. She’s strong, that one.”
“She’s…special.” There was just enough of a pause that Natalie watched him closely. “She’s got spirit.”
“I suppose,” Grant said, his gaze drifting to the warriors now flying overhead. “For now, she’s safe at Agnes’s.”
“Good. That’s good.” Ryan looked relieved which confirmed Natalie’s suspicions that the young wolf, in a very short time, had gained Ryan’s attention.
For the next hour, Natalie kept her wolf at the fore and set her to running around the property as well, even along the canal-side stretches. Between her wolf and the men patrolling everywhere, they would know if the fae, Kryder or anyone else made an appearance.
The steaks arrived along with her pasta dish. She sat with Grant in the garden at a table not far from the canal. She ate her pasta and sipped her beer.
“Your wolf is working,” Grant stated as he sliced off another very red bite of porterhouse.
“Yes, she is. She might just be the best thing that could have happened for me, given Kryder’s fixation on my abilities.”
“You’re right. I also wonder if she’s a wild card, that maybe Kryder didn’t know about her.”
“It’s possible.” She watched his expression as he chewed. She had to smile. “You are enjoying that steak.”
“Hell, yeah I am.”
His complexion glowed as he dined on the rare meat. The men were wolves. She suspected they’d all be happier if they could hunt for their food and not just buy it packaged from the supermarket.
