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I thought back on the times I’d seen him. He wasn’t an elder since he was casually hanging out in Wolfcreek. Elders had responsibilities to keep the vampire community in check, likewise royals, but they had more freedom.
If Isaac was a royal, that was going to be a problem. Killing a vampire royal, even a problematic one, would draw attention. Hell, there would be uproar in the vampire community and perhaps start a war between his family and our pack. More so, royals were stronger than normal vampires and twice as hard to kill. They were born, not bitten.
"Have you checked his address?" I inquired, and Killian shook his head.
"Not yet," he answered. "It'll be done at daybreak."
“I want to be there,” I said. “If he’s a royal, he won’t be easy to kill.”
Killian leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees. “Have you killed any royals then?”
I didn’t answer until Killian shook his head and looked towards the stairs. “Marked by a royal,” he mumbled. “Unfortunate. Marian's a good woman. She's become a good friend, but remember Dorian, we're handling this delicately. We don't want a war. Kaleem and the Luna will be back soon, and I'd rather hand over the pack the same way it was given to me."
“I know,” I said while reaching out to close the folder. “I have to be there for Marian. I might hate the guy, but he was a friend to her. If I can save him—I’ll try to.”
Killian leaned back. "Considerate of you," he said with a grin, and I shook my head.
"Shut up, Killian," I growled, and he laughed.
“What?” he chuckled. “The old you would want to be there to kill him, and I mean the old you from a couple of weeks ago." He sighed. "Oh, the majestic and life-changing power of women."
"Get out of my house," I grumbled, and he laughed and got up, his usually snarky grin pulling his lips up. “What time in the morning?”
“We’re leaving at 5 am, so in four hours,” he picked up the folder. “Let’s not tell Marian about this until we’ve gone there and know what comes next. Several wolves will be outside her supermarket until we get back. We don't know if we'll find him there, and we don't know if there are any other vampires about.”
“Sure.” I walked him out and closed the door after he left.
I wasn’t keen on keeping secrets from Marian, especially now, but she'd be here panicking from the wait. Hopefully, Isaac will be home during our little visit, but if not, maybe we’ll find something that’ll tell us who this guy really was.
***
Eight wolves encircled the brownstone building with vine-covered walls and four more were on the street, two to our left and two to our right. Four wolves remained with Killian and me while the others were on standby in case Isaac was home and tried to escape.
I inhaled deeply. "Yeah, this is the place, alright. I can smell him."
Killian did the same, taking note of the scent. Before leaving the pack and discussing what tactics we'd use, Killian, the liaison for the werewolf Council, insisted that we shouldn't bombard his home with explosives and barge in at the risk of Isaac being a royal. If he tried to escape or attacked us, we'd retaliate, but we wouldn't make the first move.
I didn’t object because I understood Killian’s position on wanting to be careful. So here we were, walking up to Isaac's front door like this was a casual visit until I realized the door was open.
Killian and I exchanged changes, and his eyes started to glow.
I readied myself, tapping into training that was now second nature. Retirement had done nothing but make me try to pretend I was normal. I wasn't an ordinary man anymore, not when I could kill at the drop of a hat.
I called on my wolf, and my senses sharpened. Raising my hand Killian and the other wolves stopped, and I listened. I listened for the slightest sounds inside the house while drowning out the noise around us. Although vampires didn't have a heartbeat, if Isaac was home, he'd move, and the second he did, I'd hear.
The slightest shift in any direction caught my eye, and I could hear a woman's heels tapping the pavement four houses down. Most of the houses on the street were empty, I realized, a decent enough area for a vampire to take its victims.
No one would hear them scream, and right now, I was hearing nothing inside the house.
There was complete silence, but the door was cracked open. Why? Did he leave in such a hurry he left it open, or was there a trap waiting for us inside?
I waved my hand, signaling to Killian and the other wolves to step back. I stepped back with them, eyeing an open window on the second floor.
Anyone who became a Hunter was trained to push their abilities to their limit and beyond it.
Some dark creatures were quicker than me, stronger, and all-around more powerful, but I could take them down because I surpassed my limits. I trained to counter what they were better at with intelligence and a drive to never back down.
“Wait here,” I instructed Killian, and my claws extended while I walked to the window on the first floor.
