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“It also extends his reach. No matter where he travels or where his next target is, there will always be a tracker to hire or a pack to call upon,” Perseus explained. “It also makes pinpointing the alpha himself very hard. We’ve only caught sight of him a handful of times and it is always at different locations.”
Leven crushed his now empty soda bottle in his hand. “Because of-fucking-course. We couldn’t just get one good step up in this war.”
“Do you ever catch his plans before he executes them?” I asked. It was a blind grasp at anything useful.
“Not often. But we will be vigilant even when you leave. We will stay in contact with you, this won’t be over just because you walk out of this archive,” Ophir promised. “Your allies grow and we are among them.”
“Thank you,” Callum said. “It’s nice to know we have allies on our side.”
“That leaves the covens,” Nyx pointed out. “Where do we go next?”
“That’s been my project for the last few years. The only two remaining covens with enough members to actually be of use to you would be the Dominion Coven here in Philadelphia and there’s a larger coven in New York City,” Perseus said. “I’ll give you both of their information, but I’d suggest calling New York instead of going there. The Brooklyn Coven is not afraid to attack first and ask questions later which is likely the only reason they exist freely.”
“Noted,” I said as I took the paper he slid over. There was a single phone number and email for each. “Do you know the location of the one here in the city? Our flight leaves tomorrow so going tonight would be easiest.”
“No. They don’t reveal that for obvious reasons. But call and they may give you a chance,” he said with a shrug. I grabbed the paper and headed for the elevator. The guys were too busy talking to Ophir about strategies to take on the Grave Pack, so I went alone. Vince was in his shop at this time of day so at least I’d have protection.
After traveling up far too many stories, I stepped out into Vince’s book shop. He was helping a customer so I gave him a little wave so he knew I was leaving and slipped outside to breathe in some fresh air while I made the call. It was gorgeous outside, even with the slight chill in the air. The sun was shining and I soaked in the brief moments of nature. The archives were mind-blowing, but also a bit like a dungeon after a while. Too dark and musty for my wolf blood.
The line rang perpetually, no voicemail kicking in so I couldn’t even leave a message that way.
“Having trouble reaching someone?” The taunting voice of the tracker had me jumping off of my seat and backing toward the doorway. He stood on the curb and smiled wickedly at me. The tracker was disheveled again, clothes torn and eyes almost wild.
“Is there a problem out here?” Vince asked as he stepped outside.
“This is the man responsible for taking our kind,” I answered bluntly. “Wolves. Witches. It seems his sins have no end.”
“Oh, is that so?” Vince asked. There was a chaotic excitement to his chuckle before he put his fingers to his mouth and let out a shrill whistle. In seconds the square was silent and an army of supernaturals was descending on us. For the first time I saw genuine unease and fear in the tracker’s eyes as he glanced around.
“Don’t worry, you won’t always have the misfit supernaturals of this city behind you, little wolf,” he taunted as he pulled out a rune stone and muttered something before popping out of sight. The way he said my nickname had me wanting to scream. It was taunting and lecherous, and he knew exactly what he was doing.
“You okay, Vanya?” Vince asked. I swallowed hard and nodded.
“Thanks for helping, everyone,” I said in a choked voice. “He’s been stalking me for months.”
“You’re safe here,” a gruff voice called out and there was more chatter of agreement that followed before the crowd dispersed again. It was crazy the area seemed so empty moments ago then all of the sudden I had a small army at my side.
“Come on,” Vince said. “Let’s get you back inside before your mates try to kill me for letting you come out here alone.”
“Sorry, it was just a phone call,” I groaned as I let him lead me inside. “I can’t even fucking go outside by myself, how fucking pathetic is that?”
“You’re a wolf, love, you’re not meant to be solo,” he joked. But even his usual flirtatious teasing was shadowed by unease. It was way too easy for the tracker to find me here. We made last-minute plans and tried to keep our mentions of this entire trip as minimal as possible. Yet here he was, confronting me right in the middle of the fucking day.
“I guess I should go back down again and tell them what happened,” I said, glancing nervously around the now empty shop. I guess the commotion had chased off his customer.
“Do you need to make your call first? I can let you have the back office or stand watch at the door?”
“No,” I said as I hit dial and put it on speaker. “They don’t even have a voicemail service or anything. It’s a failed lead apparently and I don’t know them or this city enough to track them down.”
“Who are you trying to reach?” he asked. “I know a lot about this city. Maybe I can help.”
“The coven in town.” I lowered my voice just in case someone could hear. “But I don’t think they want to be found.”
“One second,” he said as he walked behind his desk and pulled out the store’s cordless phone, scrolling through the screen of past calls before hitting one, and putting it to his ear.
“Ah, Chloe my dear,” he flirted. “I have someone here who would like to meet you.” His voice dropped even lower and he stepped back into the storeroom to finish the call. The seconds dragged by torturously slow as I glanced around the shop, trying to distract myself. I was on high alert now and being alone wasn’t helping.
It was no less than five minutes later he stepped back out with a grin. “Success. We have dinner plans at seven at the bistro across the way. I’ll call for a private room, I’m friends with the owner.”
