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“Keep dreaming,” he muttered.
Women usually fell into two groups. They were either drawn to his animal magnetism or scared to death of him. It was usually female wolves or other paranormal creatures that fell into the first category. For some, he was nothing more than a notch on a bedpost, a titillating story to be shared with friends. There’d been a few assassins in the mix. Kinda put a damper on things. In the early days, there’d been a couple of closer connections. One woman had caved to pack pressure and sent him away. The other had been targeted and killed by a rogue. Lesson learned.
While human women were drawn to him, they were usually wary enough to stay away. A few adventurous souls had taken a risk for one-night stands. They’d been thoroughly satisfied when he’d left them sleeping in their beds. He’d been left with an empty sensation in the pit of his belly.
Zoe fell into neither category. That made her unique. How had she put it? Their matching coloring was nothing more than genetics or coincidence. Genetics, maybe. Coincidence? He no longer believed that. Their paths crossed for a reason. The white wolf knew it, and so did he.
Hotel in sight, he picked up his pace. He owned property in New York, but he never stayed there. Despite the complicated layers of legal papers and companies, it would be too easy for a determined wolf to find him. If he could do it, so could someone else.
Better safe than sorry. As it was, his unique coloring made him memorable.
He paused outside his room and listened. TheDo Not Disturbsign hung on the handle. When he was satisfied it was empty, he went inside. Everything was as he’d left it. There were no other scents in the space other than his and the faint one from the housekeeping staff that had been there when he’d checked in.
The urge to call Zoe—to hear her voice and assure himself that she was okay—was almost overwhelming. He stared at his phone, started to toss it on the bedside table, and then hesitated. What he was about to do was unprecedented. There’d be repercussions. “I’m going to regret this.”
His thumb hovered over two numbers in his contact list. The last sighting he’d had of Kade Alvarez—the gray wolf—was in Peru. Dagen Kern—the black wolf—was rumored to be in Romania, but that information was weeks old and suspect. No one quite knew what he looked like beyond a general description, his black hair and eyes allowing him to blend with the general population. It was easier to know where he’d been by the rumors of the dead rogues he’d left behind.
Devlin pressed a number.
It was answered on the first ring. “This is a surprise.” His wolf’s ears twitched and damn if the creature’s tail didn’t swing back and forth. “The mighty white wolf. To what do I owe the honor?” The voice was deep and slightly mocking.
If he didn’t need the bastard’s help, he’d hang up. “Have you heard any rumors about the lone wolves?”
“I hear many things, brother.”
“We’re not related.” Lone wolves had no family, no friends.
“Not by blood, maybe, but by profession.”
“Cut the bullshit. What have you heard?”
“Be more specific.” When Devlin hesitated, Kade huffed out a breath. “Look, you called me. Like it or not, we’re both lone wolves. The connection exists whether we ignore it or not.”
He prayed he wasn’t making a huge mistake and making matters worse. “Magic.”
Dead silence. Then Kade cleared his throat. “Funny you should mention that. My contacts tell me there are rumors circulating among those on the fringes of the packs about wolves working with a mage.”
He sank down on the end of the bed, his hand tightening around the phone. Having the gray wolf confirm his fear shed a different light on his and Zoe’s original meeting. The idea some mage might be manipulating him didn’t sit well with him or his wolf. “Those bastards usually keep their mischief among humans or they work alone.” For all he knew, the gray wolf might be working with the mage. His wolf snarled in vehement disagreement.
“That seems to have changed. The alphas have never been happy about paying our fees for services rendered. They fear we’ll band together and take over all the packs, usurping their power. Mages want power and longevity. There have been whispers that it might be possible to steal our immortality. That’s one hell of an incentive for them to join forces.”
His blood ran cold. It all made a sick kind of sense. “They want to capture one of us.” The idea of being experimented on by a mage was chilling.
There were white mages who studied and lived without harming anyone. Then there were mages who dealt in dark magic, rumored to use blood spells and human sacrifice to extend their lives.
“Yeah, and they don’t care which one of us. They’re casting lures, trying to draw one of us out. Once they have one, it will likely be all-out war on the remaining two. No one can be trusted. There’s no sanctuary anywhere.”
He snorted. “Like there ever has been.” They weren’t called lone wolves for nothing.
“True enough. I heard you were in New York.”
“You hear all manner of things.”
“What can I say? I’m a popular guy. People tell me stuff.” His snarky tone became serious. “Do you need me there?”
The thought of having another wolf at his back was tempting. It was also one hell of a trap if someone was hunting him. “No.”
Kade sighed. “I wouldn’t trust me either if the roles were reversed. Whatever you’re involved in, watch your back.”
