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Her brows knit together. “My family?”
“There may be something in your past that connects to what’s happening. From which of them did you inherit your coloring?” Mages and wolves had long lives. He had to consider this might have been in the works for some time. A dark mage would do anything to achieve a goal. Wolves were more primal, but there were always some—usually alphas—who focused on long-term plans.
“Neither.” She picked at the hem of the shirt. “They both had blond hair and blue eyes. They, ah, they were drug addicts. They died when I was young. I grew up in foster care.”
Fuck, he kept on making things worse. Her history was a blank slate. It would be easy enough to verify, but he believed her. His keen senses detected no facial movements to indicate a lie. More, itsmelledlike the truth. Part of the gift of the lone wolf was to be able to detect such things. He was basically a living, breathing lie detector.
Time to see how she reacted to his news. “I uncovered some information after I left you earlier today.” Christ, had it only been this morning? It seemed a lifetime ago. “Word is there’s a mage looking to capture me, and wolves like Pietro Cardelli are helping.”
Her brows lowered. “At the risk of repeating myself, I don’t understand.”
“It’s a long story, and it’s not safe to stay here. We’ve already lingered longer than I’m comfortable with. We need to leave. Cardelli wasn’t working alone. We don’t know how many others might be searching for us.” Handling a rogue wolf or two was no problem, but he had no idea of the scope of the operation backing the mage. The best thing they could do was lay low for a couple of days. It would give him a chance to ferret out more information and plan to deal with the threat. He could take Zoe and run, but not indefinitely. He didn’t think she’d easily abandon her life. Plus, her being human made her vulnerable.
He went to her bag and dug out a clean pair of underwear and jeans. Going down on one knee, he pulled her panties on over her feet and up to her knees. “You have to stand.”
“I’ve got this.” She pushed upright, but before she could try to take over, he tugged the garment over her thighs and into place, his movements brisk and matter-of-fact. Her cheeks turned bright pink.
“Lean on me.” He held out her jeans.
Grumbling under her breath about bossy men, she did as instructed. Then he dealt with her socks and shoes. “How are you holding up?”
“Honestly, my ribs ache and my head hurts.”
He pulled her into a gentle hug, stroking his hands over her back. “I don’t like seeing you hurt.”
“I can’t say I’m fond of it, either. It could have been worse. Whoever he was, the doc was fast and efficient. My injuries aren’t that bad. I’ll heal.”
That was the only thing keeping his wolf in check. “I’m going to pack.” In no time, his bag was loaded with his belongings and the bloody towels she’d used. No need to leave behind anything suspicious that might lead the hotel to contact the authorities. There was no telling how far a reach the mage and her cohorts had. “Ready?”
She nodded. “How are we getting there? I’m not up to walking far. I can manage the subway, maybe.”
As much as he wanted to carry her, that would attract attention. He also had to carry all their bags. “My truck is in a nearby parking garage.”
“Thank you, Jesus.”
He grinned, then helped her stand, keeping one arm locked around her waist until she was steady. “Stay behind me. Do exactly what I tell you.”
The tension that had begun to dissipate was back in full force. “Are you expecting trouble?”
“Always.”
Chapter Ten
The back of Zoe’s head rested against the leather seat of his truck. Her lips were slightly parted. Her eyes were closed. She hadn’t even stirred when he’d stopped at a twenty-four-hour pharmacy to pick up the supplies the doc had recommended.
She’d held up far better than he’d expected on the trip down the hotel elevator and on the short walk to the garage. He’d expected to have to carry her, but she’d trudged alongside him. Her increased heart rate and labored breathing had bothered him, but he’d needed to keep his hands free in case of an attack.
They’d barely cleared the parking facility when she’d fallen asleep. It was more like she’d passed out. Her body had been pushed to the limits. Between the adrenaline, fear, pain, and downright horror, it was remarkable she’d remained alert and on her feet as long as she had.
She truly was amazing.
His wolf gave a growl of agreement, as fascinated with her as he was. The two of them were always in accord, had been since he’d made his first shift. Seemed this was no different. The only time they’d been at odds was whenever he’d doubted Zoe.
Traffic was light this time of night, but the city streets were never empty. Taxis and trucks rumbled along. Sunrise was a few hours away. He kept checking behind him, alert to anyone tailing them. His immediate goals were to protect Zoe and destroy his enemies. She had no place in any war among paranormals. Yet here she was. Unfortunately, having to protect her hampered his ability to do his job. He worked alone, worried about no one but himself.
Maybe that’s the point.
There was no denying she was a weakness to be exploited. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. Music helped him think, but he didn’t want to disturb her rest. Her face was pale, looked thinner than it had yesterday. The strain was taking a toll. The spark had dimmed from her eyes, her natural vitality missing.
