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In the next breath, Keziah Palm stepped out of the crowd. “The Snowmass Pack is with you, Lord Fenris!” she called, her eyes flashing. “We willnotlet anyone take away our peace.” She let out a growl.
Several other wolf shifters stepped forward. “The wolves of Black Shale!”
“Robert Holdworth’s pack is with you!”
It was near madness after that, shifters and witches and fae all shouting their support and decrying the Solar Sovereign. Something in my chest warmed, and I growled, pleased to see such a rise out of those I’d gathered.
“Wewilldefeat them,” I promised the Order. “And we won’t let them cause any more harm to our people!”
After what felt like hours, I finally managed to pry myself free from the alphas and matriarchs and kings and leaders before slipping back into the garden. Walter had taken a moment to visit with the members of the Smith family who’d traveled to the meeting, but I needed air. I also had more business outside of the Order, though I found myself wishing once again I could be done with it and return to Isla Lobo.
Still, the evening air was refreshing as the hedges cast long shadows in the disappearing sun. The gathered paranormals were already starting to disperse. I wasn’t the only one uncomfortable with so many gathered in one place. The sooner we could all return, the better.
I heard the sound of familiar voices and paused as my mind caught up with me a moment later. Unfortunately, and much to my chagrin, I’d already been noticed.
“Fenris!” Cody exclaimed, stopping mid-flirt to beam at me.
Abi snickered and wagged her finger at him. I couldn’t let Celeste’s friend go to Tallahassee alone and unprotected, but she’d said she didn’t mind enjoying the rest of the museum’s grounds during the meeting. It seemed she’d found some company when young Cody King finally arrived.
“Down, boy,” she teased Cody. “Next thing I know, you’re going to start wagging your tail!”
Cody scoffed, but I didn’t miss the dusting of pink on his cheekbones. “Hey, so I found out everything I could about that shifter that went missing. Or shifters, I should say,” he said, his voice dropping in volume as he walked closer to me, that sparkling smile falling away. He broke eye contact, looking at the gravel pathway between us instead of me. “So last I knew, when I left about a day ago, twelve shifters had gone missing. They’re from a few different packs, which is why I didn’t know the number was so high, but there’s maybe a missing mountain lion shifter, too? But they’re so elusive, hard to say, you know?” He wrinkled his nose. “Fuckin’ cats.”
“Anything about the siren?” I asked.
“Beyond the photos? Nah. The only other detail was that one of the shifters from the Sequoia Pack came down to visit someone in my pack. Rode across the highway, but never made it.”
I frowned. It was a decent lead, and more importantly, the only viable one we had. “You’ll be returning to California to look into this. I will send Piers and Gilbert with you. If this siren is ‘disappearing’ shifters, it’s too dangerous to send one man alone.”
Cody stared at me for a moment and pushed out his lower lip. I stared back at him, unmoved. “Okay,” he said, clearing his throat. “I guess.”
As our conversation wound down, Abi drifted over from where she’d been chatting with Cody. “So, if you two are all done with ‘wolf talk,’ can we run up to Tallahassee so I can get my stuff? Plus, I want to make a few phone calls. My parents will freak out if they don’t hear from me soon, and my grandpa was in the hospital. I just want to know how he’s doing.”
I bit back a sigh. Truly, I wanted little more than to return to Isla Lobo and Celeste, but Celeste had asked me to escort Abi.
“We will go north as soon as I meet with Grant Oakley,” I replied, checking my watch. “Ah, he should be here shortly. I don’t expect this to be a terribly long meeting, so if you’d like to find Walter and let him know our plans…”
Abi gave me a curious look. “Who’s Grant? Some kind of professor?”
I knew she was making some kind of wisecrack, but I wasn’t interested in figuring it out. “A former hunter,” I said smoothly.
Cody made a wheezing sound, and I could feel his wolf bristle at the mention. Abi simply looked even more intrigued. “Like Buffy the Vampire Slayer?” she asked.
I laughed. “He used to hunt all manner of paranormals. Now, he assists me when I need to find information, be it from the normal or paranormal realm. He has seen the value in workingwiththe Lunar Lord instead of antagonizing him.”
“That is socool,” Abi said, a wide grin splitting her face. “Can I come?”
“Absolutely not. Go tell Walter we’re going to Tallahassee, or I’ll change my mind.”
Abi snorted. “You’re so boring,” she retorted, unable to stop smiling. But she didn’t argue further, and Cody went along with her, well-aware that I hadn’t invited him to this meeting, either.
Once I was certain they were well and truly off, I turned and walked back toward Villa Vizcaya, heading straight for the small room where Grant and I were meeting. True to form, the hunter was already standing in the room when I walked in, a broad silhouette against the last light peeking through the window. His graying hair was short, hidden mostly under a dusty cowboy hat. Beneath his dark blue jeans were an equally worn pair of cowboy boots—nothing fancy. Grant was nothing if not utilitarian. Even his dark gray button-down had extra gussets to allow for an extended range of motion.
Once a hunter, always a hunter.I smirked.
“Grant.”
“Fenris,” he replied, his voice low. He turned toward me and dipped his head. “Been looking into your target some more. Whoever Celeste knows—or knows her—is doing all they can to keep any information obscured. I’ve never had to work this hard to dig anything up on anyone.”
