Blind Wolf Bluff: Shifter Romance (Vanguard Elite Book 3)

by Annie Nicholas

  “It’s still a long shot. All we have is a face. I can get the local authorities to canvass the neighborhoods with his picture.” William stood next to Blain. He smelled as frustrated and determined as Sonya. Their methods were different but their goals were the same. Protect the innocent. Blain could respect William for this.

  “I’m running the picture through our facial recognition program. Who knows? We might get a hit if he has any priors.” Sean typed again. “In the meantime, I’ll send it over to our office in Chicago and have them show it to the friends and families of the other victims.”

  “I’ll go ahead and do that locally.” Sonya sighed. “I’ve already developed a rapport with Tracy’s friends.”

  “With me.” Blain wouldn’t let her go alone. Her days of lone-wolfing were over.

  “I doubt I’ll need your tracking skills.” She collected her stuff from where she’d been sitting.

  “My nose isn’t just for tracking.” Though Blain couldn’t see William, he could sense the other agent’s sudden interest. “You know I can tell when someone is lying.” Sonya knew this from day one.

  She ground her teeth. “Fine,” she muttered. It was also a little reminder that she might fool herself into believing she didn’t want him, but he knew the truth. He smelled the truth.

  She stormed out of the police station.

  He caught up to her outside. “How did you sleep?”

  Her steps remained determined as she marched toward her rental car. “Like a baby.” She lied. Again.

  He growled, the noise low rolling in his chest.

  She spun around, her back to the car. “Blain, about last night, I need to focus on this case. I can’t afford any distractions.”

  He paced forward, pinning her to the vehicle. “I’m distracting?” His wolf nature preened. She had no idea the affect she had on him and he wanted to show her in detail.

  “I’d have to be deaf, dumb, and blind not to find you distracting.”

  Touching her hair, he was disappointed to find she placed the soft strands in a ponytail again. “So we have something more in common.”

  Her breaths grew more erratic. “Don’t.”

  “I’m going to help you catch this killer. I promise you that. I also promise that I’m going to make you mine.”

  They’d already seen two people on their list when Blain told her about Pallas’ call. Big mistake.

  “You shouldn’t be discussing details of the case with anyone but us.” The steering wheel creaked under Sonya’s grip as she drove them to their next stop.

  “He’s my—” Master? That sounded weird in human terms. Teacher, drill sergeant, instructor? “Uh, he’s my boss.”

  She smelled furious, like cinnamon ash. “Is he your alpha?”

  “No, he’s a vampire. It’s complicated, Sonya. Pack is like family. My relationship with Pallas is sort of like yours with William.” Except Blain didn’t get paid. “He tried to order me home. He says Homeland is in Chicago and that the killer being a shifter has leaked to the press.”

  She hit the steering wheel. “Damn it.”

  “It was on the evening news as unconfirmed.” Blain massaged the bridge of his nose where he’d been developing a headache. He used his sense of smell all the time. His world was a wide array of scents that painted images in his head, but he’d been doing some pretty focused tracking over the last two days. Too bad Tylenol didn’t work on shifters.

  “William won’t let Homeland take the case. We’ve been working on it too long. It makes no sense for them to play catch-up at this point.”

  “You’re right but they might see this as a perfect opportunity to show the world how dangerous shifters are.” Blain leaned against the headrest. “What I hate most is that they’re right.”

  “Shifters aren’t the only monsters. Humans can be pretty terrifying when they want to. World War II. Need I say more?”

  He turned his face toward her and brushed her cheek with his fingertip. “Right again, Have I told you how sexy intelligent women are?”

  “Take a cold shower, wolf boy.”

  “I like it when you’re bossy.” He could sense her smile. “And I’ve been taking cold showers for weeks. I’ve built and immunity. There’s only one cure—”

  Her phone rang. If Pallas had called William ordering Blain home, then Blain would plead his case to Eric. He wouldn’t let the vampire bully him from this opportunity.

  “Camp speaking.” The car was equipped with Bluetooth.

  “We have a match on the facial recognition program.” Sean’s voice came out of the vehicles speakers.

  “Already?” She replied.

  “His name is Todd Powers and he has a record. Lewd behavior and aggravated assault.” His voice sounded monotone as he read the report out loud. “He was in a rehab program for shifters with anger issues in California when he vanished. Homeland suspected his pack had killed him. What?” Sean’s shock was genuine. “They do that?”

  Blain was liking him more and more.

  “Sure, some shifters are dominated by the wolf side more than their human. Troublemakers, those that can’t be tamed, are put down. Better that than endanger the whole pack.” Some in Blain’s old pack had petitioned to put him down, but he wasn’t a threat, just a weakness. His alpha had enough of a conscience to see the difference.

  “Well, they failed. He’s still alive and our problem.” Sonya slowed the car to a stop. They must have been at a stoplight.

  “I’m messaging you his current address.”

  “How did you find that if Homeland thought he was dead?” Sonya asked the question, and Blain had been wondering the same thing.

  “He registered with the Vanguards. I called them once we had an ID. He’s dead to the US government but not the packs.”

  Blain closed his eyes. “This sounds bad.” There was no way for the Vanguards to check on Todd Powers’ record and even if they could, that wasn’t incriminating, but the pack would have watched him closer. Maybe once this was all over, the Vanguards and the FBI could learn to cross communicate better.

  “You have no idea,” Sonya whispered.

  “FYI, the Vanguards’ alpha lost his shit. He and a posse are heading this way.”

  “Do you have any good news?” Sonya pressed the accelerator.

  “The hotel makes a killer Dagwood sandwich.” Sean hung up.

  “Just give me a second while I plug-in the address Sean sent me into my GPS,” said Sonya.

  There were many things that Blain could do better than a human and even most shifters, but he would give them all up just to be able to do something simple as see a smart phone. Or drive. Or know what the color blue was.

  “According to the GPS, he lives in the next town. Should take us around twenty minutes to arrive.”

  He stayed silent as Sonya took directions from her smart phone.

  They arrived someplace that smelled of concrete and rust. The apartment building was old. Too many people lived here for Blain to pinpoint a single scent in the lobby. He told Sonya as much. He slid around her, taking point before they climbed the stairs.

  “You don’t know where we’re going.” She sounded annoyed.

  “I take directions well. Pretend you’re my GPS.”

  “I’m armed and can take care of myself.”

  “Can you heal bullet wounds in twenty four hours?” He waited but she declined to answer him. “I didn’t think so. How many flights of stairs?”

  “Three.” She followed him for once. “This is a long shot. Those facial recognition programs tend to be wrong so don’t jump him the minute he opens the door.”

  “He’s in three photos.”

  “Two of those photos weren’t very clear. I doubt we could admit them as evidence.”

  “As soon as I smell him I will know.”

  “I can’t arrest him on scent alone, but we can take him in for questioning. If he has an alibi, we’re screwed.” She stopped behind him and knocked on the door.
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  He gritted his teeth. She had let him walk right past it. He maneuvered her so he could protect her from anything that came through the door. She didn’t seem to understand how fragile humans were.

  “Stop that. I’m not going to wrestle you to do my job.”

  He tilted his head, aiming his ear closer to the door. Empty. No heartbeat inside the apartment. “There’s no one here.” He smelled the door handle. “I’m not stopping you from questioning the suspect, but it makes sense to let the werewolf confront the werewolf. It only takes one deep bite, Sonya, and then you’re pack.”

  He heard her swallow.

  “There’s a work address. Let’s try that.” Sonya left him standing at the apartment entrance. She was determined to hunt a crazed predator. What chance did a human have against a shifter?

  “Wait, I haven’t finished looking for his scent.”

  He shook his head. She had training that he didn’t. She carried a gun. A shot to the head would kill a shifter just as easily as a human. Didn’t matter if the bullet contained silver or not. This all sounded logical,but she didn’t do a very good job of caring for herself. She wanted his trust, but he’d felt all her healed wounds while exploring her body.

  She needed a protector, someone who stop her from taking unnecessary risks, and he had recently learned it took one simple little mistake to lose someone forever. A house fire had killed his friend at bootcamp. Like it or not, he was going to protect what was his.

  Blain return to the rental car and took his place in the passenger seat.

  Sonya tapped her fingernail on the steering wheel. “I understand your concern, but this is what I do for a living.” Anger made her skin flush. He could sense the extra heat from her flesh.

  “Hunt shifters?” The scorn in his words came from his deepest fear. He had just found her. What would he do if she were taken away? She didn’t understand. She was his.

  His. His. His.

  His to love. His to make happy. His to protect. How the fuck did he do the last part when she ran toward danger that others ran from?

  “If necessary.” She pulled out of the parking lot. Her voice grew softer. “It would help if I had a shifter partner and not a guard dog.” He could sense her gaze before her hand landed on his knee. “What signal will we use if his smell matches that of the killer?”

  “You mean besides it’s him?” He rested his head back and closed his eyes. He tried picturing the other couples he knew having the same conversation and realized there was no winning. If he locked Sonya in a box to keep her safe, she wouldn’t be the same woman he had fallen for.

  “This isn’t the time to be a smart ass.”

  “I’ll jump him.” He didn’t know what Sonya expected. Shifters weren’t a subtle race.

  “Blain—”

  “Don’t give a shifter a chance to run. Otherwise you won’t catch him again. If this is our guy, I’ll jump him and hold him down. Please tell me you have silver-lined handcuffs.” A regular pair would be like using toy cuffs.

  “Yes, William gave me a pair last night.”

  “And silver bullets?” The ammunition was too expensive for every officer to carry, but in this case, the FBI should be prepared. Silver did more damage and took longer to heal.

  “Not yet. William says we should have some by tonight.”

  He hung his head, not bothering to hide his disappointment. “If you are attacked by a shifter, at any time, aim for the head. No body shots. Those don’t slow us down if we’re pumped full of adrenaline. In beast form, we could tear a human in half within seconds.”

  “Good to know.” Her voice shook. It was almost imperceptible but he was too sensitive to not hear it. She slowed the car and parked. “Todd works at a car detailing service. We’re here. The garage is ahead and to the left.”

  Blain could have guessed from the smells of soap, wax, and polish. “Let me go first.”

  “Won’t he be able to sense that you’re a shifter?” The car seat creaked as Sonya twisted to face him.

  “Yes…”

  “He won’t feel as threatened by me. Let me approach him first and draw him outside. If he’s our killer, we’ll at least get him away from his coworkers and have the surprise on our side. Then we’ll question him and you can take a sniff.” She exited the car before he could offer feedback.

  Blain hurried out, assessing the area. Garage ahead and to the left like Sonya had said. The smells and sounds of a large field behind it. Vehicles passed behind him on a regular basis. So they were on a main road. Noise moved as if he were in an open space, like a large parking lot. The air had a cold bite to it but yesterday’s winds were gone. He fished his cane from his jacket pocket. With a flick of his wrist, it unfolded.

  The cane would make him appear less threatening. If this was their guy, he’d know Blain was a shifter. But who would be afraid of a blind one? Sonya was right again—Todd wouldn’t view her as a threat since she was human and female.

  Sonya called out a greeting to someone.

  He could smell four males on the premise. All human. The knot in Blain’s shoulders relaxed. Todd wasn’t here. He strolled in her general direction, ears perked.

  Wait. No, that wasn’t right because he heard five people moving. “Sonya…”

  “I’m Todd Powers. My boss said you’re looking for me.” The voice carried from the detailing garage and sounded cautious but not upset. Todd moved closer to Sonya.

  Blain moved faster, blocking Todd’s path. “That’s close enough.” No scents drifted from the male. Species, sex, emotion—nothing. It was like talking to a machine, except even those gave off some metallic smell.

  Sonya laid her hand on Blain’s shoulder and gave it a hard squeeze. “We just have some routine questions to ask, Mr. Powers. Forgive my partner—he forgot his manners at home. I’m Special Agent Camp.” At least, she didn’t offer to shake his hand. “This is Blain.”

  “Just Blain? No special titles?” Todd chuckled as he slid his hands into his pants pockets.

  “I don’t need any.” Sweat trickled along Blain spine despite the cold weather.

  “Can you tell us your whereabouts two nights ago?” Fear laced Sonya’s usual sharp cinnamon scent. He heard her heart pound and smelled the sweat on her palms. She sensed something was wrong as well.

  “At the football rally in the next town.” Shifters knew better than to lie to each other. Todd had to know Blain was a shifter just by the way he had moved to block his path to Sonya. Todd should also be able to smell Blain since he couldn’t hide his shifter scent, unless…

  With a flick of his wrist, Blain swiped his cane at Todd’s feet.

  The other shifter jumped so the cane’s momentum took Blain off-balance and he fell to his knees. As Todd moved, he had pulled something from his pocket. A baggie filled with something soft.

  Powder hit Blain’s face. He staggered and coughed, unable to clear his nose. It burned.

  Sonya pulled out her gun. “Stop or I’ll shoot.”

  She should have just shot Todd like Blain had instructed her. Her gun hit the pavement, the metal making a scraping noise as it skittered across the solid ground. Todd shoved Blain out of his way and ran.

  Wolfsbane. Just as he’d suspected. Todd had thrown a huge amount of the grounded stuff in Blain’s face. The leaves from the plant somehow dulled shifters’ sense of smell. When rubbed on skin, that person’s scent trail vanished. In the old days, humans used wolfsbane to hunt shifters. In large quantities, it could kill. The plant’s application had been forgotten over the centuries and his kind wanted to keep it that way. Right now, Blain couldn’t smell a skunk if it sprayed him right in the nostrils.

  That was why Blain couldn’t smell him and why his trail seemed to vanish when Blain was tracking him. Wolfsbane wasn’t foolproof and only lasted less than an hour before the effects faded.

  Blain was nose blind and without his cane. Tears streamed from eyes that were reacting to the powder. He only had his ears. Focus
ing all his attention, he listened for Sonya.

  On her hands and knees, she retrieved her gun, rose to her feet, and took off in Todd’s direction.

  “Sonya no!” His voice was a whisper. He couldn’t follow with just his hearing while trying not to drown in his own mucus.

  That’s right, he finally remembered. That was what wolfsbane did to shifters in large quantities.

  Massive allergic reaction.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Blain’s shout registered at the edge of Sonya’s attention, but her main focus ran around the back of the garage toward the large open field behind the garage. Her feet pounded against the ground as her hands cradled the gun.