She sighed. “I have no more.” Sneaking inside the den via a box was, crazily, the safest route with shifters that had sensitive hearing and noses.
Neil and Nate were building their version of a Trojan horse. The scent of coffee drifted in the air as one of them tore open a bag and set the container inside the box. The strong smell would mask her own.
The sound of a door crashing open echoed down the street. The werewolves poured out the door. Some of them were already in their beast forms and racing into the dark alleys. A large male still in human form barked out orders, organizing the remaining shifters into groups. “I want him alive,” he shouted.
Instinct had her crouching low. “Is that the alpha?” she whispered in Nick’s ear. She’d heard stories of Chris from Betty. They had once been an item in high school and the chip on his shoulder was big enough to possibly tear his pack apart. He moved like an apex predator even in human form.
He nodded, his face grim.
The street emptied and Ruby breathed again.
“Thank our lucky stars, he’s leading the hunt. Otherwise, we wouldn’t even bother trying to get inside. When the pack was chasing me out of Riverbend, Chris fucking leaped from a roof and caught, actually caught, my wing.” Nick shook his head as if in admiration. “He caught me off guard because I was flying so high that I thought I was free. Learned my lesson. Never turn your back on a werewolf.”
“And he survived the fall?” Ruby pressed her hands to her stomach.
“Landed on his feet.” Nick crossed his arms. “Can you imagine what Ryota can do?”
She didn’t want to. Especially since she’d been alone with him in a car. If Chris had been human, he would’ve been a pancake.
The cramps in her abdomen made it difficult to breathe. Nick would take her place in the box—all she had to do was ask. But if she did, they would fail. She knew it. Somewhere inside, she had the courage. She’d used it before facing the trials of living in her neighborhood. How was this different?
“That’s our cue,” Norm said. “Ruby inside the box.”
Nick moved in her place.
“No, Nick. It has to be me.” Well, wasn’t that fantastic. Her spidey senses didn’t tingle when she said that. She pried the crystal from his hand.
If thunder clouds were created by frustration, one would have formed over Nick’s head. “You remember what Nikita said? When it grows warmer, you’re heading in the right direction.” Then he handed her a box cutter. “Be careful with it. The scent of blood will draw the wolves so don’t cut yourself. Is your cell phone on vibrate?”
She double checked and nodded.
He swept her into a toe-curling kiss that left her breathless.
Numbly, she crossed the rooftop. “What is Armand doing to cause this kind of reaction?” Ruby hadn’t heard any bombs go off or sirens ringing.
Nate helped her into the cardboard box. “Existing. They apparently hate his guts.”
Neil handed her more open coffee bags.
Nick bent over and stole another quick kiss before nudging her head down and closing the lid. The sound of tape sealing her in felt final.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Nick’s brothers enclosed Ruby in the cardboard box. Sweat trickled down his back as he tried not to imagine what would happen to her if she were caught. He knew firsthand how feral this pack would act. His hands itched to tear it open and pull her out.
As if reading his mind, Norm set his hand on Nick’s shoulder. “I’ll pluck her from the fire escape as soon as she steps foot out the window.”
“I don’t—”
Norm shook his head. “Look, I know we’re not the most reliable bunch of guys out there, but even we can’t leave a book of black magic lying around with a werewolf pack.”
“Not when we can do something about it,” Nate added. “This isn’t just about you. If it was, I’d say leave your sorry ass as human.” His younger brother pulled out a thin, white roll of paper from his pocket. He stretched it out before peeling the back off and sticking it to the top of the box. It was a shipping sticker, complete with barcode and the den’s address.
“Where did you find that?” It looked much more official than the permanent marker he had planned to use.
“Armand had it made.” Nate crumpled the backing and stuffed it into his pocket, leaving no evidence behind. “He thinks of everything.” From the other pocket, he pulled out a baseball cap and set it on Nick’s head.
He yanked it off. The hat read USD. “United Supernatural Delivery?” There were some things the human delivery companies refused to ship that made life inconvenient for nonhumans. Such as certain live mating gifts or dietary requirements. The USD catered to the supernatural community. He set the hat back on his head. “Armand does think of everything.”
Lifting the box, Nick groaned loudly.
“Hey.” Ruby’s muffled voice traveled through the cardboard. “I don’t weigh that much.”
He chuckled, forcing himself to make light of this deadly situation for Ruby’s sake. She hid it well, but he knew she was terrified.
He paused, struck dumb. She was risking everything for him and they’d only known each other for a week. This wasn’t just her giving nature making her do this. She must really love him. He couldn’t think of anyone, but his brothers, who would take such a chance. Clutching the box to his chest, he couldn’t take a step forward.
Neil rested his hand on his shoulder and whispered, “I heard what Norm said, but we don’t have to do this.”
Nick met their youngest brother’s glare. “And what about the book?”
He shrugged. “Let the witch and Armand figure it out.”
“I can hear you,” Ruby’s voice carried through the box. “Nick, deliver me already. This is our one and only chance. If you don’t carry me over there right now, I’ll march myself onto their doorstep.”
He rested his forehead against the box. “Ruby…”
“Stop wasting time. You’ll come to my rescue if needed. I have no doubt. Please, trust me.”
Before he changed his mind, Nick carried the package across the street and down half a block to the den. He set Ruby gently by the door and knocked. He waited.
And waited.
No answer. He had assumed with werewolf hearing he wouldn’t need to ring the doorbell. He rang. Taking a step back, he scanned the windows above for any movement. Still no answer. Had everyone left to chase Armand out of the city? The vampire assured them that the pack was incapable of catching him. He wouldn’t explain why they hated him so much. After the Riverbend werewolf pack’s reaction to his stealing a simple sandwich, he suspected Armand’s crime wasn’t that big.
Maybe he should just sneak inside the empty building. He could let Ruby out of the box just on the other side of the door and they could look for the grimoire together.
The door swung open and he startled. A thin woman with short, brown, wavy hair answered. She looked like she could use a sandwich. Her collarbone stretched her skin and dark circles surrounded her haunted eyes. She didn’t strike Nick as a werewolf. There was no menacing aura or predatory glare, which he had been expecting since he was on their territory uninvited.
Then the woman smiled. Tiny kitten fangs, smaller than any vampire he’d ever seen, glinted from the indoor lighting. “Can I help you?”
He lifted the huge box containing a human woman and offered it to her. “Delivery.”
She raised her thin eyebrows, not making any move to take the box. “Who is it for?”
He made a show of reading the label. “Christopher Jenkins.”
She let out a huge annoyed sigh. “That’s the alpha. They’re out on a hunting.”
“Do you want me to leave it on the doorstep? It’s getting heavy.” He didn’t have to fake the strain in his voice.
She shook her head. “Just place it here by the door.” She pointed to a spot just past the threshold then her smile turned wicked. “He can carry it up to his room.”
The woman gave him the impression she didn’t like the alpha very much. Rumor was not many did.
“Wait,” she said as he turned to leave.
His heart skipped a beat.
The woman crossed to a coat closet and pulled out her wallet from a purse. She offered him a couple of dollars. “For your troubles.”
He took the money and thanked her before leaving. Were they supposed to tip delivery men? He did the ones who delivered food. Maybe because he was USD?
Nick returned to the rooftop, climbing the stairs two at a time. His brothers were supposed to act as lookouts in case the pack returned early. Ruby carried her silenced cell phone so they could warn her with a text. When she found the book, she would text for an extraction. Norm would fly her off the fire escape.
On the rooftop, his brothers stood at attention, backs to the werewolf den, their focus on a human male dressed in jeans and a white T-shirt instead. Tattoos covered both of the stranger’s arms. He twisted around with a growl.
Nick’s heart stopped. Eoin.
Ruby’s nose tickled. Of all the times she needed to sneeze, this was the worst. The smell of coffee threatened to tip her control over the edge. The woman who had answered the door hadn’t left the room. Ruby could hear shoes dragging over the floor as the woman moved about.
The crystal in her hand was so hot she had to set it down. Wow, she half-expected it to be glowing red. Was the grimoire in the front lobby? It couldn’t be that easy.
Oh please, let it be that easy.
She pinched her nostrils together and slowed her breathing. Sneezing would be disastrous. She would be found out before she even left the fucking box. Then what? She was so close.
A cell phone rang and the woman answered. “Hi, Mom.” She paused. “No, Chris and the pack are out on a vendetta hunt. Do you know anything about a vampire named Armand Franco?”
Ruby’s ears perked at the name and she ground her teeth because she could only hear half the conversation.
“Oh, that makes sense now. The whole pack poured out of the building as soon as word arrived that Armand was in the city.”
It took all of Ruby’s willpower to resist the urge to ask about Armand’s story. Hopefully, Nick or one of his brothers knew. It was the first thing on her list to ask if she ever got out of this alive.
“I’m not getting involved,” said the woman. “I said no.” She paced back and forth across the room, her voice growing more agitated. “If you like him so much, you go fight with the pack.” She snorted. “I’m his prisoner, Mom. Not his friend.”
Ruby jerked at that information. She was a prisoner? Her heart raced so fast that she grew dizzy. The werewolf pack took prisoners. It could be worse, right? There could be a boneyard buried in the backyard. Maybe she should offer to help the woman escape. She might know where this grimoire was.
Wait, the front door was unlocked. The woman had answered it. She wasn’t a prisoner. She could walk out right now. Ruby shook her head. She wasn’t getting involved. The woman was obviously lying to her mother. Nothing was keeping her trapped here.
“Chris tracks me wherever I go.” The woman made a frustrated noise. “I don’t need your advice on werewolves.” She was silent for a second. “I’m hanging up now. I’m hanging—bye.” She stomped up the stairs and her footsteps grew fainter until she reached an upper floor.
Ruby sighed a breath of relief and sneezed, her guard relaxed. The noise echoed in the box. Still as a rock, she strained her hearing. She touched the crystal, ready to grab it and run. It was cooler. Weird. She had been sure it was flaming hot not a moment ago.
The steps returned. “Hello?” The woman was quiet. “Anyone down there?”
Ruby chewed her bottom lip as the urge to sneeze again grew stronger. She pinched her nose together and kept her hands over her mouth. Squeezing her eyes shut, she fought the need until it exploded inside her head. The only sound that escaped was a quiet whoosh but her head rang and her ears popped. If she had to do that again, she feared her head would explode.
The woman’s footsteps retreated above again. Disaster averted.
She pulled out the blade Nate had given her and sliced the box open. Inside the box, she left the coffee grounds then gripped the witch’s crystal in her palm. It felt warm. If she owned a grimoire of black magic, where would she hide it? Ruby crept on tiptoe around the first floor.
Each door led to a separate apartment. This was going to be harder than she thought. There were probably a hundred rooms within this building. She pressed her hand to her chest and swallowed the lump in her throat. All she had to do was follow the crystal. It didn’t matter if there were a thousand rooms. The temperature hadn’t changed in her hand. She spotted a set of stairs and descended to the basement.
The first room fit Trixie’s description. She and Viktor had spent a day here as guests. One room with a bed and television. Not much more than a motel room. The crystal cooled to the same temperature as her hand. Ruby spun around and climbed back to the first floor where the crystal warmed. Okay, so it wasn’t in the basement. She’d go higher and see if it changed.
She hurried back to the front lobby and the empty cardboard box. It took her a second to find the staircase the woman had climbed and follow her steps. Ruby paused on the second floor. The crystal’s temperature remained the same so she continued higher. On the third floor, it grew hotter. She turned right and the crystal flared with heat. She twisted away and it cooled. As a test, she turned left.
The crystal flared with fucking heat. She’d hated this game as a kid and she hated it more now. She twisted back, staring at the wall at the top of the stairs, and the crystal cooled. Well, the book was on this floor but she didn’t know if it was on her right or her left. Ruby began her search by going right. Back pressed against the wall, she quietly tiptoed along the hall, the crystal growing hotter. The door to one of the apartments was open. She peeked around the frame.
A woman with short, brown wavy hair sat on a threadbare armchair, her nose buried in a book. She didn’t notice Ruby.
The crystal sizzled in Ruby’s palm. She retreated, juggling the hot stone in her hands until she pocketed it. The grimoire had to be in the apartment with the woman.
The door below opened and the hum of many voices followed. Her heart leapt into her throat as the cold claw of fears gripped her spine.
The werewolves were returning.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
“Hey, Eoin.” Nick gave the angry dragon a little wave. This time he had no wings to escape upon. At least Eoin was in human form and couldn’t swallow Nick in one bite.
“Who the fuck are you?” He jabbed his index finger in Nick’s direction. “Go away.” The dragon hadn’t even bothered to listen for his answer.
Behind Eoin, his three brothers were a mottled shade of gray that gargoyles developed when scared shitless. Their eyes held the doomed look of men preparing to die.
The dragon returned his attention to his brothers. He didn’t seem to notice that Nick wasn’t following his order. “How many gargoyles are there in the area, and which one of you is Nick?”
As if choreographed, his three brothers lifted their arms together and pointed at him. Nice. That was brotherly love at its best. Nick couldn’t blame them. The whole dragon fiasco was his fault.
Eoin slowly turned. He sucked on his teeth as he assessed Nick from head to toe. Not sure what to make of him.
Nick set his hands on his hips. “You seriously can’t tell us apart?” Yes, gargoyles were all the same shade of gray and they were all brothers, so they looked somewhat alike, but that’s where the similarities ended. Norm’s shoulders were twice the size of his, Nate’s cheeks were much more pronounced and his eyes were blue instead of black, and Neil was a full head shorter. “That’s like saying all dragons look-alike.” Not really, but he had to make a point. “I’m insulted you don’t recognize me, even in this form, after living on your fucking castle for weeks.”
The dragon cr
ossed his arms. “Lots of people knew a gargoyle lived on my castle. The news covered it a couple of times. Prove to me that you’re Nick or I eat this one.” He grabbed Neil by the nape of the neck and sent his youngest brother to his knees. Damn, even in his human form, Eoin was stronger.
Nick blinked rapidly, his mind racing for an example that Eoin would like. “You like to leave a bite mark on Angie’s ass.” There, that should convince him.
The liquid heat rolled in the dragon’s eyes.
Oops. The dragon hadn’t liked it, but it was a fact.
“What did you say?” Eoin released his hold on Neil and closed the distance between them before grabbing Nick by the throat.
With the last of his breath, he whispered. “She shifts outside the castle. You really expect me to not look?”
Norm slapped his forehead.
Eoin bared his teeth and pulled him close enough for Nick to smell his last kill on his breath. “Explain why you are a human now.”
Nick’s head spun from lack of oxygen. He gripped Eoin’s wrist with both hands and struggled. Black spots danced in front of his eyes. Ruby was taking a huge risk for nothing. He’d be dead in minutes at the hands of a dragon.
Ruby scurried away from the open door as fast as her little feet could take her. She could hear the woman rising from her chair. This would be a perfect opportunity for Ruby to sneak into the woman’s apartment, but she needed to disappear from the open hall first.
The farther Ruby moved from the woman’s apartment, the cooler the crystal grew in her pocket…until she passed the stairs. Suddenly, the crystal grew warmer. She stopped in front of another door at the very end of the hall. Opposite from the woman’s home. Stupid crystal was malfunctioning. It was going to burn a hole in her pocket. One moment hot, the next cold. The grimoire couldn’t be in two separate places.
She slipped inside the apartment and closed the door before she was spotted.
The crystal burned through her pocket so hot she couldn’t touch it with her fingers. Hotter than when she’d stood outside the woman’s door.
Not Her Gargoyle: Shifter Romance (Not This Series Book 4) Page 19
