Alex followed close behind, doing her best to try to meld with the mass of humanity that swarmed around them. For the first time since they’d left the restaurant, she felt exposed and edgy. The reality of the situation was really beginning to sink in.
There were werewolves scouring the city searching for her. If they found her they would kill Joshua and kidnap her, maybe even kill her. From what her father had said, not everyone was enamored of half-breeds like herself. Tainted blood, he’d called it.
She wondered where her father was, praying he was safe. A huge lump swelled up in her throat, but she swallowed it back. He would expect her to do whatever it took to survive and reach Wolf Creek. She had to believe he would be there waiting for her.
She couldn’t even contemplate a world in which James Riley wasn’t there beside her. Or was it James LeVeau? Joshua had referred to her father by that name twice now. She’d have to ask him about that. No matter the name, he was her father and she’d never known a tougher or more capable man than him. He’d be okay and so would she. They had to be.
Strong fingers entwined with hers, making her jump. She’d been so lost in thought she’d forgotten to focus on her surroundings. That was dangerous, not to mention stupid.
“Everything will be all right.” Joshua didn’t look at her as he spoke, but kept them moving steadily along with the thinning crowd.
“I know.” She fell into step beside him, determined to block out all thoughts, doubts and questions. Survival had to take precedence.
Everything else could wait.
Chapter Seven
Joshua tugged Alex off the “L” as soon as the doors opened, their fellow travelers giving them a wide berth. City dwellers were nothing if not smart when it came to sensing possible danger. It came naturally to them, just part of the urban survival skills they cultivated in order to live in the city. He was tall and strong, but it was more than that. His wolf was riding near the surface, radiating a sense of menace.
Humans might not need their instincts for hunting and wilderness survival, but those instincts were there, existing just beneath the thin skin of civilization. Folks may not be able to put it into words, but they recognized him for what he was—a predator.
It took them most of the afternoon to reach the edge of the city. They’d barely avoided being detected by two different groups of prowling werewolves. Joshua had no idea which packs they were from, only that they weren’t from the Wolf Creek pack.
Joshua had caught the scent of one group of wolves just as they’d neared a train station. They’d jumped on the Red Line, melding with the mass of humanity to avoid detection, and ended up on the opposite side of the city. They’d walked for a while, taken the “L” again and then several buses. Joshua had purposely led them around in circles, taking a roundabout route to reach the vehicle he’d left parked in the lot of a large grocery wholesaler.
He’d figured there was less chance of someone noticing it was there for hours and, if they did, they’d just figure it belonged to one of the employees. Plus, with cars and trucks coming and going all day long, it was less likely that anything would happen to the vehicle. He’d moved it several times since arriving in Chicago two days ago, finding similar lots all around the city in which to park to avoid detection. It paid to be cautious.
Alex didn’t speak much and neither did he. Both of them were alert now, watching their surroundings as they made their way down the city streets. They’d stopped at a small deli around lunchtime and picked up some sandwiches to eat as they walked, but other than that, they’d been on the move since early morning. Joshua was restless now, wanting to be out of the city and back to the forest where there was room for a man, and a wolf, to breathe.
“Almost there.” He glanced over at Alex and she nodded. She’d been great considering what she’d been through. He was amazed at her resiliency and her ability to cope under harsh circumstances. His heart ached as he watched her put one foot in front of the other and keep going. It hadn’t been easy to tromp around the city all day while watching for wolves from other packs. Even he felt on edge. He couldn’t even begin to wonder just how she was feeling.
“Alex…” He wasn’t quite sure what he was going to say to her. He was proud of her. Proud of the way she’d handled herself today with whatever situation had been thrown her way. He wasn’t quite sure she would care what he thought. Why would she?
“What is it?” She’d stopped, her eyes darting up and down the street checking for danger.
“Nothing.” Now that he’d thought about it, it seemed rather stupid to say something like that to her. Better to just let it go. “The car is just up the road there,” he pointed. “The grocery store lot.” They could just see the tip of the parking lot from where they were.
“Wonderful.” She heaved a sigh and resumed walking. He looked closely at her and noticed the strain on her face and the perspiration on her forehead. She was tired and upset, but hadn’t complained once.
Reaching out, he placed his hand on her arm. “I’ve got to scout out the area first. Just to make sure it’s safe.” He glanced around and noticed a sheltered doorway of an abandoned building. If she stayed back in the shadows she should be fairly well hidden from view. “Here.” He guided her toward it. “Just pretend you’re waiting for someone. Keep your eyes open. If for any reason you get nervous, or think someone is watching you, just go into that diner over there.” He showed her the one he meant. “If you’re not here when I get back, I’ll come looking for you over there.”
“I want to go with you.” She put her hands on her hips and pursed her lips as she stared unflinchingly at him.
“It’s safer if I’m alone. Remember, they’ll be watching for a couple, not a lone man.” He didn’t want to tell her that she would also be a danger to him. There weren’t as many people and odors here to mask her scent and any male wolf that passed within fifteen feet would smell her. The scent of a female werewolf going into heat was not something any of them were likely to miss. Not to mention he didn’t want to have to kill anyone in front of her if it wasn’t absolutely necessary. He waited while she thought it over, knowing he’d have less trouble if she agreed than if he tried to force her to do as he wanted.
“All right,” she acceded. “It makes sense. But that doesn’t mean I have to like it,” she added.
In spite of himself, he felt the beginnings of a grin tug at the corners of his mouth. “Duly noted.”
He waited until she was safely tucked in the doorway before he loped down the side of the road. The sidewalk was cracked and uneven on either side of the pitted asphalt. Turning right, he followed the wall of the building and came out behind it. All his senses were on alert now, searching for any sight, sound or smell that might alert him to possible danger. His eyes were always moving, searching out places where someone might hide. His gaze went to the rooftops, scanning as he passed behind them.
He didn’t see anything, but his wolf was telling him different. The back of his neck itched as if someone were watching him. Joshua eased into the shadow of a large delivery truck and waited. Dusk was quickly falling over the city and he hoped to be well underway before dark.
Traveling at night was a dangerous proposition. There was less traffic on the road, making them an easier target as the werewolves all knew where they were headed. But the car had some built-in safety features and a stash of weapons. He wouldn’t risk it if the situation weren’t critical.
Joshua crouched low and scooted behind a dumpster. Again, he waited. Watched. Listened. The air was still and filled with the stench of the city—people, garbage, grease from the few restaurants along this strip of road—making it hard for him to catch the scent of any wolves.
One slow foot at a time, he shifted from cover to cover until he was almost directly across from the grocery store. He could see the dusty, dented car in the parking lot. It was nondescript, but what was under the hood was a prime piece of machinery. Looks could be deceiving, and not on
ly in a vehicle. It was almost too quiet. Joshua didn’t trust it.
A slight movement caught his eye and he squinted to focus better. There. Across from the car was a man just sitting in his vehicle. Maybe he was just waiting for someone to come out of the wholesaler. Maybe not. Joshua kept searching.
A flash on the rooftop next to him caught his attention. If he hadn’t been looking at just that second he would have missed it. Might be nothing. Could be a rifle of some sort.
He might be paranoid, but he didn’t think so. His senses were screaming at him and he always paid attention. The wolf within him could sense more than he could in human form. It paid to listen.
Joshua glanced up at the building beside him. There was a fire escape ladder running down the side, stopping about eight feet from the ground. He hated exposing himself in that way, but he had no choice. He had to check the rooftop. Besides, going up on the roof would give him a better vantage point, allowing him to get a bird’s-eye view of the entire area.
Joshua’s boots made no noise as he crept across the gravel lot. Fatigue washed over him, but he shook it off. He’d been roaming around this city for the better part of forty-eight hours with only a couple hours sleep. He was hungry too. The sandwich he’d had for lunch had been hours ago and his metabolism was faster than a human’s. He needed a lot more calories to function properly.
Ignoring both the fatigue and the hunger, he bent his legs and jumped, grabbing the bottom rung of the ladder. The muscles in his arms flexed and strained as he hauled himself up until he could hook his foot over the metal bar. Not making a sound, he climbed to the top. He peered over the top of the ladder and froze. There on the far side of the roof, watching the road, was a man with a high-powered rifle.
The stranger put his hand to his ear, where a small earpiece rested. “What?”
Joshua closed his eyes and focused his acute sense of hearing in order to hear the voice on the other end of the wireless communication device. Thankfully, there weren’t too many extraneous sounds. If he hadn’t been this close, he never would have been able to do it.
“Any sign of them yet?”
“Nothing. You sure we’re in the right place?” The male swiped a hand across his forehead.
Joshua sniffed the breeze and froze. What was a human male doing keeping their vehicle under surveillance?
“Our informant said that one of those bastard werewolves had abducted a woman and would be bringing her here. It’s bad enough that those mutants are allowed to live. We can’t let them take our women,” the disembodied voice replied as he signed off.
Shit! Bounty hunters. And these were of the type who specialized in capturing and destroying paranormal species. Although most of the population didn’t even know that paranormal creatures existed, there were those who not only knew, but vehemently hated them. These people believed the only good paranormal creature was a dead one. As a result, bounty hunters had sprung up all over the world, each group specializing in the elimination of a particular paranormal creature. Obviously these were werewolf hunters.
The urge to launch himself over the top of the building, rush the man and break his neck burned in his gut. These hunters had been responsible for the deaths of one of his siblings and many of his friends over the years. They typically preyed on the younger of the species, many times slaughtering and skinning the newly transformed adults, wearing the fur hides as a sort of grim prize of war.
He’d killed his share of hunters over the years, especially after his younger sister had disappeared all those years ago. They’d never found her body, but he’d smelled the stench of a hunter in the area where she’d disappeared. He’d searched, like someone half-mad, for years, but never found the man who’d killed her.
That had been almost thirty-five years ago. By now the passage of time had probably taken care of the hunter, but the need for vengeance had never died within Joshua. It was part of the reason he’d taken over his father’s position in the pack when he’d been killed. The need to protect his people from harm drove him relentlessly. And it was the need to protect that made him back away from the hunter.
Alex was out there on her own.
Joshua slowly retreated back down the ladder. Sweat rolled down his temple. Was Alex all right or had they found her? As quickly as he could, he made his way back down behind the buildings. Their vehicle was being watched. At this point he couldn’t be sure if it was by just hunters or if there were also members from the various werewolf packs as well.
Obviously some of those bastards had been smart enough to trick the hunters into helping them try to eliminate him. Not that it mattered. There was no way he could risk Alex’s safety by making a run for the car. It was also likely that they’d disabled it somehow anyway.
Silently sliding along the edge of a building, he peered around the corner. The doorway where he’d left her was empty. His heart stopped, time slowed down. The predator in him slowly came to the fore, rippling beneath his skin, demanding to be let out. His scalp tingled, his muscles tightened. He exerted his iron control, not allowing himself to shift into wolf form, but he utilized every other aspect of the beast. If they’d taken her, he’d kill them all—hunters and wolves alike.
Meandering down the side of the road so as not to attract attention, he headed toward the restaurant, but didn’t enter. Instead, he stood to one side of the window, peering inside. It wasn’t that big and he could see every table and booth.
Alex wasn’t there, but another wolf was. He recognized the bastard as one of the men who’d jumped them in the apartment this morning. He sniffed the air, but was unable to catch a whiff of Alex’s scent. There were too many smells coming from the open door of the restaurant, confusing his senses and masking individual scents.
His eyes narrowed as he turned away, scanning the street. Where was she? He went back to the doorway where he’d stashed Alex and sniffed. There! The sweet aroma of female filled his nostrils. He took a step in one direction and stopped and sniffed. Nothing. Stepping back to the doorway, he stepped in another direction. Nothing. He did that several more times before he caught the faintest smell of Alex. Keeping all his senses on alert, he started out in that direction.
The trail led him toward an abandoned building that was boarded up. He circled it slowly, pausing now and again to listen and to sniff. He caught a whiff of Alex heading off behind the buildings and started after her. He hadn’t gone more than a dozen steps when he paused. His instincts were screaming at him to stop.
Turning on one heel, he crept back to the building, circling it again until he found what he was searching for. One of the windows had several boards torn away from it. It would be a tight squeeze, but he could make it.
He crouched beside the window and waited for several minutes. There was no sound from inside. Putting one long leg through the opening, he gripped the rough edges of the window frame and angled his head and upper body through the gap.
Alex. Her scent washed over him, overlaid with fear, just as he heard the whoosh of something coming toward his head. He rolled forward, hauling his other leg in behind him as he went. Coming up on his feet, he spun around and growled, ready to protect Alex from whoever had her.
She stood not five feet from him, as pale as a ghost with a long piece of two-by-four clutched in her hands. “Oh, God. I’m sorry. I didn’t know it was you.” Her fingers were visibly trembling, but she held on tightly to her makeshift weapon. “I didn’t want to use the gun. I was afraid it would attract attention. And what if it was just a vagrant or something. I’m not a murderer.” She was talking nonstop now, obviously shaken. “Couldn’t you have called out or something?” Her voice was getting sharper now, anger bringing the color back to her face. Joshua watched her, fascinated with how quickly her mood changed.
“Would have served you right if I’d bashed your thick skull in.”
He let her rant until she ran out of steam and then he simply opened his arms to her. She glared at him and then her chin
wobbled ever so slightly. “I could have killed you.” Before he could respond, she launched herself into his arms. He closed them around her, needing to feel her next to his heart to reassure himself that she was safe.
“I’m all right. Everything is all right,” he crooned as he held her. He kissed the top of her head as he rocked her in his arms, content for the moment to just stand here with her.
She leaned back, and he saw the raw determination etched on her face. Once again he was struck by how strong she was, how capable of dealing with whatever situation was thrown at her. He didn’t know many people, werewolf or human, who would attack him with nothing but a two-by-four. She was something.
“What happened?” As much as he wanted to keep holding her, they needed to be gone from here. But first, he needed to know exactly what she’d seen.
“I saw one of them. One of the guys from the garage this morning.” Her gray eyes narrowed. “He was with another man. I don’t know if he was werewolf or human.”
Joshua nodded. “I saw him in the diner I told you to go to. He was alone.”
“The second I saw him I hurried around to the back of this place and found the same opening you did. I couldn’t see out front. All I could do was wait. I figured if you didn’t come back I could make my way back to the garage and find transport from someone in the neighborhood.”
It made his blood run cold to think of Alex running around the city at night by herself. Werewolves weren’t the only predators out on the streets after sundown.
She scowled at him. “I know what you’re thinking, but it sure as heck isn’t safe to stay here.”
On that score she was correct. “You’re right.” He didn’t have to like it, but she was absolutely right. It would have been her best course of action. In her neighborhood, she knew who she could trust and who she couldn’t. He raked his fingers through his hair and sighed. “We can’t stay here.”
Something in his tone must have alerted her. She straightened slowly, the stick falling from her fingers to land heavily on the floor. Dust flew, but she ignored it. “What happened? What did you see?”
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