Chapter Eighteen
I was backing out onto the street when my phone lit up, blaring the spooky ringtone I’d selected for Saul. My stomach tightened automatically. I knew why he was calling. Honestly, I was surprised it had taken him so long.
“The council wants to see you,” he said.
“I figured,” I murmured. “What are they going to do, Saul?”
“Midnight,” he told me, not answering my question. “Don’t be late, Kaitlyn. I’ll contact you afterward.”
He ended the call, and I was left both nervous and hopeful. Part of me believed the council could give me back my power. I knew that was wishful, desperate thinking, but still.
What if they could?
I ached with the emptiness, despite the cuts from Anika’s tempting blade.
I needed to eat. Food would fill some of those empty spaces. I pulled into a parking lot and shut the car off, then pulled the bag of now cold food to me.
I was halfway through it, mumbling about how delicious it was, when my phone rang again. This time, though, it was Gavin Voss.
For a few seconds, I could only stare at the phone in shock. Jared hadn’t killed the bastard. “What do you want, Voss?” I asked finally.
He laughed, but the blustery loudness was gone. Now, he just sounded dark. “What do you think I want, Kaity?”
“Don’t call me that like you’re a friend.” I threw the napkins and foil into the bag with a little more force than necessary. “Have you recovered yet from getting your ass kicked by a woman?”
“I recovered faster than you did, tiny wolf. I called to tell you that because of you, my priorities have changed. Not because I’m interested in taking over this shiny city—not anymore—but because I’ve decided I want you. And make no mistake, girl. I always get what I want. Always.”
“You’re going to die here,” I said, almost gently.
“I keep searching for things to make me…settled,” he said, as though I hadn’t spoken.
“Things that make me happy to be alive. Why do you think I keep going after other territories? I don’t want the packs or the places.
I want the challenge. The hunt. The excitement.
And right now, I don’t mind telling you that I’m real fucking excited. ”
He ended the call before I could so much as open my mouth.
A few seconds later, he sent a text.
Run from me, Kait Silver. I live for the hunt. I love the chase. Tell your boyfriend that he can keep his pack and his city, but I’m taking his woman. What a thrill ride!
“Dear lord,” I whispered. I pressed on my stomach, hoping to loosen some of the knots. The Iron Fang alpha made me nervous in ways that only the demons ever had.
Luckily for me, my fear made me angry.
I could do anger.
But I really, really wished I hadn’t lost my magic. Gavin Voss had magic, though it was tied to his werewolf shift. It was strong, but my blade could handle it and even hurt him with it. As long as I kept my blade, I had a good chance to defeat his magic.
I still hadn’t started my car when Jared called. “Jared,” I said.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, hearing something in my voice.
“Voss just called me.” I told him everything the alpha had said, then read the text to him. I didn’t believe for an instant that Voss wasn’t going to go after the ones I loved.
“We found some of his warriors. They don’t know where he is. He’s hiding somewhere, recovering from what you did to him and plotting his next move.” His voice was extra calm, the way it got when his rage was ready to explode. “I’ll find him, Kait.”
“Jared,” I murmured. “Don’t worry about me. I can handle that bastard, and my blade can handle his magic.”
“You’ve proven that,” he agreed.
But I heard his worry.
“His beta?” I asked.
“Callen Chesley,” he said. “We can’t find him, either. Voss commanded his warriors to wait where he placed them, like a bunch of corralled animals, and they won’t move.” There was contempt in his voice when he spoke the word “warriors.”
“Imagine how he must treat the packs he collects,” I murmured.
“I’m sending Sam back to you,” he told me. “Keep them all with you. Call Zach and Remy. Rick?”
“He’s okay,” I said. “He’s fine.”
But he heard the doubt in my voice. “Kait,” he said gently. Then, “Do you need me?”
Because he knew the risk of Rick, as well.
“Always,” I whispered. But then I sucked in a deep breath and straightened my shoulders. “I’m going to the office,” I said. “I’ll see you when you get back.” I paused, then, “Jared.”
“Yeah?”
“Please be careful.”
Dammit. I had to stop freaking out. But Zach was right. This was different. And I was worried about all of us.
“Sam will find you,” he said, and then he was gone.
I called Zach as I was leaving the parking lot.
Even with the Iron Fang alpha fixating on me, I was pretty sure surrounding myself with backup would be overkill.
So I didn’t call Remy Simon. Zach and I would be plenty enough to handle Gavin if he showed up at my office in the city, which I absolutely did not believe he’d do.
There were too many humans. And if he wanted to fight, he’d have to do it in his human form. I had a feeling Voss only liked to fight if he could use his shifts and his magic to do it.
“Where are you?” I asked Zach when he answered.
“Driving to Mason’s to meet a potential client,” he said. “You need me?”
I hesitated. “No hurry, but when you can, meet me at the office. I’ll catch you up then.”
“I’ll reschedule with the client,” he said. “I’m on my way.” He ended the call.
I thought again about calling Remy, but Zach was coming, and Jared was sending Sam to me. So in the end, I didn’t call Remy. I wanted to be cautious, not crazy.
Even worrying about a troublesome alpha wolf, part of my mind remained on the council, the coming meeting, and the tentative hope of a beautiful what if.