Lost Wolf (Curse of the Moon Book 1) (17 page)

I ran my hands through my hair. "It's weekly?"

"Every Friday night. Vinny from the history department brings his famous moonshine—I'm telling you that alone makes it worth it. But it's a ton of fun."

I took a deep breath. Did I really have time for a weekly game? On the other hand, I knew how fast things could go south when the locals didn't trust us. I held back a shudder.

"Can I get back to you?" I asked.

His eyes lit up. "Let me know by tomorrow."

"Okay."

"Think seriously about it."

I tipped my head. "I will."

He got up. "See you tomorrow."

"Bye, and thanks for the invite."

Once the door closed behind him, I rubbed my temples. I almost had no choice except to join the weekly card games. I'd thought that becoming a professor would help stave off questions and doubts, but apparently not. I'd have to talk with the pack and see what everyone thought. A weekly game on top of my job just felt like too much of a commitment.

I opened my wallet and pulled out my picture of Victoria. Oh, how I longed for the days when we were both in love with each other. I really had to get to the bottom of that mystery. Figuring that out was far more important than a game—unless not going would put my pack in harm's way.

I'd had one home burned down. I didn't want that to happen again.

"I wish I could talk with you about this," I whispered to the picture.

Another thing I wished was that I still had all my old photos of her. But they'd been destroyed in the fire, and that had been before the days of digital photography. Nothing was stored on some remote cloud. Back then, clouds had only existed in the sky.

My phone vibrated. I pulled it out of my pocket and saw I had a new text from Gessilyn. She'd probably expected to hear back from me by now.

Gessilyn: U OK?

Toby: No

Gessilyn: Want 2 get 2gether?

Toby: Yeah

Gessilyn: Free now?

I checked my schedule. I didn't have any student appointments, but it would only be a matter of time until they filled my afternoons.

Toby: Yes

Gessilyn: Ur place?

Toby: Gimme 20 min

Gessilyn: OK

At least I had a witch on my side. She had ways of finding things out that no one else I knew did. And she wasn't just any witch, either. She was the high witch and could do things others only dreamed about.

I gathered my things and locked my office. Down the hall, I could hear Roger talking about the poker game.

When I got home, Dillon was staring out a window, muttering to himself.

"Everything all right?" I asked.

He glanced at me. "Fine."

"Talk to me."

"Honestly?"

I set my bag down. "Of course."

"Sometimes I wish I lived in a normal pack."

"You mean one with a harsh alpha who demands unyielding obedience?"

Dillon frowned. "I mean one that didn't allow other species in."

"Did Ziamara use your hairspray again?"

He glared at me. "No. I was taking a leak when your witch friend jumped through the mirror."

I held in a laugh, but a smile escaped.

"It's not funny," he snapped.

"No, I'm sure it wasn't." I cleared my throat. "I'll talk to her about traveling through a different mirror."

"Yeah, well, tell her I hope she enjoyed the show, because that's all she's getting." He stormed past me and went outside, slamming the door behind him.

At least I never had to worry about life being boring. I sniffed the air and smelled the scent of a witch in the kitchen. It smelled like someone else was with her.

I went into the kitchen. Brick was laughing with Gessilyn and Soleil. Gessilyn, as usual, looked more like a fitness instructor than a witch with her yoga pants, pink racerback tank top, and a blonde ponytail.

They all stopped laughing when I came in.

"Don't stop on my account." I went into the fridge and grabbed some juice. I sat next to Gessilyn. "Dillon says hi."

Her face flushed red. "I should probably place a rune on a different mirror for traveling here. You don't mind, do you?"

I chuckled. "The guys who use the downstairs bathroom would probably appreciate it."

"You won't tell Killian about that, will you?"

"Your secrets are safe with me, but he'll probably find it funny, too."

"I know. That's the problem."

"Did we miss something?" Soleil asked.

"Nothing important." I took a swig of my juice. "But something big did happen today."

"What?" Gessilyn asked.

They all leaned closer.

"Victoria accidentally called me Toby." I could still hardly believe it. "I never told her my first name."

"Really?" Soleil asked. "You sure she didn't find out some other way?"

"I wouldn't know, but she was so shaken up, she ran off."

"Do you think she remembers anything else?" Gessilyn's eyes widened. "We might be getting close. Soleil filled me in on what she found out."

I turned to Soleil. "Did you find out anything new?"

She shook her head. "I haven't been able to talk to her alone, but I'll keep trying."

"Does she remember anything else?" Gessilyn repeated.

"I can only guess at this point. When I look into her eyes, I swear I see her wheels turning, but she won't open up to me. I think we need to look into the jaguars some more."

Everyone nodded.

"What do you know?" Gessilyn asked.

"Aside from them being super rich?" Soleil asked.

"I've heard some things," Brick said.

We all turned to him.

"What?" I asked.

"Rumor has it they practically rule certain parts of the world—well, the supernatural creatures, though their influence does seem to creep into human territory, too."

"Where?" Gessilyn asked.

"Mostly Mexico and Central America, but as we've seen, they're moving north."

"But what do they have to do with Victoria?" I exclaimed. "Are they behind her memory loss?"

"That's what it seems," Gessilyn said. "Before you found her, all my locator spells came up with jaguars, remember? They seemed to be protecting her."

I frowned. "From me?"

"Who knows?" Soleil asked. "It could be anything."

"Between us, we should be able to figure out something." I stared at Gessilyn. "You're learning new spells every day, right?"

"It's more complicated than that, but basically, yes."

I turned to Soleil. "And you can learn people's secrets by drinking their essence."

"But I can't get to what she doesn't know."

"Can't you find a way to get some jaguar essence? Like that one she was dancing with?" My stomach tightened at the memory.

"They're hard to get that close to. I can't get it from across the room, and like I said, I can't get into their club."

I turned to Gessilyn.

"I'm not a jaguar."

"But you're a witch. Can't you concoct something?"

"I can look into it. The problem is that I know so little about them. This is the first I'm aware of them being so far north. They're probably going to hate how cold our winters are."

I sat back, feeling full of resolve. "Then I'm going there."

Brick's eyes widened. "What are you going to do, sir?"

"See what I can do. I won't know until I try."

"I'm going with you."

"I think I should go alone. Otherwise, they may feel threatened."

His face tensed. "Then I'm going to follow you, and watch from a distance. No way I'm letting you walk into that alone."

"I've already been there once."

"When?"

"As a wolf."

"So, that's where you went."

"And I'm going back, and I'm not leaving until I have some answers."

"Wait," Gessilyn said. "Give me a chance to work on a spell for you. Do you want me to cloak you with invisibility? I'd offer to disguise you as one of them, but I'd need some jaguar blood."

My teeth gritted. "I'd gladly supply you with some."

Chapter 18

Toby

I crouched low at the edge of the woods. The building looked the same as I remembered it, though now I could read the sign. The Jag—how clever. At least I knew I had the right place.

The parking lot was pretty empty. Just a few expensive cars sprinkled throughout.

Jet sniffed the air. "Those jaguars have a strong odor."

Brick turned to me. "Sir, if we can smell them, they'll be able to smell you. We'd better have Gessilyn whip up something to disguise your scent."

I shook my head. "There's no time." I sniffed the air. It didn't appear Victoria was anywhere in the area, though I caught a faint trace, indicating that she'd been there recently—probably within the last day. "I need to go now."

Someone drove up and parked near the front. He got out and went to a door I hadn't noticed. A bouncer let him in, disappearing inside, also.

It was now or never. I rose and dusted some dirt off my pants. Then I headed for the building like I owned the place. I had more than enough money to start something like it if I wanted to, but I didn't. I was happiest teaching and taking care of my pack. No, that wasn't true. I was content. I wouldn't be happy until Victoria was back at my side.

As I walked across the parking lot, I could feel Brick's and Jet's gazes on my back. The others weren't far behind. If I ran into trouble, at least I wasn't alone.

My skin prickled with excitement. I was on the hunt and in my element. My ears were hyper-aware of every sound. All the smells intensified. My muscles prepared themselves for action, whether it be running or fighting.

I approached the door, and it opened before I reached it.

A tall, dark, muscular man stepped outside. He frowned and crossed his arms and turned his nose down. "We don't allow your kind here."

"I need to speak with someone."

"Then call and make an appointment."

I stopped about a foot from him and shook my head. "No, I need to talk now."

He glowered at me. "To whom, exactly?"

"Whoever's in charge." I narrowed my eyes.

"Not if you don't give me a name."

We stared each other down. I tried glancing inside, behind him.

He closed the door behind his back, leaving it open only a crack. "No name, no entrance."

"Can I leave a message for the person in charge?"

"Sure, tell me who and I'll gladly pass it along."

"It's regarding Victoria."

His eyes widened, but then he quickly recovered, returning to his stoic expression. "So, you want to leave a message for Victoria? She's hardly in charge."

"No, I can speak to her myself. I'm sure you'll tell your boss about this conversation whether or not I tell you his name. You can tell him that I'm not going to back down until her memories are restored. She deserves to know her past."

He seemed to be fighting to keep his expression resolute. "You need to leave."

"Assure me you'll pass it along."

"I promise you nothing." His brows came together. "Leave before we have to escort you and your wolves off our property."

I didn't flinch at the mention of my pack in the woods. "This isn't the last your boss will hear from me. Pass
that
along." I spun around and marched into the woods until I was out of sight from the club.

Brick, Sal, and Jet hurried over to me.

"What's going on?" Sal asked. "Do you need me to tear them apart?"

I shook my head. "I'm going to sneak in."

"Sir?" Brick exclaimed. "Is that such a good idea?"

Jet and Sal looked at me like I was crazy.

When I was a wolf, I saw what I'm pretty sure is a staff entrance.

Sal growled. "I don't like it."

"Me, neither," Brick said. "You've already spoken with that bouncer. He's sure to pass along the message. I doubt he's going to let it sit that a wolf tried to come in."

"As do I," I agreed. "But I can't just walk away. I need to get inside and find out what's going on."

"You don't think they'll smell you a mile away?" Sal asked. "They probably know we're all out here."

"What am I supposed to do, then?"

"Wait and see what they do," Sal said. "Give them a chance to come to you."

"No. I've waited long enough for Victoria. Those jaguars have some kind of hold on her, and I need to find out what."

"Then I'm going in with you," Sal said. "I can't let you do this alone."