Lost Wolf (Curse of the Moon Book 1) (18 page)

"Don't encourage him," Jet said. He turned to me. "You have the pack to think about, too. Not just Victoria."

I glared at him.

"She's fine, right?" Jet asked. "They're not hurting her."

"No, they've just stolen all her memories," I snapped.

"I mean she's safe. In no imminent danger."

"That we know of. I'm going in."

Jet's nostrils flared. "This is a bad idea. I feel it in my bones. You said Gessilyn's working on something, right? Have some patience. That's what you always tell us."

I stared at him, hating that he was using my own advice against me.

"Look, I don't want to see you get hurt. Especially before you have a chance to get back together with Victoria."

A low growl escaped my throat. My wolf urged me to get in there and fight for our wolfess. We were only half an alpha without her on our side. If it were possible to shift right then, I would have. Instead, I burst into a run, heading for the backside of the building where I recalled seeing someone take the trash out.

Footsteps sounded behind me. I didn't want to bring anyone else in with me. Not only would I be putting them in danger, but it would make our wolf scent twice as strong.

I stopped and spun around. Jet nearly ran into me. He skidded to a stop only inches from me. "You go, I go."

"I order you to stay back. This is my fight."

"We're a pack. That's stronger than family. You're stuck with me."

"No. Go back and check on the others at home. Ziamara needs you."

"You need me more right now."

Sometimes wolf loyalty had serious drawbacks. "I'm going. You're not. End of discussion." I narrowed my eyes and stared him down until he looked to the ground in submission.

"Okay, but know I don't like it."

"Noted."

He glanced up at me. "And I'm going to keep watch from the woods."

"Great."

"If I even sense trouble, I'm going in."

I wanted to argue, but I couldn't turn down backup. "Not if you sense it. You have to be sure of it." I glowered at him until his nose faced the ground again.

"Fine."

"I'm serious."

"Yes, I understand."

Brick and Sal caught up.

"What's going on?" asked Sal.

"Make sure he stays down unless I'm in trouble."

They both stared at me.

"I mean it."

"Yes, sir."

I spun around and ran toward the dumpster before anyone could try to talk me out of it. Once there, I hid behind it and glanced at the building. The dance hall was empty and dimmed. I scanned the building, nearly missing the entrance. It was tucked behind some delivery trucks and on each side sat stacks of lumber.

Glancing back, I could see my three pack mates at the edge of the woods. I took another look all around. There were no jaguars in sight.

This was my chance. I crept out of my hiding spot and ran over to the door. I pulled on the handle, but it didn't budge. Biting back a curse, I tried again.

Nothing.

I'd come too far to give up now.

The others watched from a distance. They'd moved closer to the edge. Jet waved me back.

"Over my dead body," I muttered. Gessilyn and Soleil could continue trying to find answers, but I was done waiting for them.

I knocked on the door and then scurried behind some lumber.

A minute later, the door opened. A guy with a chef's hat opened the door and looked around. He closed it before I had a chance to decide what I was going to do.

I went over and knocked again. This time, I hid where the door would open and hide me.

The door opened, nearly ramming into me.

"Who's there?" the chef demanded. "Smells like roadkill out here."

I shoved the door, slamming it into him. He stumbled and I jumped in front of him.

"What the—?"

"Sweet dreams." I grabbed at his hat and shoved his head against the wall.

His eyes closed and he crumpled to the ground.

I couldn't have done that to the front guard, so luckily the cook was easy to take care of. I had no idea what to expect with whoever I ran into inside.

Stepping over him, I went inside and closed the door, making sure it locked behind me. I was in a hallway littered with brooms, mops, buckets, and other cleaning supplies. It smelled like dirty laundry and wet towels. I stepped in puddles of what I hoped to be water as I made my way down the hall.

The smell of jaguar—musky and catlike—grew stronger as I came to a wider area. Food aromas came from the left, making my mouth water. To the right, cigar smoke tickled my nose and masculine laughter sounded.

I followed the sounds until the white tile turned into a dark carpeting and bright lights gave way to smaller, dimmed ones. I came to a doorway, where laughter and conversation bellowed.

The door was cracked, so I peeked in, careful not to be seen. I couldn't see much, but I did see part of an intricately decorated chandelier and the corner of a table which appeared to be etched with gold decorations.

Footsteps sounded from inside and I jumped back, ducking down an adjoining darkened hallway. A couple waiters walked past silently, carrying platters of empty plates. I followed them a little ways, but stopped.

She was nearby.

I sniffed the air. It was definitely her. I'd know that sweet aroma anywhere. I crept down a dimmed hallway until I came to an empty restaurant. Judging by the air, she was close and she wasn't alone.

Following the scent led me to a booth in a back corner.

Victoria sat with the same well-built guy—a jaguar. He was holding her hand and gazing into her eyes.

Inside me, my wolf howled. I struggled to keep myself from growling. I moved a little closer, careful not to be seen.

Her face and arms were scratched and bruised.

What had he done to her?

My wolf clawed to get out—not that he could no matter how much either of us wanted to shift. I restrained myself from attacking the kid.

Maybe whatever had happened to her hadn't been at his hands. Victoria didn't seem uncomfortable around him. In fact, she seemed entirely too comfortable.

I studied her cuts and bruises. They didn't appear too bad, as if she'd been through something life-threatening. Maybe a tumble.

Oh, how I wanted to ask her what had happened but that would have to wait until tomorrow if she would even be willing to tell me. The way she'd run off earlier made me nervous about her opening up to me again.

Footsteps sounded, heading toward their table from another direction. I headed back the way I came from without any fewer questions that when I'd started. Having seen her, I had even more.

"There he is!"

I spun around. The chef I'd knocked out pointed to me.

Two men twice his size ran at me.

I had nowhere to go.

Chapter 19

Victoria

"Are you sure you're okay?" Carter asked.

I glanced up from my laptop and nodded. "Really, it's just a few scratches. I'm fine."

"Promise me you won't go jogging in the woods." His eyes filled with concern. "You could've really gotten hurt."

"I promise I won't go running in the woods
barefoot
again."

His mouth crooked. "How about you won't go in alone?"

"I like running in nature."

"What are you going to do when it starts to rain for days on end?" He reached across the table and took my hand, rubbing his thumb across my knuckles.

My heart fluttered. "I'll get a poncho. Maybe some boots."

"We have a state of the art gym here, you know."

Why didn't that surprise me? "I like the outdoors."

"What if I go jogging with you?" He flipped my hand over and traced my palm, tickling it. "I can double as a protector and a workout buddy."

"Maybe, but sometimes my runs are spontaneous like today. I promise to wear shoes, okay?" My feet still throbbed, reminding me what a dumb idea going barefoot had been.

"I can be flexible. Call me next time." He stared into my eyes.

A familiar scent drifted my way. Something woodsy and rugged—entirely out of place for the Jag. Something inside me pushed me to find out what it was.

I ignored my loud inner voice and squeezed Carter's hand. "I'll try."

He tilted his head. "Try?"

"Maybe I'll buy mace or something."

"You'd be better off with bear spray around here."

A server came to the table and topped our glasses. "Would you like more appetizers? An early dinner, perhaps?"

Carter ran his finger across my hand. "What do you think?"

"An early dinner sounds great."

We ordered, but I couldn't get my mind off the rugged aroma. My inner voice was practically screaming at me to investigate. It was probably the same one that had told me to go for a run without any shoes. I ignored it.

"There he is!" someone cried from the other end of the restaurant.

I let go of Carter's hand and peeked around the corner. I couldn't see anything, but it sounded like people were fighting.

"What's going on?" I turned back to Carter.

He shrugged. "Someone probably broke one of the rules."

"What do you mean? What's going to happen?"

"He'll probably get kicked out. Or worse." He shuddered.

"Worse? Like lose his membership?"

A strange somber expression crossed Carter's face. "Something like that."

It sounded like someone was being dragged away. I tried to look around the other booths and tables, but couldn't see anything. "Does that happen often?"

He shook his head. "Most people don't want to do anything to risk their membership."

"How much does it cost?" I asked.

"What? Oh, I wouldn't know. Family discount, remember? How's your psych paper coming along?"

"Better than the last. And Massaro replied to my email saying he got the first one."

"Oh, good." He took my hand again. "Hey, I have an idea. Do you want to take the dinner back to my place? I need a break from all this studying."

"Your place?" My inner voice again fought me. It clearly thought that was a bad idea.

"Yeah, you've never been there. I'd love to show you around."

My heart thundered in my chest. Was he planning to take things to the next level? And more importantly, was I ready for that? Especially with everything going on? My inner voice answered each question with a loud, resounding no.

He traced my palm again. Chills ran down my back.

"Do I make you nervous?" he asked.

I shook my head and pushed my conscience down. It needed to chill. Carter was a good guy and I was an adult, capable of making my own decisions.

"Then let's go. I'll tell Yurika to give you the night off. You deserve it after what you've been through today."

"Thanks."

Carter squeezed my hand. "You like nature, right? You'll love my garden. I based it off the famous ancient hanging gardens."

I stared at him. "Really?"

"Yeah. It's hard to say how close it came, but I like to think it's accurate." He winked.

"Now you've got me curious."

"I'll tell Renaldo to box up our meal and then I'll pop in and talk with Yurika. Just keep working on your paper and don't worry about anything." He kissed my hand and walked away.

I tried to focus on my paper, but couldn't. Luckily, this one wasn't due the next day.

My mind wandered to Carter's place. Did he have his own house? How else would he have his own replica of Babylon's hanging garden?

I glanced around the restaurant. If his family owned the Jag, then it wasn't surprising. They probably lived in a mansion with plenty of servants.

Would Carter take me into the garden and run his finger along my palm again? Maybe gaze into my eyes and kiss me under a flowering tree?

My inner voice screamed at me to go back home to study.

"Shut up," I muttered. Now I was talking to myself. Great.

It continued pushing me to stay away from Carter's place.

Had I been a nun in my forgotten life? Why else would my mind be so much against a relationship with Carter? He was caring, gorgeous, and incredibly fun. Not to mention the fact that he liked me and made me feel sane. I'd be crazy not to be thrilled.

I turned back to my paper and focused on that. At least the voice in my head had quieted itself. I needed to find a way to make it go away. All it seemed to want was my misery.

It wanted me to feel crazy. I wanted to be sane. I would win the war it was waging because I was in control of myself.

I managed to get a few more paragraphs written before Carter returned with takeout boxes. He smiled. "We're all set."