Page 75 of Hunted

Ignoring the remark, Zara tapped her cheek. “He’s very taken with you.”

“Thank you.” Before anyone could snatch the phone back, or rethink the blood smoothie idea, because honestly, this place gave me the creeps, I dialed River’s number. He picked up almost before it had a chance to ring, snarling into the other end of the connection with quiet, cold fury. “If you’ve hurt her, I swear to you, I don’t care about any goddamn treaty. I will destroy every coven from here to the Canadian border if that’s what it takes to find her and get her back.”

I shivered. Quiet River was far more dangerous than the one that yelled.

“I’m okay,” I blurted. “I’m here with Rowan.”

“Ellie,” he said thickly. “They told me you were hurt. Rowan said you’d been unconscious for nearly an hour. I’ve been losing my mind.”

“I was scraped up when I fell. One of the wolves clawed my arm. Everyone here has been so gracious in guarding me and providing me medical care,” I finished diplomatically.

“Was there blood?”

“Yes. The gashes were fairly deep.”

I stared at the bandages extending past the edge of my sleeve, knowing that River was silently counting the days left until the full moon just like I was. We were seven days away. The lycan virus could be transmitted by male shifters when their viral load rose every month for three days at the full moon. Female shifters didn’t carry a high enough viral load to be contagious, or at least there wasn’t a case on record where it had occurred. But for those three days at every full moon, all male shifters could transmit the lycan virus to humans. There were five days until the start of the transmission window. I was safe. The scientist in me understood this. So why did it suddenly feel like my temperature was spiking? Like I could already feel the virus burning through my blood.

“We’ll take you straight to the hospital as soon as you and Rowan come out,” River said at last. “London and I are outside Zara’s compound now. The bloodsuckers won’t give us permission to enter the grounds.”

“I’ll be out soon.” I hesitated. “We’re having tea.”

“You’re fucking kidding me. Don’t eat or drink anything in that place. I don’t trust those leeches for one second.”

“I should go.” Handing the phone back, I took my seat beside Rowan.

“I want you to know we identified the person who released your information the day you and your sister were attacked at the food trucks.” Zara poured tea into all three cups and selected a perfectly cut pimento cheese sandwich from the stand. “They’ve been dealt with.”

The teacup in my hand briefly wavered. “Thank you for addressing the matter so swiftly.” I eyed the sandwiches, wondering if the pimento cheese spread was laced with blood.

Beside me, Rowan snorted. “We eat normal food.”

“This is delicious.” I took a sandwich triangle, nibbling at a corner. “Thank you.”

“How is your research?” Zara asked, seeming to approve of the fact that I was eating.

I set my teacup down, pretty sure after what I was about to ask, I wouldn’t be offered any more lovely sandwiches or paper thin cookies. “I need varewolf blood samples. I have Rowan’s. But I need a second sample to compare the profiles.”

Zara’s eyes flashed with something I couldn’t read. Beside me, Rowan stiffened. Near the door, Felix shifted fractionally. Zara waved a finger, telling him to hold.

“And if I were to consider your request, would you run straight to Guillermo Montemayor and tell him you believe we have varewolf children here?”

“Guillermo sees me as an inconvenience and would rather I was out of the way.”

She studied me carefully. “Are you in danger?”

How to answer that. “He won’t act openly against me. Not if it means losing River’s loyalty. River has too much power now among the Tracers.”

Zara nodded thoughtfully. “And Fallon Gray will not consent to help you?”

Rowan bared her teeth. “Can you blame her, mother, after what you put her through? You imprisoned Fallon and a dozen other shifter women in a medical lab, impregnated them and forced them to carry vampire-wolf hybrids to term. Of course she’s distrustful of scientists and medical personnel and has lasting trauma around anything connected to vampires.”

“Her son is a vampire, as are you, my dear girl. You can deny that part of yourself. You can run around having a dalliance with your wolf boyfriend if it makes you happy to defy me, but you cannot change who you are.”

“Okay, wow.” Rowan pinched the bridge of her nose. “I’m suddenly remembering why we’ve been sticking to email the last few months. But, thanks?”

“This is so important,” I said urgently, throwing a silent apology Rowan’s way when I saw her back stiffen. “With another genetic sample to compare, it would help us to understand more about how varewolves are able to coexist with the lycan virus without negative consequences despite their vampire physiology. I’ve emailed the vampire researchers repeatedly asking if they have samples. I’ve been sharing all my research, uploading everything at the end of each workday so your scientists will be up to date on all our developments. I know they have samples, maybe even multiple samples that they’re holding back out of fear.”

“Fear of what?” Zara raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow.