Chitahs were inquisitive and not dissimilar from Vampires when it came to reading a room. Only instead of using their ears and eyes, they relied on their nose.
Melody shut the door. “Kevin’s fine, by the way. He pulled the arrow out and shifted a few times to heal himself. It was just a flesh wound. He’s lucky I didn’t shoot him in the groin, but that’s what he gets for running down a dark road in human form. If hishorsehad been running down the road?—”
“Get on with the story,” Tak said, barely suppressing a laugh.
Melody dusted pieces of bark and dirt off her shirt. “Kevin said Vampires damaged a bunch of cars at the garage. They found a guy killed not far from there. A deer Shifter, I think. Then there was trouble at the Rabbit Lounge.”
Tak stepped forward. “What kind of trouble?”
She glanced at the clock on the wall. “Mercy’s trying to get ahold of Calvin now. Kevin was hanging out at the bar when two Vampires waltzed in like they owned the place. They didn’t order anything, and you know how that pisses Calvin off. They sat in the back with a few locals. Something made Calvin suspicious, so he called them out. One Vampire slammed a guy against the wall. Hard. As in he might be dead. Kevin fled the scene—no surprise there—so that’s all he knows. He’s racing around the area, warning everyone that something’s up. I still don’t get why he didn’t let his horse out instead.”
“The packs would have heard the thundering hooves,” Tak suggested. “He didn’t want the wolves to see his horse running and give chase.”
Melody pulled another leaf from her hair and twirled it between her fingers. “He wasreallypissed at me. After giving me the update, he shifted and galloped off. Not my fault. You can’t just go running down private roads in the middle of the night.”
Tak shook his head. “Did he bother trotting over to the local Council?”
“I don’t know.” She blew out another breath. “I’m just the messenger.”
“Who shot another messenger,” Lucian quipped.
“I thought he was a Vampire!”
“So you aimed for the groin?”
“I was aiming for the heart,” she snapped back. “My foot slipped.”
Lucian sniffed the air and then cocked his eyebrow. “I’ve seen you hit a cockroach at fifty yards. Is that your final answer?”
Melody crossed her arms. “That’s my story, and I’m stickin’ to it.”
Atticus mulled over their situation before addressing Salem, who was standing beside Tak. “You said your attackers crashed. Was their vehicle drivable?”
Salem stroked his beard, his eyes downcast. “Not sure. When Virgil was shot, Joy commandeered the truck. She put distance between us and them after the collision, so I couldn’t see.”
“That would explain why they were at the garage,” Atticus muttered. “If their car is totaled, they’re stuck here for the moment. We don’t have much time. They probably questioned enough people to get a description of your vehicles and the location of your house.”
“Then why didn’t they come here instead?” Melody asked.
“Because it was daytime. Vampires won’t drive up to a pack’s house. They’ll scout the area first. Your pack’s new, and not everyone around here knows your people. But it won’t take long before they find someone who does. Someone who will reveal that Salem is mated to a pregnant wolf, and that’ll raise suspicion.”
Tak jerked his chin at Melody. “Tell Hope to pack her bags right now.”
Putting her hands on her hips, Melody replied, “Are these people after us? Where’s Hope going?”
“Somewhere safe. Hurry.”
Melody made haste with her orders.
“She and Joy can ride in the back of my van.” Atticus sent a text message to his manager.
“Hope is staying with her former pack,” Tak reminded him.
“Yes, but you’ll never safely move her off your land. We have to assume they know the description of your packmates and vehicles. They won’t pay attention to a local catering van. Packs get catering all the time.”
Tak paced. “There are too many people in your club.”
“I can’t shut it down, but I can make sure my staff turns away newcomers. Easy enough to do. They keep an eye on Vampire patrons, and there aren’t many.” Atticus waited impatiently for Yuri to reply. “Looks like there aren’t any Vampires in there tonight, so it’s clear.”
