Maddie nodded.
Roan’s eyes roamed over her.“Did you get one?”
She shivered under his gaze and shook her head.She looked away from him.“Antonio doesn’t have anything to do with your world,” she pointed out.“We’ve known him for a while, as he pointed out.Lola has never said anything weird about him.Well, except his obsession with her.”
Bane looked as ready to jump up as Roan did.
“Do you think she’s in danger right outside the door?”Maddie asked.“Can’t you tell if another one of you is around?”She pointed to her nose.“Or is that a canine thing?”
Bane’s head snapped back as he bared his sharp teeth at her.“You think only dogs have a superior sense of smell?”
“Well, in my last supernatural class, we didn’t make it to the part in the book on panther senses,” she snapped.“We’re still on ‘What The Hell Do You Mean Shifters Exist’.It’s a long chapter.”
Roan chuckled, but tried to cover it with a cough.Then cleared his throat.“Yes, we would know if there were beastwalkers in the halls.That’s close enough for Bane’s senses and my own.”
“You have animal senses?”
Roan frowned.“No.Shaman have their own abilities.”
Maddie nodded and waited for him to elaborate.When he didn’t say anything, she narrowed her eyes on him.“Are they super secret?”
Roan seemed confused.“No.It’s,” he paused and shrugged.“It’s just not something I’ve ever talked about.Our kind don’t need me to explain it, and I don’t associate with humans.”
After about fifteen minutes of awkward silence Maddie stood up.“I’m going to check on Katy.Antonio can be quite persistent when he wants to.”
Roan stood and grabbed her arm, though it was gentle.“Let me, or Bane do it.”
She pursed her lips.“That’s a bad idea.You’ll just snap at him and tell him to leave.Then he’ll get all puffed up like a rooster, and there will be a cock fight.”
“A cock fight requires two roosters,” Roan pointed out, and he seemed to be fighting a smile.Apparently, she amused him.“I amnota rooster.”
She blew out a breath causing her lips to ripple.“Right.You’re a wizard with secret magic powers that you don’t discuss with us lowly humans.”
“I’m not a ridiculous wizard,” he muttered.
“Whatever you need to tell yourself, Harry.”She twisted her wrist and managed to get out from his hold.She hurried for the door and grabbed the knob, but an arm came around her waist, while a hand reached over her and pushed against the door, making it impossible for her to pull open.
“Roan, let me deal with this,” Maddie growled, and made herself ignore the way his body pressed against hers felt.Good.It felt Good.But she wasnotthinking about that.“You’ll just escalate things.”
“I’ll let you open it,” he said softly, his mouth next to her ear.Well, that was just unnecessary.“And I’ll let you do the talking.”
“Andyou’ll get your wizard mouth away from my ear.”She hoped she didn’t sound as shaken as she felt.
He chuckled, dropped his hand from the door, but kept his arm around her waist.Maddie blew out a breath and shook her head.As if that would help clear the effect he had on her.Then she turned the knob and pulled the door open.“I just wanted to—,” she started, but her words faded off when she saw that there was no Katy or Antonio standing there.Maddie pushed at Roan’s arm as she lunged forward to look out into the hall.He moved with her instead of releasing her.The hall was empty.
“Dammit, let go,” she dug her nails into the flesh of his hand.
“Bane,” Roan snapped.“Take the stairs, follow their scent.”
Bane moved past them so quietly and fast, Maddie nearly thought she imagined it.The door to the stairwell slammed shut behind his blurred form letting her know she hadn’t.He really had moved that fast.
“What are you waiting for?”she asked.“Go tell Callon.Two noses are better than one.”
“We need to know what it is we’re hunting first,” Roan said.He sounded way too damn calm.
“My best friend has been abducted by an Italian gigolo.”
Roan held her tighter, restricting all her movement.“He sells women for sex?”
