“Could they have been intercepted before they reached the house?” Gage asked, already running through possibilities. The Kingdom of Silk was known for being insular, secretive, and more than a little weird about outsiders.
Nox’s lip curled. “If they were, Lyric’s either lying or doesn’t know her own kingdom as well as she thinks.”
Justice tapped the arm of the chair with the pen. “Or someone’s working around her. We still don’t know all the players that were involved with Azure.”
Gage’s wolf bristled at that. The beta wasn’t wrong. For all they knew, KOS had been a cohort with Azure and his insane voodoo priestess.
“Kingdom of Chaos was working around her,” Gage reminded them. “If Kingdom of Silk was doing the same, then their own territory in California isn’t very far from KOC in Las Vegas. It would be easy for them to transport females such a short distance.” Gage wanted to snarl at the idea of kingdoms working together to hurt innocent women.
“Nico is looking into Wolfgang and Tallula’s dealings with Azure,” Nox said. “Crowley, has informed me that Nico will be calling a meeting of the shaman council soon. He’s been attempting to gather evidence.”
Gage wondered where the Kingdom of Fangs shaman had been. He was nearly as anti-social as himself. “Is anyone doing an investigation into the other kingdoms?” he asked Nox as he fought the need to pace like a caged animal. Standing here chit-chatting felt unproductive, even though he knew that wasn’t true. They couldn’t just go out into kingdoms without a plan. Normally, Gage wasn’t impulsive, but his mind and his wolf were so focused on Katy that he was beginning to feel out of control. He couldn’t stand seeing her this anxious, couldn’t stand the tightness in her smile every time she tried to pretend she wasn’t worried sick. He wanted to fix it. Wanted to fix her. Wanted to fix all of it, right now, with his own two hands and a snarl. But he couldn’t. Not yet.
And if he thought that was bad, the animal that lived inside him was worse. His wolf howled for his mate. For her touch. For her skin. For her need, which had lit something inside him that was so fierce and consuming it scared him. Every time hebrushed against her, every time she looked at him like he was the only thing that could ground her, it took everything in him not to drag her off somewhere private and lose himself in her until neither of them could think straight. He was holding the leash, but it was fraying.
Nox’s phone buzzed. He picked it up, scowling at the screen. “Taras and Callon are ready for the video call.”
“I didn’t know we were having a video call,” Gage grumbled.
Nox bared his teeth at him. “Now you do.”
Justice let out a low whistle. “You two are going to have to reign in your wolves, or I’m going to be explaining to both your mates why you both look like you’ve been run through a blender.”
Gage didn’t verbally admit that the beta was right, mostly because he couldn’t stand him. So instead, he stepped closer to the desk as Nox hit the connect button. The screen flickered to life, revealing Taras’s feline features—bored, elegant, and just a little too pretty for Gage’s taste. Beside him was Callon, the son of the prime and mate of Katy’s other best friend, Lola. He was all sharp lines with predatory stillness.
“Dire Wolf,” Callon greeted, voice like gravel. “Nox. Justice.” His gaze scanned over them, then settled back on Gage. “Any news?”
“We were hoping you had something new,” Nox said.
Taras shook his head. “Other than what I texted you earlier, there’s been nothing. I’ve reached out to Lyric again, but she swears she never saw Roan or the human.”
Callon’s eyes narrowed. “If Roan chose to take Maddie to the Kingdom of Silk first, that means he must trust Lyric. And I trust our shaman. If she says they didn’t arrive, I believe her. But that means someone’s hiding something—or someone got to them before they reached her.”
Justice muttered, “Damn arachnids have always been sneaky. They’re not much different from snakes in the grass.” He paused. “Except for the legs, obviously.”
Nox stared at his beta. “You done?”
“Sorry,” Justice shrugged. “Just thinking out loud.”
Gage ignored him, focusing on Taras. “You got anyone on the ground?”
Taras shook his head. “Not yet. Since you all visited them, they’ve been a tad testy with anyone being in their territory. We need to be diplomatic. But we’ve got eyes on the borders. No sign of them leaving, with females or otherwise. I just can’t imagine any kingdom harming or attempting to harm a shaman, not to mention a new one.”
Nox leaned forward, voice all alpha command. “If someone’s moving against the shamans, it’s a bigger cluster than even Azure. We need to figure this out before any other shamans go missing.”
A door banged in the background, and Lola barreled into the office, her face flushed causing her two-toned skin to appear even more stark than usual, and her eyes were wild. “Any news?” she demanded, barely glancing at the males in the room with her, before zeroing in on Gage. “Tell me you’ve heard something. Please.”
Gage felt a pang for her—mostly because he recognized the raw, desperate worry in her eyes. It was the same look Katy had worn all morning, the one that made him want to tear the world apart just to see her smile again. “You know Katy would have contacted you immediately if there was. There’s been nothing, Lola. But we’re working on it.”
She cursed, running both hands through her hair. “We shouldn’t have sent them on their own. I mean, that’s like basic travel rules. A buddy system. And considering we really don’t have a clue who’s friend or foe, Roan should have had back-upwith him. Not that I’m telling any of you seasoned warriors, who are eons older than me, how to do your jobs. I mean, I wouldn’t do—okay that’s not true at all. I totally would simply because this is Maddie. She puts up a good front but underneath all that pomp and bluster is a soft-hearted woman who honestly believes in world peace and crap. Of all the people in our chick posse, she shouldn’t be the one in this situation.” She paused, her hands, which had been flailing about as she ranted, dropped to her sides.
“Wow,” Justice muttered. “I wonder if Callon has found her off switch yet?”
“I mean,” she continued as Justice said, “Guess not.”
Lola’s voice cracked as she spoke, “What if?—?”
“Don’t,” Gage said, more harshly than he meant. He softened his tone, knowing Katy would expect him to show some compassion, even if it didn’t come naturally. He was trying, for her. “Judging by the way Maddie stands up to your kingdom’s shaman, she’s tougher than you realize. And Roan’s not the type to go down easy. They’ll find a way to survive until we find them or until they can get back to us.”
