“Man, that was hours ago. I know a great place down the road. Really good bar food. Fried pickles to die for, and some of these spicy chicken sliders that’ll make you lose your mind. Let’s go.”
I glanced at my watch. “Sebastian, it’s past three in the morning. They probably aren’t open anymore.”
“Nah, man. Gotta be open. It’s Friday. Plus, it’s my birthday.”
“So you think they stayed open late just for you?” Felipe said, crossing his arms.
“Let’s check?” Sebastian asked, wincing as though his hunger pangs were going to kill him.
I sighed. “Fine, but if this place is closed, that’s it. Night’s over. Got it? Some of us would like to sleep at least a little before sunrise.”
“Ugh, you guys are lame. Okay, fine.” Sebastian handed me the keys to his SUV.
Even with our increased metabolism, several of the guys were pretty buzzed. I was still basically stone-cold sober. Not only was I out late when I didn’t want to be, but I’d become the de facto designated driver. I got into the driver’s seat and started the car. I wanted to be pissed about the situation, but if I were honest, the night had been sort of fun. But I’d never tell Sebastian that. I’d never hear the end of “I told you so.”
I knew which bar he was talking about, so I took a right out of the parking lot and got back on the highway. I was a hundredpercent sure the place would be closed, so no matter what, I’d be back in my bed in an hour at the latest.
That thought vanished when I pulled us into the parking lot five minutes later. There was only one car there, but the front door was standing ajar and light shone out of the bar onto the pavement outside. It looked like all the lights were still on.
“See!” Sebastian shouted. “Told you they’d be open. Drunk food, here we come.”
I frowned, but got out of the SUV with everyone else. Sebastian’s chipper mood evaporated as soon as we were outside. The smell. All of us sniffed at the air. Luis and Felipe growled.
“Oh shit,” Sebastian said. “Do you guys smell that?”
I did. Blood. Not only that, but I smelled humans and shifters. Not the lingering scents of those who’d been gone a while—all three scents were fresh. All three scents were coming from inside the bar. The blood was the prevailing smell, though. Strong, coppery, and thick. I wrinkled my nose at it.
“Should we call the cops?” Luis asked.
“Someone’s hurt in there. Let’s go.” I didn’t tell him that the blood was calling to me. That I couldn’t ignore the pull of it. I had to see where it was coming from. There would be no waiting.
The guys followed me, their buzz drying up as adrenaline sobered them all. I was three steps away from the door when I heard what sounded like a stampede of boots inside. Not hesitating, I broke into a sprint, bursting into the bar. Usually, I had much more self-control. I liked to think I was cautious to a fault. Running headlong into an unknown place? A place that had the smell of blood? It was grade-A horror movie 101. But that scent? It was driving me, almost consuming me.
We plowed through the door and saw…blood. Lots of blood, and what looked like a woman covered in it, unconscious on thefloor. I could still hear the sounds of feet sprinting out the back door. I could smell them too. Males. Shifters.
“Go get the fuckers!” I shouted. Sebastian and Felipe bolted for the kitchen door, trying to chase down the guys.
I knelt by the woman, Luis by my side. “Oh damn, Nico. What the hell did they do to her?”
I checked her over. Her breathing was shallow and ragged, and she was covered in blood. From what I could see, she had injuries to her sides and her head. Most of the blood seemed to have come from her head wound. I slid my hands gingerly into the hair and the back of her head. There was a massive lump and a large gash, but it wasn’t soft or squishy like a crushed skull. It could have been cracked, but there was still a chance she might be okay.
I pulled my hand away and wiped sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand. The blood on my fingers passed by my face. The smell of it made me dizzy. Like…like it was drugging me. I’d never smelled anything like it. It was so damned intoxicating.
I gritted my teeth as my wolf tried to rip free of my skin. I wanted to shift so bad, my whole body ached. What the hell was going on?
Luis was already pulling out his phone. I blinked and shook off the strange feeling. I grabbed his arm before he could dial. “Call the pack doctor.”
Luis frowned at me. “Not the cops? Or an ambulance?”
I couldn’t explain it, but I didn’t want her away from me. The regular authorities would take her to a hospital, and every instinct I had wanted to stay near her. Plus, the pack docwasa real doctor. He’d be as good as an EMT anyway.
“No,” I said. “Call the doc.”
Luis looked down at the bloodied woman and shrugged. “Whatever you say, Nico.”
He was on the phone, relaying what we’d found to the doc when Sebastian and Felipe came running back in from the kitchen. Sebastian stopped mid-stride and looked down, then back at me, his eyebrow raised in a question. Unsure what he was trying to convey, I glanced down. Unconsciously, I’d taken the woman’s hand in mine and was holding it. When the fuck had I done that? Why was I doing that?
“We couldn’t catch them,” Felipe said, breathing heavily. “They had a car out back. They all jumped in and took off. We tried to chase them down on foot, but…” he shrugged. Shifters were fast, but not as fast as a speeding car.
