Even though she wanted to find out what the heck was going on with Connor, she still took the time to drop to a knee and ruffle Tuffie’s short fur. Tuffie gave her a big doggy grin in return. She reallywasthe sweetest creature ever placed on this Earth.
After Tuffie seemed content that Kat was still Kat the cat—only taller—she turned and walked over to plop down on the big, plush bed to one side of the bullpen.
Kat stood, shooting a glare in Cooper’s direction. “I know you’re lying about Connor. He went down to San Antonio with the other guys to find Zane and Alyssa. But they should have been back by now, unless something happened. So you’d better tell me what the heck is going on, or I’ll turn you into a toad. And trust me, Icando that.”
The entire room full of werewolves stared at her, which was more than a little disconcerting, Kat had to admit. In retrospect, maybe she should have tried a different tack with them. The toad thing might have been a little much.
“Look,” Cooper said, scowling at her as he crossed his arms over his chest. “I don’t know who you are or how you’re connected to Connor, but you can’t walk in here and threaten a cop. It’s not cool. And that crap about the toad was just plain weird.”
Becker opened his mouth to add his own two cents when Rachel suddenly pushed back her chair and walked over to them. Blond hair pulled back in a neat bun, Rachel stopped in front of Kat, then leaned forward and sniffed her.
Talk about weird.
Kat knew werewolves were all about their noses, but it was still hard not to be offended. Then again, she hadn’t had a chance to shower since the change. Well, technically she hadn’t showered in about a year. But that was because Kat the cat did not get along with water. Unless it came out of a faucet at a moderately slow drip.
She lifted her right hand, ready to wiggle her fingers, do some magic, and put a little distance between her and Rachel, when the werewolf glanced up sharply, a stunned expression on her face, dark eyes curious.
“She smells like Connor,” Rachel announced, not taking her gaze off Kat. “She also smells like Kat. She’s obviously been staying at his place—a lot.”
The rest of the werewolves got up to crowd around Kat. They tried to be covert about sniffing her, since it wasn’t normal to do that to complete strangers—or close friends, for that matter—but she knew that was exactly what they were doing. It was a rather unique experience. Which was saying a lot considering she spent most of her time living as a cat these days.
“You can stop trying to be all subtle,” she said as Cooper leaned in to take another sniff. “I know Connor and the rest of you are werewolves. I know Alyssa works with STAT and that she and Zane went down to San Antonio to check out a suspicious murder with supernatural indicators. And I know Connor and the other guys went down there three days ago because you haven’t heard anything from Zane or Alyssa in three weeks.”
Rachel and her fellow werewolves did a double take, their gazes darting back and forth from one to the other. Like they were silently asking,Did you know anything about this?
“Connortoldyou all of that?” Rachel finally asked, giving her a look that was hard to decipher. She seemed stunned and suspicious but also rather amused.
Kat smiled. “Not exactly. Ihavebeen staying at his apartment, but that’s not why I smell like Kat. I smell like Kat the cat because IamKat the cat.”
That announcement went over about as well as she’d expected. They all looked at each other again, this time like they were wondering if they should call someone and get her psychological help. She was on the verge of pointing out the hypocrisy of werewolves thinking she couldn’t possibly be a cat but stopped herself. She was here to find Connor. She didn’t have the time for this discussion to devolve into an argument.
She folded her arms and pinned Cooper with a look. “You have multiple scars along your abdomen from getting shot, another scar in your chest from that time your wife’s brother stabbed you, and at least a dozen more from when a friend tried to blow you up with a bomb. Oh, and I also know that you and Everly are expecting your first child any day now.”
Cooper opened his mouth to say something, but Kat kept going. “Becker, you have a big surgery scar on your chest and two more directly above your belly button from the wounds that turned you into a werewolf.”
He looked as stunned as Cooper had, but she didn’t give him a chance to say anything.
“Max, you have scars from bullet wounds on the left side of your rib cage, as well as one on your chest, and another on your right shoulder, which you got saving your wife’s life from a group of werewolf hunters.” She swept the rest of them with her gaze. “I can keep going, but I think you get the idea.”
Rachel frowned, looking wary now. “How do you know about their scars? Connor would never have told you personal stuff like that.”
“No, he wouldn’t,” Kat replied. “And he didn’t. I know about all your scars because I watched you guys work out all the time with your shirts off.”
“What?!” Cooper and the other guys sputtered in unison.
She shrugged. “Hey, I might have been a cat, but I was still a woman. You can’t blame me for looking. And as far as knowinghowyou got the scars, that’s easy since all you guys do is brag about when and how you got injured.”
Cooper started to respond, but she cut him off again.
“Enough about me and all the things I already know. How about you tell me why Connor and the others haven’t come back from San Antonio? It shouldn’t have taken them this long to find Zane and Alyssa.”
Rachel exchanged another look with the guys, then sighed. “I talked to Connor fifteen minutes ago. They haven’t found Zane and Alyssa yet, but they have a lead. They were searching an abandoned condominium complex when they found some kind of graffiti painted in blood on one of the walls.”
Kat’s stomach clenched. “What kind of graffiti? Did they describe it?”
“I’m not really sure.” Rachel reached into her back pocket for her phone. “But just because it was drawn in blood, doesn’t necessarily mean anything—even if that blood happened to be human. There are a lot of sickos in the world, you know? They sent me a picture of it, if that helps.”
The moment Kat saw the image, her heart started thumping faster, a shiver of fear running down her spine. “Oh, crap. That’s an inverted protection rune. We need to get to San Antonio. Now! We may already be too late.”
