Wade shrugged jerkily. “Dunno. But when I first came to New York I thought, you know, maybe the god pack could help me? But they didn’t. They just called the vampires to come get me when I asked for help. And you guys called some general and now I’mstuckhere, but I bet you’ll give me up just like they did.”
“Kid, you’re not a werecreature. You never were,” Patrick said from behind Wade. “And I have no intention of giving you up to anyone.”
Jono only half listened to what Patrick was saying, his brain still caught on Wade’s statement that he’d gone to the New York City god pack—and Estelle and Youssef had returned him to Tremaine. The taste in the back of his throat was some horrible combination of bile and fury that Jono nearly choked on.
Patrick stared at him with narrowed eyes and opened his mouth to speak, but the sound of Jono’s mobile ringing cut him off. Marek’s name flashed across the screen and Jono accepted the call.
“The god pack has called for an alphas’ meeting,” Marek said before Jono could even get a greeting out. “They demanded Sage specifically appear for a ruling. Emma and Leon left with her about thirty minutes ago. The rest of us were ordered to stay home.”
The stress in Marek’s voice bled over the line, the sort of tension Jono could hear that reminded him of when his friend couldn’t see a bloody thing back in June.
“Please tell me you can see what’s going to happen,” Jono said.
Marek barked out a strangled, panicked laugh. “No. Ican’t. So what fucking gods are messing with Patrick now?”
Jono grimaced. “New ones, and maybe some old.”
“You couldn’t have fucking let me know?”
“We only found out last night. You could’ve toldusthat Sage was stepping into vampire territory.”
“I didn’t know,” Marek bit out. “It’s her firm that was retained, and she takes the cases she’s given. Client confidentiality sucks ass.”
Patrick reached around Wade to turn off the hob, the bacon in the pan destined to go uneaten. He looked at Jono, raising one eyebrow in silent question, but Jono ignored him for the moment.
“Sage broke the treaty, but she isn’t the only one.”
“What the fuck doesthatmean?”
The sharp beep in Jono’s ear signaled he had another call coming in. When he pulled his mobile away from his ear to look at the screen, he saw Estelle’s name flashing across the screen. The world went dark around the edges before he got his rage under control.
“I need to go. Estelle is on the other line,” Jono said.
“Jono—”
“Don’t worry about Sage, yeah?” Maybe he was giving Marek false assurances, but Jono wasn’t going to let the New York City god pack judge her and find her wanting. He ended the call with Marek before switching over to the incoming call. “Estelle.”
It was impossible to keep the growl out of his voice, anger sharper than the teeth in his mouth, the shape of them like a wolf’s fangs.
“An alphas’ meeting has been called concerning your actions last night,” Estelle told him.
“Myactions?” Jono ground out, staring at Wade and remembering what the teenager had told him. “Best look in a mirror, Estelle.”
“I wasn’t the one who entered the Manhattan Night Court’s territory withoutpermission, Jonothon. That’s on you and those who went with you. Your actions will be dealt with after we address the Tempest pack’s failure to adhere to pack law.”
“We’ll be there.”
“Youare being summoned. This doesn’t concern the mage.”
Jono ended the call without responding. The black at the edge of his vision was bleeding into red, Fenrir clawing at his soul.
Let me out, Fenrir howled, the words ripping through Jono’s mind.Let me feast.
Cool hands touched his face, tilting his head down. Jono blinked, staring into too-human green eyes that caught and held his attention in a way no one else could.
“You with me?” Patrick asked.
Jono breathed in sharply through his nose. “Never left.”
