Sage had changed out of her linen trousers and loose blouse that had been her travel outfit. Her skinny jeans and fitted shirt were trendy enough that she wouldn’t look out of place in the city.
“We need to meet with the London god pack alphas. Those overtures aren’t something we can afford to ignore,” Sage reminded him.
Jono sat down on the bed. “Were you able to get any contact information on them?”
Sage shook her head and pulled another dress out of her luggage, this one protected in a garment bag. She’d come prepared to dress for any manner of events or meetings that might be thrown in their path.
“Other than one of the alphas who had exiled you having lost her position in a challenge ring some time ago, no. I’m hoping Patrick might be able to get what information we need from the WSA.”
“Jessamine was forced out?” Jono asked, unable to keep the surprise out of his voice.
Sage glanced at him. “You didn’t know?”
Jono shook his head slowly, thinking about the older god pack alpha who had passed judgment on him years ago. “Anyone I was mates with that I left behind risked punishment if it was found out we kept in contact. We cut ties because we had to. Once I was in the States, I didn’t care about what happened in London.”
He’d wanted to in the beginning—had tried to keep up to date on what was happening in the werecreature community he’d left behind. But the distance and lack of communication made it difficult until he’d come to the bitter conclusion it didn’t matter anymore. None of the people he’d left behind had wanted him in the first place, while Emma, Leon, Marek, and Sage had been more than willing to fill that void at the time.
“Patrick doesn’t meet with the WSA until tomorrow. I don’t think we can afford to wait that long to announce our presence here. Do you have a way we can try to get information?” Sage asked.
“Might do,” Jono said slowly. “We’d need to go to Hackney for it.”
Sage frowned slightly, looking at him with concern in her brown eyes. “Are you sure?”
“Sure about what?” Patrick asked as he wandered into the bedroom. “I’ve warded your suite.”
“We need to find a way to contact the London god pack.”
Patrick made a face. “Do we really need to do that today?”
“I don’t know if we’ll be asked to meet, but we need to call. Jono thinks he can get us their number.”
Patrick sighed, looking over at Jono. “So where are we going?”
“We can try the last place I used to work. There might be someone in the old neighborhood there who will have information,” Jono said.
“Will there be somewhere we can eat? Wade is decimating the minibar.”
“Yeah.”
“Then let’s go.”
* * *
Jono’s preferencewould’ve been to take the Tube, but if they needed a quick getaway, a car was more useful. They took Patrick’s rental instead of dividing up into two vehicles. Jono drove, needing the GPS app on his mobile to show him the way. He wasn’t a black cab driver with the Knowledge, and he hadn’t owned a car while living in London. He’d relied on his mates if he needed a ride, and his memories of London’s streets were best mapped through the Tube and bus stops.
“I’m hungry,” Wade whined from the back seat.
“Shut it. We’re almost there,” Jono said.
“Do you even know where you’re going? It feels like we’ve been driving forever.”
Jono ignored him, taking the next left. Midafternoon meant the street traffic wasn’t terrible. While many people took the trains in, Jono doubted the evening rush hour had gotten any better since he’d left London. Finding parking was the hardest part. There wasn’t a public car park to pull into, and they had to wait for a metered spot to open up one street over from their destination.
City blocks in London were nothing like those of a city built on a grid. And unlike central London, the area of Hackney they were heading to was a poorer section of the neighborhood, with many of its buildings run-down compared to the wealthier parts of the city. It meant their rental stood out a little, but Jono figured Patrick’s magic would help it blend in.
They got out, Jono’s sunglasses firmly on his nose as he took a deep breath, getting the scent of the place. The city smells mixed with a particular one that meantpack, but beneath it was a faint hint of smoke that was embedded in the concrete in this area. He couldn’t smell Patrick or Sage at all, and Wade smelled as human as he could be these days.
“I thought we were going to a pub? One with food?” Wade said accusingly.
