“No shit!” Zane said.
“Are you going to talk to Hunter about his uncle?” asked Dylon.
“Yeah,” Jackson replied, “but, first, we need to find Willow before she’s handed over to the Collector. Have you been able to trace where the cab went?”
“Working on it,” said Zane, “I should have that shortly.”
“Dylon…” Jackson said.
“Already on it,” Dylon interrupted. “Steel has a plane standing by.”
“Who’s going with you?” asked Jackson.
“It will be a small team…me, Cody, and Zane,” Dylon replied.
“Zane, are you okay leaving David with me?” asked Jackson.
“Just a minute,” Zane said, holding up one finger. “Babe, what do you want to do? Stay here or come with me?”
“If you don’t mind, I’d rather stay here,” David said, quickly adding, “unless you need me…then, of course, I’ll go.”
“I’d rather you stay here,” Zane said, smiling, “not because I don’t want you with me, but because it’s safer for you here where there’s a small army of enforcers to protect you.”
“Just make sure you come back to me,” David murmured.
“I will…promise,” Zane said, crossing his heart, then, turning to Jackson, added, “Take care of my mate, okay?”
“Absolutely,” Jackson said, turning to Cody. “And that goes for Jake and Jessica too, so I don’t want you to worry.”
Rolling his eyes, Cody replied, “Sorry, bro, worry is part of parenthood.”
“I know, but trust me, they’ll be safe with me,” Jackson said, before asking Zane, “one other thing…this ‘Collector’…he’s a danger to everyone in this pack. Do you know where the rare shifters he ‘acquires’ are? And, more importantly, do you know who he is?”
Shaking his head, Zane said, “No, that’s going to take more time because he’s taken extraordinary steps to keep his identity and location a secret.”
“Fine, after you guys get Willow, I want you to make it a top priority to find this motherfucker,” Jackson ordered.
Nodding, Zane said, “I figured you’d say that…I’m already running a search for more info on him.”
Standing, Jackson said, “Be safe, guys…and if you need any more help once you’re in New York, let me know.”
~/~/~/~/~
Sitting on his bed in the sparsely furnished hotel room, Carson stared at the phone in his hand, wondering why he just didn’t dial Remy’s number and tell him what happened to Henri. Sighing, he knew why—and so did his wolf. Since making his first call and hearing Remy’s voice on the answering machine, not only had his body reacted, but his wolf became unstrung when Carsonwouldn’t shift. Not one to act rashly, Carson needed absolute proof Remy was his mate—the Fated Mate he was sure the Fates were never going to give him—before acquiescing to his wolf.
Just because I got a hard-on doesn’t mean Remy’s my mate.The only way I can know for sure, isby scent…and that won’t happen until tomorrow. Until then, Carson refused to think about the possibility, just in case it turned out to be a false alarm. It was better that way—to avoid another disappointment about finding his mate.The chances of me coming to France and finding my mate is so slim, I wouldn’t even bet on it, no matter what odds Zane gave me.Snorting at the ridiculousness of his thought, Carson decided to put the question about Remy aside for now. Dialing Remy’s number again, he waited for an answer.
~/~/~/~/~
Hearing his cell phone ring, Remy tore his gaze away from the article he found online about the mating habits of wolf shifters, groaning when he saw who was calling. No way was he going to answer until he found out how a wolf shifter could tell who their mate was and, even after hours of research, he’d come up empty-handed. Remy’s head began to throb as the minutes ticked by and he became more confused. As far as he could determine—which was a guess at best—a wolf shifter could only know his mate if they met in person; however, another article claimed that just hearing their mate’s voice was enough to make the connection. So, Remy refused to answer his phone; until he knew for sure how wolf shifters recognized their fated mates, he wasn’t going to risk it.
When the ringing stopped, Remy sighed in relief. For now, he was safe from the mating hormones of an alphawolf shifter. Frowning slightly at that thought, he wondered why he referred to his mate as an alpha and not a beta or omega wolf shifter—and what difference would that make in the wolf world when it came to claiming a mate.Oh shit, more research to do.One thing, though, was abundantly clear: as he watched the action unfold in Henri’s hospital room, Carson Blackwood was clearly in charge—even over Artur’s son.
Glancing at the time, Remy swore to himself. It was near his brothers’ bedtime. If he didn’t hurry, his brothers would be bathed and in bed by the time he arrived home. And it would be just another event in a long string of them where Remy would’ve let down his brothers. After shutting down his computer, he slipped his phone into his pocket before leaving his office. Hurrying down the stairs, he realized just how late it was. The wine tasting room was dark.
Feeling his way along the wall until he reached the door leading to the cobblestone courtyard, Remy unlocked it and then made sure it was locked behind him. Snorting at his action, he knew it wouldn’t stop any magic user, especially one using black magic. Looking up at the nighttime sky, Remy sought out the two stars that were his parents—at least that’s what he’d told his brothers—sending his love to them, as he did every night, before hurrying home.
~/~/~/~/~
