Burning Both Ends (Guardian Witch #3)

“Unless the kidnappers are human,” Jones added, his tone measuring the possibilities.

“Not likely.” Her response had been automatic, and she stopped to think about it. “I suppose it’s possible. Humans have the most to fear from a coalition. I’ll keep that thought in mind.” She took another sip of coffee. “Do you have a reason to suspect human involvement? Has Homeland heard something?”

Jones pursed his lips in thought. “Many groups would be opposed to such an Otherworld network. If they knew about it. Some private, some not, and probably a number of foreign terrorist organizations. But I don’t think we have any specific knowledge.”

Finished with his meal, Jones patted at his mouth again and placed the napkin on the table. “Breakfast is my favorite meal,” he said with satisfaction. He looked at her nearly empty cup and poured refills.

“What are you going to do next?” he inquired.

“Interrogate the delegates. Um, I mean, have a little chat.”

Thirty minutes later, Ari swung by Lilith’s condo to pick her up, and they were on their way.

“Don’t you have a car of your own?” Lilith asked. “A cute little Mini Cooper. I thought you were really fond of it.”

“Yeah, I am. Why?”

“Just curious why you’re still driving Andreas’s Lexus.”

Ari resisted squirming in her seat. She wasn’t about to admit the weird attachment she’d developed for his things. She kept her focus on the road. “You wouldn’t want to be a passenger in the Mini. Too cramped for long drives.”

Lilith snickered. “Good answer. I’m sure it wouldn’t have anything to do with feeling closer to its owner.”

“That would be juvenile.” She shot a sideways look at the lioness. “Concentrate on Steffan. Use that vivid imagination to come up with a plan to keep him alive.” That wiped the grin from Lilith’s face. Ari was sorry she’d been so abrupt, but she couldn’t allow either of them to be distracted. That meant Lilith had to stop talking about Andreas.

Galena was normally a forty-five minute drive, depending on traffic, but they had a stop to make first. For that, she needed Lilith focused on the job. Ari pulled the car over on the gravel road, stopping next to the woods where the wolves had made their Hunter’s Moon run.

“This is it. Steffan left these woods by some route. Maybe we can pick up his trail. You want to give it a try?”

“Sure. Why not?”

It was a long shot. The pack had already been there, but Ari couldn’t afford to skip any potential lead. As an experienced tracker, Lilith would handle most of the job, but Ari wasn’t so bad, especially with her recent training.

“Where would you like to start?” Ari had parked in the exact spot marked on the map: next to the gate and directly opposite two maple trees. Gilbert had given her precise directions, including where the wolves had entered and exited the woods. Any scents or trails veering from those paths would be potential intruders.

“Let’s walk along the road,” Lilith said as she opened her door and got out. “It would help if we knew whether Steffan left on his own or was carried away.”

Ari grabbed Steffan’s red jacket from the back seat and tossed it to Lilith. Not being as familiar with the wolf as Ari was, Lilith needed a scent sample, and Ari had brought an article of clothing from his house. They covered at least a mile in each direction, dead-ending at a creek on one end and a busy highway on the other. Lilith found plenty of wolf smell, but nothing matched the exact scent on Steffan’s jacket.

“You take the creek. I’ll drive the highway and look for access points. We’ll meet on the other side and walk it.” Ari climbed in the car as Lilith nosed around the creek bed.

It took another hour of time they didn’t have, but when they drove away Ari was positive nothing had been overlooked. Steffan must have been carried from the woods, probably unconscious. Sorry she’d wasted the time, but knowing she’d have worried otherwise, Ari finally turned onto the highway that led north to Galena.

They drove into the resort area only minutes before noon. Their destination, the Mountain Top Inn, was composed of a large, rustic-looking main lodge and numerous log cabins scattered throughout the grounds. Assuming the delegation would be far away from other guests, she drove well beyond the main lodge before stopping and getting out. It didn’t take long to locate the wolves in the largest and most remote cabins. Ari’s witch senses clamored, telling her an enormous amount of Otherworld power was present. She scanned the four cabins ahead of them.

“Which one?” Lilith asked.

“I guess we pick a door and knock.” Ari marched up to the nearest lodge. The smell of wolf was strong. “Here goes.” She knocked.

At first nothing happened, then the door opened and a young male wolf in jeans and sweatshirt stepped outside, closing the door behind him. “Are you the Guardian?” he asked.

“Yes.” She held up her credentials. When he looked at the lioness, Ari simply said, “She’s with me.”

He nodded. “They’re waiting in cabin 57.” He pointed. “Over there.”

As Ari and Lilith approached the designated building, the door swung open, and a brown haired she-wolf stepped out. Forties, fit, suspicion written across her face. The aura of power that shimmered around her said she was one of the leaders. As soon as Ari introduced herself, the wolf beckoned them inside.

Ari counted eight adult wolves. The leaders were easily identified, branded by their confident stances, a we’ll-do-it-my-way look in their eyes—and the power auras, of course. The other four proved to be bodyguards and quickly retired to the back of the room.

Ari and the four leaders took their measure of each other.

On second look, the brown-haired she-wolf appeared more worried than suspicious. In fact, all four negotiators showed signs of stress—somber faces, tired and edgy attitudes. The other three returned her scrutiny—the thin, sinewy man with long dark hair and hawk features; a younger man in his mid-thirties with a slightly ruddy complexion; and an even younger woman with silver-blonde hair and bright blue, wary eyes. A rare silver wolf. And with two auras. Interesting.

Ari tightened her sensory blocking. Wolves tended to be careless about power leaks, but the current high levels in the room were deliberate. Marking their territory. She screened it out to avoid the distraction. Feeling the extent of energy in the air, Lilith moved up to stand beside Ari.

The thin man smiled. “Your arrival is a welcome improvement. I’m feeling damned uneasy about Steffan. We’re also away from the safety of our own packs.” He waved a hand toward the back of the cabin. “The guards are only for show, not real trouble. Do you have any news?”

“Robert, you might at least introduce yourself.” The silver-blonde woman regarded him with mild reproof. “Perhaps we could sit down?” She motioned toward a lopsided circle of stuffed chairs in the middle of the room. “I’m Vita, this is Robert, and the others are Warren and Jena.”

Ari introduced herself and Lilith, who then moved away to lean against the front wall. Ari looked at Robert. “I’m just getting started and don’t know much. I hoped you could help me.”

Sighs and groans of frustration greeted her words.

“I don’t see how,” Robert said. “We don’t know anything. Steffan never reached the resort that night.”

“Go on,” Ari encouraged. “Tell me what was supposed to happen that night.”

“We were meeting at 3:00 a.m. to take the final vote. It was the full moon, the middle of the night, and we figured we’d have total privacy. Everyone had already talked it out, and we each knew how we were going to vote.” He paused, frowning at the floor. Ari waited for him to continue, but he seemed lost in thought. Thinking about what? Was he filtering his words? Or reviewing the past days or weeks for clues to their current dilemma?

“Can I ask how the vote was going? For or against?”

No one said anything.

“I realize this is a sensitive matter, but if you expect me to help, I need to know what was going on.” Perhaps coming here had been a waste of time. If they wouldn’t talk to her…

Finally, Jena, the brown-haired she-wolf, spoke. “I believe the four of us are split two to two. Steffan was the swing vote.”

“Was he in favor of the alliance?” Ari asked, wanting to see what they’d tell her.

“Yes, I think he was,” Jena said.

Vita, the silver wolf, shifted her feet. “We don’t know for sure. Everybody indicated he or she had decided, but no one had declared a choice. It wasn’t final. Not for sure.”

Before Ari could follow up, her cell phone rang. She glanced at caller ID: Claris. Probably calling to chat. An instant pang of guilt reminded her she hadn’t talked with her best friend since returning to town. Claris didn’t know about Steffan’s disappearance or the events in Toronto, and this wasn’t the time to explain. Ari switched the phone to vibrate and put it back in her pocket. She’d call her later.

“Sorry about the interruption. Who might want Steffan out of the negotiations?”

“If you’re looking at us as suspects, I guess Robert and I would be first in line,” said Warren, “except we were here all night in plain sight of the others.” He was a soft-spoken man, but tension vibrated in his voice.

“Good to know, but all that really means is that none of you participated directly in the kidnapping. It doesn’t mean you didn’t order it.” She watched as Robert’s face darkened. Jena and Warren seemed taken aback. Only Vita remained composed. “I don’t mean to offend you,” Ari added to soften her statement, “but I have to consider every possibility. I need answers to a lot of questions, and because we’re short of time, I’d like to do this as a group. If anybody prefers privacy, just tell me. Any objections?”