Hunter's Trail

I tilted my head, considering. He was right—the whole reason Henry had become a nova was because he’d been abandoned. He could theoretically connect me to suddenly feeling human again outside of Will’s house, but he’d have no idea that I would force a change if he were in wolf form. There was no reason for him to know anything about the Old World. “Or about the bargest, for that matter. You’re thinking we should trip the trap.”

Jesse stood and held out his hand with a flourish. “Scarlett,” he said dramatically, “I have a romantic view you should see.”

I rolled my eyes. “Dumbass.”

His smile faded. “We could use some backup with this, though. Is there anyone you think would help?”

I leaned back on my hands, considering. The vampires wouldn’t get involved without Dashiell’s permission and a damn good reason why they should care, and I wasn’t sure I could provide either in time. The werewolves were out, obviously, because they’d be spending the full moon in the national park behind Will’s. That left one avenue. I got out my phone.

“This is Kirsten,” the witch said on the first ring. “What’s up, Scarlett?”

“Hey,” I began. “I’m looking for some help here.” I explained the plan to her: that we take the bargest and bring it to where we thought the nova wolf would be attacking that night. “Can you and some of your witches help us out?” I asked hopefully. “Maybe just help us look for the nova wolf in the park, be on hand in case there’s trouble?”

There was a long silence on the line. “Kirsten?” I asked uncertainly.

“I’m here.” She sighed. “It’s a good plan, Scarlett—bold, but good—but I don’t think I can help you.”

“What?” I said, surprised. Of the three Old World leaders, Kirsten is the only one I would peg as a team player. “Why not?”

“The Luparii,” she explained. “Witches have heard half a millenium’s worth of stories about Luparii boogeymen. I doubt you could find a single one of them willing to mess with their property.”

I remembered what she’d said at the meeting, that the Luparii were like an ex-con relative you avoided. “What about you?” I asked. “You’re not afraid, right?”

“It’s not that,” she said reluctantly. “I’d be willing to go up against them on my own, but everything I do can reflect back on the witches. If they find out a witch in LA crossed them, it’s not just me they’ll come after. It’s all of us.”

“Isn’t there anything you can do?” I asked in a small voice. My plan had seemed solid only a few minutes ago, but now the thought of pissing off the Luparii was starting to scare me too.

“Perhaps . . . ,” Kirsten said thoughtfully. “You think the nova wolf is going to camp out in a specific part of the park?”

“Yeah.” I explained the path leading into the picnic area.

“Okay. That could work,” she said to herself. To me, Kirsten began, “There is a minor hex we use sometimes for big gatherings, or if we’re working a spell that has to be done in an area accessed by the public. The younger witches call it the Humans-Go-Home. It makes anyone with no ties to magic have a sudden, overwhelming desire to return home.”

“So it’s not just a clever name,” I said, straight-faced. Beside me, Jesse snickered.

“No.” Kirsten went on, “I can wait at the road, and once you and Detective Cruz are in the clearing, I can cast a Humans-Go-Home on the mouth of the pathway. It won’t affect the werewolf, but anyone else should stay away from that spot.”

“That’d be great,” I said, trying to sound enthusiastic. It was a good idea, but I’d been hoping for . . . I don’t know, a promise to storm the park in droves or something.

“Just remember, Scarlett, that when you get close to the spell it’ll dissolve again, so you can’t leave that area once you’re in,” she cautioned.

“Pee before we leave the house. Got it.”

I hung up and explained the idea to Jesse, who was a fan. Before either of us could even get off the table, though, my phone began playing “Werewolves of London.” I frowned. I had spoken to Will less than two hours ago. Picking up the phone again, I said, “Hey, Will.”

“Scarlett,” he said in a tight voice. I could hear noise from the bar behind him. “Describe the Luparii scout to me again.” It was not a request.

“Uh . . .” I glanced at Jesse, then held my phone away from my face and put it on speaker. “She’s maybe six feet tall, dark-blonde hair, slim.”

Jesse added, “Hey, it’s Cruz. Her name is Petra Corbett. She was wearing a black pantsuit when we saw her.”

Will sighed heavily into the phone. “I was afraid you would say that.”

Jesse and I exchanged a glance. “Why?” I asked.

“Because she’s standing on the sidewalk in front of my bar.”

Chapter 44

“Of course she is,” I said harshly. I really wanted to kick something. It couldn’t just be okay for ten minutes, could it? “How the fuck did she get out of that bathroom?” And had she brought more than one black pantsuit, or was she wearing the one with the urine stains? Okay, that part maybe wasn’t relevant.

Jesse shrugged and said, “She might have access to magic you don’t know about, or she’s got a handler or partner in LA. Or maybe she had scissors in the bathroom. It doesn’t really matter at this point.”