Alpha Omega 03 - Fair Game

the ladies’ room and out again. Then she walked about two feet the wrong way if she intended to go back into the party—which she did, because she’d ordered another round of fish and chips according to the waitress who delivered it—and then her scent trail just ends. Like Otten’s did.”
    Isaac must be a good tracker. It was unusual for a wolf that new to be able to trail that well, even in wolf form. No matter how good he was, Charles was better.
    The computer hadn’t confirmedhis guesses yet, but he was only waiting for the final nail. He considered going after the people he had decided were behind the killings—but if he was wrong, it meant Anna would stay in her kidnappers’ hands while he chased down the wrong trail. And then there was the problem that the people he was looking at had nearly Bran’s resources and he would need—
    “What’s wrong with him?” Leslie asked in a quiet voice that nonetheless interrupted his thoughts. “Why is he bleeding like that? Do you see his eyes? They weren’t like that when he opened the door.”
    “I don’t have a clue,” Isaac said in a calm voice. “Look, you two, you don’t stand a chance if he loses it. You stay out here, back, out of the way—keep your guns out and watch. If he looks like he is headed your way, just shoot—and make sure your shot counts. If he’s the wolf I think he is, he’d rather be dead than have you become collateral damage. And if he’s far enough gone that he’s taking out civilians, he’s not going to be much help to Anna anyway.”
    “Civilians?” said the male FBI officer, sounding offended. Brother Wolf might have known his name, if he had cared. But his mate was missing and he cared for nothing and no one except for that.
    Isaac ignored him—maybe he’d fallen for that tired, worn-looking mien, but Brother Wolf knew better. He recognized a fellow predator in the male FBI agent, even though Goldstein—the name rose up when he called for it—Goldstein was no threat to anything Charles cared about.
    “Humans are civilians here,” said Charles. To himself he sounded calm. “And you might listen to Isaac, though I don’t think I’m far enough gone to hurt our allies. Isaac, I should be able to find her—but I’m not going to be able to use our link tonight.” His throat shut down as Brother Wolf fought to the surface in a panic at Charles’s admission.
    Anna was missing. Anna was in the hands of the people who’d hurt the little dancer. His Anna who’d already survived so much—he’dsworn nothing like that would ever happen to her again when she was theirs. And they had failed, Brother Wolf and Charles, two souls sharing one skin…They had failed their mate.
    Charles convinced Brother Wolf that they had a better chance of finding Anna in man-shape rather than as wolf, but it took more willpower than he knew he had to do it.
    “He can’t find her?” Leslie asked.
    “I told you it wasn’t a sure thing,” Isaac told her. “The mating bond is a very personal thing.”
    Isaac was doing a good job of keeping his Alpha nature tamped down; his voice was soft and nonthreatening. Brother Wolf liked Isaac, but just now would not be a good time to interest him in proving who was more dominant. People got killed in fights like that—and Brother Wolf was craving violence just now.
    “You also said if it didn’t work, we might be in serious trouble,” said the tough little dancer’s fae father. “Because there isn’t a person in this city more dangerous than a wolf whose mate is in danger. Are we in serious trouble?”
    Yes,
thought Charles. He needed to do something urgent—but Brother Wolf’s rage was clouding his thoughts. He needed to get to his computer and confirm—
    “I don’t want those bastards to get Anna,” Leslie said. “If Charles can’t find her, what about my wish? You said it was dangerous to use except in specific or small ways. But I lost a puppy—and now we’re trying to find another one.”
    Charles narrowed his eyes at her. “What wish?”
    Beauclaire ignored him, staring at Leslie with something approaching delight. “Clever,” he said. “Oh, that is a clever way to look at it.”
    “A fae man left me a gift when I was a child,” Leslie said to Charles, and she remembered not to look him in the eyes. “To make up for not being there to rescue my puppy, I think. I’ve never used it—and ourexpert in fae magic says that I need to be careful with it. But that