Page 27

27

Run, Wolf, Run!

He moved before I could react and vaulted over the counter. The baristas cried out in alarm as he pushed past them and made a run for the kitchen.

Instinct kicked in. I bolted after him and cleared the counter in a single jump.

Thank God the dress code for surveillance was civilian clothes instead of a suit.

Bo scooted under the serving bar and followed me. By the time we burst out into the alleyway behind the coffee shop, Wheeler was nowhere in sight.

“He went that way!” Bo turned left.

My inner wolf caught the mimic’s scent as I started after my dog.

I overtook Bo, half-skidded around a corner, and caught a glimpse of our suspect as he disappeared over a wall. I yanked my cell out of my pocket and dialed Didi’s number as I picked up speed again.

She answered on the first ring. “What’s up? You short on cash? Didn’t Janet give you a business?—”

“The blonde who came out of the apartment building was Wheeler!” I barked. “I’m chasing after him! Head north! Bo will catch up and guide you!”

I reached the wall Wheeler had climbed, crouched, and leapt.

I was on top of it in the blink of an eye.

“Find Didi and Gavin!” I told Bo as he slid to a halt beneath me.

He backed away and fidgeted and whined uncertainly before taking off toward the main road.

I dropped down into a narrow lane that backed onto several businesses and emerged onto a side street one block over. I stopped and looked around wildly, the noise of the traffic rumbling past and the smells around me blinding my senses for a moment.

Movement captured my gaze. Wheeler was in the park across the road, his coat flapping around his legs as he made a run for it.

The surveillance van screeched into view to my left as I sprinted across the street.

“See if you can cut him off on the other side!” I yelled at Didi.

She nodded, spun the wheel around, and headed for the side road circling the park.

I accelerated, my feet eating up the distance to Wheeler and the wind whistling in my ears. I was surprised I wasn’t out of breath—especially since it seemed I was nearly half as fast at running in my human form as I was in my wolf form.

The temptation to transform and chase down Wheeler was almost too hard to resist. The only things that stopped me was the fact that I wasn’t wearing shift-friendly clothes and that Victoria and the Council of Elders would probably have a coronary if rumors of a white wolf running through the streets of Amberford made headlines tomorrow. I had no doubt Samuel would have something to say about that too, in a brooding, sexy way.

My sensitive hearing picked up an unusual buzz of activity ahead.

Wheeler darted into some bushes and headed in that direction.

Branches scraped my exposed skin as I bolted into the vegetation where he’d disappeared. One of the park’s exits lay beyond. I shot through it, lurched to a halt on the sidewalk, and cursed.

A busy outdoor market filled the cobbled streets on that side of the park. One the doppelg?nger could easily lose himself in.

A stream of smells assaulted my nostrils. Humans, werewolves, witches, vampires, pixies, dragon newts, and otherworldly creatures I couldn’t yet identify.

I closed my eyes and focused, my heartbeat loud in my ears.

My wolf picked up Wheeler’s scent. It was faint and fading fast.

I opened my eyes and followed it.

Wheeler soon came into view. The mimic was darting through the crowd, his body changing appearance every few seconds as he jostled passersby in his rush to escape. He looked over his shoulder and glared when he spotted me closing in on him.

He accelerated, willfully knocking over displays to block my path.

I swore under my breath as I dodged flying fruit, cream cakes, and ornaments.

Didi’s shout came from somewhere behind me. I heard Bo’s low bark.

I ground my teeth. Wheeler was going to get away.

I felt my wolf slip under my human skin as I drew on her speed. I shot through the crowd like a bullet and quickly gained on Wheeler. I was reaching out to grab his collar when something slammed into me from the side.

My breath got knocked out of me.

I went down hard and rolled across the cobblestones, the world spinning around dizzyingly. I came to rest on my front, my heart pounding violently against my ribs and my elbows and knees stinging from fresh scrapes.

“Oh my goodness! Are you—are you okay?!” someone stammered in a flustered voice.

Camilla was standing over me.

I looked to the left and cursed. Wheeler had long disappeared into the crowd.

Didi, Gavin, and Bo arrived just as I was climbing to my feet, the Council’s secretary helping me up with a cautious expression.

Didi scanned me from head to toe. “Are you hurt anywhere?!”

“The only thing hurt is my dignity,” I muttered.

Bo whined and jumped up on me, pink tongue licking at my chin.

Camilla’s gaze danced between us. “I’m sorry, Abby. I didn’t mean to bump into you.” Her voice quavered.

“It’s okay.” I winced and looked at my knuckles. I’d scraped them raw.

“Marcus?” Gavin was staring at the figure hovering behind Camilla.

It was a timid-looking young man with dark hair and eyes. He gave off a werewolf scent not dissimilar to Priscilla’s. His shoulders hunched at my stare.

“H-hi, Gavin,” he stammered, avoiding my eyes.

Camilla glanced at her companion in surprise. “Do you know each other?”

Marcus nodded hesitantly. “We w-went to school together.”

“Oh.” Camilla recovered her composure and gave us a chagrined look. “I’m sorry, we have to be somewhere.” She glanced at me uneasily before guiding Marcus into the crowd.

Didi scowled. “Dammit. We almost had Wheeler.”

“How did you know that woman was him?” Gavin asked me curiously.

“The way she walked. It reminded me of the footage from Moonlight Couture.” I clocked the dragon newt’s awkward stare and the strange glances I was receiving from some of the human passersby. “What is it?”

“You might want to rein in your inner wolf,” Didi advised. “Your eyes are glowing and you’ve gone all—” She waved a hand vaguely.

I touched my face gingerly and groaned at the facial fuzz that had sprouted during the chase. No wonder Camilla had given me a weird look.

Bo plopped down on his haunches and watched me with shiny eyes, his tail thumping the cobblestones.

“You were so cool! Like a superhero. But a hairy one, with anger-management issues.”

Trust my dog to ruin my brief moment of glory.