Page 24 of The Mating Quest

They closedranks.

“How do you know Tristan wasn’there?”

Weary, she sighed. “I can seescents.”

“How can you see a smell? Lupines have the best sense of smell and we don’t. What are you,Ilana?”

“I’m Mage,” she insisted, backingup.

“And whatelse?”

“Go to hell,” she told him, fisting her hands. “Or get another partner to search with and stop grilling me as if I’m the enemyhere.”

His mouth flattened. “Areyou?”

Any earlier truce between them vanished. He was as suspicious as when she’d jabbed the tip of her blade into Brianna’s back. Ilana felt a brief pang of regret and stiffened her resolve. She didn’t needfriends.

Ethan suddenly backed away. Ilana felt the presence of a newcomer andturned.

A young woman approached them. Ilana recognized the scent she’d detected. Not an immortal wizard, but a powerful being associated withCaderyn.

The woman was young, perhaps no older than 25 and had a slightly ethereal air about her. Ilana’s eyes widened as she realized the woman wasn’t walking toward them. Rather, shefloated.

The woman gave a friendly wave. “Hi, I’m Jenny. Aiden thought you might like somehelp.”

Or perhaps the alpha sensed they’d need an impartial third party. Ethan introduced themselves. Jenny’s booted feet touched the ground and she approached Ilana, fascination on herface.

“Your hair, it’s so black and silky and the way it shines in the sun…it reminds meof…”

Jenny reached out to touch her hair. Ilana jerked back. “Watch it,sister.”

The woman flushed. “Sorry. I’m impulsive like that. My dad says I need to curb myspontaneity.”

“Your dad?” Ethan prodded, his gaze stillnarrowed.

“Caderyn, the Shadow Wizard. He had a brief affair with a wild Lupine, who died, and I was raised by adoptive Lupine parents until they kicked me out and I was left on myown.”

Ilana felt a brief flicker of empathy. She knew what it was like to lose your lovedones.

Jenny stared at Ilana so much it made her uncomfortable. Ilana was used to people staring, but this Lupine took it to extremes. “Do you mind? It’s rude to stare,” shesnapped.

The Lupine smiled. “Sorry. You look so much like someone I’ve met only recently…” She tilted her head and raised her brows. “But I’m not meant to say anything else. Notnow.”

“Is the Mitchell pack your home?” Ethanasked.

“Troy, my mate, and I live here when we’re not traveling the world, riding it of evil and saving theday.”

With a grin, she waved her hands and a Superwoman costume appeared on her, cape andall.

Ilana rolled her eyes. “I’m soimpressed.”

Jenny waved her hand again and appeared clad back in her jeans and blue flannel shirt. “I get the feeling little impresses you, Mage. But I’m not here with you to impress you. Only to help. Caderyn told me how important these talismans are and the urgency in finding them. What can Ido?”

While Ethan explained how he’d divided up the ranch into search quadrants, Ilana wandered away into the wildflowers. She wanted no part of searching with this stranger, who had blood ties to Caderyn. Bad enough the Lupines sensed her differences. This Jenny might detect what she actually was, inform her pack out of loyalty and they’d kick her to thecurb.

Or not, seeing how Jenny herself had been kicked out of a pack, so she might be sympathetic. Ilana wasn’t chancingit.

“You two work together in this section. I’m checking out the forest near the ATVs. Might be something we missed,” she toldthem.