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Tarski yelled in Jaz’s mind, Mate in trouble!
Jaz shot straight up from being asleep. Her heart thumped wildly. Where was Adrian?
Her wolf had never been so agitated. Red gone! Hurry. Mate need me. Something wrong. Go now.
Shit. Tarski’s panicked voice terrified Jaz. She rushed to yank on clothes and shoes, asking her wolf, How do you know?
Red is mate. I feel him not near.
Well, hell. She hadn’t felt anything weird happen to her energy, but Tarski and Red had made some connection.
Once she unlatched the cover to the opening, she jumped out then reset the shield in place. With a deep breath of crisp fresh air after the rain had passed, she picked up Adrian’s scent.
But she inhaled the smell of another wolf shifter as well.
Someone had made it to the cave.
If they had Adrian in hand, maybe they followed her scent over the top of the rocks to the waterfall, where it normally ended. She made that trek many times on each visit. Her scent might get old, but a wolf would be forced to follow it with no other option.
She’d grabbed Adrian’s phone, money, and her knife before leaving the cave in case they couldn’t get back. He must have gone out for the call of nature and, based on the direction of the scent trail she followed, he’d visited the bike.
Slowing as she approached, she scanned everything.
The bike had not been touched, but more than one wolf shifter had been here. The closer she got to the bike, the stronger the scents.
Tarski had always been reserved even during battles, but her wolf howled in misery. Red hurt. Drugs. Too many for Red.
Jaz’s heart squeezed painfully. She told her wolf, I recognize wolf scents from the Blood King’s pack.
Go now, Tarski ordered. Kill all wolves.
They were in agreement.
Someone stupid would face the lethal Golden Kodiak wolf.
She knocked all the covering off the bike. She’d only been on a motorcycle one other time before last night with Adrian. Back when she’d rode one like a reckless teenager who thought she couldn’t die. Rolling the bike down the incline, she listened to Tarski demanding she hurry.
Jaz had a better appreciation for when Adrian had to deal with a combative Red. Speaking out loud, but under her breath, she said, “If I try to drive this down a mountain, I could kill us or wound us bad enough we’d have to lay there and heal.”
That silenced her wolf.
When she reached the dirt road, Jaz parked the bike and called Scarlett, who might have heard something from Adrian’s people.
“Nope,” Scarlett said. “We thought he would be with you. What happened?”
Jaz explained, then told her friend she was going after Adrian who had been captured by the Blood King.
Scarlett warned, “Adrian’s boss knows he’s hunting you. He called Adrian’s teammates back when he found out Adrian had gone rogue. Trust me when I say they had no choice but to come clean when their boss demanded all the details. He thinks you’re tricking Adrian by convincing him you want to be his mate.”
“That’s bullshit. Why would he think that?” Jaz demanded.
“Adrian’s team found where you were being held. He told them he was going in to get you out. They tried to talk him out of making rash moves when they needed to tell their boss and get reinforcements. Adrian refused to wait. He said everyone would understand because you were his mate.”
Jaz had a moment of vertigo. “He said that?”
“Yep, but I don’t think his boss is buying it, because he feels if you had nothing to hide, you’d come in.”
Even Tarski would agree with that logic.
Now Adrian would be considered an accomplice. She told Scarlett about Kaiser and what happened. “I’ll call back if I find him, but ... I may not survive where I’m going. If I don’t, promise me you’ll make that eagle shifter find Daisy and prove my innocence, so Adrian isn’t dragged down by having gotten involved with me.”
“Dammit, Jaz.”
“Promise me, Scarlett!”
“I promise. Now let us help.”
Jaz could do this now with the knowledge someone would save Adrian from more heartache. “No, Adrian would not want to involve any of you. I don’t want to drag you into this mess either. I don’t see a happy end to any of this.”
Scarlett argued vehemently, “That’s not fair after you two helped us save my family. You were both there when I fought my father. You can’t keep us out of this.”
“Yes, I can.” Jaz had to limit the collateral damage starting right now. “Thank you for being my friend, Scarlett, but you need to never acknowledge being someone close to me. Tell Gan he has my blessing if he’ll stand by you on that. I will let no one stand in my way. If I find Adrian and we survive, he won’t leave me no matter what I say. The price on my head will go up with him tagged as an accomplice. I’m glad you have Gan. Don’t screw up your life by association with mine.”
“No, Jaz. Stop—“
Jaz hung up and tossed Adrian’s phone in a trash can. She had no more calls to make.
Now was the time to face the Blood King before he killed Adrian. The fact that they hadn’t left a bloody body in the woods after finding the motorcycle meant the Blood King knew she and Adrian were together.
He would torture her mate to find her.
Jaz made a hell-ride return trip to the Blood King’s home, parking in the woods after killing the engine. She ran to the top of the hill they’d jumped to view the home and grounds.
No vehicles parked outside.
No women chained to trees.
No wolf shifter guards.
Racing down the hill and through the yard, she stopped and listened. Not a sound of life anywhere. The Blood King had packed up and left.
How would she find that bastard now?
She inhaled deeply. Tarski came close to the surface and said, No scent fresher than four hours.
So this group must have packed up after the raid to free her. How could she fail Adrian this way?
Tarski sounded pitiful. Red wolf has different life than us. He would know what to do.
To soothe her inner animal, she said, That’s true, Tars, but we can figure this out.
She hoped.
In the blink of an eye, she realized Tarski had nailed it. She spared no time for details as she ran back to the bike, telling her wolf, I think I know how to find them, but we may not survive.
Expelling a long sigh, Tarski asked, Is human mate?
Yes. She didn’t see any hope of turning that into a reality, but Adrian loved her, and she loved him.
They were strange in the same way.
Tarski said, Red my mate. There is no other for me.
Jaz smiled and said, Good enough for me. Let’s find them.
She rolled on the accelerator, roaring down the road.
