“I could say the same of you. New York winters can be cold, no? And I see you’ve taken up with a new Alpha. Hmm,” Léopold observed and nodded to Logan. “Monsieur Reynaud. We meet again.”
“Monsieur Devereoux,” Logan acknowledged without emotion. “This is my beta, Dimitri. Please call me Logan.” He reluctantly gestured for him to sit.
“Logan it is.” Léopold grabbed a chair from a nearby table and sat. He crossed his legs and picked a piece of lint from his trouser.
From the minute Logan spotted Devereoux, he knew that this evening was fucked. The last time he’d seen the powerful vampire, he’d been in Philadelphia. And while Léopold had been helpful in locating his Alpha’s mate, it was no secret the vampire was extraordinarily dangerous. Where the hell was Kade? Why had he sent his maker to meet them? And what exactly was Wynter’s connection to the most lethal vampire on the east coast?
When Léopold had kissed her hand, he’d nearly lost it. Logan decided right then and there that he’d be having a sit down with Miss Ryan or Dr. Ryan or whoever the hell she was as soon as they got out of there, because he was sick of the damn lies. Protocol or not, he was done with all the secrets. If he had to call Jax himself tonight, he’d have the truth. In the meantime, he had to deal with Devereoux.
“Where’s Kade?” Logan inquired but then was interrupted by Wynter.
“He’s not my Alpha, Monsieur Devereoux,” she corrected Léopold. “And please call me Wynter.”
Logan gave her a stern look. What the fuck was she doing? Did she have a death wish? A she-wolf didn’t go announcing in the middle of a vampire bar that she wasn’t with her Alpha, especially in his city. A lone wolf was a vulnerable wolf. Every protective instinct in him told him to throw her over his shoulder and drag her back to his home.
“Please forgive her ignorance. Wynter is under my protection,” Logan explained to Léopold and then turned a hard stare on Wynter. “So until Jax gets here, you’re mine.” Mine. He knew how he was using the term, and it wasn’t as if she was a mate. But in the back of his head, the idea bounced around briefly, and it bothered him to think he’d even go there.
Dimitri shot him a look of surprise. Hearing his Alpha go all territorial and call a woman his was unusual, given the conversation they’d all just had in the theater. So far, this evening wasn’t going how he expected. He readied himself for more surprises, sizing up the vampire at their table.
Wynter held her breath for a minute, stifling her anger. Why was Logan saying that she was his? Jax always made it known that she belonged to him, with his pack. No matter what feelings she was developing for Logan, it could be no other way.
“No, Logan,” she argued. She needed to explain the situation to Léopold. She couldn’t have him running off to Jax, spreading the misconception that she now belonged to Logan. No, that could not happen. Jax would be pissed, for sure. “While it is true that I’m under his protection, I don’t belong to him.”
“Ah, seems mademoiselle can’t decide where she belongs, Alpha. Perhaps she needs to be schooled in wolf rules, no?” Léopold laughed, well aware of the implications of their conversation.
“Wynter, on this, Léopold is correct. Look around you. This club. Anything goes. By entering, your consent has been granted. If you didn’t belong to me, you’d be free to be taken. This is my city, and at least for tonight, you’re mine. No one will touch you without my permission. And that’s not happening. Now tell me how you know each other,” he ordered.
Wynter quieted at his words. Was that true? If he didn’t claim her as his wolf, anyone in this place could go after her? God, she hated this club. Great, now Logan was angry at her, and it made her stomach twist. She hadn’t intended to make him mad. In fact, she found herself wanting to please him. He’d been so kind to her, and this wasn’t how she dreamed of repaying him. In truth, part of her wanted to belong to him. But after their conversation, he agreed that she had no claim to him. She sighed in defeat. Looking around, she realized he was right. What good would it do to declare she belonged to Jax or worse, pretend that she was a single female? It was too dangerous.
“Wynter. Explain. Now,” she heard Logan say. Maybe this wasn’t how she’d pictured telling Logan, but at this point, she had no choice but to tell him the truth…at least more of it anyway. Uncertain about what Léopold would tell him, she realized it would be best if he heard it from her.
“We…we met last year at a charity gala,” she stuttered. “You see, I used to teach, well mostly did research. Virology. There was a fundraiser at the Guggenheim.”
“Dr. Ryan, here, gave an excellent speech about the implications of trans-species viral infections. Quite interesting. And how is Jane Doe doing? Your case study?”
“Well, I haven’t seen her in a few months,” Wynter said sadly. Emma, her best friend Mika’s sister. She was the entire reason she’d gone into virology and decided to work at ViroSun.
“Pity, no? You see, Alpha, Jane Doe was a hybrid. Although if I remember correctly, you didn’t specify which type of shifter; only that she was a child.”
“Well, yes. She’s a teen now.”
“Hybrids don’t get sick. What’s wrong with her?” Logan asked.
“Um, it’s complicated. It’s a long-term illness and it could be fatal, I’m afraid,” Wynter commented, trying to avoid his questions. She neglected to specify that she knew Jane Doe and that she had a viral infection. “So anyhow, that’s how we know each other. Monsieur Devereoux’s made very generous donations to the school, helping to fund our research.”
Emma’s illness had been the catalyst for Wynter going into virology. Early on, Wynter had suspected leukemia. But unlike human leukemia, which could be treated, sometimes even pushed into remission, this leukemia was lupine in nature. And like feline leukemia, she suspected that it would eventually be fatal. The quagmire rested in the fact that shifters, even hybrids, were supposedly immune to viruses.
She hated lying to Logan. It was wrong and she knew it. But she’d promised Jax that she’d keep everything confidential. As far as she knew, only Jax and his beta knew about the virus. But Logan deserved to know as well. This was his city and he was putting himself out there, killing the vampires who’d attacked her. This was far from over and she knew it. They’d come for her. And she suspected his pack could be in danger because he’d taken her in and protected her. Her heart ached. She couldn’t take the guilt. She decided then that if Jax wasn’t in New Orleans by the morning, she’d call and ask for permission to tell Logan everything.
Logan tensed as he listened to Wynter explain how she knew Devereoux. The story of how they’d met seemed feasible, but he could tell she was still withholding the truth. When she finished speaking about the sick girl, he noticed she withdrew from the conversation entirely. She wore her sadness like a mask as she stared into her drink. It was as if she held the weight of the world on her shoulders. Whoever the hybrid was, Wynter must have known her. It wasn’t just a case; no, it was personal. And like how Wynter had been sick when he’d first met her, it made no sense how a hybrid could contract an illness. Just what exactly had she been working on in New Orleans? He was about to probe further when Devereoux interrupted his train of thought.
“And to answer your other question, Kade is out of the country. And Luca is with him. Business. I do apologize for the surprise. But I’d prefer not to have the whole city on alert that he’s gone,” Léopold elucidated with an air of arrogance.