A pungent, familiar scent filled his nostrils and brought the reality of their situation crashing back in on him. Werewolf. The distinctly woodsy aroma slammed into him just before they reached the intersection where The Den was located. Maya stilled and her body tensed next to his. When he glanced at her, he was pleasantly surprised to see a ferocious, battle-ready look on her face.
I smell it too. Maya’s voice touched his mind curtly. And I’m getting that weird feeling again, but it’s even stronger this time. Like an invisible rope pulling me toward them. There’s more than one, and they’re to the left, maybe a block or two away.
There’s a pub not far from here that’s run by a pair of wolves. Shane nodded his agreement and scanned the area, attempting to pinpoint the wolf’s location more clearly. His search was interrupted when Maya’s hand squeezed his almost to the point of pain. The scent I’m picking up is coming from that direction.
Shane. Her voice whispered into his mind on a rush. Look at my pocket…it’s glowing.
He looked down to see that Maya was absolutely correct. The left side of her white dress now had an almost ghostly green glow emanating from the pocket where the necklace was. With shaking fingers, she pulled the necklace out and held it up between them. The large stone that dangled from the bottom of the gold chain was glowing as though lit from within.
They looked from the stone to each other, and Maya’s expression was nothing short of amazement.
“I don’t recall it lighting up like that at the club,” Shane said, looking more closely at the unique jewel. “Although I was admittedly…distracted.”
“No. I’ve never seen it do this before.” Maya shook her head and laid the necklace in her hand, but once the stone touched her flesh, the light dimmed. “Whoa. That felt weird. It’s vibrating.”
“Come here.” Shane took Maya’s arm and brought her into an alley across the tiny street, away from anyone who might pass by. Human or werewolf. He stopped and looked around before turning his attention back to Maya. “Let go of the stone.” Maya did as he asked, and they watched the stone begin to glow again. “Now, lay it in your hand.”
Once the stone touched her flesh, the light dimmed.
“It may not be glowing anymore, but it’s humming or vibrating or something.” Maya’s eyes lit up with excitement. “I bet I know why it’s doing this. It’s warning me that there are wolves in the area. I should put it on.”
“No.” Shane grasped her forearm and shook his head. “Maya, we know there’s a werewolf in the area and that the wolves have it in for you because of this necklace or whatever they think it stands for.”
“And we know that this necklace has magic or, at the very least, it’s connected to some magic that I’m supposed to have.” Maya’s chin tilted. Her eyes flashed and she pushed his hand away. “I’ve worn this necklace every day for as long as I can remember, and I feel naked without it—unprotected or something. Look, I can’t explain why, but I do.”
“You’re being stubborn.” Shane folded his arms over his chest.
“And this is news?” Maya asked playfully, putting the necklace around her neck and nestling the stone at the top of her cleavage. “See. It’s not glowing anymore, but I do feel that vibration. It’s really subtle, though, and like I told you before, when I was in that suite with all the wolves, my senses were going haywire. That’s probably why I didn’t notice it then. And I probably didn’t feel it when we were at The Dollhouse because that place is total sensory overload.”
Shane’s mouth set in a tight line. He grasped the smooth stone between his fingers then frowned as he released it. “I don’t feel vibrations.”
“Really? Maybe that’s because you’re not a gypsy person or whatever.” Maya pressed it to her chest and looked at him. “I can feel it, and I’m still getting that tugging feeling in my gut, which is actually really unpleasant. Can we just go see Lillian now? Please?” She buttoned up the cardigan sweater so that most of the necklace was covered. “Look. Now you can’t even see it. Okay?”
“Fine.” Shane grabbed her hand and walked with her toward the corner. He flicked a serious gaze in her direction. “Keep your senses alert, and do not leave my sight for one second. Are we clear? We are to keep our visit here quiet, and we don’t want to attract any attention to ourselves.”
“Fine.” Maya bumped her hip into his and laughed. “You really don’t get it, do you?”
“What?” Shane asked tightly. He stopped at the corner and noted the oval wooden sign with a snarling tiger on it that read, The Den. Glancing around at the busier street, which was open only to pedestrian traffic, he was relieved to note that the scent of the wolf had diminished. “What don’t I get?”
“You.” She laughed. Shane looked at her with genuine confusion, which only made her laugh harder. “You are a six-foot, four-inch hunk of drool-worthy hotness. Believe me, you attract attention, whether you like it or not. See?” She leaned into his embrace and nodded toward two human girls who were giggling and staring at Shane while they stumbled away. “You’re a hottie and the ladies love you, but don’t go getting any ideas.” Maya tugged his hand and pulled him toward the doorway of The Den. “I don’t like to share.”
“Good,” Shane murmured, following her into the bar. “Neither do I.”
When Shane crossed the threshold into the bar, the clear and distinct scent of an Amoveo shifter hit him. Unlike with the werewolves, the Amoveo scent didn’t evoke feelings of danger or unpleasantness. The bar was sparsely populated and dimly lit, but Shane could see everything clearly. Keeping his arm around Maya protectively, he surveyed the pub with its pirate-ship theme. There were a series of tables and chairs to the left, a long beat-up wooden bar to the right, and a staircase along the back wall that led to balcony seating on the second floor. All of the patrons were human, and other than the Amoveo man behind the bar, he and Maya were the only supernaturals in the place.
“Welcome.” The bartender’s voice boomed through the small pub, and Shane immediately knew it was Boris Zankoff, an Amoveo from the Tiger Clan. He was about Shane’s height with shoulder-length black hair and the eyes of a warrior. From what Shane heard, Boris was one hell of a fighter. “You must be Shane and Maya. Lottie said we might be seeing you two.” He extended his hand over the bar and welcomed them both with a broad smile. “I’m Boris and I’d introduce you to my mate, but she’s—”
“She’s right here,” said a bright, bubbly blond woman from the second-floor railing. With long, windblown hair, a peasant blouse, and a flowing skirt, she looked more like a gypsy than Maya did. Lillian Zankoff leaned over the railing and waved at them. “Hey! Come on up, I was just setting a table for us up here so we could have some privacy.”
“That’s Lillian,” Boris said with obvious pride. He leaned closer, with both hands on the bar so the old man at the end of the bar wouldn’t hear him. “She’s really excited to meet you both and has been talking about doing your reading, Maya, ever since Lottie told her about you.”
“Me too,” Maya said with a nervous smile.
“Boris,” Shane began, careful to keep his voice low. “Have you had any other unique patrons this evening?”
“You mean wolves?” A slow smile cracked Boris’s face, and he pushed his long hair off his forehead. “No. They usually steer clear of my place. Two weres own a bar called Full Moon Café at the end of Royal, a couple of blocks from here. When wolves come to town, they tend to spend time there. You know how it is in neutral-zone cities like New Orleans. Everyone tends to stick to their own kind. It’s safer that way.”