“Catty, don’t play with me. A girl like you working in a strip club that has more werewolves than humans has bound to have heard or seen something.” He leaned in closer. His anger, his frustration, and his scent snaked around her like a vine. He was pissed, really pissed, but she couldn’t help herself. Without thinking, she leaned in slightly to get a better sniff.
“What are you doing?”
She took a quick step back and shook her head. Sniffing you up didn’t seem to sound right in her head, so she decided to shift the focus.
“Look, I have no idea what you're talking about. I’ve not heard anything about any Guardians. I’m not the kind of girl a Guardian would hang with.” She smirked. “You must have gotten some bad intel.”
“I don’t get bad intel.” His eyes blazed.
Her heart went into overdrive and a bead of sweat rolled down her temple only to be swallowed up by her T-shirt. Freaking Louisiana heat. She probably resembled a drowned rat.
“Look, buddy.” She pushed her finger into his chest. He didn’t budge. “I don’t know anything about missing Guardians. Louisiana isn’t exactly swimming with Guardians since Edward Boudier has been running the state.”
“Edward Boudier? The Pack Master?” He blinked.
“One and the same.” She shrugged. “He seems to think the state is fine without Guardians and has been firing them right and left. Maybe that’s what your Pack Master is doing too.”
***
Lucien knew Edward Boudier had been an asshole to Barrett ever since the Louisiana Assassins had crossed into Arkansas without letting Barrett know. The whole thing was bad business to start with. Lucien had been surprised Barrett hadn’t come down harder on Boudier.
But now with Heimy skinned and Mitchell missing, the Louisiana Pack Master would take a harder stance on illegal activity within the state. He would want more Guardians.
Unless Barrett hadn’t told Edward about the missing Guardians.
“You’re telling me civilian werewolves are okay with everything like it stands, with having fewer Guardians?” His eyes bore into hers. She’d better be honest with him. He wasn’t here to play games.
“Civilians don’t get a say.” She cocked her head and crossed her arms.
The wind changed. Her scent— soft, sultry, sexy— washed over him. His mind blurred and he couldn’t control his body as his gaze dropped to her full mouth. His dick tightened behind his jeans. In that moment, time slowed and noise ceased. From the curve of her lips to the glint in her eye, he was trapped in the spell of her scent, unable to focus on anything but her.
What did her body taste like? What did she sound like when she came? What did she look like in the afterglow of an orgasm?
Shocked, he stepped back and sucked in a deep breath, dislodging the surprising erotic thoughts that had come out of nowhere.
Women didn’t affect him. Not like she had. When he was horny, he paid for ass. It was a lot less complicated and the women never asked why he kept his jacket on during sex. Many thought it was a turn-on.
As he stared down into Catty’s blue-gray eyes, his heart thudded in his chest. He glanced up at the approaching sunrise and blamed his reaction on the heat of the city.
Surely it had nothing to do with her.
“Everyone has a say. It’s the duty of the Pack Master of every state to protect its Weres.”
A shadow of sadness crossed her eyes before a mask of indifference slipped carefully into place. A hardness etched into her pretty features, and he knew she wasn’t going to give him any more information today.
“I guess I won’t take up any more of your time.” He stepped back and propped his hands on his hips.
Her lashes fluttered for a second. She held her breath as if he were waiting to trick her.
He wasn’t. It wasn’t his style.
“Good. I’ve got things to do.” She lifted her chin and turned on her heel.
He watched the sway of her hips as she walked away. Even in cutoff denim shorts and a baggy shirt, the girl had a body that had the early-morning male crowd stopping what they were doing and turning to watch her.
A nearby artist stopped setting up his artwork and watched Catty with lustful eyes. Lucien let out a growl before he could remember himself. The man caught the look in Lucien’s face. His smile faded and he quickly got back to work.
He watched until she turned the corner. He would give her a few seconds before following. He knew how to tail someone without getting made.
Keeping to the shadows was how he’d survived the city before. It was how he planned on surviving it again.
***
With her heart in her throat, Catty made it halfway down the alley before she glanced over her shoulder. She fully expected the large wolf to be following her. The empty alley sent a smidge of disappointment settling across her gut.