The Great Wolf Escape (Scandalous Shifters Book 1) Read online

  “Where do you live?” she asked as they managed to find a yellow taxi.

  “The dark otherworld,” he replied, and Sera laughed at the response.

  “Well, this is Detroit,” she replied. “Can you be more specific?”

  She realized he was studying her face and she turned to stare at him evenly.

  “Where are you going?” the driver snapped impatiently, and Sera gave him her address when Ashur didn’t respond.

  “I live in the north end,” she told Ashur. “Can you find your way back home from there?”

  He didn’t respond but he continued to watch her face as if memorizing her features closely.

  “You’re not a big talker, huh?” she chirped and he smiled.

  There was something both ominous and light about him, as if he were a little boy trapped inside a man’s body. A bittersweet feeling of uncomfortable elation filled her body. She was trying to get him to talk but he seemed to be fighting it.

  “Why were you at the hospital?” she tried again, sensing that she was going to be leading the conversation. “Were you in an accident? A fight?”

  “A misunderstanding,” he replied as the cab sloshed through the rain. He looked over her shoulder and into the sodden day, his eyes widening with interest.

  “That is some misunderstanding,” Sera cracked, peering at his face, but even as she watched him, she couldn’t understand why he was in bandages at all. “The police got involved and you’re all covered.”

  Look at that, she thought jokingly. I cured him.

  “Do you need to go to another hospital? Somewhere there aren’t cops looking for you?” Sera suggested lightly but she could already sense that he would say no.

  As she suspected, he shook his head. “No, thank you,” he replied quietly and that was when Sera heard his distinct but strange speech patterns.

  “You’re not from around here, are you?” she sighed.

  He smiled and shook his head.

  “No.”

  “Why the dark afterlife are you visiting Detroit of all the hellholes in the world? Business?”

  Her question seemed to amuse him greatly and to her surprise, he began to laugh heartily.

  “What’s so funny?” Sera demanded, unsure if he was laughing at her or not.

  Ashur shook his dark head but the glint did not disappear from his grey eyes.

  “It is difficult to explain,” he replied, and Sera wasn’t sure if she should let it go or be annoyed.

  Why do I always find the weirdoes? she wondered, turning to gaze out the window also. I must be projecting.

  Yet she couldn’t help but feel there was something special about this man. She had never felt so instantly drawn to another being so completely. It had been like a magnet had thrust them together, one which she had no control over whatsoever.

  Well, whatever his story, he is disgustingly attractive, Sera reasoned. And we had only just gotten started in that supply room.

  The thought of it created another stream of heat to flow through her and Sera bit on her lower lip, glancing at Ashur through her peripheral vision.

  “We’re here, lady,” the cabbie barked, and Sera realized that he had pulled up outside her dilapidated apartment complex.

  How long was I sitting here in the middle of a wet daydream? she wondered, reaching for her purse. To her surprise, Ashur handed the driver a bill and jumped from the vehicle, hurrying to open her door.

  She gaped at him.

  “Oh great,” the surly driver snapped. “A gentleman.”

  “Shut up,” Sera growled. “You don’t have to be such a miserable bastard.”

  “Screw you,” he yelled back. “Stupid bitch.”

  The conversation was almost commonplace with Detroit cabbies and Sera wasn’t flustered in the least, but Ashur seemed disturbed.

  “Is there an issue?” Ashur asked, poking his head inside the cab to look at them.

  “Your girlfriend is a stupid cow, buddy. Put a leash on her,” the man snorted.

  “Screw you, dickhead,” she replied, accepting Ashur’s hand and hurrying toward the entranceway.

  She was unperturbed by the cab driver; everyone in Detroit seemed to have an attitude problem, after all, but she suddenly realized that Ashur was not at her side as she dug for her apartment keys.

  When she looked to see where her new companion was, he suddenly appeared, taking her arm and gently leading her into the worn lobby with new speed.

  “Are you all right?” he asked, and Sera laughed.

  “Of course,” she replied. “I have a conversation like that at least six times a day.”

  Ashur said nothing as she allowed them inside the building.

  Sera did not realize that the taxi had not moved from the curb.

  If she had looked back, she would have seen the driver’s throat gaping open from where Ashur had ripped out his windpipe with his teeth.

  Chapter Six

  Bad Partnerships

  It didn’t seem possible that the new city was worse than the old, and yet he had been assured by Mari that Ashur had, in fact, gone north.

  “No one stays in Mexico City,” she told him matter-of-factly. “Everyone heads to the United States—if they want to live.”

  She had asked around and some of her prostitute friends had remembered seeing a man who fit Ashur’s description who had talked about heading up.

  A part of Jayce wondered if “up” meant something else altogether, but as they traveled north, Jayce got the sense that he was on the right track for the first time.

  This is the future, he thought mournfully, jumping back as a long, black motor vehicle splashed him with a puddle, soaking him from head to toe.

  “You should not stand so close to the road,” Mari chided him, and he scowled at her.

  He had traveled north into the cesspool known as Detroit and somehow, Mari had joined him. While he had not put up a formal protest, he sometimes wished she would find a new john and move along.

  “Do you not have friends who will miss your company?” he asked her several times, remembering the idle threat she had delivered when they first met.

  Of course she doesn’t. Who could possibly hitch their star to such a wagon?

  It seemed like a lifetime ago when it had only been two weeks.

  “You do not like my companionship, papi?” she asked coyly, flashing him a teasing smile with her near-toothless mouth. “You do not seem to complain when we are alone.”

  She repulsed him and yet her sexual appetite was insatiable.

  Many times, Jayce had been tempted to kill her, but he knew Johann was monitoring his movements, as if he were some criminal who required a guard. Even if he couldn’t see his counselor, he could certainly feel him there.

  As much as Jayce wished to drop Mari for a younger, more beautiful girl, he also knew he could not be trading one for another or his actions would be questioned when he returned to the afterworld.

  If I return to the bright afterworld. Ash may be out to get me still, he thought grimly.

  What other reason could his half-brother have for returning to earth after all those years? Jayce could not think of a single other reason.

  “I do enjoy your companionship,” Jayce lied. “I only worry that your family fears for your safety.”

  Mari cackled, a horrific sound which caused him to cringe. Even after a fortnight, he could not get used to the sound.

  “Que familia?” she snorted. “My father sold me to Los Zetas when I was thirteen for an eight ball of cocaine.”

  Unexpectedly, Jayce felt a pang of compassion for the girl.

  The feeling made him nauseous.

  I have already been back here too long. I must return without haste before the earthly ways affect my good sense.

  “Where should we look for your amigo?” Mari asked as they continued through the filthy streets. “Who is this man?”

  Whatever sympathy he had felt for the Mexican prostitute disappeared as he
checked his temper.

  She asked too many questions.

  “I have told you,” he replied smoothly. “He is an old acquaintance with whom I have unfinished business.”

  “That tells me nothing,” Mari complained, and Jayce felt his hands ball into fists at his side.

  Not for the first time, he wondered if Ashur had the ability to kill without fear of reprisal.

  He got the better deal in the dark afterlife, Jayce thought in a childish way. I should have the freedom to do as I please also.

  “It is all you need to know,” he replied simply, checking his anger. “We must find shelter.”

  He was feeling a stirring in his loins which needed to be alleviated.

  Mari grinned and nodded in agreement.

  “Tengo hambre,” she told him, and Jayce sighed.

  “We shall find somewhere to eat supper,” he agreed begrudgingly.

  “Maybe we can get one of those fancy hotel rooms with room service,” she suggested but Jayce had no idea what she was talking about. It seemed every word she spoke was a language not known to earth at all. English had become an entirely new dialect, the accent burning in his ears.

  “Of course,” he told her smoothly. “Whatever you feel is best.”

  They had been journeying for days, first on a smoldering bus and then on an uncomfortable train.

  He allowed her to lead the way through the dismal city until they stood before a building taller than anything Jayce had ever seen in his life.

  “Dear gods, what is this?” he gasped, his eyes wide with fear. It seemed a supreme being in itself.

  Mari laughed as if he was joking and grabbed his hand, yanking him inside the revolving doors.

  It was clear they were out of place in the elegant lobby, but Jayce barely noticed as he looked about, willing himself to remain calm.

  His senses seemed overwhelmed by the sights and sounds, the people in their modern clothes casting them strange glances.

  “Come on,” Mari urged, and Jayce had little choice but to follow her. The concierge eyed them with undisguised disgust as they approached.

  “May I help you?” he asked in a tone which indicated he did not believe he could.

  “We needing a room,” Mari explained in halting English.

  His face puckered into a look of horror as he regarded Mari’s skimpy outfit and Jayce’s disheveled appearance.

  “We don’t rent rooms by the hour here,” he retorted in a clipped tone. “This is the Hilton, madam.”

  Mari did not seem to understand his reluctance, but Jayce instantly recognized the scorn in his voice.

  A tight smile formed on his lips as he reached into his pocket and withdrew a fistful of bills. “We will require a chamber for longer than an hour,” he replied. “Possibly a week.”

  Jayce placed several hundred dollars on the counter but the man behind the desk was unimpressed. If anything, his sneer deepened.

  “I will see what I have available,” he clucked. “But you will need a credit card, sir.”

  Jayce’s brow furrowed, and he glanced at Mari, who was equally perplexed.

  “I am not familiar with this credit card,” Jayce replied, faltering. “What is it?”

  It was clear the clerk was losing his patience.

  “I don’t have time for games, sir. If you do not have a credit card, I’m afraid I can’t help you.”

  Jayce stood, unsure if he was being dismissed or not. They had never been refused service at a hotel, but this was also the first establishment they had been inside which seemed a palace fit for the king of Prussia.

  “What seems to be the problem, Joel?”

  A man appeared behind the clerk and shook his head. His nametag read “Manager”.

  “Sir, this… couple does not have a credit card and I am simply informing them that even if we have availability, they cannot have a room.”

  The manager smiled at Jayce.

  “Is that true, sir?” he asked. Jayce noted how dark his eyes appeared to be, despite the bright lighting of the lobby.

  I have never seen such black eyes before.

  They almost seemed like ebony globes and for a moment, Jayce was at a loss for words as he stared.

  “It’s true!” Joel snapped as if annoyed at being second-guessed.

  “Well,” the manager said, turning to the computer. “How long of a stay are you looking at?”

  “Luther!” Joel cried, aghast that his boss seemed to be entertaining the thought of giving them a room. “It’s against—”

  “Joel, I can handle this,” Luther said in a clipped tone. “That will be all.”

  Joel’s mouth dropped open, but he reluctantly rose, shooting everyone a dirty look before he stormed off.

  “Forgive Joel,” the manager said smoothly. “Sometimes he forgets it is our goal to please the client.”

  The manager leaned in conspiratorially and winked.

  “And us shifters have to take care of each other, don’t we?” he breathed.

  Jayce did not reply, but at his side, he felt Mari step slightly closer to him as if she detected something she did not like and was looking to him for protection.

  There was also something tickling the corners of Jayce’s mind, but he was far too distracted with his quest to worry himself with the comings and goings of common people.

  “Ah, here we are!” Luther announced. “I have a beautiful suite that is open for the next seven days. Will that suffice?”

  Jayce nodded slowly.

  “Yes,” he replied quietly. “Thank you for your trouble.”

  Luther grinned, retrieving a key card and walking around the desk to meet them.

  “I will show you to your room.”

  On his way past, Luther swiped the cash sitting on the counter and tucked it away in his pocket, but Jayce made no comment.

  It didn’t matter to Jayce.

  As long as they had a room in which to sleep, he did not care what the manager did with the money. Currency had no use to him once he left the earthly realm, after all.

  They stepped onto the elevator and Jayce felt his heart lurch at the foreign feeling.

  Again, Mari pressed herself close to him and he noticed that she fingered the gold crucifix around her neck nervously.

  I would have thought that she would be more comfortable in a hotel, he mused, but he had to admit, he was curious about her behavior. He had never seen her act so ill-at-ease.

  And I have had her in some rather compromising positions, he thought wickedly.

  He didn’t have time to think about it and as the elevator opened on the top floor, Luther led them toward the far end of the hall.

  “If you should need anything,” he said, “I am at your disposal.”

  He placed the key card in the door and opened it, smiling broadly as they stepped inside.

  To his surprise, Luther reached into his jacket and withdrew the bills, handing them back to the blond wolf.

  “You will likely need this during your stay,” he explained, pressing the wad of money into Jayce’s reluctant palm. “Welcome to your suite, Jayce.”

  The wolf’s blood ran cold as he spun to look at the manager.

  Mari had already disappeared into the spacious room.

  “How did you know my name?” he whispered, but Luther’s beam only widened.

  “I know a lot of things,” he replied easily. “Do you like your accommodations?”

  “Did Michael send you?” Jayce asked, a slight relief and annoyance tickling him simultaneously. “Or Johann?”

  It was the only explanation he could think of. Who else would help him and know his name?

  To his surprise, Luther began to laugh.

  “Michael? You believe Michael would help you?” he snorted. “What has he done for you since you have arrived back here? Hell, what has he done for you since you arrived in the bright afterworld?”

  Jayce had no response, but he could not shake the feeling that he was walking into
a trap.

  “Who are you?” he asked. “What do you want?”

  The manager closed the door and shook his head.

  “It is not what I want, Jayce, it is what you want,” he replied easily. “I have come to help you find your brother.”

  A wave of dizziness overcame him, but Jayce forced himself to concentrate.

  “If Michael has not sent you, why would you help me find Ashur?”

  “Papi!” Mari called from the bedroom. “Come and look at this bed!”

  Jayce ignored her, his attention fully on the man before him.

  “Because Ashur and I have… an understanding,” Luther explained, but his words did not make anything clearer for Jayce.

  “An understanding?” Jayce echoed. “What does that mean?”

  Luther smiled again but suddenly the younger wolf recognized the leer in his expression.

  “You do not know who I am, truly?” he asked, cocking his head to the side.

  A cold chill passed through Jayce and suddenly Mari’s apprehension became clear. He stepped back, staring at the dark being, awe and fear sweeping through him.

  “What do you want from me?” he whispered as the hooker called out to him again, poking her head back into the entryway.

  “Go!” he yelled at her and she gaped at him, her face shocked.

  “Leave us a moment, mami,” Luther encouraged her in Spanish. “We will not be a minute.”

  Mari eyed them warily but obeyed the instructions.

  “I want you to go to your brother as you intended,” he replied. “And stop him from making a terrible mistake.”

  “What mistake?” Jayce asked, his voice rising an octave. “What understanding do you have?”

  Luther sighed.

  “Fine,” he relented. “It is not so much an understanding as it is a wager.”

  None of what he said made sense and Jayce wondered if Michael was not playing some ridiculous joke on him, but he knew the chances were unlikely.

  He would require a sense of humor to play a jest and he is not known for his good humor. This is the Commodore himself.

  “You must go to Ashur and stop him from pursuing the woman he has found. You have one week to steal her from his spell.”