talking about? What really happened those last moments deep in the tunnels? She didn’t have long to think about it, as Andreas returned, reporting Mike had checked in, without Benny. He’d been unable to find the missing werelion.
Now Ari had something worth worrying about. Benny had sense enough not to take on the werewolves alone, but what if they discovered he was tracking them? He could have been ambushed, outnumbered three to one.
She pushed off the couch. So far so good. She waved off Andreas’s offer to help. Enough coddling. She brushed past him and was headed out the door when he reached out a hand to stop her. He drew back at the last moment, as if he was reluctant to touch her.
“Arianna, I meant to thank you. Would have earlier, except I was…ah, distracted. You saved the prince. We owe you.”
Ari turned around, shaking her head. “I was just doing my job. But we’re not done yet. First, we find Benny, then the remaining wolves. You want to thank me? Just keep your promise. It’s not over until the last wolf is dead or in custody.” She turned on her heel and left the room.
After checking on the lions, she walked into the security offices. Mike was in the kitchen frying bacon and eggs. Someone had done a good job of cleaning the mess; the table and three chairs were back in place, the broken furniture was gone, and the floor had been scrubbed. Of course the walls were still riddled with bullet holes. Her derringer, knife, and bag of potions lay on the kitchen table. Once Ari reloaded her pistol and pocketed the rest, she felt better with her arsenal back in place. She poked her head in the surveillance room. It was going to take a lot more work in there. The monitors and screens were gone, presumably shattered.
Ari checked the time on her cell phone. She’d give the missing lion another half hour. Then she intended to lead a search party.
Benny hobbled in twenty minutes later, his arms and legs covered with bites, claw marks, and blood. Mike and Andreas tended to his wounds while Ari and Lilith huddled over him, firing questions.
“This all happened before I left here,” he muttered. “I’m all right. But if Ari and Lilith want to check me out, go for it. You dudes, get your hands off. They have first dibs.”
That’s when Ari knew he’d be fine. If Benny could flirt, he wasn’t hurt too badly.
Basking in the attention, he spun out every detail of his lengthy absence. It boiled down to the wolves splitting up, doubling back and taking every precaution to shake off pursuers before vanishing into their latest hidey-hole.
“So where are they?” Ari demanded.
“Under the city. They’re in the caverns.”
The caverns. The officially unexplored labyrinth of tunnels and caves under Riverdale were extensive. Carved by Mother Nature and enhanced by native Indians and possibly smugglers, the cave system eventually become the sole territory of the Otherworlders. Under the most recent treaties, it belonged to the vampires. The choice of hideout must have been Victor’s. A good idea under most circumstances. No one knew their way through the secret passages. Well, no one except the vampires. When vampires were hunting you, it wasn’t a smart place to be.
* * *
Within minutes of Benny providing the directions, Ari and seven companions—Mike, Andreas, Carmella and four other vampires—were on their way. Lucien and the werecats had stayed to guard the prince. At the last minute Andreas tried to convince Ari to stay behind, citing her wounded arm. He dropped the attempt when she grabbed her leather jacket and headed for the door. Injured or not, Ari was determined to go, with or without him. This was her fight too.
The trip to the cavern opening was mostly in silence. The only discussion was about the enemy numbers. Benny had followed three. Adding the pilot, there were at least four, and an unknown number of reinforcements. Ari wasn’t worried about handling the wolves, no matter how many they found. She wanted to be sure no one slipped away this time.
The caverns on the Mississippi River cliffs were high above the river. No stairs on this side. No paths. One by one the hunting party slipped over the edge and inched down the rocks. Ari’s fingers and feet searched for holds on the slick, cold surface. The splashing of the water on jagged banks below was a reminder how bad a slip