my bar.
“You okay?”
“Thinking. Seattle is like most big cities. It has a sizable werewolf pack, but there’s other players in most cities that we didn’t have in Dallas. Down South, we don’t have much of a vampire population. Don’t ask me why, but none ever tried to set up in my cities. Some cities have a gateway, a portal, to the fae realms. Seattle is one of them, which means there’s a fae population. It’s never very big since they don’t often settle in this realm, but they manage their gates from both sides.”
“Yeah, I know about the fae,” I said softly. “So, you’re saying there’s a lot here, and possibly anything could be part of this?”
“I’m saying we have to keep our minds open,” he replied, sipping his beer. “The likelihood something else is involved is slim, but it’s a possibility.”
“So, we have the Big Four in Washington. Werewolves, werecats, fae, and vampires. Anything else?”
“Possibly a coven of witches or warlocks. Outside of that, I have no idea,” he admitted. “The smaller species don’t announce their presence anywhere, kind of like werecats, though you are considered a big threat, and they’re just considered…a possibility. An Alpha wolf should know all the players in his city, but some come in, passing through or working, and leave without us ever knowing.”
“That’s not helpful,” I groaned. I took a long swallow of my whiskey, relishing the burn for a moment. It wasn’t nearly enough alcohol to soothe my nerves, but it was a start. It tasted like home, at least. “We’re in for a long day tomorrow.”
“Yeah, it’s going to be a long drive. I texted Geoffrey and asked him to have a vehicle ready for us by seven. We should be there by nine if we get out of here by then. Faster, if we don’t hit too much traffic and don’t need to make more than one stop.”
“Fuck.” I leaned over and put my head on the table. “Why couldn’t Jabari call in like he was supposed to?”
“You’re fine with going toe-to-toe with an Alpha werewolf, but a two-or-so-hour drive is what kills you?” He was chuckling again.
“Yup, but it’s not because it’s a long drive,” I retorted. “It’s a long drive with you. Another one.” We had just done a long drive that morning to the airport.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” He was laughing now, that full thing that was probably making his chest and shoulders shake. He sobered, though, faster than I expected. “We have two confirmed dead werecats, one missing werecat, and four missing, probably dead, werewolves. We can suffer a long drive together.”
“Yeah…” I leaned back again, frowning at my drink. “I was just messing with you. Trying to take your advice.”
“We could leave earlier…” he suggested, pushing his empty glass away. “Get there by dawn. We’d have to get some shut eye now, though.”
“And you would need to ask Geoffrey to bring us that vehicle sooner,” I pointed out. “Do it. I want to be there at dawn if that’s okay.”
“Of course.” He pulled out his phone and started texting.
I slid out of my seat, finished the whiskey, and went to the bar to order another one. The bartender didn’t say much when I gave him my order and told him to put it on my room’s tab. I got Heath a second beer because I was feeling nice, though it might have been my own natural bartender tendencies. People didn’t sit in a bar without a drink unless something was wrong. A cellphone rang, and I turned to see Heath frowning. The drinks were slid in front of me, and I grabbed them quickly. I gave Heath his beer as he found himself on the phone, talking to someone. I listened in, tilted my head slightly to try to catch the voice on the other end.
“You’re running around with a werecat, Heath. Geoffrey let us know. And yes, I know it’s the werecat that helped you out last year, but it doesn’t—”
“Harrison, it’s Jacky, and she’s up here trying to—”
“Oh, yes. Jacqueline, daughter of Hasan,” the other wolf snapped. I recognized his voice now, thanks to Heath saying his name. “Wish we had known that last August, damn it. He should have told everyone during the Tribunal she was his actual daughter. How long have you known?”
“Less than twenty-four hours,” Heath answered softly. “She’s here, trying to find out what happened. This is not a big deal. I owed her, Harrison. I owed her