How hypocritical of her to act like it was a big deal when I did it.
Yeah, I’m definitely making the right decision, hunting her down like this, turning her back over to her pack. I don’t owe her a damn thing. And she was going to get herself killed anyway, walking directly into a coven of Moon Casters like a crazy person. I’m sure she’s much safer with her pack than she would be doingthat.
I want to shift, but I don’t want to lose my clothes, and carrying them in my mouth would be supremely annoying. I kind of wish she were here right now, with her backpack. She might have been crazy, but that was clever. I’ll have to try to get a backpack like hers at my earliest convenience.
I sniff the air, wondering whether I can pick up on her scent without shifting.
And yes, there it is, the light, citrus flavor of her. It’s old, barely there anymore in the air, and if I wasn’t so attuned to her, I wouldn’t recognize it. But I remember keenly what it was like to be so engulfed in this scent that I thought I might drown in it, to have it all around me and never want to be let go. Her body against mine, her skin damp with sweat, that citrus aroma emanating from her while she fucked me—
Fuck, I’m getting hard just thinking about it.
I shake my head. Maybe doing this after three glasses of Paul’s liquor wasn’t the wisest choice I’ve ever made. I’m having trouble staying focused.
I’m not tracking her so that I can get laid. That’s not what this is. I’m going after her because I want to turn her in and get the reward.
And this is my advantage. I know this scent. No one else knows this scent like I do.
I turn, following it in the direction it’s most strong.
She’s behaving erratically, I realize quickly. She’s not doing what I would have done if I were her. She ducks down an alley almost immediately. It’s as if she’s hiding from something—
And then I smell it.
Wolves.
More than one of them, and they’re strangers to me.
The same ones I smelled when we were in the woods outside of town? I can’t be sure. But maybe.
Are they the members of her pack, come to claim her before I can do it? I’m not sure about that either. But the idea frustrates me. This is supposed to bemybounty. If her pack gets her back before I have a chance to do it, I’ll get nothing.
There’s still a chance I can get to her first. I don’t know what happened along this path. I don’t know if they were able to capture her or not.
I have to find out.
I follow.
Her scent is stronger now—either I’m getting close to her or she was just distressed when she ran by here and giving off more aroma. Possibly both. There’s excitement in the air, too. The wolves think they are about to catch her.
Maybe they are. Maybe I’m wasting my time.
And then—
I skid to a halt.
I’m at the top of the stairs that lead down to the underground tunnels beneath the city. The tunnels that used to play host to commuter trains, that are now the home of the hives of Ravagers.
And Emlyn’s scent goes right down these stairs.
What the fuck would she go down there for?
I can only think of one reason. The wolves chasing her. It must have been her only means of escape. And, indeed, they haven’t followed her scent down the stairs.
There are several intersecting tunnels down there. There’s no way to know which way she went, or how long she stayed underground. Or if she’s even still alive.
No way except one.
I definitely wouldn’t be doing this if I was sober, I think, and start down the stairs after her.