Page 19 of The Wolf Prince's Fated Heart

At the next corner, I sniff the air, locking on her scent. Thankfully, she had kept the window in the cab open, and I'm able to track her by the smell that lingers in the air.

Though some of the New Yorkers glance at me, most of them don't seem too surprised to see a runner in an expensive suit. New York is full of weirdos, and right now, it works to my advantage.

The lights are brighter here, which allows me to see inside the car she'd hailed. Her nose is pressed to the glass, looking to the side.

My lips curve, and I stop and pretend to tie my shoelace. One, two, three, I count internally. On the last number, I look to the side, so it seems like I might've caught sight of her. Nothing too elaborate and nothing incriminating, just natural curiosity.

The cab takes another right turn. Good. That means we'll have a longer stretch of a road to go over the next five blocks. Which will make tracking her a lot easier.

I reach a cluster of cafés. Most of them are closed, but the nearest one, The Crushed Bean, has three workers still inside. The one sweeping the floor notices me at the door.

I nod. "Excuse me, I'm in a bit of a hurry," I say.

It's best if I don't mention the pressing need to possibly murder my employee.

"That's fine," he tells me without so much as a flinch. I could be a thief for all he knows, and still, the dude doesn't flinch.

You got to love New York, my wolf chuckles.

Keeping out of the spotlight, I position myself in the window, so my eyes can follow the yellow cab from a distance. I don't have to watch for very long. When the cars move at a snail's pace, it gives me the opportunity to follow Cassidy's trail at a reasonable distance from her.

She doesn't look my way, her eyes unseeing even though she's staring right at me. I assume she must have looked my way a few times while leaving Grey Tech, but not once does her gaze waver. It's the effect of the shadows I'm weaving around me. A basic skill that all pups with darkness affinity learn.

The night grows darker. Though my night vision isn't perfect, it's enough to keep the yellow cab in my view.

The car stops in front of an apartment building. The door of the cab opens. Cassidy gets out.

That must be where she lives, my wolf comments.

I'll follow her inside, I say, coming up with the plan as I go. I'll try to talk to her one more time.

What if she's not open to talking? my wolf asks.

Why do you have to be so negative? I shoot back, annoyed at him for forcing me to think about the next step when there's a very good chance that I won't need to do anything along those lines at all.

You have to say it, my wolf insists. You have to face it before you do it.

I already thought about murdering her, I growl back. I will do what has to be done, okay? Are you happy?

Of course not, he says with a cold voice. Nothing about this mess makes me happy.

Then shut up and let me deal with it, I say with a gentle push into the inner darkness to get my point across.

I watch the windows, waiting to see Cassidy's silhouette behind the thin curtains. The building has balconies attached to it. I can use them to get up without being seen.

My muscles vibrate as I leap. I move upwards with no problem. My fingers hook in the bars, and then my legs bend, hoisting me back up until I reach the third story. Easy.

If I'd wanted to murder Cassidy, which I don't because I'm not a jerk who wouldn't give her a second chance, I wouldn't have needed to do it from the street. I could easily use the method through the window.

I hoist myself onto her balcony and envelop my body in the shadows. It's easier up here. There are no streetlights to break through my darkness.

I slide the balcony door open.

Surprisingly, there's no screeching sound or a creak in the wood. Even if I wasn't hiding in the darkness, Cassidy wouldn't know I'm here until it's too late.

I sniff the air, tracking her scent.

She's in the bathroom, my wolf informs me.

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