Page 45 of Guarded By a Monster

“Isabelle.”

Zeus nodded. “She is unharmed. She will try to stay in more regular communication, but it’s difficult. General Pierce has increased security to where every employee with even a hint of knowledge about the wyrfang project is monitored around the clock. They are being kept in a large, windowless building in a remote location and not allowed access to communication from the outside.”

“She’s imprisoned?”

Nanna reached a hand behind her shoulder and closed her fingers around Roul’s wrist. He visibly relaxed. I wasn’t sure what sort of magic she had, but I silently thanked her for using it to help him.

Zeus’s lips quirked. “In a sense. I get the impression that she feels like they’re trapped with her instead of the other way around. She’s okay, and promised to let us know if that changes.” He reached into Bull’s laptop bag and pulled out an envelope. He held it out to Roul. “She sent this for you.”

For a moment, the envelope hung between them, and we all held our breath. Roul finally took it with a brief glance.

“She also sent valuable information about their new location. They moved employees in blacked-out vans, so she can’t be one hundred percent sure, but she thinks they’re somewhere in Colorado.”

Kragen voiced the question I suspected many of us had. “How does she know even that much?”

Bull was the one who answered. “The same magic she’s using to gain access to unrestricted internet has given her a glimpse of what’s outside the concrete building. It’s not enough to find them, but she thinks given a few weeks she’ll be able to pinpoint where they are.”

Roul snorted and abandoned his post behind Nanna, disappearing through the door. Cavi stood to go after him, but Nanna’s hand pulled him back down.

“Let him go, dearie. He needs to read his letter and calm down a bit.”

“What are our next steps?” Kragen got us back on track.

“Unfortunately, all we can do is wait.”

As one, the five of us winced. Roul was already unpredictable and moody. We weren’t sure how much longer he could wait.

“Now, about Jade…”

twenty-nine

Hearing my name poppedmy eyes open. I’d been enjoying my perch, wrapped tightly in Thurl’s warm arms, his fur soft against my cheek. The indistinct murmur of voices soothed my sleepy brain.

“Now, about Jade…”

That got my attention. “What about me?”

Thurl’s arms tightened around me. There were two new people in the hall. One was a wide, bulky man whose eyes were intense. I would never want to meet him in a dark alley. The other was lanky as he slouched in his chair, fingers tapping on a laptop. He had the appearance of someone at ease, but there were tension lines along his muscles. Black ink peeked from beneath his sleeve and above his collar.

“Jade, this is Zeus, owner of Superhuman Security, and their resident tech expert, Bull.”

Bull nodded without taking his eyes off his computer screen, but Zeus’s eyes took on a warmth I didn’t think possible.

“Miss Massey, Thurl asked us to look into the organization troubling you.”

I craned my head up and pulled Thurl’s muzzle down so I could look him in the eyes. “You did?”

He nodded. “I will use every resource I have to keep you safe.”

Wow. That was refreshing. I wasn’t used to men acknowledging they needed help, let alone asking for it. But then, these weren’t exactly men, were they? I managed to school my expression into something serious. “What did you find?”

“Silver Fang is an up-and-coming organization in Damruck’s underworld. I think they see the loss of The Level’s leadership as an opportunity. The man you witnessed committing murder is the leader of Silver Fang—Adrian Vale. Respectable businessman by day, he’s known as cunning and charismatic, with a sharp mind and predatory instincts. His nickname is The Wolf because he’s a calculating hunter.

“I can’t figure out why he would be on the street, dressed as a thug, doing wet work himself. He has plenty of assassins in his employ.”

“Yeah, I think I met one.”

That brought Bull’s eyes to mine. “You did, but he’s—“

---