Page 9 of Golden Eagle

“Still…” Trina said, holding back a wince. “There’s lots of things that could…do that.” She gestured, and looked away.

Harvey covered the vic’s face again. “Could it?” she asked, dryly.

“I’d like to believe that.”

“It was a wolf,” Lanny said. He frowned, expression more serious than normal. “I can smell it.”

“You might have led with that.”

He shrugged. “You didn’t ask.”

“Lanny.”

“Three wolves, actually,” he elaborated. “Two I’ve smelled before.” He inhaled deeply, brow furrowing. “And one I haven’t.”

All the fine hair stood up on the back of Trina’s neck. “The ferals?”

“Yeah. Think so.”

“I’m sorry,” Harvey said, slicing her gloved hands through the air like someone was safe at home plate. “Ferals?” She only sounded a little panicked.

Trina and Lanny shared a look.

“I don’t know what that means,” Harvey said, “but I’m guessing a ‘feral’ werewolf is somehow worse than a regular one. It sounds worse.”

“Um,” Lanny said elegantly.

“It’s fine,” Trina said, and earned lifted, doubtful brows. “No, really. We’ll take care of it. Where was the body found?”

They got an address, and a few more details she’d gleaned from the detectives, and bid Harvey a good night.

In the hallway, headed for the exit, Lanny said, “I caught a whiff of a vamp, too.”

“Youwhat?”

“I didn’t wanna say it in front of Harvey and freak her out more. But, yeah. It was real faint, though. More like one of the wolves smelled like a vamp…? I dunno. I can’t explain it. But there’s one that’s put his stink on this, somehow.”

Trina sighed. “Nikita won’t be happy about that.”

“Is Nikita ever happy about anything?”

“He’s dealing with some stuff.” She heard the defensiveness in her voice, and pointedly didn’t glance Lanny’s way to catch whatever face he made in response. “Speaking of which: what exactly did you say to him tonight?”

They reached the heavy double doors at the exit and pushed through. The nights were getting colder, and Trina immediately wrapped her arms around herself as they walked to the railing that edged the loading dock, and leaned against it.

Lanny dug out a cigarette and took his time lighting it.

She cleared her throat.

“Hm. Yeah.” He made a face on his first exhale, turning his head to blow the smoke away from her. “I talked to him. Both of them, actually. Said they were being stupid, respectively.”

The news settled in her stomach, something akin to dread that she didn’t understand. “Shit.”

“Keep in mind they’ve been together a long time, babe. Longer than you’ve been alive. I’m sure they’ve been like this before.”

“Yeah.” But this seemed like it had to be different: it wasn’t just the two of them anymore. They’d become a part of a pack, perhaps unwillingly. And Nikita had finally met his son, and the tsarevich that had been a part of the family he’d been loyal to for so long. Sasha had been taken from him…That was a lot of change in a short span of time. “I just feel bad for them.”

Lanny nodded in understanding, and took another drag, gazing out over the half-dark parking lot.

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