“Still at Coolers. He’s not with a woman. I’d know that. I mean, he’s really gone. You didn’t send him on an assignment, did you?”
“When would I have found time to do that?”
“I don’t know. I’m asking on the off chance. I’m worried.”
He sounded it, and Brody wasn’t often worried. Nell felt Cormac behind her, his body heat on her back. He’d put on his jeans, but not his shirt.
“When did you last see him?” she asked Brody.
“Sitting at the table we all snagged in the first place. You and Cormac were dancing by the time Shane and I got back with the drinks. Then you two left, and Jace and a human girl came to sit with us. The human girl was way more interested in Jace than us. Shane went off to see if he could find someone for himself, and Jace and the girl went to dance. I sat there for a long time. Shane never came back, so I started looking for him. He was just gone.”
“How do you know he didn’t find someone to be with? Or a friend to talk to? Or didn’t give up and go back home?”
“Because he would have told me. Plus, he would have had to catch a ride, since you and Cormac took off in the pickup. I never saw him leave with anyone, and neither did anyone I asked.”
Nell’s concern started to pick up, but she tried to stay calm. “He could have gone out to find a bus. Or a taxi.”
“I’d have picked up the scent if he’d walked to a bus stop or even got into a taxi in front. There’s nothing. I can’t find his scent at all, but there’s so many here it’s confusing. He’s not in any of the back rooms, or in any of the cars in the parking lot. I looked. He vanished into thin air, and Shane’s pretty big. Hard for him to do that.”
Nell’s palm sweated where she clutched the phone. She knew Cormac had heard every word, Shifter hearing being what it was—not that Brody was being quiet.
“Don’t worry yet,” Nell said. “There’s no reason anything should have happened.”
Even as she said it, her heart squeezed with fear. Human hunters were allowed to hunt and kill un-Collared Shifters for bounty, and sometimes they didn’t bother checking whether the Shifter they’d caught had a Collar or not.
Then again, most hunters went out to the wild places, where feral Shifters were more likely to be found eking out an existence. Hunters didn’t hang around parking lots of dance clubs in the middle of the city.
“Who’s there with you?” Nell asked.
“Jace, for now. Looks like Graham and that girl he likes, plus a couple of his Lupines. I don’t see anyone ranking except Graham and Jace.”
“Well, don’t raise the alarm for now. We can’t start a major panic and then find out Shane’s in a broom closet making out with his latest conquest.”
“I know. But I thought I should tell you, even though I know you’re . . . busy.”
“I’m not writhing in a naked sexual frenzy, Brody.”
“Goddess, Mom, please don’t talk about naked sexual frenzies. I’m upset enough about Shane without that picture in my head.”
“Tough. I have a life. But my cubs come first. I’ll be right there.”
“No, no.” Brody’s words came in swift distress. “You don’t have to. I’ll find him. Don’t interrupt your date. I just thought you’d want to know.”
“Why do you assume I’m on a date? I could have dumped Cormac by the side of the road and be home alone in a bubble bath.”
“I know you didn’t, because I saw how you were looking at him when you two were dancing.” He raised his voice a little. “Good job, Cormac.”
Cormac leaned over Nell’s shoulder. “Thank you. I’ll come back with her. I think you’re right that we need to find Shane.” He looked at Nell, his blue eyes close. “Even if he’s only making out in a broom closet.”
“No, really . . .” Brody began.
“We’re coming,” Nell said firmly, and clicked off the phone. She looked up at Cormac, who hadn’t moved an inch. “Sorry.”
“You’re right. Cubs come first.”
“Shane’s a hundred years old and bigger than I am. When am I going to believe he can take care of himself?”
Cormac slid an arm around her waist. “Not until he’s taking care of you.” He kissed her cheek. “Come on. I’ll drive you down.”
CHAPTER SIX
A light snow had fallen while they’d been in the cabin, and white dusted the roads. Cormac took it slowly, the narrow ribbon of road with its hairpin turns and no guardrail at times heart-stopping.
They made it back to the main road, the snow vanishing as they wound down to the desert floor. The air was still cold when they made the turn to the 95, but less icy.
The parking lot at Coolers was still full. The place closed at two, and it was one thirty, but Shifters would linger until the last minute, before taking their party back to Shiftertown.
Brody came out the front door when Cormac pulled up before it. The bouncer—tonight a large Lupine who worked for Graham—watched as Brody half-dragged, half-helped Nell from the truck.
“I seriously can’t find him, Mom. And yes, I checked the broom closets.”
“I never saw him leave,” the bouncer said. “Ma’am.”
“Let’s not panic,” Nell said, adjusting her wrap. “We’re talking about Shane. He’s not stupid.”
She walked inside past the bouncer as Cormac roared off to park the truck. The club was still going strong—plenty of dancers, loud music, and Shifters at the bar.
After the safe, snug cabin alone with Cormac, the weight of all the people crashed into Nell’s senses. Too many sights, scents, sounds. She wanted to find a nice quiet den somewhere and hole up to think about what had just happened with Cormac.
She kept walking, scanning the dark crowd, hoping she’d spot her tall oldest son dancing in slow interest with a female. She knew that Brody would have been thorough, though, or he wouldn’t have called.
Nell smelled wolf before she saw him—Graham, the leader of the large group of Lupines who’d joined their Shiftertown in November.
“Haven’t seen him,” Graham said before Nell could speak. “We’ve all looked. Brody’s pretty sure he didn’t leave with a woman.”
“What if he left with a man?” the young woman who’d walked up to Graham’s side asked. She had brown hair in a French braid and wore a dress similar to Nell’s, except it was bright red. Graham slid an arm around her waist, and the Lupines who had approached with Graham subtly widened the space between themselves and the young woman.
Graham answered, “If you mean Shane decided he’s gay, I doubt it.”
“I meant, maybe he didn’t necessarily leave for nookie,” the girl—Misty—said. “People can talk to each other without having sex.”
Graham grunted a laugh. “People, sure. Shifters, not always. Mating frenzies hit hard.”
Misty shrugged. “Still, you should find out who he was talking to before he left. Maybe he went off to another bar to play pool with someone.”
Brody heaved a long sigh. “I thought of that. I’ve been asking. No one noticed. I didn’t notice.”
Nell sensed a tingling warmth at her back, and she looked over her shoulder, expecting Cormac to be right behind her.
No, he’d only walked in the front door. Holy Mother Goddess. She felt his presence all the way across a crowded room, over blaring music, and above the scents of Shifters who’d been sweating on the dance floor. Nell was aware of every step Cormac took from the door to her, the tingle growing the nearer he came.
Bad sign. Very bad sign.
Cormac stopped an inch behind Nell and slightly to her right, his warmth encompassing her. His position would let him easily move in front of her to block an attack by Graham, or swing around to guard her back if necessary. Protective and efficient.