30. Lucien

It has been three days since Kieran left. I still am unsure exactly where he is, but I look forward to his messages each day when I wake. At least that way, I know he is still alive.

Neither Tristan nor the mage have been back to the tube station where we found the ward, and the hunters and wolves have stalked practically the whole line now. The wolves have confirmed something I did not know we had to fear—the mage appears to have altered Tristan's scent somewhat. It is not entirely unrecognisable, and they know he has been in and out of wolf territory, but by their telling, it is difficult to be sure when and where he is spending most of his time.

Armed with this knowledge, we are all focused tonight. The fact that Tristan has tried to outwit us at every turn appears to have unleashed the wolves' notoriously competitive nature, and I find myself in a team with three wolves—Julian, who I met briefly at Bite, Kane, and Cecile—and Nora.

I know Vasile asked her to come along, and truthfully, I am glad for it. He wants me to spend more time with her, to be certain of my judgement, and I have seen nothing of her that suggests she would be a terrible liaison to the clan. She quickly made friends with Cecile, the young wolf warming up to her immediately.

Kane pauses at the corner of an empty street, nostrils flaring as he searches the shadows. "Nothing," he grumbles, wide shoulders slumping. Cecile mutters a curse, but it is Julian who steps up, placing a hand on the back of Kane's neck.

All the tension leeches out of Kane's frame at the smaller wolf's touch. Nora has paused next to me, though she does not appear to be watching the wolves quite as closely.

"We should take a break," I say lowly. The wolves all look at me in surprise.

"You're sure?" Cecile asks. She is easy to smile, though even she seems worn down by tonight's search. She is also the only wolf who seems truly relaxed around me. I am not sure if that is down to the fact that she has no animosity towards vampires or because she could likely best me in a fight if it came to that.

Probably neither. She is probably just kind.

"Yes. We need to regroup and decide where to move next."

This statement is met with agreement, and I follow Julian and Kane into a park, where the five of us quickly take up two benches. Cecile and Nora sit next to each other, instantly poring over the map. We have marked where our team and Elle's are searching tonight—we need to cover as much ground as possible, while staying close enough together to ensure we can provide backup, should it come to that.

As Cecile's head bends next to Nora, both scrutinising the best next move, I walk some way away to call Adam and check in.

"Everything okay?" Adam asks. Like me, he is hunting tonight, still sticking with Njáll's team in clan territory.

"We have found nothing yet," I say. "We have heard nothing from Elle's team, either."

"What about the wolves?"

"They cannot pick up much more than we can. Even with all the CCTV… He is managing to get around the city incredibly well."

Adam huffs. "Fucker."

"Magic helps, I suppose." I lean against a tree. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, we've found nothing either. Sam's fine, too. I called him earlier. I, uh… I don't think Kieran's been texting him, you know?"

I feel bad for Sam and angry at Kieran for leaving him in the dark when he has to know his friend will worry. Still, every message I receive soothes something deep inside me, even if it does nothing to bank the anger.

"I did not know that." I sigh. "Hopefully, he will return soon, and at least that will be done with."

Adam hums. The sound tells me he is not sure it would be, and I suppose he is right. Tristan has fed from—and killed—four humans over the past two days, gorging himself. Is he preparing for something?

I feel as though a storm is coming and we are unprepared to weather it.

"You going back to the clan house tonight?"

"No. Will you be at the flats?"

"Yeah, I'll go there." I hear voices behind Adam and for a moment, he is distracted. "Gotta go. See you in the morning."

I walk back over to the others. My chest still feels warm, but it is also growing tight, and I am not certain if it is because we need to move soon or if it is just the result of my own worries. I know Tristan is not here with us. Mage or not, the wolves would sniff him out.

Kane and Julian are pressed together on the other bench, ignoring Cecile and Nora as they continue to discuss what we should do. Julian's hand is on Kane's thigh as he murmurs in Kane's ear.

"It's not your fault," he says. He squeezes Kane's leg gently. "They've been looking for him for weeks."

"I should be able to track one vampire."

"We all should. But they said he's got a mage, right? What do you think you can do about that?"

Kane sighs heavily. "Nothing," he says, his tone resigned.

Julian grins and leans in to nip at his earlobe. "Good boy," he says. "Remember what I told you?"

"Some things are out of my control."

"That's it." Julian's hand moves. He presses it against Kane's chest. The spot is not over his heart, where I might expect it to be.

It is right where I hurt. Right where I can suddenly feel panic spiralling, anger chasing at its heels, and I turn away to catch my breath.

When I turn back, Julian and Nora are both watching me. Nora frowns.

"Are you okay?"

"Fine."

She nods and turns back to the map. I put my hand to my chest, trying to tamp down on the fear I am not sure is my own. Julian has not looked away. He tilts his head to one side, studying my face.

I thought him the youngest of the three wolves when we came out here, though I think he occupies a higher position in their pack hierarchy, but there is a shrewdness in his gaze now that I have not seen in the others.

"What's on your mind, vampire?" His smile is gentle, no bite to the word.

I take a step closer, which takes me further from Nora and Cecile. "You two are… mates?"

Kane looks up, taking me in as if seeing me for the first time.

"Yes," Julian says.

"How—How did you know?"

Kane's face screws up in confusion and his tone is incredulous when he says, "We can't not."

Julian's smile widens when he realises I do not understand. The possessive hand he has on the back of Kane's neck tightens. "The bond makes it clear, though just because there's a bond, doesn't mean you have to be mates. I've known a few people keep away from wolves they were compatible with."

"Why?"

"Sometimes you know where that path leads and it's nowhere good," Julian says with a shrug. "Mating bonds can be intense, too. There are some wolves who just don't want them."

"But you two…?"

Kane grins. "He's perfect for me."

Something pulses in my chest, a pain crying out to be answered. I swallow hard as Julian's eyes move over me again, this time more slowly. Does he know the question pushing against my lips? The suspicions I harbour that I do not want realised?

"I didn't know vampires could form mating bonds," Kane says.

"They can't," Julian says, and sympathy flashes in his eyes. "But wolves can bond with anything."

I nod faintly, keeping my hands firmly at my sides as I turn away. Cecile is still bent over the map, frowning as she searches for something.

Nora's eyes are on me, and I cannot read the expression on her face.

Nora and I part ways half an hour before dawn. She is heading back to the clan house and seems concerned that I will not be there during the day.

"Our building is perfectly safe," I say, although she has a point. The older buildings belonging to the clan—the ones in use before the mage wars—are warded, but the newer ones are not. We have not dealt with a powerful mage in any capacity for years. The treaty has ensured the clan has never dealt with a mage set against us. For almost two centuries, it has helped keep the peace.

What if we all end up breaking it now?

"Okay," she replies, though she seems reluctant. "I'll see you tomorrow night?"

"Of course."

I can already hear voices inside my flat as I arrive, and I smile to myself. Adam is not being particularly quiet, in contrast to Elle's low, soothing tones, but they both stop when I let myself in, Adam's face appearing in the living room doorway.

"Find anything?"

"Sadly not." I remove my shoes and join them in the room. Adam has an empty glass of blood by his elbow and shrugs when he sees me eyeing it.

"There's still a load in your fridge."

"I am not worried about that." I am worried about his feeding. I am still to only consume blood from a bag, but that restriction was never placed upon him.

"It's fine," Elle mutters. She has both of her legs over one arm of the sofa, her head resting on a cushion in the middle. "We didn't find anything, either. The wolves are running in circles."

I hum my agreement. "It was the same for us. The mage has interfered with Tristan's scent."

Adam sighs. "We're never going to find him, are we?"

"We will," Elle says, voice dark. "Even if Kieran never comes back. Tristan's not exactly patient."

Adam blanches, and I shoot Elle a look. He and Sam have clearly become friends, though I suspect Adam wants more than that. Elle sighs.

"Sorry," she says.

"Sam said he's safe," Adam mutters. "And he says Kieran has people looking after the shop and the gym, too. Why would he do all that if he's not coming back?"

Elle shrugs, but I frown. "He has people doing it? Not Sam?"

Adam shakes his head, and I head into the kitchen as another layer unravels. I really know nothing about this man. And now I have…

I force my hand away from my chest and open the fridge, remove one of the bags of blood and pour it into a glass. I can ask Julian more about the mating bond tomorrow night. It is not advisable, but I think I could even ask Deacon.

The thought turns over in my mind. Kieran is not a wolf. I have been close enough to him that I would have sensed it, and even if not, Deacon made no indication Kieran was one of his when we were at Bite.

Yet we have this bond…

I head back into the living room and drop into the armchair when I realise Adam has taken the other seat on the sofa.

"I've not met the hunter yet," he says.

"Who?" I ask.

Elle tips her head back to look at him.

"The liaison. Nora. She was there the night Tristan bit me, but—"

Elle smirks. "You don't remember much, huh?"

To my surprise, Adam flushes. Colour has always shown so easily on his pale skin. "I remember some of it," he mutters. "But no, not her."

"I still do not know much about her." I sigh. "I should make time to talk to her."

"We've been busy," Elle points out. "Not like these things come up while we hunt. But yeah, we can plan that—get her over here in the day or something. I don't know which clan she worked with before, though Moreau must."

"Then I can meet her?"

Elle nods. "We'll talk to her tonight. Get something planned." She looks at me. "Will that work?"

"Yes."

They leave not long after, and I settle into the silence of the flat, so preoccupied with thoughts of the bond that I have no mental space to spare for memories.

My phone buzzes on the table and I know, without looking, who has sent me a message.

I'm on my way back. All okay. We need to meet tomorrow night. It's almost over.

Almost over… I move my thumbs over the keyboard and then press the button on the side, turning the screen dark. I place the phone back on the table.

It is almost over? I do not know if I believe that.