Page 24 of The Blood Wolf

"Are you hurt anywhere? I can send for a doctor or a med-mage?" Thor asked.

Nicola felt her side. "My ribs are healed, just tender. Who do you think those men were that attacked us?"

"Hired mercenaries. All human. Fucking Kaleb just let them be slaughtered."

Nicola nodded. "That was my thinking too. I don't know how he could have tracked us."

"I don't know either because neither one of us is carrying a phone, and our warehouse is completely off the books," Thor said, rubbing a fleck of blood from his silver beard.

A cold sensation swept through Nicola, and she put down her cookie. "What if he put something in me when I was imprisoned? I was drugged and beaten. I was unconscious a lot, Thor."

Thor put an arm around her. "If that's the case, we will find something to scan you with and get it out of you. It doesn't matter how he tracked you because I'm never letting you go again. I'm always going to protect you."

Nicola rested her head on his warm shoulder and inhaled his warm scent. The panicked wolf inside of her settled in the alpha power he was exuding. It was a safety she had never felt before.

"Well, don't you two look cozy," a smooth voice said.

Nicola looked up at the stately vampire that had appeared in front of them. She might not know much about the vampire's hierarchy, but everyone in Inferno knew who Claudius Pelas was.

Thor was about as impressed with the chairman as he was with everyone, which was not at all. "About time you got here."

"What happened to your clothes?"

"We were attacked getting you the information. I…lost my temper," Thor replied.

Claudius arched a perfect brow. "Should I ask how much damage you did?"

"Less than they deserved."

"It's going to be a long night. I just know it. Very well, follow me and try not to drip blood everywhere," Claudius said, waving them into his office. "Thor tells me you have been through quite the ordeal, Miss Markides. I hope it was worth it."

"If you let me use a laptop, I'll show you exactly why it was worth it," Nicola said, pulling the USB from her bra and offering it to him.

Claudius smirked as he took it and retrieved a laptop from his desk drawer. "It's password protected," he pointed out.

Nicola smiled. "Because I'm not an idiot, that's why. May I?"

Once Claudius nodded, she pulled a chair around to his side of the desk and took over.

Nicola had been careful to collate the files into a proper database because she needed a way to keep track of what she was finding. Claudius might have been as old as dirt, but he was sharp as a blade and followed everything she did. After twenty minutes, he let out a soft mutter in a language she didn't know. It sounded like a curse.

"We are going to need to send teams in to shut these operations down. They can't be vampires either." Claudius leaned back in his chair. "What a mess."

"It could have been worse. They could have started to use all of this to start a war with the vampires. He probably has stashes of these specialized bullets here in Inferno already. Anything bio is still being held in Cyprus," Nicola replied.

"If that were the case, why didn’t he arm the wolves that attacked Thor's territory?"

Thor said, "Because he thought that it wouldn't be necessary with only three wargs in residence. The next time he comes, he might be a bit smarter and arm them. Even then, they probably won't do the damage to us like it would a normal vamp."

Claudius hummed thoughtfully. "You think he's going to be stupid enough to attack you again?"

"He sent human mercenaries after us today, so I'm guessing he will be," Thor said. He glanced at Nicola. "We think he might have put a tracker in her. I don't suppose you have something to check."

"I'll message security," Claudius said, drawing a phone from his pocket and tapping away. "Vampires can easily hide weapons under their skin to pull out when they need them, so we have scanners."

Nicola was nauseous just thinking about the thought of Kaleb putting a device inside of her. Did he know that she would escape? Or was it so if she gave into being his mate that he would have always known exactly where she was? That there would have been no way to agree to mating and then flee the city as soon as she could?

There was a short rap at the door, and a guard entered with a wand as long as his arm that had a screen attached to it. Nicola was made to stand very still with her arms and legs wide as the guard moved it over her. She was holding her breath when it finally beeped.