“That sounds like it would take a long time. Maybe they changed it,” Tristen suggested.
Lily sighed as she looked around. “That’s what I’m afraid of,” she admitted then looked to James. “Think you can break through it.”
“Maybe but it’s getting late and she should get back,” James said looking at Tristen.
Lily could see some irritation cross the girl’s face. She seemed to be enjoying their little hunt or at least being out. “You search, I’ll take her back okay.”
James nodded, turning his back to them and his attention to the task.
“Alright, let’s go Tris,” Lily said.
Tristen sighed with her own nod and followed Lily back. “I know it’s tough,” Lily said as they walked. “Being reminded how weak you are compared to everyone else around you.”
“Yeah it does,” Tristen said. “Zander’s the worst though. It seems like his mission is to make me feel like some bottom feeder.”
“He’s been bothering you?” Lily asked, feeling her anger start to warm up.
“Yes and no. It’s not like he’s searching me out to push me into the locker type of thing but every time he sees me, it’s like has to prove how pathetic I am. It’s just annoying.”
“Well then we’ll just have to show that little punk how wrong he is,” Lily offered, grinning down at her.
“Oh that sounds like fun,” Tristen said, looking eager.
“Oh it will be. Trust me, if there is one thing I know, it’s how to get payback,” Lily said then laughed maniacally.
When James finished searching for scents he had a raging headache and not much to show for his effort. He’d managed to pick up traces but they just lead him to a small side road. It looked like they got in a car and there’d be no way he could track them. When he returned to the hotel room, Donovan came up to him.
“Find anything?” The fairy asked, his typical half smirk on his face.
It was one that made James want to smack right off of his face. “Not really,” he admitted, despite the urge to be a pain in Donovan’s ass. “It looks like they got in a car, but I’m hoping Nick or his brother can maybe pinpoint possible places they can be holed up in.”
“Sounds good,” Donovan said then his smirk grew and James knew what the fairy was going to say next he wasn’t going to like. “Now about Lily,” he started.
“What about her,” James asked, glaring at him suspiciously.
“You need to step it up, man. She is getting downright bitchy,” Donovan said. “You definitely aren’t banging her good enough if she’s that grumpy.” His smirk was now full of cocky arrogance as he added, “If you need help. I don’t mind taking her for a ride.”
“The hell you will! Get that damn idea out of your head right now,” James snarled at him.
The fairy laughed a loud laugh that had several heads turning to see what was so funny. “Lily is right,” he said then laid his large hand on James’ shoulder in a friendly slap, that would’ve sent weaker men flying. “You are way too easy!” His expression turned serious. “But seriously though. I haven’t seen her like this in a long time.”
“She’s getting hungrier and hungrier,” James said a little sore about being the subject of jokes between the fairy and Lily.
“Ahhh, that’ll do it. What’s she doing about it,” he asked and James told him about the vampire lord’s offer. “Well I don’t know much about the frenchie vamp but Dorin trusts him. If Dorin trusts him then so can all of us,” Donovan told him.
James crossed his arms over his chest with a sigh. Maybe the fairy was right. “James, what do you got for me,” Nick demanded, jerking his head towards the hotel for James to follow him.
James nodded to Donovan and followed the alpha wolf into the center of command. Once there he explained what he’d found. “Maybe we should call Greg?” Chris offered.
“Greg?” Mitchel demanded. “Who is that and why isn’t he here if he could help?”
Chris seemed to shrink a little under the older wolf’s gaze and James decided to answer for him. “Greg’s not big on traveling and usually everything he can do to help he can do at home,” he explained and enjoyed his dad’s look of confusion. “He’s like me but more omega and a computer guy,” James added.
“How exactly is an omega supposed to help us exactly,” Mitchell demanded. His tone making it obvious he didn’t think much of omegas if James didn’t know that already. His father despised anything he deemed at weak.
“By thinking of things we haven’t thought of and quickly finding the places around here that the vampires could be hiding in that we don’t know about,” James replied, sharply. He considered the Omega a friend and a valuable member of his pack.
“I doubt an omega would know anything about the vampires or anything for that matter that we don’t already know,” his dad barked.
James growled at him, ready to defend his friend but Nick broke in before he could get in a word. “You say the traces completely disappeared along this road?” Nick asked, pointing to a map. “There isn’t’ much out there and it doesn’t go anywhere near the old lab. That part of the woods is mostly private lots for hunters or hunting associations”
“Sounds like the perfect place to hide to me,” Chris jumped in.
James had to agree with him. This Vincent obviously wouldn’t hesitate to take out a few humans for a good, low-key spot to hide. “Maybe it’s time you touched base with a few of these hunters or associations. See if you catch anything odd while I’ll get Greg to look up the properties and the area and see what he can find,” he explained.
“We don’t need to bring in any omegas,” Mitchell. “What we need is to form a strong offensive and hit them hard. An Omega would know nothing about this.”
“Greg has saved my ass more than once which is more than I can say for you,” James shot back.
“There was nothing I could do for you. You were weak enough to let a group of humans silver you! Weak enough to let an omega turn you into a monstrous freak,” he replied.
“I was thirteen you bastard! How is one thirteen-year-old boy suppose to fight off a group of grown men,” James growled at him.
“You were a werewolf and a Lacrosse! They were just stupid humans! You should’ve been able to tear them apart easily,” his dad insisted.
James felt rage build up inside him like he hadn’t felt in a long time. He balled his hands into fists. He wanted to hit that man. He wanted to beat him bloody until there was nothing left put a messy stain on the floor. “I’ve heard of this omega. I hear he’s quite effective,” Lord Etienne said from behind them. James felt his rage dim and he released his hands from the fists they were in. “He’s the one that helped you during the capture of Silvano, correct?”
“Yeah, and he helped Lily find James when Silvano kidnapped him,” Chris said quickly. James was glad he left out the part that Greg only was able to help because Silvano had used his vampiric persuasion to make Greg kidnap James and take him to Silvano’s hideout, in the first place.