“I like him for it,” Jim said. “And the kid thinks he’s an asshole.”

Thank you, Derek.

Curran pushed himself from the wall. “Either he’s the upir or he’s not. How would we find out?”

Doolittle stirred. “The only way to know for sure, m’lord, is to scan a blood sample. Blood can’t hide the magic when separated from the body. Time is of the essence in this matter. The less time the blood has to degrade, the better. I suggest we take a portable scanner.”

“If he is what we think he is,” the alpha-wolf said softly, “we’ll have to go in force.”

“And I doubt he would volunteer the sample.” Mahon said.

“We can’t compel him,” the alpha-wolf said.

To compel a person to give a blood sample with the purpose of scanning it was illegal. It was a violation of privacy and the courts have been adamantly enforcing it. If Crest proved to be human, he could make enough of a stink to keep the Pack in hot water for years.

“Not to mention that he’ll know who all of you are,” I said.

They mulled it over.

“It doesn’t matter,” Curran said. “We solve this now.”

“DOESN’T FEEL SO GOOD, DOES IT?” JENNIFER SAID to me as we left the black van that ferried us to Crest’s apartment.

“No.”

“It’ll be okay,” she said and we both knew she lied.

The tight pack of shapechangers cleared the stairs to the lobby. A clerk was on duty, a thin, red-headed man, who started to rise at our approach. Curran nodded to him as if they had known each other for years and the man sank back into his seat.

The six of us took the stairs at a run, Curran in the lead, followed by Jim, Jennifer, Doolittle, and me. Aunt B’s oldest son brought up the rear. He chose to carry a shotgun.

We reached the door to Crest’s apartment. Behind me Aunt B’s son blocked the stairs. I wondered if the shotgun was for me, in case I developed second thoughts.

My stomach tightened. It felt wrong. I should’ve come alone. I shouldn’t have let them pull me along. I will not put myself into this situation again.

Curran knocked on the door. Crest’s voice said, “Hello?”

Curran looked at me.

“This is Kate,” I said. “I’m not alone and I need to talk to you.”

A silence issued as he digested it and the door swung open. Crest looked slightly disheveled. He gazed at the stone-faced gathering outside his doorstep and stepped back. “Come in.”

We did. The shapechangers spread through the house, and Crest found himself enclosed in a ring. They maintained their distance, a few feet between them and the human in the middle. Just enough room to gain momentum for a leap without getting in each other’s way.