Tom grabbed their stuff and got out. Kate followed him, without a backward glance at the red-faced driver. With an impotent blare on his horn, the man dodged back into the ragged traffic pushing down the avenue.

‘Are you OK?’ Tom asked her as they crossed to the sidewalk.

‘Of course I’m OK,’ she said crossly. ‘You shouldn’t have interfered, I can handle jerks like him.’

‘Sorry,’ Tom said, a little stung.

Kate sighed. ‘It’s the full moon,’ she reminded him, more gently. ‘The more stressed out you get, the more you lose control, the easier it is for the ’wolf to get a hold on you.’

Tom looked down at his scuffed boots, feeling the prickle on the back of his neck from the moonlight. He knew she was right. ‘So what do we do now?’

Kate had already taken her guidebook out of her rucksack. ‘I guess we start looking for the nearest hostel.’

‘Can we afford one?’

‘Nope. Not really. But at this hour I’d sooner find somewhere reputable to crash for the night.’

Tom sighed. ‘Too bad Blood’s not here to lend us an apartment. A bit of luxury would be nice right now.’ They’d made one good friend during their crazy time in New Orleans –Adam Blood, a high-class realtor and head of a small network that kept tabs on the dark side of the city. They both owed him their lives. But when he’d taken a stand against Marcie Folan, Blood had gained a formidable enemy. His life had been in great danger, so he’d gone into hiding.

‘Wonder where he is now?’ Kate murmured a little dreamily.

‘Living it up in the sun, somewhere.’ Tom forced a smile. ‘Lucky bastard.’ Shivering a little, he pulled up the collar of his denim jacket and walked to the corner of the street to find a street sign. ‘West 107th Street and Manhattan,’ he called to Kate.

She nodded and unfolded the gatefold map at the back of the book.

Tom shoved both hands deep in his pockets and pushed out a deep breath. The moon had placed an itch under his skin, like ants were crawling inside him. He paced up and down, avoiding the eyes of people drifting along the street. Any one of them could be a ’wolf, out looking for them. The lupine community was tight-knit despite the distance it spanned, and once the word was out against you, you weren’t safe anywhere. ‘Do you realise how many people there must be in Manhattan alone, never mind the boroughs?’

Kate knew what he was getting at, and swiftly rolled out her stock answer: ‘If Jicaque’s here, we’ll find him.’