I hopped in my car and sped off so fast that the tires screeched. A smart woman never brushes off her instincts, and mine were pinging off the charts.

When I reached a red light, I dialed Lexi’s number.

“This is the party to whom you are speaking.”

“Izzy?”

“Oh, shoot,” I heard her say. “I must have grabbed the wrong phone. I’m sorry. Who is this?”

“It’s Naya.”

“Right,” she said with a laugh. “Sorry about that. Hold on just a second.”

I looked around, anxiously waiting for the light to turn green. The city was teeming with other Breeds, but it wasn’t typical to find them on the human side of town at this hour.

“Naya? It’s Lexi. What’s going on?”

“Nothing, girl. I just want to keep you on the phone until I get home. I’m almost there.” The light turned green and I floored it. “I left work early because the wine at dinner made me too sleepy to dance.”

“Sorry about that. Hope you don’t get in trouble. Swing by! We’re just sitting around playing cards and munching on snacks. Well, actually we’re playing Go Fish with Maizy”—her voice became stern—“who should be in bed.”

That wasn’t a bad idea. I took a sharp turn and headed their way. She lived close, and that would allow me to get out on an open stretch of road to make sure no one was following me.

“Sounds perfect,” I said. “I won’t stay long; I need to head home and take care of—”

“The hairball.”

“Well, that’s not very polite.” Lexi and I often bantered about my little cat, but I never took it personally.

“No, Naya is coming over for a little while,” Lexi said to someone else. “Where do you think you’re going? We’re still in the middle of a game.”

“Hello? Lexi?”

“Sorry about that, Naya. I’m listening. Is something wrong? You don’t usually drop in so unexpectedly.”

“We’ll talk when I get there. See you soon, darling.”

Ten minutes later, I pulled into their driveway. The Weston pack lived in a grand home that had once been a hotel in its heyday. Someone had recently built a carport to shelter a couple of the cars, but what they really needed was a garage if they wanted to protect them from hail. I carefully weaved around a blue truck and parked beside Austin’s black Dodge Challenger.

Darkness blanketed the property, but lights from inside the house shone onto the wooden porch that wrapped around the front and side of the house. I got out of the car and glanced behind me as I ascended the steps. The humid air put a dewy sheen on my face and I dabbed at it, realizing I had forgotten to wipe off my heavy work makeup.

The door swung open before I could pull a tissue out of my purse.

A grin slid up Denver’s face, and he leaned on the doorjamb. “I didn’t know you delivered.”

“Don’t be obtuse,” I said, moving around him. “Lexi invited me.”