Varian leaned forward. “How long will it take you?”
“A few hours if I know where to look, less if I can shift to cover more ground.”
“I can’t allow that.”
“You said I was free to roam.”
“You are, but in your human form... for now. There’s much tension in the air, at the moment, among wolves and humans, and I haven’t had enough time to warn all folk of your presence.”
It made sense, but Zio couldn’t imagine his wolf ever living with such restriction. He waited for Devan to argue his case, to fight for whatever beast lurked within the man, but it didn’t happen.
Devan sat back in his seat. “As you wish. Perhaps a wolf could accompany me then?”
“Of course. Zio knows the land the best. He’ll take you.”
Zio sighed.Super.
* * *
Zio brought Varian’s car round to the front of the house and tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, waiting for Devan to emerge. In another life, he might’ve found it funny that he’d somehow become a taxi driver for a Shadow Clan healer, but there was nothing funny about the prospect of spending the rest of the day cooped up with a scent that drove him insane. Or with a man who hadn’t met Zio’s gaze the entire time they’d sat next to each other.
Fuck. It’s gonna be a long day.
And an even longer night, if the plans they’d drawn up in the meeting came together. Zio ran through them over and over, calculating risks, weighing them against the advantage they could gain by destroying the southern pack’s recon unit. The enemy would find replacements soon enough, but maybe it would buy enough time to retake some much-needed territory.
The passenger door opened. Despite the supercharged energy running through Zio, he jumped a mile and glared at Devan. “Don’t fucking sneak up on me.”
Devan raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t. Perhaps you’re not as alert as you think you are.”
He spoke mildly, and Zio wanted to punch him. But a wave of scent hit him before he could clench his fist, and fighting quickly became the last thing on his mind.
Zio swallowed hard. “Whatever. Get in.”
Devan slid into the passenger seat and shut the door behind him. The potency of his scent increased tenfold, and any hope that Zio may’ve harboured that he could handle being alone with Devan like this evaporated as though it had never been there at all.
He shivered.
Devan finally looked at him. “Everything okay?”
Not trusting himself to speak, Zio nodded and started the car. He pulled onto the road that would take them out of the military compound and through the township—a place Devan must’ve explored already if the stocked fridge was anything to go by.
Case in point, they passed the supermarket that sold Zio’s favourite pizzas. Despite every nerve being tensed to breaking point, his stomach betrayed him and growled like a malfunctioning tractor.
Devan chuckled quietly. “Why don’t you just eat? Or are you some kind of masochist?”
It was an accusation that had been thrown at him before, and he couldn’t deny that he was starving. Besides, stopping for food would give him a break from Devan’s scent—Seriously? You’ve been in the car five minutes.
Zio pulled over anyway. “Do you want anything?”
“Nope.”
“Fine.” Zio got out of the car and slammed the door loud enough for a human family to turn and stare at him. He stared back until they uncomfortably looked away, then jogged into the shop.
The supermarket sold hot pizzas from a counter by the checkouts. Zio bought a whole large pizza and ate three slices on his way back to the car.
He offered the box to Devan. “Sure you don’t want some?”
“No thanks. I don’t eat mushrooms.”