Page 40 of A Skirl of Sorcery
‘He’s unavailable.’ Ribbit was already closing the gate. I thrust out my hand and stopped him. ‘It’s important.’
‘It doesn’t matter if the fate of the world rests on him,’ he growled. ‘He’s not talking to anyone today.’
This was a familiar dance so I didn’t lose my patience. ‘He owes me. In case you’ve forgotten, I rescued his nephew from a horrible fate.’
‘Nick isn’t available either. It’s the morning after the full moon, lady. Nobody is available.’
Tiddles had started to growl as I prepared to argue further but then a voice rang out from the courtyard. It was the crystal-clear feminine tone belonging to the one MacTire I would never, ever underestimate. ‘I’ve got this, Mikey,’ Samantha said. ‘You can go inside.’
Ribbit didn’t need telling twice and he vanished in a breath. A moment later, the familiar face of the MacTire beta wolf appeared.
‘Hi Samantha,’ I said cheerfully. ‘How was your full moon?’
She didn’t smile. ‘Great.’
She appeared as poised as the last time I’d seen her, so it was hard to believe that only hours before she’d been padding thecity streets with four paws and a tail. Samantha’s inner wolf was very well contained.
‘I assume that you’re here for a reason, Ms McCafferty,’ she said icily.
I beamed at her. ‘Yep! I need to speak to Alexander as soon as possible.’
If Samantha was annoyed that I was on first-name terms with her alpha, she didn’t show it. ‘He’s unavailable.’
‘It’s important.’
Her expression didn’t change. ‘He’s still unavailable.’
When Tiddles arched her back and hissed, Samantha flicked her a narrow-eyed look. Shockingly, the cat backed down. Tiddles was more intelligent than she appeared and she’d recognised that Samantha MacTire was a true predator.
‘Perhaps you can help me, then,’ I said.
She folded her arms but at least she didn’t slam the gate in my face. ‘Go on.’
‘I need to find a young werewolf as quickly as possible. I don’t know his name and I’ve only seen him in wolf form, but I know he’s not long out of adolescence. He’s got silver fur and his tail is tipped with black. He’s kind of bolshy, likes a fight, and,’ I thought about Silver’s trailing companions, ‘despite his youth, he has alpha potential.’
Samantha stared at me without speaking.
‘I don’t expect you to know every werewolf in Coldstream,’ I told her, ‘but I have a feeling you might know this one. I have to find him. Do you have any idea who he is?’
She tossed her head and snorted. ‘Of course I know who he is. The question is why don’tyouknow who he is?’
I blinked. I didn’t have the sense that she was being disingenuous. ‘I don’t know what you mean,’ I said slowly.
‘We all know who you spend your time with, Ms McCafferty. I thought that you and Thane Barrow were close – but perhaps you’re not as close as you realise.’
‘Go on.’
‘The werewolf you’re talking about is getting quite a reputation – he’s been causing problems across the city, although that’s not a surprise given his family connections.’ She grinned. ‘He’s called Cayden. Cayden Barrow.’
I didn’t move a muscle.
Samantha’s eyes danced. ‘He’s Thane Barrow’s half-brother.’
Chapter
Eighteen
Ididn’t say a word to Tiddles until we were on the tram heading past Hirsel Street towards the outskirts of Migden where the old Barrow pack stronghold was located, then I asked her, ‘Why didn’t you tell me?’
