Bonedust

also looked…determined, he decided. Determined to beat this.
    He would help Urban catch a psycho werewolf, collect the zaels, and hitch the next Aerbus out of town. He’d be far, far away before night fell. And then? Then he would find Dante.
    A rapping on the door made Gabriel startle, swinging open the door to come face to face with Urban. He held a large, gleaming gun in his hand, sliding it into the holster at his hip. “You ready?”
    “As I’ll ever be.”

Chapter Four

    “So what’s the deal?” Urban leaned back against the tree trunk, arms crossed over his chest as he studied the werewolf’s face. Micah Tanner was a typical wolf—looked younger than he was, with long chestnut hair pulled back in a braid down the middle of his back and fierce, wolf-gold eyes. But he was the Alpha of Dublith and rightfully so: He radiated a sort of strength that made even Urban want to obey the bastard.
    He caught a glimpse of Gabriel out of the corner of his eye. Even covered up with clothes, the man was sexy as hell. Made Urban want to strip him down slowly and have him on the forest floor with the wolves all around them. He licked his lips and winked at him. Gabriel was too busy keeping his eye on Pandora.
    The sleek hound sat at Urban’s side, her eyes focused on the task at hand. Sure, Pannie could be neurotic, destructive, and a royal pain in the ass, but put her on the job? She was switched on, baby. Urban dropped a hand to fondle Pandora’s ear and she leaned into the touch with a thump of her tail smacking the ground.
    “Reese is one of our newest members. She was given knowledge of the Pack beforehand. She was the decided mate of one of my wolves. She had accepted the initiation and was doing fine before she just…snapped.” Micah whistled an annoyed breath through his nose. “As it turns out, she was on anti-psychotics, and add pharmaceuticals with the were toxin and you get psycho wolf. She killed a man this morning on the edge of Dublith—true, he was just some poor, homeless bastard, so the Suits aren’t looking into it, but still. Anyone who pisses her off could be a target. I need her home so we can wean her off the drugs so she can become stable.”
    “Doesn’t sound like someone who needs anti-psychotics to live as a human would make a very good werewolf, babe,” Urban said, eyebrow raised.
    “And that is none of your business,” Micah snapped back. “Twenty five zaels now. Twenty five when you get back.” He held out a little silk bag which jangled as he plopped it into Urban’s waiting palm. Urban slid it into his pocket and nodded. “Done before midnight or the deal’s off.”
    “How do you know I won’t just take this purse and hightail it?”
    “Seriously, Winters? I know your reputation. You’re a greedy motherfucker—twenty five more zaels means you’ll be back, with my wolf.” Micah’s smile widened into a feral grin. “Otherwise, there are other ways of hunting you down.”
    His gaze slid to Gabriel and the man took a step back with a sharp nod. “Good. Thank you.” He pulled a sealed baggie of assorted items out of his pocket and handed it to Urban. “Her scent. Hopefully that hound of yours is well trained.” Then he turned his back and the two other men flanking him—wolves Urban assumed were his Betas—followed suit.
    “Ready, Gabe?” Urban pulled a skimpy black lace bra out of the bag and waved it in the air. Pandora snapped her head up as he offered her the garment. She breathed in the scent, nosing it with her muzzle before turning away. Head dropping to the ground, she took off at a quick trot and played the part of a hound dog perfectly. “We’re on it. Hope you can keep up!” he called to Gabriel as he took off.
    Gabriel kept pace beside him as they wound through the woods and into Dublith. The town was small and somewhat seedy looking, the buildings made of brick and stone. The late afternoon sun beamed down on their backs and Urban had to wipe the sweat dripping down his nose with the back of his sleeve. At least the town didn’t stink of the big city—sex and exhaust and hot asphalt.
    Pandora hesitated at the street, lifting her nose as if she’d lost the scent. She glanced back at Urban with a ‘come on, idiot, I’m waiting for you!’ look before taking off again. Urban and Gabriel rushed after her as she broke into a lope.
    Two men running after a dirgehound was probably a funny sight to the people of Dublith, who were watching