Thorne whistled through his teeth, slapped his thigh then punched in the air, shouting. “Hell, let’s do this, Q! Come on, what’ve you got to lose?”

He turned to look at his friend who seemed high as a damn kite. His face lit up like a firecracker. “My sanity for one? And what if I lose it again while we’re out there? The streets are packed with humans, Thorne, packed! Who the hell is going to stop me if that happens? I almost lost my shit earlier . . . I was so close it scared the hell out of me. I’ve never felt like that before. Ever. I . . .”

“Exactly.” Jana broke in. “It’s the Thirst, Quinn. You need to come with me. Now. Before it’s too late and you go down the rabbit hole into insanity where nobody can bring you back. The only chance you have is to be united with your Bloodmate and our team is your best chance at that. Trust me, Quinn. Trust me.”

Trust her? Did she know what she was asking of him? Trust her to walk out of here into the unknown while he wasn’t completely in control of himself? She was the damn Directive. He didn’t trust anyone completely, apart from Thorne and possibly Ace, but The Directive? No. He’d never trust them . . . could he? But Flint trusted her. She’d dropped everything that time in Scotland to come to his aid. Off the books. She’d fought for him, tooth and claw, down and dirty and then calmly went back to her job without telling a soul what she’d done.

Maybe he could trust her . . . just this once.

“Fine.” Quinn sighed, canting his head and staring hard at Jana. “I don’t trust easily, but you came through for Flint so I’ll trust you here and now, Jana . . . don’t make me regret my decision.”

Her lip tugged up on the left, just one side, and her eyes twinkled mischievously, her hand reaching to grab a firm hold of his and pulling him up. “Good choice. Let’s go.”

“Now?”

“Yes. Now.” She rushed to the door, almost tearing it from the hinges as she flung it open and hurrying out. Ace waited in the corridor, his men further spread out along the hallway. “Keep up or get left behind. Where are your vehicles?” she asked him as she made her way past.

“Out back now.” Ace spat out. “Street out front was too packed.”

“Good, let’s go and hurry,” she ordered, checking her cell again she held it up to Ace. “That’s where we’re heading, if the team we’re going to meet changes location then I’ll let you know.”

Ace looked to Quinn who nodded his assent and he took off, barking orders as he went.

Thorne moved up to cover his back, whispering, “Can you believe this shit?”

“No,” was all he managed because he simply couldn’t dare to. Not until it was proved positive to him. He couldn’t dare to dream. Not now. Not until . . . not until . . . no. He wouldn’t even think about it. Not yet.

Instead he focused on the task at hand as they arrived at the dark alley running behind the club. After getting into the SUV’s, Jana gave Ace directions again to ensure he was certain where they were going, then settling back beside him he started asking questions. “Who’s in this team, apart from the Witch, Henry?”

“It’s led by Delia Constanzo, she’s a Vampire, a day-walker in case you’re wondering, so she’s strong and a capable leader. She’s been part of our organization for a very long time, in various divisions, and Magno hand-picked her for this as he did the other two. The other member is one of your countrymen, Mac Ferguson, and he’s a Wolf. He’s a great tracker, obviously, but he and Delia have worked together for years so they work extremely well as a team. Henry Grimes is the Witch who tries to pinpoint the Bloodmates and he’s had some success, and he’s good at his job, he’s pretty powerful and put them all together and we’ve got a damn good team. I’ve got to ask that you don’t go around blabbing about them though. We’re trying to keep this under wraps as much as possible, but word does get out, I know that, but I’d appreciate your discretion.”

“I’ve no intention of talking about this, Jana,” Quinn replied, quirking a brow. “Dealing with The Directive isn’t exactly good for business.”

Thorne chuckled while Jana scowled at him. “I’m not sure how to take that.”

“It’s the plain truth.” Quinn shrugged. “I’m not trying to offend you.”

“Hmmf.” She continued to scowl. “I’ll try and not be offended.”

“I’d appreciate that.” Quinn tipped his head.

She tapped the screen on her cell, bringing it to her ear as the call connected. “We’ll be there shortly. How’s things going?”

Although his good manners dictated he didn’t listen in, Quinn couldn’t help himself. He avidly waited on the response. An Italian accented female’s voice replied immediately. One that held an air of authority and one that was succinct and straight to the point.

“Henry is convinced that she is close but he is also worried that there is danger nearby. He says he can sense something malevolent that is shadowing her. We are closing in but I fear we may not have enough power to help her, Jana. He says he can feel a circle of evil around her. That sounds like it might be more than Mac and I alone can handle . . . how far away are you? I might need your help on this one. I don’t like asking for your assistance but it seems I could be at a disadvantage this time and these asses might have more than I can take on and also get her to safety at the same time. Merda!”

Fury built inside Quinn so fast he wasn’t aware of it until it spilled from him in a torrent, his head spinning to Ace. “Move it! Get us there now . . . any means necessary!”

Jana glanced over at him, pursing her lips before she nodded. “We’ll be there soon and I’m bringing reinforcements. Just keep tracking her, watch your back and keep Henry safe, he’s our ace in the hole, Delia.”

“Favoloso, we need more men on this, and don’t worry about Henry, Mac will ensure he’s looked after. See you soon. Ciao.”

“Why does the Witch need looking after?” Quinn asked as soon as Jana ended the call. “Surely he’s powerful enough to take care of himself?”

As soon as Jana had made the comment to Delia he’d immediately wondered why. This Henry guy was supposed to be a powerful Witch so why would he need looking after by the rest of his team? It didn’t make sense to him.

Jana gave him a sour look, one that told him she didn’t like being questioned, but he didn’t care. If this were real. If he did have the Thirst and his Bloodmate was out there and in danger then he had a right to know everything. Every damn thing!

“Well?” he prodded when she didn’t reply immediately.

“Henry is unique with his abilities but he can get so engrossed at times he can be oblivious to everything else around him,” Jana admitted. “That means he can sometimes be unaware of his own danger when he is too busy looking out for others.”

“I see.” Quinn tapped his chin, thinking for a moment before spearing Thorne with a determined stare. “Make sure he’s safe. When we arrive, get Ace to assign men to this Henry guy and have them know that if one hair on his head is harmed that I’ll kill them myself.”

“Sure.” Thorne tipped his head.

Jana looked between them and back at him, her lips pursed in a tight line before she broke the silence. “That’s not necessary . . . the killing, I mean. Protecting Henry is appreciated but you don’t have to be quite so dramatic, Quinn.”

He gave her a cold, hard glare. “If he’s as important as you say then they need to know that and the higher the stakes the better. They’re my men, Jana, I’ll deal with them how I see fit.”

“I think the Thirst is affecting your judgement,” she shot right back. “Maybe you should feed some more before we arrive.”

“I’m fine,” he snarled, although the truth was his stomach was already beginning to clench painfully again. However, he wasn’t about to admit that to her.

“Sorry, Quinn, I should have omitted the word ‘maybe’. That wasn’t a request. Feed. Now. Or I’ll handcuff your ass and leave you tied up like a damn hog in this vehicle.”

Thorne slipped off the seat, dropping to his knees to the small fridge concealed in the corner and retrieved several bags. He handed them over without a word then sat back down. The tension in the cab suddenly thick and cloying as Jana turned her head to look out the window. She was obviously giving him some privacy to feed but Quinn still felt embarrassed as he looked at the blood on his lap. It wasn’t something he did in front of anyone and certainly not with a member of The Directive sitting next to him.

He was about to throw the damn bags on the floor when his gut clenched painfully, his gums aching as his fangs pressed painfully against them, and his skin felt as if it were about to burst into flames. Hunger overtook him once more and although he fought with all his might he couldn’t press the damn Thirst back. His throat felt as if it were full of sand, dry and thick with need for blood and his hands reached for the pile and turned away from Jana, releasing his fangs and started to feed.

In no time at all he’d devoured everything Thorne had given him and he felt somewhat in control of the beast that was riding him hard. His friend removed the empty packets, placing them back in the fridge and sat back beside him, Jana sighing and turning back around.

“We’re almost there,” she stated as she checked her cell.

“Good,” he ground out, determined to find out if his Bloodmate was indeed here . . . or if this was a wild goose chase and he was afflicted with something else entirely.

Moments later they were at a standstill, Ace cursing and finally giving up. “We can’t get any further, there are too many people and hundreds of stalls. We’ll need to go the rest of the way on foot.”

“That’s fine,” Jana said and opened the door. “They’re just up ahead, follow me.”

As soon as they left the confines of the vehicle the noise and scents assaulted him. Quinn looked around at the abundance of people, so many people that he couldn’t even begin to count. Stalls were everywhere, selling everything from hot food to trinkets, live animals . . . including squawking chickens in wicker baskets and others that he had no damn name for, rolls of silk, and even an ancient man who appeared to be making whole suits right there on the sidewalk. The area was packed and they had to weave in and out, pushing passed people to make any headway whatsoever. Some got out of their way when they saw them coming, others did not, and when they didn’t, Ace and his men cleared a path for them.

It was the scents that Quinn was having trouble with, so many that he almost gagged several times and he wasn’t the only one having issues. Jana’s hand rose to her face on several occasions, her nose wrinkling and her head shaking as if to rid herself of the rank smells as she cursed, but she didn’t waver. Her long legs striding on purposefully until she shouted to Ace to take a right turn down a dark, dank alley.

“Fuck, this is gross,” Thorne spat out as Ace left a few men to guard the entrance.

“Delia!” Jana shouted as they went in, her eyes scanning ahead.

“Sì,” a sophisticated Italian accented voice returned and they headed toward it.

As they walked down the cramped, dirty lane his eyes saw a small group ahead, a massive hulk of a man stood guard over a smaller man who was walking around in a circle, one hand running through his hair repeatedly as he mumbled to himself. A woman off to the side, with short dark brown hair, and dressed casually but she still looked as if she’d walked right out of Vogue . . . typically Italian.

She turned toward them, striding quickly and stopping in front of Jana. “I’m glad you’ve arrived, Henry is growing agitated and he’s worried about this Bloodmate.”

As soon as the words left her mouth his skin tingled, his heart sped up, and pain lanced through his head. He stepped forward, his voice gruff and short. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

She turned dark brown eyes toward him, ones that were full of haughty disdain that landed on him briefly before returning to Jana. She cursed in her native tongue. “Merda! I assume that he’s the Vampire afflicted by the Thirst?” Jana gave her a curt nod. “So, he won’t be making much sense at the moment. Not when he’s in the midst of the bloodlust . . .”

Quinn’s anger grew and grew, so fast he went from zero to the stratosphere in a nanosecond. He wanted nothing more than to grab this arrogant bitch by her throat and rip answers straight from her very heart. How dare she talk about him as if he weren’t standing right there. Every nuance about her was condescending as she ignored him completely, focusing on Jana and it was his Bloodmate that was in danger. He’d never been ignored before and he found he didn’t like it now. Hell, he was downright fuming as she turned her back on him and focused her attention on Jana as if he were invisible.

He stepped up, closing the distance between them, his tone icy as he interrupted. “I’m perfectly capable of making sense, Madam, and it’s downright rude to talk about someone as if they aren’t present. I’m here and lucid so give me the details of what the fuck is going on?”

Delia looked down her Roman nose at him, appraising him closely. She took long seconds before she appeared to decide to include him. “Fine, Signore, Henry says that she is being hunted by a ‘circle of evil’ and that she is in imminent danger. She’s close so I suggest we move forward to where he senses this evil.”

“Why have you not done so already?” Quinn couldn’t stop the condemnation from seeping into his voice. Hell, if the person they’d been seeking was in such danger what the hell were they doing skulking in this shithole of an alley?

She spun toward him, pulling herself up to her full height but she barely made it to his shoulders, her eyes flaring red as she spat out. “Because we have to protect Henry at all costs and we could not leave him alone. I was just about to go alone in search of her and leave Mac to watch over Henry. Now that we have reinforcements we can utilize the men and leave him guarded and focus our attention on the search. Ha capito?”

“Sì, Signora,” he shot back in perfect Italian. “Andiamo, rapidi!”

Thorne tapped his shoulder, chuckling. “I assume that means we’re going now?”

“Aye,” Quinn replied, “Ace, leave two men to watch over the Witch.”

Jana started to give out orders, splitting them into teams with her leading one and Delia the other. Quinn disregarded her completely, he’d do whatever the hell he wanted and decided he’d stay as close as possible to the Italian. She seemed to know where she was going and that’s where he would be heading too. If she had the intel of where this Bloodmate was then that’s where he was going. The sooner he found out if it were his, the better. Then he’d either get rid of this damn Thirst, or know he was on a damn fool’s errand and could head back to Scotland and go in search of a Healer. His dream shattered but then again, he hadn’t really begun to believe it anyway . . . had he?