Sebastian Creed himself had sent his private plane to pick them up, saving them the trouble of several connecting flights seeing as Zhobghadi had no international airport. No expense had been spared on the interior of the plane, nor with the service and food. This was only the second time he’d flown private and probably the last. “Should have had one more glass of champagne,” he joked.
Landing was smooth, and immigration formalities at the private airstrip in New Jersey where they landed had been conducted on-board as the plane sat on the tarmac. Gathering up his duffel bag, he followed Jacob out of the plane. As he descended down the steps, his gaze immediately went to the man standing next to the dark SUV, his arms crossed over his chest, obviously waiting for them. He was a couple inches taller than Delacroix and wore an expensive, well-fitting dark suit. Delacroix tried not to show any emotion as their eyes met, but it was hard not to bristle when confronted with those ice blue eyes that seem to bore into him.
“Welcome back.” Nick Vrost unfolded his arms. “Glad to see you both made it.”
His frosty gaze lingered on Delacroix, which made him snort loudly. As if he would back out on his word. A bargain was a bargain.
“Thanks for coming to greet us, Al Doilea,” Jacob said, using the honorific Lycans used for their Beta.
“Of course, though you might be disappointed to know I’m taking you straight to HQ. Your mother, in particular, was not happy you wouldn’t be coming home right away.”
Jacob winced. “I’ll be sure to visit her, er, soon.”
Delacroix suppressed a laugh. Mrs. Martin had seemed like a nice woman and all, at least from the short video chats where he’d said hello to her, but Jacob felt smothered by his mother’s attentions. “I’m the baby of the family,” he had explained some time ago. “And she can’t seem to accept that I’m a grown man. Parents, you know?”
Actually, he didn’t, but he didn’t say anything since Jacob hadn’t known anything about his past at the time. Did he want a mother who would smother him with love and attention? At this point in his life, he wasn’t sure.
Vrost motioned for them to get into the SUV and soon they were driving toward the city. “Are we headed to Fenrir Corp.?” Jacob asked. The Fenrir Corporation building on Madison was not only the headquarters for the massive international conglomerate, but also unofficially, for the New York clan. Fenrir’s CEO, Lucas Anderson, was also their Alpha.
“Not quite.” Vrost didn’t elaborate, and his gaze covered by the sunglasses he put on. As they approached the city, he couldn’t help but feel wonder as the skyline appeared ahead. While New York was only his temporary home, there was just something about it that was both intimidating and comforting, especially after a year of seeing nothing but sand for miles on end.
As the SUV emerged from the Lincoln tunnel, the vehicle went south, away from the Fenrir Corp. building and The Enclave, the mini-city on the Upper West Side that served as the home for most of the New York clan. He and Jacob looked at each other, but it was obvious Vrost would offer no other explanation.
They were soon in the trendy district of Tribeca, and the car turned east, the Brooklyn Bridge clearly ahead of them as they made their way through a maze of smaller side streets.
Delacroix frowned as they pulled into an alleyway with a dead end. “Where are we—mon Dieu!”
Jacob, who had been sitting in the back, unbuckled his seatbelt and grabbed the front seat. “Mr. Vrost, what the—”
Vrost remained cool and calm as he stepped on the gas and the SUV sped up—straight toward the wall.
“You’re crazy!” Delacroix closed his eyes and braced himself, waiting for the impact—but there was none. “What the fuck?”
The vehicle screeched to a halt, and when he opened his eyes and saw they were very much unharmed and not flat as pancakes against a brick wall, let out a soft curse. “You didn’t think to warn us first?”
Cool as a cucumber, Vrost took off his sunglasses, his ice blue eyes filled with what seemed like amusement. “And miss all the fun?” He unbuckled his seatbelt. “Welcome to the secret headquarters of the Guardian Initiative, gentlemen. Secret being the operative word, hence why I couldn’t tell you where we were headed. The wall we went through was one of the many magical enchantments we put in place to hide this place from humans and the mages.”
As they exited the vehicle, Delacroix looked around. They seemed to be in some kind of indoor garage, the only source of light coming from hanging overhead industrial lights. Vehicles were parked next to the SUV, including several motorcycles, two vans, an armored military vehicle, and even a Winnebago.
“Where the heck are we?” Jacob asked. “I mean, what part of Manhattan are we? Are we even still in New York?”
Vrost cocked his head. “Follow me.” He led them toward an elevator in the corner and pressed his palm against the sensor by the door. After a soft whirr and a high-pitched beep, the doors opened. He pointed forward. “After you.”
They stood in the elevator as Vrost pressed the second to last button on the panel. The elevator ascended, and a few seconds later, the doors opened, and they stepped out. The space looked like a normal office, with desks and computers and people typing away at keyboards in their cubicles. But from the energy in the air, it was obvious there was more to this place than what it seemed.
“Whoa!” Jacob hurried over to one of the large windows. “We’re in the middle of the water. That’s New York. And Brooklyn’s over there.” He looked at Vrost, his eyes wide. “Are we—”
“In one of the stone towers of the Brooklyn Bridge, yes.”
Delacroix followed Jacob, and peered out of the pane. However, there was something strange
