Finding Bill from there hadn’t been much of an issue since he’d parked the SUV on the lawn of the university and already drawn a crowd. All Rurik had wanted to do was get to Liberty, but the damn human authorities had needed to be dealt with. He’d shown his badge, claiming he was a US Marshal—which he wasn’t—and then his gaze found Bill.
Hosing the man down was the last thing he’d wanted to do. He’d wanted to wring the man’s neck.
Liberty prevented that.
His relief at seeing she was safe and well chased away the desire to finally kill Bill.
When Gus’s voice had entered Rurik’s mind, warning him that Liberty had been in grave danger, his bear had nearly shown itself. It had taken a hell of a lot of willpower to stay in control. Finally, he’d channeled the energy into a kiss.
One he didn’t want to end.
But he’d caught a familiar scent—though it was slightly off. It was one that was seared into his brain and belonged to a man he’d known for centuries. Someone he once thought of as a friend but now saw as an enemy.
Pavel Orlov.
The smell had been fleeting but Rurik could have sworn he was right. That Pavel was in the area and had been close to Liberty. It was one thing for Pavel to come at him, but for him to be anywhere near Liberty was too much. It sent Rurik into a frenzy. It was the driving force that kept him pushing through the endless sea of bodies in the hallway.
Rurik managed to get a small whiff of the scent once again and found himself standing before an open doorway, leading to an empty classroom. He entered the room, his body alert and ready for a fight should his instincts be right. Prepared for an attack that didn’t come, Rurik found his adrenaline high and his heartbeat thundering in his ears.
If he didn’t get his shit together and fast, he’d be an easy target for the enemy. He’d never hear them coming or smell them if he stayed on high alert. He needed to bring it down a notch or two—or twenty—with how wound he was.
Liberty was alive and unharmed.
That was all that mattered.
As he began to calm somewhat, he realized he was standing in a classroom that appeared to be dedicated to the greats from Russian literature. Had it been any other type of literature, he’d have dismissed the scent as coincidence. While Pavel was a trained scientist, he, like Rurik, had always been well-read.
Rurik walked to a secondary door within the classroom and found a small office there. The large wooden desk had papers and pens strewn about the surface, as if someone had been rifling around for something. Pavel’s scent was strongest here, as was the smell of sex and something else—something he couldn’t put his finger on.
Pistachios?
He nodded, knowing he was right about the nuts. He then picked up on yet another scent. He inhaled again and tipped his head, closing his eyes, trying to sort through the numerous other smells his shifter side was able to detect.
More than one of the students in the hall was wearing too much perfume. Another had gone heavy on their deodorant to the point it irritated his nose. He did his best to separate them from the mix as he attempted to pinpoint the exact scents that were tripping his inner alarms.
While he failed at isolating them, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was right. That Pavel was in the vicinity. If that was true, something nefarious was afoot. Not to mention it was no coincidence Rurik would be in Durham at the same time as an old foe.
“Rurik?” asked Liberty from behind him.
He turned, surprised she’d gotten so close to him without his knowledge or notice. “You’re supposed to be in the SUV with Bill and Gus.”
“Bill is moving it off the lawn. Gus is with him. Well, Bill will be moving it after he’s done signing autographs for the student body who saw his stunt and thought it was epic.”
Rurik fought against touching her, knowing full well that he shouldn’t want to make contact with her as much as he did. Something was wrong with him. His wires were crossed. Had the attack back in Savannah fucked with more than his physical body? Had it messed with his mind as well?
Liberty glanced past him, into the open office. “Uh, why are you in Dr. Pasternak’s office? He’s not here. At last check he was hightailing out of the building after Gus gave him the stare-down to end all stare-downs. It was super weird. Pasternak never once complained about me getting the papers turned in late. Extra strange since he’s a stickler for punctuality.”
“Dr. Pasternak?” asked Rurik.
She nodded. “This is his office and his classroom. He’s a department head and teaches Russian literature. I’m his teaching assistant. At least since I got moved from the other department that I’d been in. Can I just say I loathe Russian literature? No offense to your people or anything.”
Normally, he’d have taken great offense but hearing her say it was cute.
Cute?
What the fuck was wrong with him? He didn’t find anything cute. Ever.
“Is everything okay?” she asked, glancing into the office again. “The reporter didn’t come back, did she?”
“What reporter?” he questioned.
“Before Pasternak, I was an assistant for one of my genetics professors, but he and another scientist here went missing about two weeks back,” she said, easing closer to him. Her nearness helped to settle his beast. “Right after it happened, I was questioned by the police and by a reporter. Since then, it’s been crickets as far as the media goes. And no one has said
