NCIS | The Night's Agents: Book 1: Strangers in the Night

Chapter Seven

Jeanne made it another block when she felt the limp in her leg fading. She kept flashing back to the alley and the wolves coming to her rescue. Horror filled her again at the realization that she'd been sleeping with a bloody werewolf. If it had ever been a full moon, she would have been in serious trouble. Looking up at the moon now, she saw it was a few days shy of being full. Okay, now she was in trouble. Apparently they could transform at will.

            Again, Jeanne thought back to the two wolves in the alley. They'd been gorgeous but lethal at the same time. And somehow, the doctor knew the other one had been a she-wolf. Terrified as she was, Jeanne couldn't help admiring what they had, what they were. She still didn't want to see Tony, though. If he turned on her . . .

            She wished she were home.

"So, Ziva, what do you want to do now?" asked Tony as they walked along the dark street. They had passed the alley and were nearing the cross-street.

            Ziva started to reply, but ended up tasting the air as a tailwind sprung up, carrying with it the scent of death and Chris Nixon's own particular smell—wood, dust, and soap. Mostly soap. She halted and whispered harshly, "Tony, you were right. Chris is following us."

            "Please tell me you're— Hang on, I think I've seen this movie."

            "You're kidding me."

            "No, I'm not. Haven't you ever seen Teen Wolf?"

            "The movie or the TV series?"

            "The movie. Wait a sec—they made it into a TV series?"

            "Sure. Haven't you seen the previews while watching Magnum P.I.?"

            "Come to think of it—"

            "Why are we even having this conversation? Shouldn't we be concentrating on the guy tailing us?"

            "You're right. Time to loose the goose."

            "What?" Ziva asked, confusion written all over her face.

            "It's an idiom," Tony explained. "Lose the tail."

            "I'm all for that." Spotting a side street to her left, Ziva added, "Follow me."

            They swung onto the side street, which branched off onto other backstreets. Ziva tugged on Tony's arm as she dove into a street on the right, then took another turn to the left. Unfortunately, it was a dead end.

            The footsteps sounded closer, then stopped, as if Nixon wasn't sure which way to go. Ziva backed up until she felt her back up against something—and it wasn't a wall. The two Shifters waited with baited breath, letting it out when they heard the footsteps recede, as if Chris was walking away.

            "You enjoying yourself, Zee-vah?" Tony teased. She jumped; she hadn't realized that she was too close to him and her hands had reached back so she was holing him in place. The Israeli quickly snatched her hands away. Ignoring Tony's smirk, she rubbed her hands on her jeans, then ran a hand through her hair. "Let's get out of here. And for the record, Tony, I was not."

            "Right," he said wryly before following his possible—okay, probable—mate.

            Luckily, Chris was nowhere to be seen, but his scent lingered in the air. It stayed that way as both walked to their cars. Before Tony could climb in and drive off, Ziva said, "Tony, I think Chris found the bodies. I picked up their scent and it mingled with his. If he finds out what we are . . ."