I was relieved when the plane finally landed, and we could disembark. Two big wolves met us on the Tarmac with an SUV that didn’t look like it could fit all of us.
James grimaced. “They told you there were six of us this time?”
Leif gave him a feral grin. “The trunk is quite roomy.”
James and Trevor exchanged glances, and I knew they were using their bond to communicate.
“Right,” Trevor growled. “Rich, you’re in the back,” he barked out.
The drive was completely silent, with all of us jammed into the vehicle along with our luggage. When we got close to the village, I let out a gasp as mysterious fog enveloped us. I could feel the magic imbued in the fog and knew it was similar to what we had in Colombia to hide our settlement.
“How did you all manage that?” I asked our tour guides. The magic hiding the jaguars had been in place for so long that no one knew where it really came from. We were taught that the Jaguar Goddess herself had put it in place, but I had a feeling it was more likely a fae creation. Had the fae made this as well? Or was there someone here who was capable of this advanced magic?
Leif ignored me completely, but Erik turned to smirk. “We have quite a few powerful pack members here. It would be best if you remember that.”
I gave a sharp nod and looked out the windows, fascinated by the fog. I probably should have kept my mouth shut and not given them the heads up that I knew it was anything but regular fog, but I had been too surprised and curious.
The fog cleared as we entered the village, and Leif parked the vehicle in front of the largest house in the village. Leif and Erik led us into the house and their pack master, Ragnar, greeted us with a solemn frown. James made the introductions, and Ragnar greeted us politely. “Perhaps I might have a few words with you in private?” Ragnar asked James. “Before your plane is ready.”
My eyebrows rose at that. I thought this was our final destination. Why were we getting on another plane? I glanced around at the other guys when James disappeared into the back with Ragnar, but they were using their pack bond to converse without me. I gritted my teeth in irritation. This was one of those times where it would be really convenient to be another wolf in their pack.
Shit. When had I gotten so attached to these guys? As soon as that thought crossed my mind, I stood up a little straighter in surprise. When had I gone from saying this was just a temporary situation, to grousing about the fact I didn’t share a pack bond with them? A part of me wanted to run right out the door, knowing I was getting too attached to these guys. But a little piece deep inside of me craved to be a part of the connection that they had with each other.
I stayed quiet while James met with Ragnar, and we were left alone in a room with plenty of food. Instead of trying to join in the silent conversation the rest of my teammates were having around me, I stuffed my face with beef stew.
I was on my third bowl when James returned. “Pack it up,” James growled.
I grabbed my bag and followed the rest of the team back outside. The warm feeling in my belly didn’t last long before the cold seeped into my bones. The SUV had been warm when we got in from the plane, but the warmth had seeped out, and now it was freezing cold. I huddled into my coat, even though it was a futile effort. Panthers weren’t meant to be in the cold like this.
“Back to the airport?” Trevor asked out loud.
Leif frowned. “The plane you’re taking to the outpost is much smaller, we’re just going to use the airfield on pack lands.”
Outpost? That sounded decidedly cold and unpleasant.
“How long is this plane ride going to be?” I asked curiously. “How far north is the outpost?”
“It’s going to be as long as it takes to get there,” Erik told me with a smirk. “And it’s as far North as you can go without dying.”
“Great,” I grumbled as I settled back in my seat.
James cleared his throat. “And the gear that was promised?”
Leif gave a short nod. “It will meet us there.” He gave me a sharp glance. “We were expecting six males, but Ingrid can provide some clothes that will fit your…female.”
I prickled, but if he thought it was weird that James had brought a cat shifter with him, Leif didn’t comment on it. I doubted that my scent would tell him what kind of a cat I was, and no one had asked, so I doubted they cared. The SUV was barely warm enough to be tolerable when we got to the airfield, but the plane was slightly warmer. The two pilots were already in the cockpit, and three other crew members were working on de-icing the wings when we boarded. Another of the Montreal wolves handed gear up to Trevor, and he tossed it back to us in an assembly line fashion.
“Get dressed now,” he warned. “It’s going to be cold when we’re up in the air, and it will only be worse once we land.”
I grumbled a little, but quickly located the bag that contained female winter gear that was too long in the arms and legs, but not as bad as if I had tried to wear some of the guys’ clothing. Lief closed the door to the plane and left us alone in here with the pilots in the cockpit.
“Gather round,” James told us before turning his glare on me. “I’m about to share very sensitive information with you, but Trevor assures me you’re trustworthy.” I nodded in confirmation.
“He also took the responsibility of being the one to put a bullet in your head if you betray us,” James warned me.
My eyes widened momentarily, and I hoped it wasn’t too noticeable. “That’s reasonable,” I said coolly.
James held my gaze for a moment more before turning to address the whole team.
“This plane is going to bring us to a northern outpost. There’s a very small settlement close to the gateway that allows fae to enter our world. It used to be monitored by several white wolves and their support team, but it was abandoned after most of them died. Ragnar suspects it is being used as a base by the enemy, so we may need to clean it out before we can use it.” “Well, shit,” Davis murmured.
James ignored him and continued. “In exchange for their help to find Anna, we’ve agreed to eliminate some rebel wolves in the north.”
Trevor snorted. “He won’t get the respect of his pack if he uses outsiders to eliminate his challengers. That makes him look weak.”
James shrugged. “He claims they aren’t challengers, they’re wolves controlled by the fae and were responsible for murdering the previous pack master and his mate.”
“And he doesn’t want to go after them himself?” Mike asked in disbelief.
“We have to assume there’s a reason for that,” Davis added cautiously. “His fear is outweighed by his need for vengeance.”
“He’s not going to stay pack master for long,” Rich added decisively.
James didn’t disagree with their assessment. “We just need him to stay in place long enough to fulfill our side of the bargain and get Anna back.”
“Uh, yeah,” I interrupted. “But if Ragnar can’t win against the fae with his magical white wolves, then what makes us think we can? From what Austin said-”
“Losing isn’t an option,” James snarled. “We locate the rebel wolves, eliminate them, locate Anna, and then take her home.”
Okay then. I kept the rest of my thoughts to myself, but I couldn’t be the only one concerned with the lack of strategy here.
One of the pilots shouted back to us to take our seats, and the propellers increased the noise they were making exponentially. The plane shakily taxied down the runway, and it seemed like the whole thing was going to fall apart at any moment.
Good god, I was going to die today.
The plane bounced several times on the ground before we were finally up in the air. The ride didn’t get any easier. Turbulence kept me bouncing around in my seat, and at one point, the plane dropped for a solid five seconds before leveling out. Five seconds might not seem like a long time, but when the crappy plane is falling out of the sky it feels like an eternity. It gave me enough time to contemplate a
ll of my choices in life that brought me to that moment.
The darkness outside didn’t allow me to see anything out of the windows, so I had no idea if we were close to our destination. The lights of civilization had disappeared not long after we ascended into the sky, so we could be above the clouds or we could be out over the middle of nowhere.
One of the pilots warned us it was going to be a turbulent landing, and I closed my eyes shut for a moment before opening them up again. Would it better to see death coming or not?
The plane rattled and shook as we descended much too rapidly for my comfort. Were we crashing or landing? I heard the landing gear come out with a screech of metal that had me praying we weren’t going to end up in a fireball of wreckage that no one would ever find.
Our wheels hit the ground, and the plane bounced back up in the air. Once. Twice. Three times. Finally, it touched down and stayed down for the bumpiest ride of my life. When we finally stopped moving, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to cry tears of relief or vomit.
James didn’t seem too affected, probably because he only had Anna on his mind. But I could see the tension in Trevor’s body, and Rich was looking a little pale. Neither Mike nor Davis had said a word during the entire flight, which was unusual for both of them. I was going to assume the trip had been just as harrowing for them as it had been for me. The worst part of all of this was that we would have to make the same trip to get back.
Our death-defying flight had brought us to a small village in the middle of a wintery wasteland. The entire world was frozen solid and covered in snow with the sun barely peeking out from the horizon.
Any delusions I had about over-dressing for the cold weather were quickly shattered when I stepped off the plane. Despite all of my layers and having every inch of my body covered up, I could still feel the cold seeping through my clothing. This mission sucked.
“Why can’t crazy fae kidnap wolves to Hawaii?” I mumbled through my face covering to Davis.
He gave a muffled laugh. “Because that would make it too easy to follow them?” “If you can’t handle the mission, speak up now,” James told me coldly.
My eyes sparked at his obvious challenge. “I can handle it.” “Then stop complaining,” he said dismissively.
I bit down to keep from saying something I’d regret and instead followed the rest of the team into a small house. “Welcome,” a grey-haired man said in greeting. “We’ll have the snowmobiles ready for you in a few minutes. I wasn’t expecting you for a couple of hours, you made good time.”
I glanced over at James and repressed a groan. Snowmobiles? Was this not the outpost that was our final destination?
A younger woman passed out hot coffee, and I took a cup thankfully. I didn’t bother taking off any of my gear, and the man didn’t offer to let us come in the house beyond the foyer. By the time I thawed out, it would probably be time to go anyway. The six of us stood there awkwardly after gulping down coffee. I chewed on my lower lip, desperately wanting to ask how much further we were going.
Mike glanced over at me in amusement, probably guessing how galling it was to suppress my curiosity and not ask any more questions. “So, boss,” he drawled. “Do we have the coordinates for the outpost, or will we need a guide?”
James frowned. “We have the coordinates. The plan is to first obtain reconnaissance on the location and determine if we’ll need force to take the building. Once we have an idea of who we’re up against, we’ll devise a specific plan of attack.”
Trevor nodded. “The outpost is located on top of a hill which gives good visibility of the surrounding area. That is, when the weather allows for it. We’ll leave the snowmobiles in a valley a mile south of the target location and proceed on foot.” Trevor turned to James. “We can send Sam in from the south, and you can circle around to the north to obtain visuals.”
James turned to me. “You can hold your cloaking magic long enough to complete the task?”
“I can,” I told him with a determined tilt to my chin. My specific talents were probably the only reason that he had agreed to take me along on this trip, and I was going to prove my worth to the team.
Before I knew it, we were headed back into the cold. “You know how to use one of these?” Davis asked as we approached the snowmobiles.
“I’m sure I can figure it out,” I said with a shrug.
“There’s only five,” Rich pointed out. “So, two of us are going to have to share.”
All of the guys looked at me expectantly. “Really? Because I’m a girl?” I said with a scowl.
“Because you’re the smallest,” James corrected me. “It doesn’t make sense to put our two largest wolves together to slow down the whole pack. You and Rich make the most sense because you’ll be the lowest combined bodyweight.”
I grumbled, but his argument made more sense than me just wanting my own snow mobile because I thought it would make this trip more fun.
“I’ll drive,” I told Rich.
He chuckled but didn’t argue when I climbed on. Rich gave me a brief tutorial on how to operate the machine, and then we were off. The wind whipped by us as we picked up speed, but I couldn’t help the smile that spread over my face. Rich’s arms were wrapped tightly around my waist, but we were so bundled up that I could barely feel any warmth coming from his body through all the layers of clothing.
We were flying into danger, but I didn’t care. A sense of freedom surged through me. The land before us was completely untouched by humans, and even though I hated cold and snow, I could still appreciate the beauty of nature. I laughed out loud when we hit a bump and briefly went airborne before thumping back to the ground. I had to hold on tight so that Rich’s weight didn’t pull me off balance, but my smile stayed on my face. I could get used to this.
James pulled off into the valley we had spoken about, and the rest of us followed him. He gave me directions on how to find the outpost we were casing and then sped off in the opposite direction.
Davis gave me a shoulder bump. “You got this.”
“Of course, I do,” I told him with a broad grin that was hidden behind my face mask. “I’ll even come back here and get you guys before I take out all the bad guys.” “That’s generous of you,” Mike said with a roll of his eyes.
Trevor unzipped his bag with his heavy gloves and pulled out a radio. “We don’t have a pack bond with you, but this should work as long as you stay in a two-mile radius.”
“Got it,” I said assertively. I fumbled as I tried to grab onto the small radio with my cold hands that were shoved into heavy gloves that were laughably large, but managed not to drop it.
Mike gave my ass a playful swat. “Get on with it.”
I turned around and punched him in the stomach, gratified when it elicited a grunt from him. “I don’t like getting spanked unless I’m naked.”
“Good to know,” he said breathlessly as he hunched over.
The other guys laughed, and even Trevor looked amused. I’d bet he had a tiny smile hidden under his face covering. I stalked off in the direction of my target and focused on the mission. I couldn’t be distracted by a group of hot wolves when I was walking into a potential death trap.
I cloaked myself completely and cautiously walked north to my destination. I was dressed in white and grey, so I wouldn’t stand out that much against the landscape. But this was hardly a popular area. I’m sure if the bad guys saw someone coming up here, they’d shoot first and ask questions later.
I extended all of my magical senses as I got close enough to see the small house on top of the hill. I couldn’t feel any signs of life at all, but I wasn’t going to assume I was safe. I crouched down low to the ground to creep closer to the house, looking for anything that would indicate the presence of other people. I let out a breath of relief when I was close enough to the door to see the distinct lack of footprints. The snow had blocked off the entrance to the front, and ice covered all of the windows. Even if someone had been in there, they wouldn�
�t be able to see out. I couldn’t see any signs of cameras or other electronics. The satellite dish on top of the house was off-kilter and didn’t look functional. All signs were pointing to this place being abandoned.
I still crept around the house as quietly as I could but walking across icy snow wasn’t exactly silent. A very faint tingling awareness of someone else nearby tickled my senses and froze. They were cloaking their magic signature so I couldn’t get a read on who or what they were. I could just assume it was James and skip around the house to greet him, but I just wasn’t built that way.
Instead, I slid around the side of the house and stayed completely silent, even holding my breath. I heard the crunch of snow that indicated someone was walking up to the back of the house and drew my weapon. I winced when flicking off the safety made a small click because of how cold the weapon was, and then the footsteps stopped.
I slowly leaned forward to see around the corner of the house and let out a breath of relief when I recognized James. I stepped out with my hands up to avoid being reflexively shot by one of my own teammates, and he lowered the muzzle of his weapon with a nod.
“No one’s been here for a while,” I murmured quietly to him.
“I agree,” he grumbled. “The chimney exhaust is frozen with thick ice, so the heating system hasn’t been used in at least a week.”
I blinked at him in surprise. I hadn’t thought to look at the chimney. “Can you reach the others with the pack bond, or should I call?”
“Call,” James said shortly. “We’ll need Rich’s expertise to evaluate the cabin for potential traps before we enter.”
I fumbled with the radio, cursing the thick gloves before I finally got it operational. “Yo, Team Fido, you copy?”
“Copy, Furball.” I could hear the laughter in Mike’s voice at the call sign I just gave them.
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