Shadow Mate
Book Eleven of the Siberian Volkov Pack Romance Series
Cross-Over to Shadow Walker Series
Caryn Moya Block
Copyright
Published by Caryn M. Block
Copyright © 2015 Caryn M. Block
Cover Design by Caryn M. Block
Model Photo by Hot Damn Designs
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the author, except for the toodles inclusion of brief quotations in a review.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Shadow Mate
Book Eleven of the Siberian Volkov Pack Romance Series
Cross-Over to Shadow Walker Series
Sergei Sokolov, Siberian Lycan, is surprised when the mating bond snaps into place and connects him to a woman being attacked in Moscow. Knowing he may lose his destined mate sends him running to rescue her.
Lindy Quiet Thunder, Shadow Walker, is investigating strange lapses of lost time in a team of Marines. While taking the unit to Moscow for a little R&R, Lindy is attacked. As she loses consciousness her mind connects to her mate. Who is behind the attack and will her mate find her in time?
Dedication
To the dreamers, keep dreaming
Acknowledgements
Thanks to all my Beta Readers and supporters, and to my family who knows me so well. Also, thanks to my readers who encourage me to write the next book. You keep me going.
Chapter One
She knew it! There was a traitor in their midst. Someone had to know the work schedule of the Marine guards inside the Embassy. But what was the objective? Her stomach clenched. Lindy Quiet Thunder loved her job working with the Marines who guarded the American Embassy in Moscow, Russia, but on days like today, she wished she’d never left Montana.
Last month strange things started happening. Four men including the team lead had time they couldn’t remember where they’d been. One of the men had been brought up on charges when he was late for duty.
She’d arranged for the remaining team members to have a weekend of rest and relaxation here at the Hotel National not far from Red Square in the heart of Moscow. Christmas was right around the corner and they could use a break, giving Lindy the time she needed to go through the duty rosters. Something was going on. She wanted to find out if the other men had unexplained absences they couldn’t account for.
The phone rang and she jumped. Shaking her head, she answered.
“Hey, Lindy. Are you coming home this weekend?” her sister Gwen asked. Strains of Christmas carols floated in the background, and Lindy felt that familiar ache in her heart for home. She thought about Shadow Walking to Montana tonight, using her abilities to pass into a dimension next to earth and travel anywhere she had visited before. Her father grew old and she worried about him.
“I can’t, Gwen. I’ve got to go through these computer files. Tell Dad I’ll see him next weekend. I should be able to Shadow Walk home then.” Crossing through the Shadow dimension made traveling easy. It also made the members of the Nuni Nagi or Shadow Walker tribe good spies.
“I’ll let him know. Honey, are you okay? You sound stressed.”
“I’m not sure what’s going on here. One of the team has to be part of whatever it is, though. I can’t come up with another explanation. I wish I could.”
“Did you inform the commander of your suspicions?”
“I talked to him when the first disappearance happened and again with the second. He told me to keep track of it and see if a pattern emerged. I’m going through the back files over the weekend.”
“I thought you were going to get out and meet a man, have some fun at the Christmas fairs.”
“Look who’s talking. Besides, finding a mate isn’t on my agenda right now. Finding a traitor is.”
“Call me later and let me know you’re okay. I don’t like this, Lindy.”
“I will. Don’t worry, I’ll be all right.”
Lindy smiled as she hung up the phone. Gwen, three years older, still tried to mother her. Lindy sat with her laptop. It might take all weekend, but she would find out how many of the men had unexplained disappearances.
Several hours later, her stomach growled loudly and Lindy groaned. She’d found only one other occurrence besides the four she already catalogued and still had several months’ worth of files to search. Stretching her arms over her head, she yawned. It was already dark and snow fell outside her window. Soon the city would be covered in white. She should call for room service since the dining room was probably closed downstairs. She sighed. The phone rang. Now who was calling?
“Hello?”
“Hey, girlfriend. I thought I’d see if you wanted to get together and have a girls’ night. You know without all the testosterone mucking things up. I’ve got popcorn, chocolate, and a couple of chic flicks on DVD,” Sergeant Sally Miller said.
“I don’t know, Sally. I’ve still got a lot of work to do.”
“Oh, come on. You need some R and R as much as the rest of us. We can get vodka if you want.”
“I don’t drink, but I am hungry.”
“I bought lots of snacks at the Christmas market. We can pig out and have some girl time.”
Lindy thought for a minute. She’d been using her telepathic abilities to question the Marines, one by one, and so far, no one knew anything. The sergeant hadn’t been interviewed yet and this would make it easy. “Okay, Sally. I’ll be down in a few.”
“Great. I’ll see you then.”
Lindy powered down her computer and put it in the safe. She didn’t want anyone snooping through the files. Then she brushed her long dark hair into a pony tail and grabbed her room key. It might do her good to step away from the problem for a little while. It was only the first night at the hotel. She still had plenty of time to go through the files.
Before she went downstairs, she had a call to make. She reached for her foster brother’s mind with her telepathy. Raven Darkwood was the chief of the Nuni Nagi Tribe. He was also a hub, able to connect telepathically to all tribe members at once.
“Raven?”
“Lindy, how is Moscow? Are you freezing your butt off?”
Lindy chuckled. “It’s cold, but not as cold as Shadow. I have a situation here and I think my team has a traitor in our midst. Over the last six to ten months, five members have had a loss of memory for a short time. I’m not really sure what’s going on. Could you get in touch with General Holland and see what you can find out? I’ve reported my suspicions to my superiors, but they aren’t taking me seriously.”
“I’ll contact him right away. You be careful, Lindy.” The concern and love in Raven’s voice warmed her heart. They weren’t related by blood, but Raven would do anything for his foster sisters.
“I’ll be careful. Give my love to Cara.”
“She’s expecting you at the next women’s meeting.” Raven’s new wife, Cara, started a tribal women’s group to learn more about Shadow Walking and what it entailed. The men in the tribe weren’t always forthcoming with the information since it meant letting the women enter the Shadow Dimension on their own.
“I should be there. I’m off that day, though my sleeping schedule is going to be wacky with the time difference. Tell her not to expect too much from me.”
Raven chuckled. “I’ll let her know. Remember to be careful.”
&n
bsp; Lindy sighed. He just had to add one last admonishment before he broke the telepathic link. Well, that was Raven for you and most of the other tribal members too, over protective and occasionally overbearing. A girls’ night out sounded perfect, right about now.
Smiling, she picked up a couple of bottles of water. Too bad they didn’t have anything better to wash the popcorn down. She entered the hall, making sure the door closed tightly behind her. Corporal Jay Randal stood at the elevator. He was another one of the three people she had yet to check.
“Corporal, you getting plenty of R and R? Everyone is back to work on Monday.”
“Yes, ma’am. I’m meeting a couple of the guys at a club near Red Square.”
“Sounds like fun, just be careful, don’t drink too much,” Lindy said stepping into the elevator with him. She pressed the button for Sgt. Miller’s floor. Once they were alone in the elevator, Lindy reached for the corporal’s mind. He groaned and put a hand to his head. Lindy cringed, but didn’t stop sifting through his memories. She found where everything went dark, nothing before or after seemed out of place. She released his mind and he staggered. She reached out to steady him,
“Easy. You okay there, Corporal?”
“Yes, ma’am.” She smiled. He was such a nice guy, always polite. He blinked. Lindy sighed in relief when she saw his gaze clear and his shoulders straighten.
The elevator dinged and the doors opened on Miller’s floor. “See you later, Corporal. Have fun, be careful.” Now she sounded like Raven.
“Have a good evening, Miss Quiet Thunder.” He snickered as the door closed.
Lindy chuckled. For some reason the men thought her name was a huge joke. Everyone except Captain Travis who warned that when Lindy was on the rampage, she was anything but quiet. That comment always brought more laughter. She didn’t mind.
When Lindy came onto the team, she and the then Lieutenant Travis had butted heads about how things should be done. They worked it out in the end and now were on friendly terms.
She walked up to Sgt. Miller’s room and knocked. Sally opened the door quickly and stepped into the hallway, blocking the entrance. Lindy frowned. What was going on? Had Miller changed her mind?
“Everything okay, Sally?”
She nodded. “Oh, sure. I’m going to run down to the vending machines,” Miller said. “I need a soda to go with the popcorn. Go ahead inside. I started the movie. Don’t worry about stopping it, I’ve seen it multiple times already.”
Lindy nodded. “Okay. I brought some water, but soda is better with popcorn for sure.”
“Great. I’ll get one for you, too.”
Lindy watched as Miller hurried down the hall. Through the narrow opening of the door she could see flashes of light from the TV and hints of a musical score played in the background. The smell of microwave popcorn filled the air and Lindy’s stomach rumbled. Pushing her way into the room past the closed bathroom door she set the water bottles on the nightstand and sat on the end of the bed in front of the TV.
A movement to the left caught her eye. She turned as someone grabbed her arm and yanked her up. She let her assailant pull her toward him and punched him in the nose. The man swore in Russian and released her. Lindy put space between them, her gaze searching the room for a weapon. What the hell was going on here?
The man drew a knife and came at her again. She lunged to the side and grabbed the light on the nightstand. He slashed at her. She ducked under his arm and swung the lamp at the man’s head. The porcelain fixture shattered.
Lindy backed toward the door and reached for the handle. The attacker stumbled toward her, the knife flashing in the light from the television. She swung the door open and tried to back out, keeping him in sight. Once more, he lunged, the blade wisping past her face.
From behind her, an arm wrapped around her neck. A searing sting radiated from her hip. The slashing assailant swung with his knife. She twisted. The knife plunged into her shoulder. She screamed. The man behind her cursed and tightened his hold cutting off her air.
Lindy struggled. Her mind clouded. Her shoulder was on fire. A punch to her chest took her breath away. She looked down confused. Neither of the men had hit her. A golden cord of light emanated from her heart, stretching across the room, and through the hotel wall.
Her knees weakened. They’d drugged her. Desperate and struggling, she called telepathically for help. Her mind connected.
“Help me!”
Instead of Raven or one of the other members of the tribe, her mind linked to someone else. She saw snow covered forests and a sky filled with stars through his eyes. Her body became heavy, her legs weak.
“Where are you?” a male voice asked.
“Moscow,” she whispered as her eyesight dimmed.
“I’m coming!” sounded in her head.
§
Two young pups ran past Sergei Sokolov making him laugh. Violet, the alpha female held the hands of her twin daughters stopping them from chasing the pups and getting dirty, while Dmitry Volkov, the Siberian pack Alpha, lifted a torch and lit the massive bonfire to celebrate the winter solstice. The night was cold and clear. The sky full of stars. The pack shaman began the solstice ceremony. Sergei stared into the flames and wished he too had a mate and pups to cherish.
Of course, his four younger brothers kept him busy, now that their parents had passed on. Matfei, twin to Mischa already found a mate in young Sonya. Soon, the rest of his brothers would begin their own search for a mate and that meant leaving Siberia. His family would scatter to wherever the winds took them, possibly never to find each other again. He closed his eyes and shook his head. He didn’t want to see his family torn apart, but there wasn’t anything he could do to change the situation.
Pain cut into Sergei’s shoulder. Gasping he looked, expecting to see blood dripping from a knife wound. Nothing was there. He groaned. His brothers looked at him in question.
With a flash of light that blinded Sergei, a band of energy hit him in the chest, taking his breath. He staggered and went to his knees. His four brothers rushed to surround him.
“Sergei what is the matter. Should we call the healer?” his youngest brother, Gavriil asked.
“Calm down,” Artur, the second oldest and tallest brother said. “Let’s get him onto a bench.”
As they lifted Sergei, his mind connected with a woman. She was in pain. She fought two men. The wound was hers. The cold of a chemical moved through her system.
She hit the one with a syringe in his hand, punching him in the face with a backhanded blow. But the toxin already affected her. Her legs wobbled. Fear, anger, and a deep sense of betrayal clouded her thoughts as darkness took hold.
Shaking his head, Sergei opened his eyes. The first thing he noticed was the golden mating cord coming from his heart and leading off to the west. This woman was his mate? The one woman meant to be his.
Terror gripped his heart and he concentrated on using his telepathy to reach her.
“Where are you?” He sent as he willed his strength into her drugged body.
“Moscow,” was her whispered answer as she succumbed fully to the drugs in her system.
Moscow? It was a miracle she reached him. Without her wound and panic from the attack, the mating bond wouldn’t have engaged. She could have been taken and he would be blissfully unaware that his destined mate was in trouble.
Sergei looked at his brothers. “I have to go to Moscow.”
“Moscow? We’ll go with you,” Gavriil spoke up.
“You found your mate?” Dmitry asked as he jogged up to the small group followed by his Beta.
“Yes, she’s in trouble in Moscow,” Sergei replied. “Do I have your permission to go to her?”
“Of course. Finding your mate is your first priority. Unfortunately the pack’s jet plane is currently on its way to England. It should be returning in a couple of days.”
“I don’t think I can wait that long. Please, with your permission, I will leave within the
hour,” Sergei insisted.
“What’s your plan, Sergei?” the Beta asked.
“I’ll run as a wolf and then take the pack vehicle to the airport in Yakutsk. Planes fly all the time there. I’ll catch a ride.”
“That’s risky. You should wait for the pack’s plane,” Dmitry said, his face looking worried.
“She’s in trouble. I don’t think she has much time. Please, I have to go to her.”
Dmitry nodded. “Go, contact us when you can. Remember you’re not alone.”
“Thank you, Alpha,” Sergei said. Calling on his preternatural abilities, he ran down the path to the river and over the bridge before taking the left branch that led to his home. Three of his brother’s followed, while the fourth, Matfei, searched for his wife among the ceremony attendants.
Once in the house, he rushed into his room and stripped, throwing his clothes as he shucked them. His younger brother zipped past his bedroom door. “Gavriil, wait for the pack’s plane to return and then meet me in Moscow. My mate is wounded and I need it to bring her safely home.”
“I want to come with you. I can run as long as you can, even in the snow,” eighteen year old Gavriil complained.
“Please, Gavriil. I won’t risk your safety. Running as a wolf is always dangerous with so many hunters. Stay here until the plane returns. Give a kiss to Sonya. Tell her I’m sorry I didn’t say goodbye.”
“You would risk your own safety. Are you sure this woman is your mate?” Gavriil asked.
“Yes, she’s my mate. We’re connected at the heart. I don’t know how to explain it. You’ll know what I’m talking about when it’s your time.” Sergei ran his hand through his blond hair feeling all of his twenty-eight years.
“Go, Sergei,” Artur said grabbing him into a hug. “We will do as you say. Be careful my brother.”
“While I’m away, you’re in charge, Artur. Watch our family well. Mischa, Gavriil, listen to Artur.”
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