“Who does Matfei have to listen to?” Gavriil asked.
“Sonya, of course,” Sergei said.
All the brothers laughed, knowing the young woman had Matfei wrapped around her little finger. Sergei nodded and then raised his arms over his head to call the change. His body grew warm, as sparks of light coalesced around him. He felt the first movement of energy, as his bones reformed and fur sprang from his skin, rolling down his body. The transformation finished in an instant. Where a man once stood, a large white wolf appeared.
Artur opened the front door and Sergei ran into the snow.
§
Raven Darkwood, CEO of Isanti, Inc., slammed his hand against his desk. His foster sister, Lindy was missing. Captain Travis informed him they were doing everything in their power to track her, but feared she’d been taken from the hotel. Raven reached for his best friend’s mind with his power of telepathy. If he had to send a team of Shadow Walkers to Moscow, he wanted the best man to lead the team.
“Joe. I need you to Shadow Walk to Moscow. Lindy has been kidnapped.”
“Kidnapped? I can leave in fifteen minutes. Jessica will want to come.”
“Let her. Lindy has a computer she uses to track data. Jessica can help with the encryption. Lindy was staying at the Hotel National.”
“I can’t touch her mind,” Joe said. “She’s too far away for me to reach her with my telepathy.”
“I can reach her. She’s alive and I think they’ve drugged her. I can’t tell much more than that, it’s fuzzy.” Raven hoped between the two groups, one of them would find her.
“I’ll report in as soon as I know something.”
“Thanks, Joe.” Worry for Lindy clutched his heart. He felt his mate’s calming influence when her mind telepathically touched his.
“Raven, what is it, my love?”
His wife would share his fear for their sister, but he hesitated to burden her since they’d discovered she was pregnant.
“You cannot hide your emotions from me. Share with me what has you so concerned.” Cara sent.
“It’s Lindy, she’s missing. When I touched her mind she was unconscious and drugged. I fear for her safety.”
He could almost hear the gasp of dismay fall from his wife’s lips, two floors up in their apartment. He felt Cara reach for Lindy with her mind and knew she noticed the same things he did.
“I’ll keep trying to connect with her and send her strength.”
“Thank you, Cara. That helps.”
“Don’t lie to me, Raven. You want to rush off and rescue her.”
“You know me too well. I’m sending Joe after her.”
“I love you. Cara sent.”
Raven felt Cara’s mental caress and held on tightly. He needed his wife’s love as much as he needed to breath.
Lindy was a favorite in the tribe. Raven hoped she would find her destined mate, but none of the tribal members seemed to hold an attraction for her. Now she was missing.
Raven continued to pace. He couldn’t concentrate. All he wanted was to Shadow Walk to Moscow and hunt his foster sister. He held a whole conglomerate of companies to manage, as well as contracts with the government. He needed to get his thoughts in order.
For now, he would leave the job of finding Lindy in the capable hands of Joe Running Bear, the head of his security. Raven knew Joe would move mountains to find her.
Chapter Two
It didn’t take Sergei long to reach the metal building that housed the pack vehicles. Calling the shift, his bones broke and reformed into his human shape. His skin prickled with goose bumps while he unlocked the doors. After quickly slipping inside, he rummaged through a supply box, pulling items of clothing that he donned.
He frowned when seeing only one of the newLada-Niva automobiles in place. The other one must be waiting in Yakutsk for the return of the pack’s plane. He opened the door and reached under the driver’s seat for the keys. Finding them, he jammed them into the ignition and twisted. Nothing happened. His heart began to pound. He tried again. Still nothing. He wasn’t going anywhere. The battery was dead. He could go outside and start the generator and hook the battery up to the charger, but that would take time. Time he didn’t have.
“Govno!” he swore. “Time for plan B.” He removed his clothes and went back outside.
Calling the change, white lights coalesced around him, fur sprouted from his skin and ran down his body, his nose grew into a muzzle as his ears moved up his head. It was over in an instant, the pain verging on ecstasy. He was wolf again.
The snow lay heavily across the land, reflecting the moonlight so brightly that it appeared daylight. The frozen landscape seemed otherworldly with every sound echoing in the quiet of night. The wind had blown the snow into huge drifts that Sergei skirted, slowing him more. His destination lay westward and he continued to run across the white landscape.
His light coat helped camouflage him as he journeyed through the forests of Siberia. He became immune to the cold and hoped he would find game before morning to assuage his hunger.
It wasn’t his stomach that kept him on the ground-breaking pace. It was the mysterious woman. What had happened to her? What did she look like? Would she know him when he found her?
His brothers thought him crazy for leaving the safety of their home, but he must follow the call of his mate. He felt her even now reaching out in her pain and confusion. She was betrayed, wounded, and now imprisoned. Her life would be forfeit if Sergei couldn’t reach her in time. So he ran. His wolf spirit giving him the strength and cunning he needed to travel the three thousand miles to Moscow.
He paused behind a tree sniffing, searching for the scents of men and their dwellings. Normally, he would stay far from their villages and cities. Tonight, he must find them, and he was getting closer. The trees thinned and power lines cut across the sky. He could follow the lines and they would lead him straight to the places he needed to go.
Sergei stopped suddenly and listened. He heard a truck engine and must be close to a road. If luck would only help him, he might be able to travel faster. He loped towards the sound. As he drew closer, he heard the truck slow and then pull over. He moved quickly and silently through the snow. Then he heard someone muttering and the smell of urine filled the air. Sergei smiled to himself, showing his sharp canine teeth to the air.
The driver stopped to relieve himself and Sergei would get the ride he needed. With a quick jump, he hid himself among barrels and crates filling the truck bed.
The driver climbed into the cab and started the motor. Sergei sighed in satisfaction. This road headed south west to one of the diamond mines. Hopefully, he would find a freight plane to carry him to Moscow. Sergei said a quick prayer, asking for help. Sometimes you needed more than luck.
As he lay in the back of the truck, head on his paws, he rested. He’d been running most of the night and fatigue plagued him. Even though his body was tired, his mind would not be quiet. He reached through the link and touched the mind of the woman. She was still unconscious. His wolf spirit surrounded her and cradled her mind keeping it safe.
“Hang on. I’m coming,” he whispered to her.
§
Sounds crashed through the darkness, into her head. Lindy grimaced and moaned. Pain was the next thing she noticed. Her shoulder burned.
“She’s waking up.”
“Give her more anesthesia. I don’t need her thrashing about.” Anesthesia? NO!
“Help me!” she sent telepathically in a desperate attempt to connect before the drug took hold.
“I’m coming, detka.”
“Who are you?”
“Your mate.” She had a mate? She didn’t remember her Shadow tattoo burning. His answer rang of truth. Her mind grew fuzzy. Darkness beckoned. She had a mate.
§
Sergei lifted his head to listen. There were definitely more vehicles around them and he could smell wood smoke, as they passed houses and buildings on the road. Then he heard a soun
d that at other times found him hiding in his wolf form. Now he welcomed the rumble of a jet plane coming in for a landing. With an airplane coming in, there was the chance of one going out as well.
Sergei could not chance being seen. Anyone noticing the large silver and white wolf would think to shoot first and ask questions later. He would have to move very carefully. Luckily, the rising sun was covered in clouds and the day was gray. Sergei could hide in the snow.
He waited for the truck to stop at the next intersection and leaped out the back. He hit the ground running and was behind a hedge before anyone could see him. He took the direction the plane headed, southeast. He sniffed the air, trying to get a sense of his current surroundings. He didn’t smell anyone near and peeked out of the hedge to look around. The buildings across the street appeared to be warehouses, and on this side of the street were small homes.
He turned his attention to the warehouses but didn’t hear machinery working. There were large lights on the outside, and a hedge with snow drifting up the side of the building. Sergei could stay hidden behind the bushes. He checked the road carefully, and then ran across and started his way southeast.
Two hours later, Sergei found himself on the outskirts of a runway. He circled the area carefully, keeping himself hidden in the brush that grew up on the edges. He needed to find a plane that traveled to Moscow. Once he did, he would have to cross the long runway. A dangerous venture as there would be nothing to block him from being seen. A chance he would have to take if he wanted to get to his woman.
§
Raven brushed Lindy’s mind. Her thoughts were fuzzy, but she fought the drugs in her system.
“Mate comes,” she sent him.
Raven knew exactly what that meant. The Shadow symbol burned and connected. He’d never heard of the mark activating outside of the Shadow Dimension. Perhaps the stress and danger caused the mating tattoo to reach for its partner in order to help Lindy survive the trauma of being kidnapped.
If that was so, why hadn’t the Shadow Walker tribe member contacted him? With the mating mark in place, a mate could track the other through Shadow. It would be the fastest way to find Lindy. Raven reached for Joe through the tribal link.
“Joe, Lindy’s mate is coming to her. Who is it and why hasn’t he contacted me?”
“I haven’t heard of anyone being marked. Are you sure?”
“Yes, she just told me. If her mate would track her through Shadow, we could find her in minutes.”
“I’ll alert security. You should check with Hugh Thunder Hoof. As far as I know, no one has come forward.”
“When we know who it is, I’ll walk him through Shadow to Moscow myself.”
“Raven, has it occurred to you that maybe he isn’t a Shadow Walker? Doesn’t it seem strange that Lindy has found a mate in Russia?”
“That would explain why I haven’t been contacted. But brings up a whole new set of problems.”
“I remember how you reacted with Cara. I won’t come between Lindy and her mate, I know how dangerous that can be.”
“Have you found anything pointing to why someone would take Lindy?”
“I’m fairly sure the group of marines Lindy worked with has been compromised. I’m not certain yet if it is accidental or if we have a traitor. Some of the reports Lindy left on her laptop tell me she suspected a mole. Jessica and I are still working on the problem.”
“Don’t trust anyone who isn’t tribe. I’ll start looking into the problem from this side of things. Tatiana’s mate William Cody used to work with this group of marines. I’ll see what he can tell me.”
“Roger that, boss. I’ll be in touch.”
Raven let the link drop with Joe and sent a mental caress to Lindy and then dropped that link as well. He could not be distracted when he called his contacts in the government. If someone betrayed Lindy into enemy hands, Raven would find out and that person would pay for their treachery.
§
Finally, Sergei found a plane being loaded with large crates. The man on a forklift drove the heavy load onto the back of the aircraft. Sergei made note of how long the man disappeared inside. If he timed it right he should be able to cross the runway and get behind the large section of crates before the man noticed him. Drawing himself up to run, Sergei waited until the man was inside the plane, then shot across the runway. He hid behind a stack of wooden crates when the man reappeared. The worker smelled of stale cigarette smoke and cabbage stew and listened to music through earpieces.
Sergei waited to see if he could find some hint as to where the plane headed. The forklift picked up another set of crates and drove into the plane. He searched each crate and finally found one labeled. They were headed for Moscow and a storage facility. Now Sergei must get onto the plane unnoticed.
Thirty minutes later, Sergei remained behind the pallets unable to find a way onboard. Then the forklift operator turned off the motor and climbed down. He pulled a cigarette out of his pocket and lit up. Puffing away, he headed into a building across the runway.
Sergei sent up a prayer of gratitude and ran for the plane. He leapt to the top of the crates and followed them deeper inside. Near one side of the plane there was a small space he might squeeze into. Then he caught the smell of food. His stomach grumbled. He hadn’t stopped to eat. His stomach clenched and his mouth watered at the smells. He crept forward toward the cockpit, a wolf on the hunt. Sitting on the floor next to the cockpit entrance was a duffle bag and the food smells drifted from inside.
Sergei stopped to listen and didn’t hear anyone near. Did he dare take the bag and hide with it? When Sergei’s stomach growled loudly the big wolf jumped to the floor lifted the handle with his mouth and jumped back up onto the crates. He lowered himself into the small crevice when he heard voices. Someone heard him jump down and came to investigate. Sergei froze.
He listened to the man looking around the cockpit. The man grumbled to himself. It wasn’t too much later when he left the same way he had come. Nothing was said about the missing duffle bag. Sergei hoped it was because no one realized it was gone. The forklift entered the back of the plane and started loading again.
Sergei called the transformation. White lights surrounded his form until they coalesced, and a tall, well-muscled man, covered in splattered dirt stood where the wolf had been. He unzipped the duffle bag and found a bag with a roast beef sandwich and a plastic container of vegetable soup. He wolfed down the sandwich and drank the soup. He rummaged in the bag and found a bottle of water. Inside the bag there was also a jumpsuit with the name Mirnyy Mine on the back and a pair of socks and shoes. Thinking they might come in handy, Sergei put them back in the duffle and laid his head on the bag. Finally feeling better with his stomach full, he called the shift and let his wolf spirit take him. He appreciated the fur coat that covered his body and warmed his skin. There would be no heat in the freight plane. Once in the air it would get very cold, being in wolf form would make the trip more comfortable.
Sergei closed his eyes and reached for the woman through the mating bond. She was still confused, but seemed to be coming out of whatever kept her unconscious. She felt Sergei as he entered her mind. He tried to send reassurance to her and felt her reach for him.
“Who?” He heard her weakly.
“Sergei, your mate.”
“Mate.” He felt her sigh.
Needing to know her name, Sergei sent her a question. “Name?”
“Lindy.” If he didn’t know better, Sergei would think she was a lycan instead of human the way they mentally merged.
Just then he felt her flinch and her skin pricked with a needle. The coldness of the drug entered her system.
“Help me. Come” She drifted back into unconsciousness.
Sergei tried to reach her again and again. His panic at her loss turned to rage. He forced himself to stay still and quiet. He couldn’t afford to make a sound someone might hear before the plane took to the air. He sent her strength and reassurance through the m
ating bond. She probably couldn’t hear him in her drug-induced sleep, but he spoke to her anyway. “Be strong, Lindika, fight them. I am coming, and I will find you.”
For a minute he thought he felt a brush against his mind. It was gone so quickly he wasn’t sure it wasn’t wishful thinking. Sergei reeled with the knowledge that this woman was his mate. He never thought to find her and to know she was in danger filled him with a possessive rage. Anyone who hurt her would die, he promised himself. With a supreme act of will Sergei pushed down his wolf’s instincts and pulled his mind away from his emotions. He must stay calm and focused. He would be no help to her if he couldn’t control his feelings.
The engines started and the plane roared down the runway. As it lifted into the sky, a forlorn howl tumbled into the night.
Chapter Three
“Dammit, Running Bear. You shouldn’t be here.” Captain Travis paced across the hotel room. Joe thought the man reminded him a little of himself a few years back. The marine’s close cropped hair and muscular build was similar to Joe’s, though he had Travis by a couple inches in height.
“I don’t know what you mean, Captain.” Joe leaned against the edge of the dresser.
“My wife, Jessica, and I are here for a vacation. We were supposed to meet Lindy. Since she’s missing, we thought to look into what’s happened.” That information wasn’t strictly true, but the captain didn’t know that.
“I don’t know what you think you can do that we can’t,” Travis grumbled.
“We both know the local police haven’t found anything and the United States government won’t risk an international incident for one missing woman. Did you know that Lindy thought there was a traitor on your team?” Jessica asked from where she lounged in a chair by the window.
“A traitor? That’s impossible!” Travis turned to Jessica, his hands on his hips.
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