by Bianca D'Arc
Slade was used to being the odd cat out, but he wasn’t used to anyone in the shifter community being able to discern his innate magicality right off the bat. These two were unique in his experience. But then, he’d never really hung out with magic users before.
“My wife and I arrived this morning to help Belinda and hold down the fort until Grif and his brothers come to their senses.” Keith spoke candidly as they all walked into a spacious living room. He too looked fatigued, which was odd for a shifter. Most had vast reserves of energy and didn’t tire easily. “I hope you have more success than I did. I spoke to Tim a few minutes ago. He called to see if you’d arrived and wants you to call him as soon as you have a sit rep.”
Slade nodded. They all knew this situation was high priority for the Lords as well as everyone involved with Redstone Construction and the Cougar Clan. Slade wasn’t surprised Tim would be checking on him even before he arrived, but he had to take stock of the situation first, before he’d have something to tell the Lords.
“Can you fill me in on what’s been going on here?” Slade asked quietly. He’d learned over the years that a calm demeanor helped in situations like this. Not that he’d ever had so many lives riding on his shoulders as he did this time.
They all sat around a coffee table littered with maps and computer print outs. Slade would get to those in time, if they had a bearing on his investigation.
“Grif asked us to come,” Valerie began. “We dropped everything and flew in this morning, to help with Belinda. It was bad enough losing her older sister a while back, but the poor child found her mother’s body.” Valerie’s eyes grew suspiciously moist and her hand reached for her mate’s.
The bond was strong between these two. Slade could almost feel the energy between them buzzing in the air—especially with the heightened emotion of the moment. This was a good partnership. Slade was almost in awe of how well their energies meshed.
But the news wasn’t good. The youngest member of the family had to have been damaged emotionally by what she’d seen. No wonder the Clan was in such an uproar. Not only had they lost their matriarch, but the harm to the child was something that would haunt her throughout her life.
Slade had a great deal of sympathy for the child, but his mission was to stop the cougar Alpha from doing something that might bring further harm to his Clan, and everyone who worked for him. Slade had his work cut out for him.
“Can you give me any details of the attack?” Slade asked, not really hoping for much. These people had only arrived this morning. They were probably only a little more knowledgeable than he was on recent events.
Keith leaned back to unclip a cell phone from his hip. “I can’t give you much, but I’ll get my cousin here no matter how much he argues.” He flipped it open and hit a speed dial number, a grim look on his face.
“Keith’s cousins only waited for us to arrive and take charge of Belinda before they lit out of here, on the hunt. Personally, I’m glad you’re here. Those guys aren’t very rational right now from what little I saw.”
Keith started talking to someone—arguing really—as the call connected and Valerie cringed, clearly embarrassed by the colorful language and heated exchange. Slade wasn’t surprised in the least by the cougars’ argument. He had assumed the Alpha and his brothers would be hotheads. This exchange only confirmed it.
“Sorry.” Valerie gave him an uncomfortable smile.
“Don’t worry,” Slade answered. “I’ve heard worse.”
Valerie laughed, her discomfort fading. “Yeah, I bet you have.” She looked toward the staircase just visible through the arch they’d passed through to enter the living room. “Belinda is upstairs with—”
She was cut off as Keith swore and punched the end button on his phone.
“He’s coming but he’s not happy,” Keith announced.
“Happiness is not required,” Slade answered coolly as Keith eyed him.
“Oh, man. I’m not sure I want to be around to see this,” Keith said with only a hint of humor.
Slade shrugged. “Stay or go. It doesn’t really matter. Either way, I have a mission to accomplish.”
The front door burst open and a ragged looking, sandy-haired cougar stalked in.
“Where is he?” the man roared before even clearing the doorway. He must’ve been nearby to have come so quickly. The door slammed shut behind him as he stomped into the living room.
Slade stood, ready for confrontation, his magic extending itself in a blanket of calm. It would do no good to fight with the cougar Alpha in his own home.
“I can help.” He wanted that aspect of his presence to be abundantly clear. He didn’t want to set himself up as the enemy from the get-go.
The Alpha paused in the archway, the magic hitting him, manipulating him just a tiny bit to help him calm. Valerie and Keith shot a look at Slade, but he ignored it. They could both sense his magic but the big, angry cougar in the archway didn’t seem to notice. Slade counted on the other two to keep quiet about it as long as Slade didn’t do anything to harm the other man.
“I’m Grif. Clan Alpha,” he identified himself.
“I’m Slade. Tracker and head of security for the Lords. Thank you for returning to brief me, Alpha. I need every detail you have before I can get to work.” Slade drew the man’s attention to the coffee table and all the maps and print-outs. It seemed like Grif was calming enough to be sensible—at least for now.
Twenty minutes passed while Grif gave Slade every last detail he knew about the actual attack and everything else they’d been able to learn in the day since. The matriarch had been killed the day before, in her garden in back of the house. The youngest of the family had come downstairs to discover her mother’s lifeless body in the backyard. The matriarch had been partially skinned in cougar form, which meant the killer had taken a piece of her pelt either as a trophy or as part of some kind of evil blood magic. Slade didn’t like either option.
Since the killing, everyone had been on high alert. Grif had reached out to the Lords and his extended family. Many had answered his call. It became clear to Slade that this was an Alpha who was much loved by his Clan. Valerie and Keith kept their eyes on Slade throughout the conversation, clearly reserving judgment about his casual use of magic to calm the other man down.
“I need to see the spot where her body was found,” Slade said at last, knowing the next few moments would be hard for the Alpha.
“There’s nothing out there. The trail is cold. Not much in the way of clues. And the priestess took charge of my mother’s body, thank the Goddess,” Grif said in a low voice.
“Priestess?” That was the first Slade had heard of a priestess out this way, but he probably shouldn’t have been surprised. Anyplace with this large a concentration of shifters was likely to attract Others of power as well. A priestess could be a good ally for this Clan.
“Kate,” Valerie supplied, speaking for the first time since the Alpha had arrived. “She’s upstairs with Belinda now. She has the most powerful healing gift I’ve seen in a long time, in addition to her other abilities.”
“That’s good,” Slade nodded. “The little one will need her help.”
“As will you.” The strange female voice came from the archway.
Slade looked up to find the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen standing there, her gaze challenging him. Magic swirled around her. Green and gold, the color of sunshine and new growth. Healing and purification. This then, had to be the priestess, Kate.
Slade stood, unable to take his gaze from her.
The feminine vision strode forward, surety in her steps as she walked right up to Slade and held out her hand. He took her petite fingers in his much larger grip and was surprised by the strength with which she returned his gentle grasp.
The air of fragility about her was only an illusion. This woman had hidden depths and more power than he had ever encountered in a human. It tasted his magic where their hands met, swirling and twining up hi
s arm before seeming to accept him. He realized in that moment she had tested him magically. He grinned at her audacity. Very few beings had ever challenged him in such a way. Usually, it annoyed him. Today, he found he liked it.
He extended his own magic the tiniest bit—just enough to let her know he knew what she’d done. He saw her eyes widen as his magic twined with hers, sealing their hands on more than just the physical level. Her gaze held his for a moment longer than was strictly polite and it seemed all in the room held their breath to see how this first meeting would go.
Kate blinked first, breaking the spell. She let go of his hand and he had no choice but to let her go as well. The magic between them unraveled and retracted, each to its owner.
“I’m Kate. Human, but a consecrated priestess of the Lady. Allie and Betina know I live here. You can check with them if you need someone to vouch for me.”
“Your magic speaks for itself, milady.” He dipped his head slightly, in respect, holding her gaze. “I’m Slade.”
“Slade,” she repeated his name as if tasting it, as their eyes held a beat too long. She shook herself and started back toward the archway. “We don’t have time to waste,” she said, changing tacks. “Come on. You need to see the garden.”
“There’s nothing out there—” Grif began in a tired voice but Kate cut him off.
“Nothing you can see. I think Slade will see a lot more. Accept his help, Alpha. The Lords sent him here for a reason. He’s more than you know.” Kate didn’t wait but headed for the back of the house on light feet.
Slade made to follow her, but Grif held one arm out to bar his way.
“What does she mean? You’re a cat, aren’t you? You smell feline, but not cougar.” Grif sniffed, testing the scent only another shifter could discern.
“Black leopard,” Slade confirmed. Usually that was enough to satisfy other shifters. Leopards were scarce in this country, though they were beginning to make a bit of a resurgence.
“And more,” Valerie stepped forward, as if daring Slade to deny what the magic users could sense in him. “Mage, but not. I’ve never encountered anything like you before, Slade. I admit, you’re a puzzle.”
Slade sighed. “I’m not a mage. I’m one hundred percent shifter. Mostly leopard but a few generations back in my ancestry there’s something a bit rarer.”
“What?” Grif demanded. “What are you that I should trust you?”
When he put it that way, Slade felt it only fair to answer honestly. Alpha to Alpha, he would give this man an answer to the question he never deigned to answer when asked by Others. This time, though, with this man, in this dire situation, he needed to be honest.
“I am snowcat,” he admitted in a quiet voice.
“The most magical of shifters in the known world,” Keith supplied in a low voice. “No wonder you light up our magesight like a firecracker. “And the way you sparked off the priestess…” Keith seemed to be thinking out loud. “Aren’t snowcats holy men?”
“Tibetan mystics,” Slade clarified. “They like to cultivate the myth that they’re all the next best thing to a deity, but I’m proof they’re merely mortal. More magical than most, but definitely mortal. My great-grandmother left Tibet centuries ago to travel the world with my great-grandfather. Theirs was a true mating.” Slade looked down at the arm that still barred his path. “And now you know something about me that even the Lords don’t know. I trust you’ll keep it to yourselves. Anonymity is helpful in my line of work.”
“You help me find the bastard that murdered my mother and I’ll give you any damn thing you want. I’ll keep your secret, as will my cousins. Right?” Grif looked at Keith and Valerie who both nodded solemnly.
“I’ll find those who killed your matriarch and you will have justice for her death. This I vow,” Slade replied.
“Then we have an accord.” Grif moved his arm, offering his hand to seal the deal.
They shook hands and then all four of them walked out of the living room, heading down the hall toward the back of the house. They were following the young priestess who had missed their meeting of the minds. She waited for them in the backyard, chanting softly.
Slade felt the power of her magic the moment he stepped out of the house. She had lit up the area with magical energy.
Even from this distance, Slade could see the dark, roiling miasma of evil forces in one spot of the otherwise peaceful garden. He walked directly to it, knowing that was the spot where the matriarch had been slain.
“Stay here,” Slade requested. “I’d like my first pass to be without your influence.”
The cougars let him go while they watched from the deck.
“How does he know?” Grif asked his cousin. Slade could still hear them, but he was already on the trail.
“Kate lit the scene,” Keith explained. “To someone with magesight, your backyard is filled with magical information. The spot where your mother… well… it’s very obvious to me and my mate. To the leopard as well. And the priestess.”
“Magic,” Grif cursed. “It fouled the physical trail. None of us could find anything to follow.”
“My money’s on the leopard,” Keith answered. “My magesight is good. Valerie’s is better. But neither of us have the kind of skills the Lords hinted at this guy having. They sent him here for a reason. Our best bet is to let him do his thing, Grif.”
Slade heard the answering growl of frustration from the Clan Alpha. He didn’t blame the man. Slade would feel the same way if the roles were reversed. Shifters needed action. Sitting around letting someone else do the work went against the grain, but in this case, was necessary. Slade had the skills needed to unravel the magical trail that fouled the entire backyard. He’d done it before. He’d do it again.
Slade set to work, aware of the priestess, but she was good at keeping out of his way.
“You can see this, right?” Slade asked as he passed her in a neat row of tomatoes that had withstood the violence of the day before surprisingly well.
“I see it,” she answered in a grim voice. This delicate woman had a core of steel, if he didn’t miss his guess. She was holding up a lot better than he would have imagined, not shying away from the distasteful residual energies that littered the yard.
Slade stepped carefully, unraveling the energy trails left by the cougars who had taken away their matriarch’s body and then scoured the yard looking for a physical trail. It was there, but there was no way the cougars could have seen it. Not without substantial magical help.
Even Keith and his mage mate would have trouble figuring this one out. Slade had seldom seen a more convoluted trail. He had no doubt it had been set up deliberately to foil pursuit. Whoever killed the matriarch had been concerned about shifters following them, but they’d also been aware of the magical friends the cougars could call on for help.
“Two of them did the deed,” Kate whispered, her hands held aloft, using her magic to brighten the trails in a way Slade could not. But while she could enlighten, she didn’t appear to be able to unravel them the way Slade could.
Her help was making this job easier than it would have been had Slade been attempting to read the energy trails on his own. For that reason—and to placate the restless cougars on the deck—he decided to humor her and speak his findings aloud.
“A man and a woman. The woman did the knife work,” he confirmed, trying not to allow his disgust and anger rise too close to the surface. He needed to cultivate calm to do his work. That was often the hardest part of being who and what he was. The leopard wanted to rend and tear. The snowcat in him counseled for reason and measured justice. It was hard to reconcile.
“She follows the blood path,” Kate confirmed, an ever-so-slight tremble in her voice. “They both do, but the male is the master in magic.”
“The woman is the master in all other things. Killing, most of all,” Slade confirmed, tasting the grass near the murder scene. It held the flavor of evil from the energies of those who had walked o
ver it. The plants would recover with time as the magic dissipated and was cleansed by the innate energies of the earth, but for now, every living thing potentially held a trail he could follow.
“A deadly pair,” Kate observed.
“I am deadlier.” Slade stood and took a long look around the yard. Kate, wisely, made no comment to his soft-spoken statement.
Chapter Two
“When will you begin the hunt?” Kate asked in a whisper as the most intimidating man she’d ever met stood so close, she could feel his body’s heat.
“I already have.” His haunting blue eyes shifted to her and she detected the faintest bit of humor behind his resolute gaze.
She admired that resolution and the deadly abilities she sensed in him. This was a man who had not lived a quiet life. No, even for a shifter, this Slade had lived a life of adventure, followed by purpose. She was able to sense that much about him.
That, and he was the absolute most devastating male she’d ever encountered. His magic tickled hers and had felt decidedly naughty when he’d let it out to twine up her arm during that handshake. One or two magic users had tried that trick in the past, but the feel of their power had always sickened her. Not so with Slade. No, with him, she wanted another taste, another tickle of his beguiling power.
Dangerous.
The man—shifter—was very dangerous to her both personally and in general. He was a killer, like most of his shifter brethren. A predator with a man’s mind. A serious combination. But he was more. So much more. Magical and wild. Attractive and scary. A man of contrasts that drew her in as no man had ever done before. Not even that one, ill-fated relationship that had led her to where she was now.
Recalling that past mistake, she knew she would have to be careful around Slade.
But she also had a job to do. Like him, she’d promised her aid to the Cougar Clan and justice for the matriarch, a woman she’d both loved and respected. The matriarch had invited Kate into the community and made her welcome there, more than any other. Her death caused a deep pain of grief, but also the burning desire for justice. Maybe the shifter mentality was rubbing off on her, but Kate wouldn’t rest until the killers had been dealt with. Only then would she allow herself to grieve for her lost friend.