I rolled my eyes to the treetops.
After she drove the Wrangler as far down an incline as she could, and into some heavy brush, we locked it up. We hid the Jeep by covering it with plenty of branches thick with leaves and pine needles, along with plenty of brush.
Olivia and I shrugged into our backpacks, then headed up one of the less traveled trails not too far from where we’d hidden the Jeep. Beketov had given us detailed instructions on the Werewolf pack’s location the night we took on the case.
I have an excellent memory, so it wasn’t hard to figure out where to cut off the trail into dense forest where no human could possibly see a path.
“Are you sure this is the trail?” Olivia kept her voice low even as an oak branch with maroon leaves slapped her in the face. She grimaced but didn’t complain. Olivia never did when it came to pain, no matter how bad it was. If she complained, it was only her way of lightening the situation. “If you call this a trail,” she added before she dodged her head beneath a poplar branch.
“You forget your partner is brilliant,” I threw back at her and she made a noise of disagreement.
I sensed and scented the Werewolves even though the sign was faint, and I saw the barest disturbance of brush from those who had passed through.
Only Elves, Fae, Weres, and Shadow Shifters have that skill. No other beings that I know of are completely silent when they move. Weres are only that silent when in their Were form, though.
Definitely no human can begin to track a Werewolf.
“Wonder where Ice and the two new Trackers are.” My tone was whisper-soft as I gazed in sheer amazement at the beauty of the tree leaves and bushes turning to their fall colors.
Damp tendrils of Olivia’s dark hair curled on her forehead as she looked over her shoulder at me and shrugged. “You need to teach me how to make these damned bushes part like the Red Sea, same as they do for you.”
“You’re not bad for a human.” The vegetation barely skimmed me as I walked, branches moving aside without touching me and giving way for me to move through. “But to Werewolves and Fae, you might as well be clomping into a library wearing combat boots with all the noise you make.”
Another branch slapped Olivia’s face, this time nailing her right on the nose. “Bite me,” she said.
I grinned. “I won’t, but the Weres might.”
“A certain alpha Were had better watch his ass while we’re here,” Olivia said. “Who needs a body bag?”
Deeper and deeper and higher and higher we hiked into the forest, making our way through the thick foliage, over fallen trees, and around moss-covered rocks of all sizes. The air smelled even better here, sweet and fresh. The fall scents were a pleasant change from breathing Manhattan smog and other city odors on a daily basis.
The heaviness of my backpack didn’t bother me even though Olivia had packed it as though she’d been stuffing everything into a black hole. My cashmere sweater felt soft against my skin and the light weight of my jacket was comforting.
I didn’t mention it to Olivia, but I sensed four wolves minutes before two of the Werewolf sentries slipped out of the brush. The wolves blocked our way and bared wicked-looking teeth. My senses told me there were human weapons nearby.
Their thick coats shone in what little light the foliage overhead allowed. The female Were had a rich lightly streaked deep blond coat and the male’s was a glossy dark brown. Growls rose from within their chests and with their protective stances, neither of them looked too friendly.
“Welcome to Oz,” Olivia said under her breath as she moved her hand closer to her Sig.
The Werewolves growled louder and looked even fiercer as their hair rose on end. I’d kept my hands at my sides. I can look relaxed but I never let down my guard.
I shot Olivia a look, and she moved her fingers away from her handgun. Instead she gripped her hand into a fist as she casually loosened the rest of her body into a martial arts stance. She didn’t take any situation for granted. She would remain prepared until she was positive we were safe and she made sure the opposition knew it.
“I’m Nyx Ciar and this is Olivia DeSantos.” I gestured to my partner, then dropped my hand to my side. “Dmitri Kral Beketov is expecting us.” I showed my respect for their alpha by my formality, even if I did think Olivia might have had the right idea when it came to eliminating one big pain in the ass. Well, not really, but if he acted like he had in our office all the time, the idea would be tempting.
A heavy pause as the two Weres continued to assess us. No doubt the fact that members of their pack were being kidnapped, mutilated, and murdered didn’t make it easy for either of them to trust strangers.
While the female wolf held her position, the dark-haired male was the first to take human form. I tried not to wince at the popping sounds of shifting bones and the thought of the pain the Were must have been masking as his muscles rippled and his nose, forehead, and cheekbones shifted.
His coat shimmered and transformed into a lightweight brown tunic and breeches, but he had no weapons or shoes. In a blur of movement, as soon as he was in human form, he snatched a rifle from under a pile of leaves. A nasty-looking rifle. If I had it right, it was a Czech SA Vz 58 assault rifle. Since the Weres had emigrated from the Czech Republic before settling in America, I wasn’t surprised they preferred Czech weapons.
Then the male Were was standing. His features were strong and handsome, his hair short and deep brown. His eyes were the shade of aged oak, his gaze unreadable, and he had to be at least six-two.
“Hands up.” He kept the weapon trained on us as we obeyed.
“This is bullshit.” I could barely understand Olivia’s low words because she spoke as though she was gritting her teeth at the same time.
I wanted to kick her ankle to get her to shut up, but I managed to keep my feet still.
The male spared a brief glance at the other Were while keeping us pinned by the rifle with the obvious ease of a trained professional. He gave an almost indecipherable nod to the female.
The popping of bone as the female Werewolf shifted didn’t seem as loud, but I doubted it could be any less painful than the male’s transformation must have been. Even though they were unquestionably used to it, such an extreme change still had to hurt.
When she rose, her own tunic was a light taupe. Her face had shifted into the stunning features of a beautiful woman and her hair was long and shimmering. She didn’t reach for a weapon. Instead she took a step toward us, her bare feet silent on the rich loam.
“I’m Kristen Abbatiello Neff.” She gave all three of her names in the Werewolf tradition. She gestured with a slight nod over her shoulder at the male. “Jason Ray Taylor.”
“You’re late.” Taylor held his rifle in a military position so that it wasn’t pointed at us, but would allow him to be prepared for anything.
The two Werewolves were obviously young compared to the Weres who had emigrated centuries ago from what is now known as the Czech Republic. By their American accents and names that weren’t even close to being Slavic, these two had to be part human, possibly as much as half. Maybe it wasn’t as rare as I thought for humans and Werewolves to mate.
“Come.” Neff turned away from us, her walk easy and graceful as she moved through a virtually invisible path.
Tingles ran along my spine as Taylor moved behind us to take up the rear of our little party.
Neff glanced over her shoulder before looking forward again. “Your friends are already here.”
“Friends?” Olivia started walking and looked at me. “You expecting any friends?”
I did kick Olivia’s shoe this time as I fell in step beside her. “The Doppler, Angel, probably traveled all the way through the forest as a squirrel, which is why I didn’t identify her over the scents of normal squirrels,” I said as we followed Neff. “No doubt Ice decided on a Werewolf form, which would keep me from scenting him, too.”
“And the Aussie, Joshua…Can you smell a Shadow Sh
ifter?” Olivia said while we stepped through what seemed like a minefield of rocks.
“Pretty impossible, even for the Fae or Elves.” I glanced at Olivia and smiled. “When they’re in shadow form, it’s like trying to capture a breath of clean air in the middle of a polluted Manhattan wind or distinguish it from a fresh mountain breeze.”
“That’s almost scary.” Olivia hitched up her backpack. “Wonder how close that bunch got to the Werewolf camp before they met up with the Weres.”
Neff’s spine seemed to stiffen as she walked ahead of us, and I guessed Ice, Angel, and Joshua had gotten a lot closer than the Werewolves had expected. Or appreciated.
When we reached the pack’s camp, it looked like any other large group of campers someone might run across. Tents of all sizes, shapes, and colors squatted around the clearing, Coleman lanterns hung from tree branches, ice chests sat near tents, and assortments of other camping supplies were arranged everywhere.
Male and female Weres in either human or wolf form moved around the camp, most ignoring us as they did their chores. A couple of Weres did eye the daggers sheathed at my belt. Six wolf pups played well within the circle of tents.
Smoke tendrils rose from rock-contained campfires scattered in the center of the clearing. The encampment smelled of smoke from the fires, kerosene that filled the lanterns, and also of raw meat from a couple of deer strung up from wooden poles to one side. The scent of the Werewolves was hard to distinguish since they always had the scent of woodlands and clean air.
“Ugh.” Olivia made a disgusted sound and I looked in the direction her eyes were focused on.
I held back my own squeamishness as I watched a couple of male Weres in human form ripping raw meat from bone with their teeth. Blood smeared their lips. It looked like they each had a haunch of a very large deer. I turned away, deciding the upper branches of the trees were far more interesting. The black storm clouds we’d seen earlier hovered right on top of us now.
The tent we were shown to was an average size compared with those around the camp. I frowned when I saw the two male Weres standing near the entrance. One on each side, they were obviously guards. Why would we need guards?
Neff pulled aside the blue tent’s entrance flap. “Dmitri said you should go right in when you arrive. He’ll be here when he’s available.”
“When he’s available?” Olivia grumbled. “He’d sure as hell better not make us wait.”
This time I elbowed her.
“Thank you.” I nodded to Neff, who inclined her head in return.
I glanced over my shoulder at Taylor, who also gave a nod, only his was almost too slight to see. He looked like one tough, protective guy, which was what the pack needed.
Olivia ignored them both and I heard her say, “Oh, great,” as she slipped into the tent.
Not good. I ducked inside to head off anything that might set Olivia off. I almost stumbled as I ran into her backside.
Angel, Joshua, and Ice lounged on top of rolled-out sleeping bags. In the middle of the tent sat two large half-full platters of food. One platter held cooked hamburgers and hot dogs in already toasted buns. The food smelled so good my mouth watered.
Ketchup, mustard, relish, and mayo had been placed on a tray nearby. Slices of cheese, onions, lettuce and tomatoes were piled on the other platter along with apples and grapes. An open ice chest was filled with bottles of Michelob, Foster’s, different flavors of Mike’s Hard Lemonade, and plastic bottles of water.
Darn. No vodka.
“What did you do, walk all the way from Manhattan?” Ice said before he took a swig of a bottle of Michelob. Next to him was an empty paper plate with smudges of ketchup and mustard on it.
I pushed Olivia down on a sleeping bag, hard, to keep her from opening her mouth. She glared at me as she landed half on her butt and half on her backpack.
Rain started to plop onto the canvas tent in big fat drops. A stronger chill crept in through the partially open flap and carried with it the clean smell of rain.
“We’re late because something came up this morning.” As if I was going to tell them about Adam. I sat yoga-style on the remaining sleeping bag after I eased out of my backpack straps and set the huge pack aside.
Olivia had removed her backpack and now grabbed a paper plate, then a hot dog, and started loading it with condiments.
I had to arrange myself so that I could sit with two seventeen-inch daggers belted to me. “Fill me in on what’s happened so far.” I eased out of my coat as I spoke and tossed it onto my pack. The chill didn’t bother me.
Normally, my favorite hamburgers were char-burnt with everything on them. I chose the first hamburger that looked fairly well-cooked—good enough—and put it on a paper plate. My stomach rumbled as I started loading the burger with two slices of cheddar cheese, onion, tomato, and lettuce.
Angel studied me with blue eyes filled with so much intelligence it was easy to forget she looked like a poster girl for a cheerleader magazine. There had to be a magazine for cheerleaders, right? Everything else on earth had a magazine.
“Each of us was ordered to go to this tent as we arrived.” She pushed a corkscrew curl behind her ear. A half-full bottle of water was beside her. “I arrived first. When I shifted in the middle of the encampment they freaked.” She gave a grin that was totally unrepentant. “Werewolves are so easy to piss off.”
It just didn’t seem right to have a word like “piss” come out of her pretty mouth.
I couldn’t help a grin in return. “Most Dopplers couldn’t have pulled that off.”
She gave a delicate shrug of one shoulder. “I’m not most Dopplers.”
“Bloody hell, you’re right,” Joshua said, his Aussie accent sounding exaggerated as his dark gaze settled on her full breasts. “With a set of world-class bazooms like that, you’ll drive all the Weres daft.”
I narrowed my eyes. Looked like Joshua might be Trouble with a capital T. As if we needed another pain in the ass like Ice.
Angel’s expression didn’t change and her tone was pleasant. “If you speak to me like that again, you’ll be a mere shadow of yourself when I get through with you. I know your weakness, Shadow Shifter.”
Joshua looked intrigued as he raised an eyebrow in a sexy, mouthwatering way. “Fascinating, Sheila.” He used the name most men used to refer to women in Australia.
I gripped my burger, almost squeezing out the contents. “Stop it. We’re a team.” I narrowed my eyes as my gaze met each team member’s, one at a time.
First, Joshua. “No lewd remarks. And her name isn’t Sheila. Same goes for any other female you meet.”
My gaze met Olivia’s, and I could tell she was trying to hold back a grin. “No smartass comments.”
I focused on Ice. “Stop trying to tick off everyone on the team. Show a little teamwork. Maybe a little class if you can find any.”
“Ouch.” Ice gave me a lazy smile. “Do those statements apply to team leaders?”
I tried not to glare at him, I really did.
Then I had to say something to Angel since I’d just reprimanded the rest. “Keep your knowledge of a species’ kryptonite to yourself. And don’t use it.”
Angel stared at Joshua with a wicked expression. “Unless they deserve it.”
“Not even then.” I shifted on my sleeping bag to get into a more comfortable position. After I took a really big bite of my hamburger, chewed, and swallowed, I said, “Okay. Time to start planning.”
Lips turned into a sarcastic expression, Ice opened his mouth. I pointed my finger at him before he could speak. “Shut up, Ice. I need you to be serious. Not an ass. We don’t have time for that.”
He grinned, then took a swig of beer. Unbelievable. He’d actually listened to my order.
Had the Lord of the Underworld started cultivating flower gardens?
The tent flap opened with a loud snap.
A hulking mass appeared outside the entrance.
SEVEN
A
s the large being crouched at the entrance to the tent, a rush of cold wind blew water droplets inside, and I rubbed off some that had spattered my face.
The six-four Beketov ducked into the tent. His very muscular mass made the space instantly feel too small for all of us to be in there at the same time. He bent on one knee inside the entrance as the tent flap fell behind him, the flap blocking the rain again. Not that much could get past his bulk.
With Joshua and Ice in the tent, too, it was a wonder the space held us all. Both the Shifter and Shadow Shifter were pretty impressive themselves in size and height.
Beketov’s wet hair appeared more mahogany than its normal bronze shade. The long strands hung to his waist in waves. Droplets of water rolled from his tanned arms, the hair on his forearms pressed against his skin from the wetness.
Each member of our team assessed him without comment—thank the Goddess for that blessing. It was the first time any of them had seen or met Beketov, with the exception of Olivia.
“This is Dmitri Kral Beketov,” I said before anyone did decide to open their mouths. I set my plate with my burger on the sleeping bag beside me after a quick look of longing. “The pack’s alpha.”
“Thanks for the drinks and lunch.” Angel inclined her head toward the ice chest and half-eaten platters of food. “Nice way to start the afternoon.” Her smile was pleasant, her eyes assessing the gorgeous alpha the same as she might look at any other male. If she thought he was hot, it didn’t show on her face.
Beketov’s tawny eyes studied her before resting on each of us before he spoke. “It is rare for a Werewolf pack to allow non-Weres into our midst.” His gaze was cool, and not really what I’d call welcoming. “You are the first to be brought into ours.”
“Lucky us.” Ice drawled the words and Beketov narrowed his eyes at the Shifter.
“We’re all here to help.” Why did I always have to head things off with this team? You’d think they’d have at least some manners. “We were just starting to discuss the case.”
“Case?” Beketov growled the word as he scowled. “We speak of my peoples’ lives.”
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