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Silas, still in his snow leopard form, jumped from Jade’s arms after he nuzzled her cheek and moved to Noah, who he nuzzled under his chin before he followed his dad out the door.Noah laughed when Silas put his paws against the window of Xander’s truck.

Hurry up!

Laughing, they hopped in Xander’s pickup truck and headed toward Kai’s gigantic mountain house a few miles away.Xander turned on a blues station and soon they both relaxed back into their seats.

Noah reached out to grasp Jade’s hand in his and she turned to smile at him.But her smile turned tense and she gazed around.

“What?”

“Someone’s following us.”

Xander, whose eyes had already been scanning the surrounding area, sighed in defeat when he couldn’t find anything out of place.

“Whoever it is, is staying out of sight.What do you think they are after?”

“The scent—there’s something familiar in the underlying scent, but something his masking it.I can’t remember where I could’ve smelled it before.”

Noah glanced between Jade and Silas.Jade had just recovered from an attack; there was no way he was going to see her hurt again.Although he couldn’t admit it aloud, he cared deeply for Jade and had thought more than once in their time together about being her mate.They could work as assassins and live together in Jade’s cozy little cabin.But someone out there was trying to rip them apart.

Yeah, we’re coming in now, but I think we’re being followed.

By whom?Kai’s voice boomed in his head and Noah sat back, startled.

“Did you just hear Kai?” Jade asked.

He nodded.

Are we getting ready for a fight?

For fuck’s sake, Ax.

Just asking!

“How can I hear the assassins?I’m not an assassin and other than you and Silas, I couldn’t hear anyone before.”Noah felt confused and it came across in his voice.

“I don’t know.”

I backtracked several times on the drive home, but I couldn’t see anyone following Jade and I.

Noah?

Yeah, Ghost, it’s me.

Be alert.The most dangerous time is from the car to the house.We’re ready for you.

Xander pressed his foot on the accelerator and within a minute, Kai’s house was in view.

ETA, two minutes.

We really have to figure out what the fuck is going on.These fucking shifters aren’t smart enough to come after us, so if it’s not them, then who?

Before anyone could answer, Xander pulled into the driveway of Kai’s house, about twenty feet from the door.Noah took a quick glance around before he turned to Xander.

“Get Silas safe before we leave the vehicle.”

Xander picked up Silas in his arms and dashed for Kai’s front door.The vampire opened it in time for Xander to rush through, and then he, Axel, Kane, Thomas, Isaac, Hunter, and Gunnar stepped onto the porch.They walked closer as Noah opened the door.

There was a flash of movement to his right, but before he could slam the door shut, a fist gripped his collar and yanked him out of the SUV and onto the ground.When Noah blinked up at the stranger, he realized he wasn’t a stranger after all.