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The next morning, Zeke was ready and waiting long before the rest of the small team that would be heading for the mainland was at the boat ramp.

He hadn’t been able to sleep much, replaying the kiss he’d shared with Celine over and over in his mind as he stared up at the ceiling above his lonely bed.

She’d tasted wild and untamed, and he’d gotten what he thought might be a glimpse of her true nature in that moment of awakening passion.

A nature that had been subdued by grief this past year.

When he thought about what she’d been through, it broke his heart.

He knew that kind of pain. Watching someone you loved die and the aftermath of violence wasn’t easy.

He knew that from first-hand experience.

But he didn’t want to think about that either.

So, he’d gotten up well before dawn to get ready for the mission of the day.

They’d be leaving for the short hop across the water to the shoreline of Connecticut at dawn, so he only had an hour or two to kill before he was supposed to be at the dock.

He’d pulled night watch a lot since a few of his teammates had married.

The men who had women of their own usually liked to spend the night warm in bed with the ladies they loved, and Zeke couldn’t really blame them.

As a result, he’d picked up more night watch shifts without complaint.

He liked prowling in the quiet hours when most of the rest of the base was asleep.

It appealed to his protective instincts to watch over his friends and colleagues while they were vulnerable in dreamland.

He did for them what he hadn’t been able to do for his brother, who had been gunned down in the wee hours of the morning.

Danny hadn’t been safe in his own bed, and Zeke had gone out looking for him.

His misguided brother had been out with his crew, and they’d already been jumped by a rival gang when Zeke arrived on the scene.

Things had escalated all too quickly, and when the dust settled, Danny was dead.

Zeke had held him as he’d died. He’d bled out before an ambulance could arrive.

Zeke had been too late to stop the violence or whisk his brother away.

He’d been too damned late to save the life of the brother he’d loved.

But he would do for his unit and their families what he hadn’t been able to do for his own family. He’d keep them safe in the night as best he could. He’d stand watch so others could rest.

There was a round-the-clock coffee and snack station in the cafeteria for those who pulled night duty. Zeke had grabbed one of the sandwiches always kept on hand in the small refrigerator, as well as a very large cup of coffee, then headed out for a stroll to calm his racing mind.

He knew his journey to the other side of the island where the boat ramp was located had been noted by the other soldiers who patrolled the night, but he hadn’t seen anyone.

Since the shifters kept watch over the entire island and his unit was only responsible for watching their own building and perimeter, Zeke wasn’t surprised by not seeing the other patrols.

The shifters, he had learned, were amazingly stealthy.

They wouldn’t be seen unless they wanted to be seen. He could respect that.

Sitting on a bench near the boat ramp in the dim light of the moon, Zeke ate the sandwich and sipped his coffee, doing his best to quiet his mind.

He had work to do once the sun was up, and he wanted to be in the right frame of mind to focus on his task.

It was important to Celine, and therefore, it was important to him.

He had to do his best for her. Anything less was unacceptable.

The water was restless, just like he was.

There was a storm out at sea, but the weather here was decent enough.

He found the sounds of the waves lapping at the shoreline a few feet away comforting.

Calming. Just what he needed. Once he finished eating, he just sat, contemplating the quiet right before dawn as his mind stilled and relief came over him.

He might not have had enough hours of sleep, but his mind was in the right place to accomplish his task.

That’s what mattered. He would catch up on sleep later. He was good at taking combat naps.

“You’re here early,” came a gruff voice from Zeke’s left.

He’d been somewhat aware of movement to his side, but it hadn’t felt threatening, so Zeke hadn’t reacted.

He’d assumed it was one of the shifters on patrol, and Zeke hadn’t wanted to draw unnecessary attention.

But as he turned, he recognized the voice.

Zeke was unsurprised to find Master Chief Santini regarding him with narrowed eyes.

“Good morning, Master Chief.” Neither of them were on duty, and they weren’t even in the same branch of the military, but Zeke was careful to show respect for the older man by using his rank to address him.

Santini looked up at the moon, then glanced toward the east where the sun would be rising in a few minutes. He shook his head.

“It’s not really morning yet, son,” the old master chief observed, moving to sit at the other end of the bench from Zeke. “Have you slept at all?”

“A bit.” Zeke shrugged. “I usually pull night watch, so I’m used to being up in the dark. I enjoy the quiet.”

The older man nodded. They sat silently for a moment before the master chief spoke again.

“I’m glad we have a chance to speak privately,” he said, turning a bit to face Zeke.

“I’d appreciate it if you would go easy on my granddaughter if you see anything really heinous at the house.

Save the really brutal stuff to report in private, without Celine listening.

She saw enough when she found her parents, and I don’t like the fact that she might be reliving it all by going back to the house with us.

I can’t make her stay away, but I also want to protect her as much as I can. ”

“I understand, sir,” Zeke said quietly, nodding.

He used the word “sir” not in the military sense, but in the manner of a young man speaking to the grandfather of a girl he liked. Master Chief Santini had a way of making Zeke feel like a teenager again, though he was chagrinned to admit it, even to himself.

“I don’t claim to understand how your gift works, but I’ll be glad if you can give us any more to go on.

The search for my son and daughter-in-law’s killer has been at a standstill for months, and you’ve already given us good, solid information we can build on to refresh the trail. Thanks for that, Zeke.”

“You’re welcome. I’m glad I could help, even in this small way,” Zeke said, a little floored by the genuine gratitude he heard in the master chief’s voice.

“Small? You think what you did was small? Hell, son,” Santini regarded him with eyes narrowed in surprise, “you’ve given us more information on the mages involved than we’ve ever had, and you haven’t even seen the house yet.

Even if you see nothing more today, you’ve already done something big to advance my search. I won’t forget it.”

Zeke was so used to thinking of his gift as a joke that he wasn’t sure how to respond.

He wanted to help find the woman—and those behind her—that had caused Celine such profound grief.

He wanted to be part of the search that Santini had claimed for himself.

He just wasn’t sure what more he could contribute.

He wanted to offer his skills as a Spec Ops soldier, but would the master chief immediately dismiss him because he was still just a regular guy, and his so-called gift hadn’t enhanced his fighting skills? There was only one way to find out.

“Master Chief, I want you to know that if you need an extra pair of hands in the field, you can count on me. I know I’m not one of your people, but I have skills. Battle-tested skills that are going to waste as I sit on my ass on this island. I want to help, and I want you to know that.”

Santini eyed him speculatively for a moment, then surprised Zeke with his thoughtful response.

“I know you’re a skilled operator, Zeke. I’ve seen your file. My question is why? Why do you want to risk your own safety for the sake of my investigation? It’s not sanctioned by Uncle Sam.”

“The government isn’t the only arbiter of what’s right,” Zeke replied quietly. “I’ve lost family to violence. I know a bit of what Celine is feeling. If I can help her get justice, I will, because it’s the right thing to do. The evil that came against your family can’t be allowed to continue.”

“Well, hot damn,” Santini mused with the hint of a smile playing about his face as he turned to contemplate the sky in front of their bench that was just beginning to lighten the barest bit with the hint of dawn.

“You sound like a shifter. I thought we were the only ones who talked about evil like that.”

“I think you’ll find, Master Chief, that all of the guys in my unit have a healthy disrespect for the evil scumbags of this world. That’s why we signed up to do what we do. Or did , I guess. None of us are really happy being sidelined.” Zeke scuffed his boot along the dirt at his feet.

“I can respect that,” Santini replied quietly.

They sat together quietly while the sun began its daily rise in the eastern sky and the rest of the team assigned to this mission began appearing at the boat ramp.

Zeke deposited the debris from his make-shift breakfast into a nearby trash can and went to help with preparations, nodding respectfully to the master chief as he also rose and went to confer with some of his people.

The trip to Connecticut didn’t take long.

The house was right along the shore with its own private dock.

Zeke realized pretty quickly that Celine’s family had to be quite wealthy in order to afford such a stunning waterfront property.

Not only was she a shifter, but she was a rich girl.

He’d known a few rich girls in his time, and none of them had wanted to go slumming with a guy like him who’d been very close to becoming a gang banger like his brother.

Zeke thought he’d gotten over his humble beginnings a long time ago, so the self-doubt that arrived on the heels of discovering a little bit more about Celine’s past surprised him.

He’d spent a lot of time overcoming his past. He’d joined the Army and received an education better than any he ever could’ve expected, given his start in life.

He’d proven to himself, and to others, that he wasn’t just some dumb kid from the hood.

He had advanced degrees in archaeology and a whole lot of specialized field experience in both his chosen profession and as a Special Forces soldier.

He understood several languages, including a few ancient ones that were no longer spoken.

He had earned his sharpshooter medals alongside the rest of his unit.

He could go hand-to-hand with anyone, anytime.

He had both physical prowess and mental fortitude, but seeing the posh way Celine had grown up set him back on his heels a bit.

For fuck’s sake .

Zeke was a little disgusted with himself and his thoughts.

He had to get his head on straight and get over himself already.

He had a job to do. He wouldn’t let the unit down.

He wouldn’t let Celine down. She might be a rich girl, but she’d been hurt badly by the violence done to her family.

He wanted to help her find justice, and he would do so—rich girl or not.

Psyching himself up silently, he stepped onto the dock and got ready to go to work.

He was in the real world now, and there was still a price on his head, so he had to stay sharp.

They had discussed the plan for how this would go down before they’d even left the island.

Zeke was one of the last men out of the boat.

One would stay behind at the helm and two on the dock to watch for trouble.

Master Chief Santini and his granddaughter had been among the first to go ashore.

Three of the shifter soldiers had gone ahead, making their way quickly up the back lawn to the house, checking to make sure there were no surprises.

Celine and her grandfather followed in their tracks, slightly behind.

Rick was waiting for Zeke to catch up. Rick was here to keep an eye on Zeke, observing him as he put his new gift to use.

“Master Chief asked us to give him a moment with Celine, before we head inside,” Rick said in a low voice as Zeke came up beside him. “She hasn’t been back since the murder, has she?”

“No, she hasn’t,” Zeke replied, watching Santini put his arm around his granddaughter’s shoulders as they walked up the steps leading to an expansive deck that ran the length of the back of the house.