Page 24

As Isaac dragged his guard into the tower enclosure with Jon, Kyle choked out the final guard.

The male was burly and strong, and it took forever to incapacitate him.

The wolf spun in a tight circle with Kyle riding his back.

Kyle’s arm was wrapped around his neck, and he squeezed with all his might, but the fucker just wouldn’t go out.

An energy pulse arced through the air, singeing the top of Kyle’s leg.

He bit back a yelp then let out a sigh as the guard’s knees finally buckled.

Jon stood near the doorway to the tower with a pistol in his hand.

Isaac, also visible, rushed over and helped Kyle drag the brute into the tower.

They were all conserving energy, but being visible made Kyle nervous.

“You better bind and gag that one, if you’re going to leave him alive.” The surliness in Jon’s tone made it obvious that leaving him alive wouldn’t have been his choice.

Choosing a different option, Kyle held a mister in front of the guard’s face and administered a strong sedative.

“You’ve still got plenty of that for Babcock?” Jon asked impatiently.

“Of course,” Kyle returned just as impatiently. “This isn’t my first mission.”

Why were they snapping at each other? They usually operated seamlessly. Tara’s image appeared in Kyle’s mind and heat cascaded through his body. They needed to claim their mate. Her indecision made them tense and combative. Their coalition was incomplete, and it would be until she joined with them.

“Shields up,” Isaac urged. “Let’s get this done.”

Taking a deep breath, Kyle gathered energy and reactivated his covert shield. When they left the tower, the only thing visible was their subtle tracks in the snow.

Isaac led them directly to Babcock’s cabin. The entire village is inside. I’m going to knock on the door. Have the mister ready.

Uncomfortable with the idea, Kyle looked around. But Isaac was right. No one was around. Even the lights inside the cabins were filtered through shutters or thick curtains.

A firm knock sounded and then Babcock called out, “Who’s there?”

Isaac responded, but intentionally muffled his voice.

Babcock opened the door a few seconds later and Kyle ejected a thick cloud of mist directly into his face. He stumbled back, gasping, arms flailing. The Shadows rushed inside and closed the door.

“What… did you…” Babcock’s eyes rolled up and his body crumpled to the floor.

Isaac went to the window and peeked out. “Let’s wait a few minutes before we head out. I want to make sure this capture was clean.”

They’d loitered in the cabin for almost ten minutes when Jon snapped, “Enough. Let’s get out of here.” He heaved Babcock onto his shoulder and reactivated his shields. It took a moment for Jon’s shield to expand enough to conceal Babcock’s unconscious form, and then they were ready to depart.

They made it out of the village without incident, but they were hiking up the hill toward the cave where they’d stashed the hover cart when they heard a commotion below.

“Shit,” Isaac snarled, hurrying his pace.

“It might not have anything to do with us,” Kyle cautioned.

“Doubtful,” Jon grumbled. “See if you can spot whatever made the noise.”

Kyle crept toward the mouth of the cave and peered out into the night. Moonlight glistened off the snow, making escape even more difficult. Four wolves tromped through the forest below the rise, flashlight beams swishing this way and that.

“I’ll create a diversion,” Kyle said firmly. “Get him out of here.”

His teammates didn’t look pleased, but they didn’t argue.

They dragged the cart out of its hiding place and Jon lowered Babcock onto the conveyance.

Kyle quickly shed his clothes, ignoring the cold as he tossed the garments to Isaac.

They tucked Kyle’s clothes around Babcock and then fastened the straps to ensure their captive stayed where they put him.

Kyle positioned himself at the mouth of the cave and then released his lion.

Energy surged, stinging and burning for just a moment before the agonizing heat swept over him from head to foot.

He let out a mighty roar as his body finished transforming.

Then he bounded down the hill, drawing the attention of the search party.

The wolves called out and fired their rifles, but Kyle was out of range. He ran off through the trees, drawing the wolves away from the path Isaac and Jon needed to take. Kyle darted through the trees, turning sharply and circling around.

A mournful howl told him that at least one of the wolves had shifted, hoping to catch his scent. It didn’t matter. He could run much faster than they could, especially in the snow. The sounds of their pursuit grew distant and then faded entirely, and Kyle was alone with the snow.

It had been weeks since he’d shifted for pleasure, so he allowed himself a few minutes to play before he turned on the speed and headed for home.

Kyle caught up to Jon and Isaac as the feline village came into view.

“Any trouble?” Isaac asked.

Kyle shook his head, snow flying off his thick tawny mane.

Babcock moaned and stirred restlessly, so Isaac quickly administered another puff of sedative mist.

“Contact Diego and find out how the other team did,” Jon suggested.

Isaac nodded and his features went lax. He continued walking, but he was obviously distracted. A few minutes later he shook away the psychic haze and said, “Team Three took out the tattooed man, but they were unable to locate Juan.”

“Damn it,” Jon muttered. “I really wanted to question that prick.”

We’ve still got Elias , Kyle reminded. He doubtlessly knows more than his beta.

“But alphas are always harder to break.” Jon heaved a sigh of frustration. “I’ll focus on that piece of shit.” He nodded toward Babcock. “You guys can play with the wolf.”

“Works for me,” Isaac responded as they tromped on through the trees.

Me too , Kyle added, secretly enjoying the snow.

The next two weeks were a bittersweet combination of hope and disappointment.

Tara had explored using a transfer link for five days when she decided she wanted an empathic link with her mates.

If she was going to spend the rest of her life with this coalition, she wanted to know everything about them.

The link would allow them to know everything about her too, but that was a risk she was willing to take.

The expanded connection opened an entirely new level of intimacy between Tara and her mates.

They explored each other physically, but it went deeper now.

Their emotions were honest and raw. The psychic link prevented them from deceiving each other or hiding anything from each other.

Tara found the openness intimidating at first, but the longer they shared thoughts and feelings, the more comfort and security she found in the exchange.

“My sister’s death wasn’t the only reason I joined Nuevo Biotech,” she admitted softly one night.

She was lying on Isaac’s bed in a tangle of strong bodies and naked limbs.

All three of her mates had been hungry for pleasure, so their lovemaking had gone on for hours.

Her body was tired and well satisfied, but her mind was still restless.

Isaac wrapped his arm around her and pulled her snugly against his side. “I’ve seen a man’s face in your memories, but you never speak his name.”

“I’ve spent the last five years trying not to think about him,” she explained. “He’s a waste of energy.”

“What happened?” Kyle asked, his warm hand lightly stroking her hip and thigh. “You brought it up, so you must need to talk about it.”

“You guys have access to my mind now. I thought it best if you had the context for some of my feelings.”

“I’ve started to ask you about him more than once.” Isaac smiled and brushed her hair back from her face. “I figured you would tell us about him when you were ready.”

“His name was Ethan, and we met at a grief support group. He claimed that his best friend died in his arms a few years before and he was still dealing with the loss.”

“He claimed that his friend died?” Jon challenged. “Was his story bullshit?”

Tara nodded as unwanted memories threatened to overwhelm her. Maybe talking about this wasn’t such a good idea. “I didn’t find out until much later, but almost everything he said was bullshit.”

Isaac pulled her onto his chest and pressed his hand against the side of her face. “The past can’t hurt you now. You’re safe here with us.”

She tried to smile, but the memories were still too painful.

“Tell us what happened,” Kyle coaxed. “And then we’ll help you let go.”

Focusing on the sequence of events, Tara stubbornly distanced herself from the past. “Ethan was physically attractive, charming, and well spoken. People were just drawn to him.”

“You became lovers?” Jon’s features were carefully guarded, but his tone was tight.

“Eventually.” Jealousy flashed across their link, but Jon quickly controlled the emotion.

Tara indulged in an inward smile. It was refreshing to have someone care about her enough to feel jealousy.

“We went out for drinks with others from the group, then started to date a few weeks later. Ethan seemed perfect at first, caring, and genuine.”

“He took advantage of your vulnerability,” Jon growled out the conclusion as he gently rubbed her back.

They were shielding their emotions. She could sense their minds, but they felt distant, muted. Did they already blame her for the disaster that followed?

“We don’t want our emotions to influence what you’re explaining,” Kyle told her. “But I’ve already heard enough to know for sure that you were not responsible.”