Page 5

C rouching behind a massive boulder outside the walls of the lupine village, Isaac took a moment to center his mind.

He’d been distracted ever since Tara walked into Zion’s office that morning and he struggled to rid his memory of her image.

She was a delightful distraction, one he welcomed and intended to explore for the rest of his life, but now was not the time for romantic strategies.

He was leader of Shadow Team One and every mission they undertook was dangerous.

Are you in position? Isaac sent the question across the heavily shielded mind link he shared with Jon and Kyle.

In their human form, all three could effortlessly refract light.

Their lions were stronger, faster, and more powerful, but this mission required stealth and patience.

The energy shield projected by Shadows made them invisible to their enemies.

Unfortunately, it also made them invisible to each other.

Two is ready , Jon responded.

Three is waiting on One , Kyle assured, his tone light and annoyingly calm.

Jon approached each mission with a hyper-focus that allowed him to spot the most minute details and anticipate problems. Kyle’s easygoing manner balanced out the intensity of the other two.

Isaac was able to see the big picture, to assess each move in context and anticipate possible ramifications.

It was the combination of their personalities that made them such a good team.

Here we go , Isaac added and crept toward the perimeter wall.

The guards, all four of them, were huddled around a relatively flat rock.

The evening meal had been delivered a few minutes ago and the wolves were using the rock like a table.

They glanced around, pretending to keep watch, but they were paying more attention to their food and the lively conversation than their surroundings.

It was a habit Isaac had capitalized on numerous times before.

Agilely climbing a massive tree that should have been cut down years ago, Isaac belly-crawled along the thick branch that extended over the wall and dropped to the ground on the inside of the village. He heard the crunch of fallen leaves as each of his teammates joined him.

Travis, a wolf spy, had given them the location of their target, but asked not to be directly involved. Isaac had no problem with the stipulation. Until Elias wised up and cut down Isaac’s favorite tree, the Shadow teams could come and go as they pleased.

Creeping along in the shadows of the crude cabins, Isaac made his way toward the center of the settlement.

He could sense his teammates following, but their steps were as silent as his.

Lupine village was a smaller, messier version of the feline village.

It was unlikely that Elias had patterned his layout after the feline village, but certain features simply made sense when setting up a secure community.

He passed a small group of wolves huddling around a fire.

They laughed and mocked each other, completely unaware of the intruders.

A bit farther down the path, an argument raged inside one of the cabins.

The door flew open and a hybrid was shoved out into the yard.

The male still inside the cabin tried to shut the door, but the other hybrid charged him.

“Fuck you, asshole,” one of the wolves yelled as they began to grapple. They tumbled out into the front yard snarling and growling as both smoothly shifted into wolves.

Drawn by the disturbance, the group around the fire ran over to the other cabin. They didn’t attempt to break up the fight. They stood back and cheered.

Isaac sensed his teammates slowing. Ignore them. We have work to do.

The cabin Travis had indicated was set slightly apart from the communal buildings in the center of the village. Isaac stopped well back from their destination and signaled telepathically for Kyle and Jon to do the same.

This was a recon mission, assess and investigate only.

The order didn’t sit well with any of them, but information was all Zion wanted, for now.

Travis had warned them that Dr. Babcock, the driving force behind the Griffin Project, was still alive and working with the wolf leaders.

The wolf raid on the human encampment had been so violent, so savage that not all the dead could be identified.

Clothing and proximity led them to believe that Babcock was among the dead, but Travis swore it had all been a ruse.

A movement to Isaac’s right drew his attention. A tall, thin person made their way toward the target cabin. The stranger paused on the stoop and pulled off his glove so he could scan open the door.

Show time , Isaac announced as he slowly approached. The Shadows’ ability to disappear was widely known, or at least widely presumed. Their more exotic abilities, however, varied greatly from person to person and were more closely guarded secrets. Go around back , he directed. I’ll let you in .

As he approached the cabin, Isaac drew energy into his body and prepared himself mentally for the maneuver he was about to perform.

Releasing his corporeal form took absolute concentration and an immense amount of energy so he used the ability judiciously.

If he lost focus for even a millisecond he could materialize inside a solid object.

He reached the cabin and pressed his hands against the rustic logs.

Cold wind wafted across his face, but he ignored the distraction.

Through many years of trial and error, he found that releasing his form a section at a time was less exhausting.

Pouring energy into his hands, he dissolved their bones and flesh, allowing pure energy to sink into the wood.

As his forearms entered, his hands re-solidified.

He eased himself forward, rolling the shift through his body so he passed smoothly through the wall.

Weakness hit him on the other side and his knees nearly buckled. He blindly reached for support and found the back of a chair. His shield was still active, so he took a moment to catch his breath.

The cabin’s occupant stood by the door taking off his coat.

His back was to Isaac, but already murderous rage welled inside him.

Graying brown hair, slim build, even the arrogant tilt of the man’s head was horribly familiar.

The Shadow Program was one of the last and most successful divisions of the Griffin Project so Babcock supervised the procedures personally.

Babcock turned around and Isaac felt his claws extend.

He could release his lion and rip out this demon’s throat before Babcock even realized he was there.

Isaac pictured the act, felt warm blood coat his tongue and savored the metallic taste.

This fucker deserved death a thousand times over, but first they needed to know what the hell he was doing with the wolves.

Babcock wasn’t the only scientist on Rydaria.

If Isaac killed his tormentor, the wolves would likely move on to someone else.

Calming down enough to retract his claws, Isaac walked across the cabin and made his way to the back of the house.

As with the basic layout of the village, the wolves had patterned their cabins after the cats’.

A small utility room was tucked away in the back corner of each cabin.

Isaac eased open the back door and felt Jon and Kyle brush past him.

Travis is right. It’s Babcock, but we don’t have permission to kill him , Isaac stressed. Believe me, I want to as badly as you do.

In single file formation, the team edged their way into the main room of the cabin. A long table had been set up along the front wall. Isaac recognized the molecular scanner and a primitive data access terminal, but the other equipment was unfamiliar.

Babcock analyzed some sort of report, entering data from time to time and reassessing the resulting figures and diagrams. Isaac stared at the holo-display for several long moments before admitting, I have no idea what that is .

Same here , Kyle said with a sigh

I think it’s…no, I’ve got nothing. This is a waste of time , Jon concluded, obviously frustrated by the outcome.

Someone knocked on the front door and Babcock quickly deactivated the display. “Come in.”

A rangy lupine male entered followed closely by a human female. She kept her head down, eyes on the floor. There were no bruises or other obvious signs of abuse, but her demeanor bothered Isaac.

Babcock picked up a small device and approached the female. “How did you tolerate the last injection?”

“A few hours of nausea,” she told him. “But I got through it.”

Babcock ran the scanner over the female’s body from shoulders to knees. He never actually touched her, just skimmed the device an inch or two above her.

“She was… unusually responsive that night,” the wolf said and smiled at the female.

“That’s to be expected,” Babcock assured them.

What the hell were they talking about? What sort of injection made a female ‘unusually responsive’?

Babcock paused and scrolled through the readouts on the handheld scanner. “Everything looks good here. Shall we move on with the next injection?”

“Will she become that needy again?” The wolf sounded a bit concerned, yet desire ignited in his yellow eyes.

“The dose increases each time so the side effects will likely intensify as well.”

“She’ll be even more desperate? Shit,” the wolf muttered. “It took me and both of my brothers to settle her down before.”

Babcock shrugged, completely unconcerned with the complication. “So invite a couple of friends. Willing partners shouldn’t be a problem in this village.”

A distressed sound escaped the female and she shook her head. “I don’t want to go through that again.” Her voice was barely above a whisper, and she kept her gaze on the floor.