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They were engineered to hunt, overpower, and dominate. Trepidation gathered in Tara’s belly, and she looked at Lexie. Lexie knew all the Shadow teams. Wouldn’t she have warned Tara away if this one was dangerous?

Lexie lightly elbowed Diego in the ribs and nodded toward his subordinates.

“I expect all three of you to be on your best behavior.” Diego’s voice rang with authority and his serious expression grew even more stern. “Tara is my mate’s best friend. You will treat her with the same respect you would offer Lexie.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Of course, sir.”

“Understood.”

The overlapping responses made Tara smile. Her father had offered a similar lecture to her sister’s first boyfriend. The ‘behave or else’ threat had been relatively effective with the sixteen-year-old football player, but she was less sure it would curtail the behavior of three sex-starved Shadows.

“Let me grab my coat,” Tara said. The Shadow team went with her and again everyone seemed to scurry out of their way. “Is the entire village afraid of you?”

“They’re curious about us,” Kyle answered, “but they’re afraid of Diego.”

She understood that reaction. Diego was nearly as intimidating as Zion.

Still, Diego changed whenever he was around Lexie.

He softened and became more personable. “Did you guys know Diego before the Griffin Project? Did you know each other? A lot of the people I’ve spoken with were in the same military unit. ”

“I was Kyle’s commanding officer,” Isaac told her. “We met Jon during our captivity.”

“I see.” She knew better than to delve any deeper into that subject. None of the hybrids wanted to talk about the atrocities they’d endured while under the control of Nuevo Biotech. Tara didn’t blame them. Her past had been shaped by tragedy as well so she knew how easily it could take over.

She dug through the pile of coats on the table until she found her trusty parka.

Kyle helped her into the knee-length coat, and she raised the hood before braving the outdoors.

The Shadows wore long-sleeved tactical garments, but no outerwear.

Most of the hybrids could regulate their body temperature, so they weren’t as susceptible to harsh weather as humans.

They stepped out onto the wide wraparound porch and Tara hesitated.

The night was cold, but calm, and stars filled the sky.

Tara looked around, enjoying the tranquility.

The common buildings edged one of the training fields on three sides, reminding her of Jackson Square in New Orleans.

Beyond the village walls rose steep, snowcapped mountains, though they were shadowy impressions in the moonlight.

“This is nice.” She took a deep breath, allowing the cool night to calm her.

“How long have you known Lexie?” Kyle moved up beside her, resting his hands on the railing.

He was the most talkative of the three, so Tara found herself being drawn to him. She felt a connection with all three of them, but the others were harder to engage. Isaac was too serious, and something about Jon still scared her.

“Lexie and I were in the same detention center during the trials,” Tara answered.

“Ironically, we never knew each other during our years at Nuevo. She worked remotely while I was in the corporate headquarters on the lunar outpost.” The wind kicked up and Tara shivered violently and burrowed deeper into the warmth of her coat.

“Let’s get you out of this wind.” Isaac motioned toward the stairs leading off the porch.

She nodded and followed him down. The Shadows formed a semicircle around her as they made their way through the village.

Isaac strolled along on her right. Kyle walked on her left, his hand lightly touching the small of her back.

She could sense Jon behind her, but he didn’t speak again until they reached the cabin.

The feline village had been arranged in orderly clusters.

Each cluster contained fourteen cabins and housed hybrids with similar jobs or interests.

There was a small grassy area in the middle of each cluster where the occupants could gather to socialize or cook their evening meal.

The morning meal was generally casual and eaten in the cabins.

Food was available midday in the common dining hall so most of the hybrids didn’t bother going home until their workday ended.

The clusters were easily accessed on a wide graveled path.

Tara had never made the entire circle, but the path wound its way through the entire village.

As Kyle had said, their cabin wasn’t far from the lodge.

Isaac opened the door and ushered her inside.

She glanced around, but there wasn’t much to see.

This cabin was nearly identical to the one she’d shared with Bianca for the past few weeks.

The kitchen, dining area, and living room were one open space.

Four doors ran along the far wall. Three led to bedrooms and one to a bathroom.

The largest bedroom also had a small private bathroom.

The main bathroom could be accessed from the living room and both the smaller bedrooms. The floorplan was simple, but functional, making the most of limited space.

Jon took her coat and hung it on the wall rack near the door. His dark gaze followed her, but he remained quiet and watchful.

“Would you like something to drink?” Kyle asked with an engaging smile.

She shook her head. “I had more than enough at the gathering, but thanks.”

Isaac motioned toward the couch. “Why don’t you get comfortable?”

She moved to the far end of the sofa and sat, feeling tense and awkward. This had seemed like a good idea in the lodge, but she was vulnerable here, not in danger, just outnumbered. The Shadows watched her closely, their hungry gazes following every movement she made.

“I talked to Akari today,” she told them, hoping the fact would please them. She hadn’t achieved what they’d asked of her, but at least she’d tried.

“Did she agree?” Jon wanted to know.

Tara shook her head. “She was more receptive than I expected, but she asked for time to think about it.”

“If she’s honestly considering it, that’s fine,” Jon responded. “But don’t let her use it to avoid a decision.”

There was no way in hell Tara was going to pressure Akari. Rather than argue, she changed the subject. “You guys have told me just enough about being Shadows to make me curious. Can you tell me more or is it all top secret?”

“A Shadow is what I do,” Jon insisted. “It is not who I am.”

Jon’s point was valid. No one should be defined by their job, unless their occupation was all they had. Half the people at Nuevo had been like that and she found it sad. Still, she needed more information before she could make any sort of decision.

“We’ll get to the personal questions in a bit. I promise.” She smiled at him, but his expression remained inscrutable. “Are Shadow teams strictly recon or do you perform other tasks?” She was looking at Jon as she asked the question, but Isaac answered.

“We do whatever Zion needs us to do.”

It wasn’t much of an answer. Damn it. This was harder than she’d expected. Did they want to get to know her or not?

“The Earth equivalent of what we do is special ops, like Navy SEALs or Space Force Specters,” Kyle told her as he sank onto one of the chairs facing her.

“Our training was extensive, both before and since we arrived on Rydaria. Each team has unique abilities so different teams are dispatched for different missions.”

Encouraged by his willingness to indulge her, she grew braver. “What does your team specialize in?”

“Danger,” Jon offered as he sat down next to Kyle. With his glossy dark hair and flashing eyes, he personified the word. “We’re assigned missions too risky for the other teams.”

Isaac moved to the wood-burning stove and quickly built up the fire. Once the room began to warm, he joined her on the couch.

“So, what does an average mission entail?” she prompted. “There has to be more to it than sneaking into the lupine village to observe Dr. Babcock.”

“None of our objectives are pleasant,” Jon warned. “Let’s talk about something else.”

“Will you please answer one last question before we move on?” She sweetened the request with her prettiest smile. Flirting didn’t come naturally to Tara, but she really wanted to understand what a Shadow team did.

“I cannot agree to answer without hearing the question.” Jon crossed his legs, his gaze gleaming in the subdued light of the cabin.

“How many of the rumors are true?” She shivered as all the possibilities ran through her mind. “Are all the Shadows psychic? Can you control people with your minds? Can you really turn invisible?”

Jon chuckled, but the sound was dry and humorless. He narrowed his eyes and a wave of rippling distortion passed over his body as he gradually faded from view.

“Oh, my God,” Tara breathed, covering her mouth with her hand.

Disbelief gave way to awe as she stared at the empty space where Jon sat moments before.

She’d heard that the hybrids could shapeshift, but it wasn’t until she saw it for herself that she believed it was true.

Apparently, turning invisible affected her the same way. “How are you doing that?”

Jon’s voice was disembodied for a moment then he became visible again. “We produce an energy field that refracts light. It creates the same optical illusion used in armor and military shielding all over Earth-controlled space.”

“Well, it’s damn effective,” Tara assured him as she shifted her hand to her throat.

She’d been afraid he wouldn’t answer her.

She certainly hadn’t expected a demonstration.

“The trials revealed that you guys can do a lot more than most of us realized, but I keep learning about even more. I didn’t believe you guys could shapeshift until I saw it happen during the raid on our encampment.

Can all the Shadows manifest this refracting shield? ”