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“ W hat do you mean she’s gone? What do we pay you for? You are supposed to keep the humans safe! How the hell did this happen?” Van growled.

“We did a count this morning. We kept coming up short. That’s when Beau noticed an older woman crying. When he asked her and the male what was wrong, they told him their daughter had taken off during the night,” Grayson explained.

Peterson walked in a tight circle, muttering curses under his breath and running his hands through his thick auburn hair. He dropped his hands and glared at Grayson and Beau, two of their best security team members. The men grimaced at the fierce, pointed expression on Peterson’s face.

“What the hell good is it having the best security if it doesn’t work?” Peterson snapped.

Beau lifted his hands. “Hey, man, we were focusing on keeping shifters out. We were never told that any of the humans might try to escape. I mean, this place is for their protection. It wasn’t meant to be a prison.

We weren’t expecting any of them to want to go back to the wild. It’s fucking dangerous out there!”

Peterson took a menacing step forward, his eyes locked onto Beau’s.

Van stepped between Beau and Peterson, feeling the tension thicken the air, while Grayson lounged back against the metal desk in the security office.

Van knew there was no point in needlessly provoking a bison shifter.

Beau, with his strong, silent, but imposing presence, was an integral part of their formidable security team.

Those who dared to provoke the normally placid man did so at their own risk.

The last thing he wanted was Peterson pissing the man off.

He knew his friend would regret it later.

“You’re right, this isn’t a prison. The fault lies with Peterson and me. We knew Jayden was planning on leaving. We should have warned the team,” he said.

Grayson raised an eyebrow at the unexpected admission. Peterson shoved his hands into his pockets. Grayson’s eyes narrowed with suspicion before his eyes widened in disbelief.

“Holy Goddesses, you’ve imprinted on her,” Grayson hissed.

“Wow. Both of you? That’s… uh, pretty cool,” Beau quickly corrected when Peterson rounded on him again.

Van nodded while Peterson cursed again under his breath before he nodded as well. Grayson’s eyes widened even more. Van pursed his lips when Beau looked back and forth between himself and Peterson with an astonished expression before he released a low whistle.

Grayson straightened and released a low whistle as well. “Both of you? On a human? Wow! I totally didn’t see that coming,” Grayson confessed in a voice edged with wonder.

“Me neither,” Beau seconded.

Peterson growled. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Grayson lifted his hands in surrender and chuckled.

“Hell, if I know. I’m still shocked at Ty and Tracy’s relationships with humans.

They seem… fragile. I’d be afraid of breaking one.

I can’t imagine one being able to handle one, much less two , shifters.

Damn. How does that even work? I mean, I know how it…

but with a human?” He stopped and shook his head in wonderment.

“They’re stronger than you realize,” he responded.

Peterson released a strained laugh and nodded. “Yeah, just ask Brennan about that. She laid him out on the floor where he cried like a baby. Well, he wanted to cry. When I saw him, he was holding his bruised balls and contemplating murder.”

Van looked at Peterson and waved his hand. “Don’t forget that she drew a little blood from you, too.”

“How the hell did we miss all that? Damn. So, what’s the plan? Would you like me to ask Rigo if he can locate her? He can cover a lot of ground in a short time,” Grayson asked.

“Yes. She can’t have gotten that far. We know when she was last seen. In the meantime, Peterson and I will try to figure out how she escaped. If she could get out, then that means someone could get in,” he said.

Grayson grimaced. “Good point. I didn’t think of that. I’ll let the others on the team know what’s happened. Right now, it is just you two, Beau, and me. We thought it best to keep it quiet. The second word gets out that one has escaped, every damn shifter in the world will be hunting her.”

Washington State Animal Sanctuary, Research and Observation Center: Seattle, Washington

Talon Nightsky slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out his phone when it vibrated. He swiped the screen and lifted the phone to his ear. A scan of the ornate arched corridor leading to the WSASROC’s Observatory was deserted.

“Yes.”

“A situation has developed at the complex,” Juliette said.

“What’s happened?”

“A human is missing. She took off during the night,” Juliette replied.

Muttering a silent curse, he scanned the corridor. He stepped back into the shadows. Juliette had volunteered to go undercover as a worker at the complex in the hopes they could find out more information about them.

“There is another issue,” she continued.

Talon frowned. He did not like surprises. They made the wound he had received from the last time there was another ‘issue’ ache. He resisted the urge to rub his shoulder.

“What?” he asked in a brisk tone.

“Van and Peterson have imprinted on a human,” she responded.

Talon’s breath hissed in at this unexpected development. His mind swirled with the complications that this would cause. He walked to the edge of the corridor and stared out across the pristine grounds of the Observatory.

“Can you find her? She needs to be protected at all cost,” he said.

“Isabella—”

“—should not be underestimated. My sources say she has been making inquiries. Unfortunately, she isn’t the only one we need to be concerned about,” he replied.

There was another brief pause before Juliette spoke, “What have you found out?”

“Tonight, nine o’clock,” he replied in a terse tone. “Double-check the security measures for transferring the humans. If you need additional resources, let me know—tonight. I don’t want to say anything over the phone. I need to go.”

“I’ll be there,” Juliette replied.

Talon disconnected the call and turned in anticipation.

The noise of footsteps against gravel warned him that someone was approaching.

His mouth tightened when he caught sight of the entourage that rounded the curve onto the path leading into the passageway.

A small army of black clad security surrounded an elegant woman who could rip out his throat and not spill a drop of her tea.

“Madame President, what a surprise,” he greeted.

Michaela Bearclaw-Kodiak lifted an elegant eyebrow and slapped her gloves against her palm. “Still playing games, Talon? We need to talk.”

Temporary Human Complex

Two hours later:

“How the hell did she figure this out?” Peterson asked.

He and Van were standing on the outside of the drainage tube.

They had finally tracked Jayden’s scent, which hadn’t been easy.

She didn’t wear any type of distinguishing fragrance.

All her stuff, from soap to clothes, came from local sources.

Any tracks were mixed with other members from the complex.

Van had finally picked up on a hint of chocolate.

When it led them to one of the transport trucks, they had been excited.

It would have made sense for Jayden to think she could hide in the truck, wait for it to leave the complex, and jump out.

Their hopes had been dashed after a thorough vehicle search proved fruitless.

Hell, it had been less than fruitless! Her scent disappeared.

It wasn’t until they walked around the truck, looking for additional clues that he noticed the marks from where something had slid under the truck.

That was when they noticed the grate. Ten minutes later and two trips back to the surface to retrieve a spare set of keys to unlock the iron grate, they had their answer as to how Jayden had slipped out.

He turned when he heard the rattle of metal. Van straightened and held up a set of keys that had been missing. He waited as Van untangled himself from the brush.

“Well, that answers what happened to the keys. Note to self: do not store spare keys in the supply room,” Van dryly commented, tossing the keys to him.

He caught the keys in one hand. “Yeah,” he muttered, grimacing at the consequences of his ill-advised decision.

Van shook his head before he climbed up the concrete barrier.

Peterson sighed and pocketed the keys before he followed.

Van pointed to a shallow imprint of a heel in the soft, moist soil.

He nodded and they descended the steep path that wound down to the lake.

A quick search along the bank revealed the telltale mark where the missing canoe had been dragged across the sandy soil.

He shoved his hands in his pocket and stared out across the vast expanse of water.

“She was smart. She knew we wouldn’t be able to track her scent on the water,” Van commented.

“Yeah. There is no telling where she would go ashore,” he muttered.

They both looked up when a shadow passed over them. The screech of the Golden Eagle made them both lift their hands to shield their eyes from the brilliant sunlight. Rigo swooped down over their heads before soaring upward again.

“Show off,” Van said.

“It’s a shame wolves can’t fly,” he mused, following Rigo as he headed outward over the water.

“I wish there were fish-shifters. I’d love to know where in the hell she went,” Van said.

The low rumble of an outboard motor alerted them that additional help had arrived. Beau slowed the nineteen-foot center console watercraft to an idle and raised the outboard engine. The boat glided toward the shore.