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She might have missed their camp if the night’s silence hadn’t been interrupted by the shifter’s loud fart and the low crude comments that followed.

The sudden gentle whoosh of wings startled her.

With a silent curse escaping her lips, she glared at the barred owl, its piercing dark eyes fixated on her as it perched on a nearby branch.

The owl’s head swiveled, its dark eyes staring at her for a moment before looking down.

Following the owl’s gaze, Jayden froze, her heart pounding in her chest as she realized what the owl had spotted.

A guard, barely visible in the shadows, had stopped just twenty feet beneath her.

She wrinkled her nose in revulsion when he bent forward and expelled a noxious cloud of gas, before letting out a sigh.

“I told you not to eat those damn freeze-dried beans,” a woman stated.

“I feel like I’m about to shit them out. There ought to be a law against those things,” the shifter moaned.

“Go take a crap while you can. If you don’t stop farting, Singleton will kill you. I’ll cover for you,” the woman snapped.

“Thanks, Red,” the man muttered.

“I just don’t want to stand downwind of you all night,” Red snapped.

From her vantage point, Jayden observed Red continue her patrol while the gas-man moved further into the woods.

She returned her attention to the male. She might never get another chance to take him.

With a firm grip on the trunk, she was just starting her quiet descent when the owl, a silent predator in the night, swooped down towards the shifter.

The shifter, alerted by the owl’s whooshing wings, turned and looked upward. Jayden wasn’t sure what happened. One second the shifter was staring up at her with a shocked expression on his face, the next he was clutching his throat, a strangled gasp escaping his lips.

With a nearly silent whoosh of wings, the owl angled upward, landing on a branch several yards from her.

Her eyes, wide with shock, moved slowly from the lifeless shifter to the silent owl watching from the shadows.

A shaft of moonlight illuminated the crimson blood dripping from the talons, each drop sparkling like a ruby.

She nodded slowly, her head barely moving, a silent acknowledgement of her understanding.

She felt a surge of hope, knowing that this creature, whoever or whatever it was, could help her rescue her mates.

She glanced at the lifeless shifter, her mind racing.

Had this been the same creature lurking in the woods with her and Tracy?

And were there others? The owl had vanished when she turned to look at the tree again.

Aware of the body’s inevitable discovery, she descended from the tree.

Her abused palms stung from the rough bark, and her throbbing leg ached as she landed silently on the mossy forest floor.

She moved stealthily; her footsteps muffled by the soft earth as she crept closer to the camp.

The approaching footsteps, slow and deliberate, sent a shiver down her spine, making the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.

She sank down, flattening herself against the cold, hard ground.

With a practiced motion, she slid her hand down her leg, her fingers brushing the rough leather of her boot, until her hand met the familiar, reassuring weight of the knife.

With a gentle tug, she freed it from its sheath.

“Have you seen Bailey?” a man asked.

“Yeah. He needed to take a crap. I warned him about eating those beans. Maybe next time he’ll listen to me,” Red replied.

“Now’s not the time to have a fucking stomach ache. Something’s wrong,” the man said.

“What are you talking about?” Red asked.

The man’s voice dropped. “He sent Tweed and Hancock to find out what happened to the trackers. I overheard Damien said they lost contact.”

“With which one? They were all wearing collars,” she said.

“All of them.”

“Shit! I better find Bailey,” Red muttered.

“I’ll find him. You keep an eye on the prisoners. If that red wolf growls or snaps again, put a bullet in him. You can always ask Singleton for forgiveness afterwards.”

“Let’s hope Bailey is finished with his business, or I might be tempted to put a bullet in him. His farts stink,” Red replied before heading toward the camp.

Jayden held her breath as they walked by, barely a foot from her side.

Her eyes darted upward, scanning for the barred owl.

The creature remained perched in the tree above her, motionless until both soldiers had walked away from each other.

The owl spread its wings and soared silently into the air, following the man who was about to join his friend Bailey, if she was lucky.

She shifted onto her belly and mentally tallied the number left. If what the man said was true, there were two other shifters somewhere out in the forest. It would take them a while to find their friends.

They’ll be in for an unpleasant surprise when they do, she thought with grim satisfaction.

As she moved closer to the camp, she could hear the faint murmur of voices coming from the tent. Across from her, she could see the female shifter named Red. The firelight danced across the woman’s short, bright red hair, making it appear to glow.

Her eyes shifted to the tent. There were two men inside talking in low voices. From the tense tones, they were not happy.

Wait until they find out what I did to their friends, she thought with grim satisfaction.

“What is so important about this female?” one man demanded. “We have the right to know, Eric. The Knights have always had equal say.”

“I know, Damien. I know. Have you heard of Isabella Wyland?”

“Of course. Who hasn’t? She’s one of the wealthiest shifters in the world,” Damien replied.

“She wants the human and she’s willing to do whatever it takes to get one.”

Damien’s frustrated breath sounded loud. “Why? It doesn’t make sense to call in the Knights to capture a single human. Hell, there has to be someone in the government she can bribe who will give her one.”

“Not with Michaela in charge. Isabella knows something. She wouldn’t go to this much trouble, take this many chances, unless it was worth her while. Think about it, Damien. Who is her brother?”

“I don’t know. What does her brother have to do with all of this?”

“His name is Dr. Theodore Badger. He is a leading researcher on human history,” Eric explained.

“Who cares about their history? Up until… what, a year ago… we all thought humans were dead,” Damien growled with impatience.

“Do you remember that old song that we all learned when we were kids?” Eric asked.

“You mean the old one about that old shifter king taking the humans and hiding them away? It’s a song to give shifter kids complexes for being bad,” Damien scoffed.

“What if it’s real? What if—and I’m just making an assumption—what if Theodore found something and needs a human to tell him what it means? What if a human is the key to finding this lost civilization?” Eric suggested.

“Who… the… fuck… cares? Everyone will be dead. There are thousands of lost human villages scattered around the world. They were vermin, Eric, and nature took its course.”

“They may have been, but Or’Ang was a real king who is said not only to have vast wealth that he took with him, but discovered a power source unlike anything else on the planet.

An infinite power source that enabled him to conceal the kingdom from the rest of the world.

Now, imagine if you found this source. What do you think it would be worth?

The shifter who controls this type of power could conceivably control the planet. ”

“Are you saying you think the legends of Or’Ang are real?” Damien asked.

“I’m saying that Isabella Wyland thinks they are and is willing do to anything to find out. There’s one more thing,” Eric said.

“What’s that?”

“It’s said this power can make whoever has it immortal.”

“Now that would be worth killing for,” Damien agreed.

As a man walked towards the part of the tent where Jayden stood, she retreated back into the shadows.

Her eyes darted around the campsite, looking for the woman known as Red.

The sound of a twig snapping beneath a foot made her whirl around.

If she hadn't ducked, the woman’s powerful blow would have landed with a sickening crunch, shattering her cheekbone, instead of just grazing her skin and sending Jayden tumbling to the ground.

She rolled, the motion a blur, and came up with her knife in her hand, her eyes narrowed on the woman who had struck her.

Red’s lips curled into a sneer, and a harsh, mocking laugh escaped her.

Jayden stumbled out into the open circle of the campsite.

The noise drew the attention of the two men inside the tent.

She kept her eyes on the advancing woman even as the tent flap opened and the two men appeared.

“Well, well, well. Speak of the devil and she will appear. It would appear it was a waste of good men to send them looking for you. All we needed was to use your mates as bait.”

Jayden recognized his voice as the one belonging to Eric. She kept moving backward, getting closer to Van and Peterson. Van’s low, angry mutterings mixed with Peterson’s enraged growls. She paused near Peterson. Her anger flared as she saw the straps digging into his fur, restricting his movement.

Kneeling down, she ran her fingers softly through his fur, her touch moving from his head to his side, and finally reaching the strap holding his paws together. In a swift motion, she cut the restraint with a flick of her wrist. She reached up and traced the edge of the collar with her fingers.

“I wouldn’t do that if you want him to keep it attached,” Eric said.