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The Denver airport was illuminated in harsh fluorescent grey as she arrived, offsetting the pitch-black rim of mountains she knew lingered to the west. Fortunately, it was still well before dawn.
Daylight was poison to her kind. Though her four centuries of existence had curtailed the debilitating need to sleep while the sun graced the sky, she’d still succumb to burns should she venture outside for too long during the day.
Traveling by night was important. More important, however, was the werewolf waiting at the gate.
Oceanic-blue eyes caught hers the moment she stepped over the threshold. Casually leaning against a white pillar, the wolf’s hands were stuffed in pockets of low-rise jeans, her long blonde braid hanging tidily over her right shoulder.
Dominance, as potent as it was impressive, surrounded the woman who waited for Cortana. Despite the casual way she held herself, there was a strength that was impossible to miss. No doubt, the werewolf was ancient—if Cortana had to guess, older than she was.
“Welcome to the mountains, Cortana.”
Already she was one step behind. She loathed the fact that she hadn’t had time to properly research her excursion or put together a binder detailing the den’s leadership members. Being caught off guard—by anything—was just another sign of being unprepared.
“I’m afraid you’ve caught me at a disadvantage.”
Inclining her chin, the werewolf pushed away from the pillar and strode toward where Cortana had come to a halt, never breaking steady eye contact. It’d been ages since she’d had to field a werewolf’s dominance battle, but she wasn’t about to roll over.
A smile, pleased but more than a touch snarky, gradually curved the woman’s lips. “Ava.”
“Pleasure to meet you.”
Cortana extended her arm, seeing the opportunity to win this battle of wills before it began. Interestingly, the woman gave a laugh, her eyes alight with mirth.
“Sneaky, sneaky, vampire.” She gestured over her shoulder to the exit without breaking their stalemate. “Come on, let’s get on the road. Much as I love the sunlight, I don’t think you would.”
“It’d be appreciated, thank you.” Cortana glanced around. “Where is the baggage claim? I need to pick up the rest of my cases.”
Ava blinked. “Cases? As in—more than just these two?”
“Of course.”
Cortana had attempted to pack lightly. Instead of her typical eight suitcases, she’d only packed seven. Each was custom monogramed and set in matching lavender, and she’d prioritized exactly what she’d needed for this trip. She had brought three sets of combat boots—tan, burnt brown, and the obligatory black—to ensure she blended well with the environment. The stilettos had been culled from ten pairs to six.
Ava’s eyebrows raised before she directed them toward the baggage claim instead. “Shall we?”
Ava’s appreciation of how Cortana had handled herself came through in her cheery tone. A quick initial appraisal of the she-wolf confirmed her rank in the pack: dominant, but not alpha. She knew that much.
“Our intel,” Cortana said as they walked, “noted that the plant in Estes Park manufactures both colloidal silver and liquid sunlight. Is that correct?”
Ava’s casual expression hardened. “Yes. Originally, we had no idea the Citizens had ties in our territory. When we discovered them a week ago, we were … suitably disenchanted.”
The Citizens of the Light, a human terrorist group, targeted immortals regardless of the life they lived, however virtuous. Vampires, Raeths, and werewolves were indiscriminately pursued, and countless lives had been lost or irrevocably changed because of their hatred.
The only immortal race that’d been sparred their fury were the Elementals—and the terrorists had only claimed neutrality toward them after they delivered a fatal personal vendetta against the Elemental monarch.
“I can only imagine,” Cortana grumbled. “Monsters, the whole lot of them.”
A rumble of agreement sounded from Ava, the pair of them moving swiftly towards the baggage claim. “Shutting down their operation is our highest priority. We’ve attempted scouting missions several times, but they constantly patrol the perimeter and have defenses that have made it difficult.”
Though Ava remained silent as Cortana claimed all seven of her bags, she knew the wolf was holding her tongue. Admittedly, she tended to overpack, but she’d never be caught dead without the right pantsuit. It was her prerogative to be prepared for every contingency.
Soon, they were on their way to Ava’s vehicle.
Dry mountain air greeted them as they stepped over the threshold and into the parking lot. Cortana glanced over to the other woman.
“Will you be assisting me with scouting?”
Ava laughed. “No, friend, you’ll be assisting me.”
