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Winter’s eyes widened in surprise and recognition. “The Shadow Sisters.”
The woman smiled but said nothing. The Shadow Sisters had come into being hundreds if not thousands of years before. Their ranks knew no difference in species, only that most shifter societies were heavily male-dominated and all too often females like Winter were forced into situations not of their choosing. Operating in secrecy, the Shadow Sisters had formed a kind of underground railroad to not only get the female in question out of a bad situation, but into a new and better life.
Mystic River
Kodiak Island, Alaska
Present Day
And now here she was in Mystic River, acting as beta and spymaster for the alpha of Windsong. She had recently helped Mark Hadley return to Mystic River to claim his place as alpha of the arctic foxes. There was a fight coming. The Shadow League was growing restless and those in Mystic River and Otter Cove meant to make a fight of it.
Colby and others had become convinced that someone in Mystic River was feeding information to the League. Finding and either stopping or utilizing the League’s asset here in town could be a key piece to finding out not only what the Shadow League was up to, but who made it up and what their agenda was. Colby’s faith in her to ferret out the information had only reiterated the depth of his belief in her abilities. He had made it clear she was not to risk herself not only because of their friendship, but because he believed she and the other snow leopards would be a crucial element in the coming fight.
Winter looked around and double checked that there were no strangers. Strangers stuck out like a sore thumb in Mystic River. They weren’t exactly a big tourist stop. They had the occasional fishing boat pull into the harbor during a storm, or someone from the lower forty-eight come in to hunt or fish, but Mystic River was not exactly on the road to anywhere.
Doc and Esme Hadley, Marc’s parents, were having a quiet dinner. It was obvious theirs was a love match, as was Marc’s with his mate, Nova. There was a morose moose getting quietly drunk, and a couple of the wolves from Wolf Run were playing pool.
“Can I pour you another?” asked Will, the marten-shifter who had been hired to fill in when Nova had cut back her hours.
“That would be great. Thanks, Will.”
He poured her a liberal amount. Winter shook her head. She knew that Dash, the owner of The Workshop, instructed his employees to treat customers like true guests. Food and drink were plentiful, and no one ever left thinking they hadn’t received their money’s worth.
Her cell phone vibrated, letting her know someone was calling. Given that practically the only one who ever called her was Colby, she fished in her bag, pulled it out, and slipped out the back entrance to give herself a little privacy.
“Yeah, boss,” she said with a smile.
She held Colby in genuine affection and often wondered what she might have done if he hadn’t recognized her as a kindred spirit when she arrived at Windsong. He’d not only given her a place to stay, but he’d given her a home and a reason for being. She might not have liked Sean Campbell, or wanted to be mated to him, but being parted from her fated mate—consummated and claimed or not—had been painful. The pain had lessened as the miles between them increased, but even now there were times she could feel her loss as keenly as she had when she’d left CuraidhCastle.
“I need you to go by The Refuge. Trudy,” who Winter knew also owed her life and her livelihood to Colby, “called and said she had two international visitors arrive pretty much unannounced. I need you to go up and do a little recon. Trudy doesn’t think they’ve given her their real names. Do me a favor and just wander over there and see what you can find without anyone being the wiser. Just something about this is setting off my spidey senses.”
“Not a problem. I’ll slip by and see what there is to see. Should I check in with you once I get back to Windsong?”
“No. It’ll keep until morning. I think I may go across to the mainland and find some feminine companionship for the night.”
“Well, don’t forget to use a condom.”
Colby laughed. “Only one? Have you no faith in me? Besides those things don’t hold up against a wildcat’s barbs.”
“You don’t let your barbs come out to play with humans, and you only fuck humans.”
“You know me too well. Let’s have breakfast in my study at say eight?”
“Eight it is, unless I find out something I think you need to know sooner.”
“Good enough.”
She re-entered The Workshop. “Hey, Will. I’m going to take off and head home. Do you want me to pay or put it on my tab?”
“Dash always says to let your tab ride as you always pay at the end of the month—no fuss, no muss.”
Winter grinned at him. “Thanks, Will, and tell Dash thanks, as well.”
The bartender waved her off as he went to serve another customer. Winter headed out into the night, ensuring several people saw her get in one of the Windsong luxury SUVs and head out as if she was returning to the estate. Once she was outside of town, Winter pulled off where it would be difficult to spot the vehicle but gave her a direct line back through the forest to The Refuge.
Grabbing her go bag containing mukluks, winterized leggings, a heavy sweater and a parka from the back of the SUV, Winter slipped the keys inside, zipped it closed and called forth her snow leopard. A dazzling display of light, color, and shards of lightning accompanied by rolling thunder surrounded and swirled around her as she felt her inner beast come forward and her body shift to accommodate the change.
It was just easier and faster—not to mention safer—to move through the wilderness as a snow leopard. Here in Alaska, there were few predators she couldn’t outfight. And those she couldn’t, she could outrun. Once she was in her altered state, she picked up the bag in her teeth and bounded towards The Refuge to see what she could find out about the two foreign visitors.
