Play of Passion

CHAPTER 40

Two days after the beginning of the mating dance, Indigo found herself standing on a ridge along the northern edge of their territory thanks to a report from Judd. The other lieutenant had somehow managed to “listen in” on a meeting between two high-level people in Pure Psy, and had come out with a disturbing account of their confidence in being able to take SnowDancer whenever they chose.

“There’s something else on the land that we haven’t found,” he’d said in his last message, “something they’re certain will give them an insurmountable tactical advantage.”

Hawke had immediately prioritized the task, placing Indigo in charge.

“We’ve swept this area, and other outlying areas, several times since the transmitters were originally discovered,” Indigo now said to Riaz and Elias, both of whom stood with her, “and got nothing. So what are we missing?” Even now, the techs spread out below them like an army of ants, but she could tell they were discouraged.

“Chance the Psy penetrated deeper into regions we haven’t checked?” Riaz asked.

Elias was the one who answered. “Ask me, zero percent. We’re too unpredictable in those areas. An adult wolf could decide to go for a run at any time, night or day.”

“I agree with Eli. The isolated sections are the only parts where they would’ve been sure of having an uninterrupted stretch of time.” Letting her wolf rise to the surface, its vision more acute, Indigo focused in the distance—to see a heavily muscled wolf with fur the rich color of silver-birch bark loping up toward her. Her lips curved.

“Do we need to disappear?” Elias asked with a cough that struck her as suspicious.

When Indigo raised an eyebrow at him, he winked. “Drew’s style of courtship seems to involve pulling you into as many shadowy corners as he can.”

Riaz snickered.

She decided to handle the ribbing with grace. “Didn’t you once get caught butt naked with Yuki?” she asked Elias. “Weren’t you covered in chocolate sauce at the time?”

“Shuddup.” Elias folded his arms. “And for your information, it was honey.”

Riaz was doubled over by now, and though his hilarity was partly at her expense, Indigo’s wolf was glad to see him, if not happy, then at least able to find some joy. Turning to watch as Drew crested the final hill to circle around and stand beside her, she stroked her fingers over that proud head.

Having recovered from his fit of laughter, Riaz pointed to a small valley to the west. “They could’ve hidden something there. We haven’t paid much attention to that area because it’s so flood prone.”

Indigo, her wolf rubbing contentedly inside her skin as Drew leaned his weight against her, nodded. “The four of us are free right now. We can borrow a couple of scanners and go have a preliminary look.” But when she glanced down into Drew’s copper gaze, she saw disagreement. “What?”

He looked up.

“Are you rolling your eyes?” Her wolf was miffed.

A long sigh, and then he looked up again. Pointedly.

Indigo followed his gaze. “Eli, Riaz, am I blind?”

“No.” Riaz’s deep voice. “I see sky and tree branches same as you.”

“I think I spotted a squirrel,” Elias put in.

This time, they all turned to look at Drew.

If a wolf could be said to look exasperated, he did.

About to ask him to shift and explain himself, she saw his head snap toward the sky, his gaze following something.

A goshawk, its wings spread in a wash of blue-gray and white as it swept down to grab its hapless prey in powerful claws before rising.

Into the sky.

“Up,” Indigo breathed. “We’re creatures of the earth—we rarely look up.”

Drew gave a short bark to indicate she’d got it. Going to her knees beside this wolf who was able to see the world through so many different lenses, she clenched her fingers in the fur at the ruff of his neck. “I’ll get the techs to scanning, but I need you to find me some cats.” The leopards were much more arboreal than SnowDancers, could search in a way the wolves couldn’t. “You know who’ll be good at this.”

He hesitated, glancing at Riaz.

She rubbed her cheek against his fur, conscious the mating dance had to be playing havoc with his instincts. “I’ll be waiting for you.”

Though it was clear the wolf was in no way pleased, he went. Rising to her feet, she glanced at a silent Riaz. He shook his head. “Damn, but his control must be good.”

Seeing the large silver wolf disappear from sight, she realized Riaz was absolutely right. At that same moment, she understood that Drew had followed her request for one reason only—because he’d promised her he’d never again do anything that would lead anyone to question her rank.

Comprehending as it did the compulsions of the mating dance, her wolf was staggered by the fact that he’d remembered his promise even now.

One more barrier fell.

Bringing in the cats turned out to be a wise decision. Drew had rounded up several of the nimble, curious, and energetic juveniles and young adults. Among them, Kit—who was as gorgeous in leopard form as he was in human.

However, it wasn’t Sienna’s maybe-boyfriend who found it, but a sleek little leopard named Grey. “Mercy’s youngest brother,” Indigo said to Riaz as Grey ran over and, having got their attention, led them back to a gnarled old tree.

It took him one lunge and two seconds to scale it.

Releasing her claws, Indigo followed a little more slowly. Once in the lee of the branches, she watched as Grey jumped up to a higher branch and pointed a paw to the one below. Balancing carefully, she walked over to the spot he’d indicated. For an instant, she saw nothing—and then she did. “Shit.” The camouflage was brilliant, the piece of technology blending so well into the leaves that she was astounded Grey had spotted it.

Looking down, she saw Drew had followed her scent. “Bren,” she said.

He left at once to track down his sister, who’d come up to help sweep the area. When Brenna saw the device, she hissed out a breath. “It’s a camera,” she said, removing the battery at once. “Short-range transmission capacity—more than enough if you had a receiver just beyond the edge of our territory.”

Indigo’s blood ran cold, but she had no time to worry about the devastating impact the surveillance could’ve had. Not right now. “Grey,” she said, jumping onto the ground beside Mercy’s brother, “can you explain to the others how you found it?”

He nodded, eyes a crystal clear blue-green amid the gold and black of his fur.

“Do it.”

With the cats helping—more arriving as word spread—and the techs climbing through the trees as best they could, they found fifteen more cameras in the area by nightfall, along with one larger object that Brenna determined acted as a signal booster.

“No way to know how far they’re spread out,” Indigo reported to Hawke that night. “It’s going to take a long time to sweep the entire compromised section—and while it remains a low-probability target, we should check the snowpack areas, too. I’ve already rejigged our schedules, but we’re going to continue to need the cats’ help.”

White lines bracketed her alpha’s mouth, but his words were calm. “I’ll talk to Lucas.” He met her gaze. “They were watching our sentries, learning our patterns.”

That was Indigo’s take as well. “Judd’s intel was on the money. No one goes to this much trouble unless they’re planning to launch a major offensive.” Though, she’d been thinking . . . “If I were a Councilor who wanted to take SnowDancer, I’d go after you first.” The pack had one weakness and perhaps, just perhaps, Henry Scott had figured it out.

Hawke’s eyes were chips of ice by now. “Riley, you, or Cooper could step into the breach.”

“Yes, but we’d be constantly challenged. It would take us months to fend off the challengers, and it’d leave the pack in disarray.” No one challenged Hawke because he’d proven himself, been bathed in blood for the pack.

“Even if I am a target,” he said, “this kind of planning goes beyond that.”

“Yes. They undeniably want what we hold.”

“They’ll have to kill every last SnowDancer to get it.”

Exhausted by the events of the day, Indigo should’ve gone to her room and crashed in readiness for the next day’s exertions. But Drew was waiting for her when she turned the corner, his eyes solemn but his words light. “Massage and a slice of white chocolate gâteau with fresh cherries?”

Which was how she found herself naked in his bed not much later.

Head on his chest, she stroked him as they spoke. “I don’t want the pack to go through what we did all those years ago,” she murmured. “I can’t forget the blood, the loss.”

Drew ran his hand down her back. “I was younger, but I remember parts of it. My parents were lost in the first wave of trouble, only a couple of years earlier.”

Hugging him tight, she took a moment to appreciate just how very good it felt to lie with him, to discuss their day. She couldn’t imagine being this comfortable with anyone else. “Drew?”

“Hmm?”

“Thank you for getting the cats.” For following her orders no matter the possessive drive that had to be pushing him close to insanity these days.

“That’s okay.” He rubbed the back of her neck. “I’ve decided to kill Riaz later, when you’re not watching.”

Sitting up, she looked into his eyes. “I want you to know something.”

“So serious.” He brushed strands of hair off her face. “Tell me.”

“If I am ever talking out of my ass, I fully expect you to call me on it.”

“Don’t worry about that, Lieutenant.” He tapped her bottom. “I’ll never let things slide.” A more sober look. “But any arguing we do on pack issues won’t be in front of others.”

She knew that would be hard on him, predatory changeling male that he was. But the past weeks had shown her the staggering depth of his will. He’d bite his tongue until it bled, but he would never again diminish her in public—and would certainly never fail to back her up when she needed it, like Martin so often did with Adria.

And that, she decided with absolute finality, would be the last time she ever compared her man to her aunt’s. Because Drew was a thousand times the man, the wolf, that Martin was. “I thought there was cake,” she said, tracing his lip with her fingertip.

He nipped at her. “I would never lie to you about cake.”

Nibbling at that pretty mouth, she said, “Yeah?”

He groaned. “In the cooler. But—”

Laughing, she pushed off him. “Let me replenish my energy first. You boy toys are exhausting.”

“Toys?” he growled.

She winked at him as she jumped off the bed. “I, of course, am only interested in my own personal boy toy.”

“That’s better,” he said, stealing a kiss as he got out, too, and walked—gloriously nude—to the cooler.

“Have you no shame?” She tried her best to sound scandalized, difficult when the only thing she wanted to do was lick him all over.

“Nope.”

Not as ready to eat naked, she went to Drew’s dresser to pull out a T-shirt. “Since somebody tore mine.” Her glare had no effect on the gorgeous man who was currently chugging down milk straight from the carton.

Wiping his mouth, he put down the milk and crooked a finger. “Come ’ere.”

“I don’t know that I—” Hand on a T-shirt, she frowned. “What’s this?”

Drew was suddenly beside her, trying to shut the drawer. “Don’t worry about it. It’s just—”

But she’d already pulled out the raggedy soft toy. It was a bear, probably once a plush brown but now sadly bedraggled, most of its fur gone, one eye missing, and the ears nibbled half-off. Definitely in rough shape, but not uncared for, she realized, noticing the neat stitches that had mended the tears.

Aware Drew had gone silent beside her, she glanced up. And for the first time in her life, she saw a mask on Drew’s face. It hit her like a punch to the gut.