“I’m very much afraid my adoptive father, Jack, had something to do with it,” Serena admitted, feeling both shame and anger. “And I think it was Jezza who freed her and helped her get back to her Pack. I know she made it home because Jack was up in arms when the wolf Alpha sent a message stating that the Pack would seek justice for their injured daughter. He laughed, but I could see he was nervous about having pushed the wolves a little too far.”

She paused only a moment before continuing. “Lizzy was worried the argument between the Pack and our Clan would interrupt the drug trade. The humans they were dealing with who supplied the drugs to carry across the border weren’t the forgiving type and they knew what we are. Lizzy said they carried silver ammunition in their guns. She was terrified they were going to shoot Jack, while I was secretly hoping for it.”

Bob reached back and grasped her hand, squeezing lightly. He was such a good man. So ready to offer her comfort. She didn’t feel weak with him. No, his strength helped her find her own and she finally understood how things should be between people who cared about each other.

She had been learning about friendship from the Lords and their people—especially the High Priestess, Bettina. But Bob took it deeper. His kind gestures were a thousand times more meaningful and his encouragement brightened her world. A simple smile from him lightened her heart and made her feel as if she could handle just about anything—as long as he was by her side.

“So the wolves aren’t on good terms with the bobcats?” Bob’s quiet question dragged her back from her reverie as he removed his hand and put it back on the wheel. He was driving, after all, and the position had been awkward with her still in the back of the vehicle.

“Not by a long shot. The last I knew, the wolves had sworn blood feud on my former Clan. The girl was just the most recent—and most heinous—of the conflicts between the two groups.” She met his gaze in the mirror and saw a speculative gleam enter his eyes. “Is that helpful?”

“Not sure. It could be. I’d rather not get in the middle of a blood feud, but it’s possible it could work to our advantage in some way. For now, it’s just good to know.”

He quieted and she knew he was thinking about what she had told him. They entered a section of road where the trees were thick and he pulled over, stopping the SUV.

“You can climb up front if you want. I’m going to check something.” He got out of the vehicle and jogged around the back.

She maneuvered herself back into the passenger seat and waited. He wasn’t long in returning and he had a deep frown on his face as he climbed back into his seat.

“What’s wrong?”

He held up a little black plastic thing with a wire coming out of it. She didn’t recognize it, but the look on his face said it was nothing good.

“I thought I felt a little impact as we rejoined the road. Somebody shot this at us and it adhered to the back rear panel. If I’m not much mistaken, it’s some kind of tracking device. And I think our friendly Border Patrol agent is probably the one who tagged us.”

“Oh, no.” Her stomach twisted with knots of worry. “What do we do now?”

He shrugged, but his gesture didn’t allay her fears. “He can track us this far. Probably knows I stopped for a bit. When we get going again, I’ll drop the tracker out the window once I spot a good sized bump in the road or big pothole. If he checks, he’ll probably think it came loose on its own. We haven’t met up with the main road yet, so he doesn’t really know which way I’m heading yet.”

“Do you think that’s the only tracker or might there be more?”

“Now that I know they’re playing dirty, it won’t matter. There’s a gizmo in the glove compartment that should block the signal. Only drawback is we can’t listen to the radio or make calls. It blocks everything.” He looked at the clock on the dashboard. “It’s almost noon. I’m going to check in with Steve, then switch on the jammer until we get to the caves. With any luck, we’ll find our quarry there. If not, we’ll figure out what we do from there. Cell phones will work if we get about twenty yards from the vehicle while the jammer is on, so if we stop someplace relatively safe, I can still check in with Steve.”

He leaned over, reaching for the glove compartment. His muscular arm brushed past her and made her remember more intimate moments they had shared. There was no denying the attraction that sizzled between them, but she knew now was not the time to be thinking about getting busy with the sexy cougar. With any luck, there would be plenty of time for them later—when it was safer.

Bob took a small device from inside the glove compartment that looked like a tiny transistor radio. He held it in one hand while he placed the noon call to his brother.

“Hey Steve,” Bob greeted his brother when the other man picked up the phone. They exchanged a few words before Bob got to the meat of his report. He told his brother about the Border Patrol agent and the tracker. Steve agreed with his plans to use the jamming device.

“It looks like the attack on shifter leaders was even more extensive than we thought,” Steve told them. “Reports have been trickling in. A few leaders were killed or injured globally, but the seconds and heirs are stepping up in most cases. The Lords are coordinating North American efforts, even though they’re still pinned down in their territory. So far, they’re holding strong, but it’s definitely a siege up there right now.”

Bob told Steve their plans for the afternoon and they ended the call shortly thereafter. He then plugged the device he had taken from the glove box into an outlet hidden in the center console. He pulled back onto the road and before long they spotted a pretty big pothole. Bob lowered his window and threw the little black tracker out of it without slowing down.

He rolled the window back up and reached toward the console. The jamming device activated with the push of a button.

“There. That should do it. We won’t have any comms until we shut that off. For now, we’re running silent.”

“You’ve got the spy lingo down pat, haven’t you?” she joked, feeling a moment of humor despite the desperate situation.

The news about the Lords and their continuing troubles on the mountain had hit her pretty hard. If the enemy was that well armed and coordinated to launch simultaneous attacks all over the globe, then they were up against something a lot bigger than anybody had expected. The picture became clearer with each new report and it kept getting worse.

But somehow, being with Bob helped. He was the first man in her life who made her feel like a desirable woman. Not only that, but he made her feel valued and like she was part of something important. Like she was important to him on a personal level she had never wanted before with any other man.

Bob was different. He was good and strong and kind. He had patience with her insecurities and encouraged her in a gentle way to be stronger than she ever thought she could be. In just the short time she’d known him, he had managed to bring out the best in her and she really liked the person she was when she was with him.

If the world ended tomorrow, she was glad she’d had what little time they’d had together. In their brief time together, he had changed her for the better and there was no going back to the timid, scared mouse she had been. Somehow, she had found her courage with his help. She had discovered the heart of the wild cat in her soul, the spirit that would not surrender to fear or intimidation anymore.

And she had discovered desire the likes of which she had never experienced or expected. Bob made her want him without even trying. Just by being him—by breathing—she desired him. She wanted to claim him as her own and never let him go. For whatever time they had left, she wanted to spend it with him.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Bob teased her as they drove along in silence.

“Not sure they’re worth that much,” she replied, hiding the true direction of her thoughts out of habit. She didn’t feel quite secure enough yet to talk about their relationship—such as it was—out in the open, so she decided to change the direction of her thoughts and their conversation. “You promised to tell me about the cross,” she prompted, as if that was what had been occupying her mind.

“Ah, yes.” Bob paused, checking their surroundings and the road before glancing her way briefly. “I suppose that’s only fair.” He made a turn onto the road that would lead them closer to the caves and drove at a steady pace. “I suppose you know how cats like to roam. Cougars are no exception. After we got out of school, all of us took off for a year or two, one by one. Grif joined the Army. Steve followed in his footsteps. Mag traveled through South America for a while and a year or two later, I headed to Europe. I bounced around from country to country for a while until landing in Italy, of all places. In Rome, I met a Catholic priest named Father Vincenzo. He was a funny little fellow, kind of grizzled and old, and I was honest with him from the beginning, explaining that I wasn’t a Catholic.”

Bob glanced at her before continuing. “I was attracted to his church because of the architecture. It was really old and he told me the foundations of it went all the way back to Roman times. We began talking that first day and I asked his permission to take some photos. He wanted to know more about my skills before he agreed to let me shoot inside the church, so we made arrangements to share lunch the next day so I could show him some of my work.”

The smaller road became more challenging and he negotiated some tight curves before continuing his story. “We had lunch and he liked the images I showed him. He asked that I return the next day to attend a mass. He didn’t care that I wasn’t Catholic, but he wanted me to see the true function of the church before he would agree to let me take pictures of it. He said he wanted me to understand the soul of the building and the people who cared for it. He claimed it would help me understand how to capture its essence in my photographs.”

“Sounds like he was an artist at heart,” Serena observed. “And a bit of a romantic, as well.”

“He has the soul of a poet,” Bob agreed fondly. “I attended the mass as requested and felt… Well, it’s hard to describe. The mass was in Latin and I don’t know much of the language, so it pretty much flew right over my head, but that hour was one of the most peaceful hours I’ve spent anywhere on earth. Whatever else was going on there, the spirit of the place was one of comfort, understanding and acceptance. It just felt…good. In a way I can’t really describe adequately.”

“Sounds like it really made an impression on you.” She looked at his face, so strong and sure. His eyes were full of memories of a place he had come to love, if she wasn’t much mistaken.

“I spent a few weeks shooting interiors, exteriors—shots from the belfry, shots from the roof. I climbed all over that old church and attended mass almost every day. It didn’t matter that I didn’t understand a word of what was going on. I just sat in the back and soaked up the peace of the place and the magic of the man who brought it forth. Every afternoon, Father Vincenzo would sit with me for a while and we would talk. Mostly about unimportant things, but there were a few conversations that will stick with me for the rest of my life.”

“How so?” She was intrigued by his words and the almost awe-filled tone of his voice.

“Being a Redstone can be a little overwhelming at times. When I set out on my journey, we had just lost my older sister. She died violently and it rocked my world. She and I had been especially close as children, but when she moved to live with her mate’s Clan, we lost touch. I blamed myself for that. And for what ultimately happened. Her death weighed on me along with my grief and sorrow. Father Vincenzo helped me work through it and put me on the road to being a better person. He helped me heal, when I thought I was beyond repair. He gave me back my hope, which had been lost along with my sister. And he never asked anything in return. Father Vincenzo did this for all of his flock. He is a truly great man.”

“He’s the one who gave you the cross then?”

“Yeah. Eventually I got a call from Grif, asking me to come home. I know Grif wouldn’t have asked such a thing lightly. He had taken his time away from the Clan, and I know he respected the rest of our rights to do the same, but the construction company was at a critical stage in its growth and he needed all hands on deck. Right before I left for home, on that final day, Father Vincenzo gave me the cross. I tried to turn it down at first when I opened the plain wooden box and saw the silver inside. He stopped me, placing his old, gnarled hand over mine and met my gaze. He said, I know what you are. I have always known. The Holy Mother looks after your kind as the Father tends His flock. Accept this gift in memory of me. It will bring you good fortune and it will protect you and always return you safely to your home. Wear it when you travel and do not fear the metal. Touch it and you’ll see, he told me. I didn’t know what to think, but I reached into the box with one finger. I touched the cross and it didn’t have that icy burn I associate with silver. In fact, the metal felt warm in a comforting way, not painful at all.”

“I can’t even imagine that. Silver is something I’ve always avoided.” She shivered, thinking about it. “But I see how you wear that cross next to your skin. I can’t believe it’s real silver.”

“I know, but it really is. This thing is so old, there are no maker’s marks, except for the Latin inscription. Father Vincenzo told me what it said and wouldn’t let me refuse his gift. I haven’t worn it all the time. When I’m home, it stays in its little box. But when I travel, I always seem to take the thing with me, just like Vincenzo cautioned me to do. I guess I’m more superstitious than I realized, but I sure am glad I had it with me today.”

“Do you think the priest knew about its magical properties? Do you think maybe he had some kind of foresight or clairvoyance to know that you would need it in the future?” She wasn’t overly familiar with such things, but it did seem truly odd that the old priest would press such an important and rare gift on a shifter who had been just passing through his territory.

“I guess anything is possible.”

 

They arrived at the first cave about two hours later, after noshing on some of the food they had picked up the day before. The gas tanks were still more than half full and Bob didn’t want to take a chance on stopping at a gas station or restaurant again unless they really had to. For now, they had plenty of munchies and a few sandwiches left. That should hold them for a day or two.

Serena had warned him about the cave complex. There were a series of caves that were mostly connected, the largest being at ground level. The entrance was huge. Big enough to drive right into if he wanted. As inviting as it sounded to hole up inside the cave, truck and all, Bob would have to be certain the place was safe first.

He parked the SUV and scanned the area first, before even attempting ground reconnaissance. The place was deceptive. There could be quite a group hidden within the side of the mountain and he would never know it until they were upon him.

In fact…

“There’s somebody watching us,” Serena said in a nervous little voice. “Up there.” She pointed with a subtle movement.

Too late, Bob saw the lookout lying prone along a rock ledge. “Damn.”

And then a man stepped out of the cave, boldly facing them. He had long, dark brown hair hanging almost to his shoulders and an angular, Native American cast to his features. His skin was golden and he was well over six feet tall.

“I don’t recognize him. He’s not a bobcat,” Serena reported.

“But he is a shifter.” The size and musculature of the guy gave that away easily.

Bob’s hand went to the magical cross around his neck. He grasped it and looked carefully at the man and the guy up on the cliff. No dark red miasma surrounded them, but they definitely didn’t look friendly.

Bob rolled down the window a bit, enough to allow the breeze to bring him the scent of the two men.

“Wolf.” He knew the scent well. There were many wolf shifters in the Redstone Clan. “But which side are they on?” he thought aloud.

There was nothing for it. These wolves didn’t carry the Venifucus taint if his talisman was to be believed, and Serena had told him how the wolves around here were practically at war with the bobcats. Bob would have to chance talking with them to see if he could establish their loyalties.

“Stay here. I’m going out to talk to him.”

To Serena’s credit, she didn’t try to talk Bob out of it. She merely reached over to squeeze his hand as he opened the driver side door. He met her gaze and tried to reassure her, but they both knew the inherent danger in what he was about to do.

Bob closed the door after one last look at the woman who had changed his life so dramatically in such a short time. If he’d blundered into a situation that could hurt her, he’d kick himself from here to the next realm. But Bob was by nature, a bit of an optimist. There was every chance these wolves were okay. He just had to do his best to find out. Sending a silent prayer up to the Lady, he stepped closer to the wolf-man.

“Hi.” Bob thought it never hurt to be friendly. The wolf didn’t even nod.

“You’re trespassing.” The man’s deep voice was definitely not friendly. His stance remained combative and challenging.

“I thought this was bobcat territory,” he challenged. It wouldn’t do to show any kind of weakness to an angry wolf.

The man looked from Bob to Serena—still seated in the SUV—and back. “She tell you that? She’s one of them, isn’t she? But what are you? You don’t smell like a bobcat, though you’re probably a damned feline too.”

“Cougar,” Bob supplied, figuring there was no harm in revealing something that would be obvious to most shifters who had run across one of his kind before.

For all his size and toughness, the wolf shifter that faced him seemed on the young side. Looking closer, Bob could see the big guy was probably only in his twenties, though his eyes held a sort of grim wisdom that belied his years.

“You’re not from around here,” the wolf raised his chin, looking suspicious.

“Nope,” Bob agreed. He was the older, more experienced Alpha of the two of them. It was clear the younger wolf was an Alpha just from the way he carried himself. They could either fight for dominance or establish some kind of truce. It would all hinge on the next few minutes. “We’ve travelled from Montana where my companion was given refuge on the Lords’ mountain. Do you follow the Lady and the Light?”

The young wolf’s head cocked at the bald question. That wasn’t something shifters went about asking each other in the normal course of business.

“Of course we do. What about you?” he challenged.

Bob took the offhanded question seriously, repeating the essence of the vow he’d made over and over. “I am Her servant, against the coming darkness. I serve the Mother of All and oppose any who would try to extinguish Her Light.”

The wolf looked confused for a moment. “Why are you talking like that? Are you a holy man?”

Bob laughed, sensing the release of tension in the air. “No. I’m just a cougar. Nothing magical about me. But you do realize there’s a war on, right? We’re fleeing from the Lords’ mountain, where they’ve been under siege for the past two days by agents of the Venifucus.”

Shock showed clearly on the young wolf’s face. “You can’t be serious.”

“I’m afraid so.”

The wolf seemed to regroup. “What brings you here of all places? Did she trick you into coming here? You’ll find no friends or sympathy among the bobcats.”

Bob’s mouth tightened in a frown. “I know. We’re looking for someone. I was tasked by the Lords’ to find the jaguar and deliver a warning. Once that’s done, we’re out of here, headed for the safety of my Clan. Though, if what we suspect is true, nowhere will be truly safe after this.”

The wolf seemed skeptical, but at least he was listening. “How do I know anything you say is true? You’re a damned cat, travelling with one of them.” His emphasis on that last word as he gestured toward Serena made his feelings about the local bobcats clear.

Bob didn’t know what to say. How could he prove his words? How could he prove Serena wasn’t in league with her former Clan? He just wasn’t sure what would bring the young wolf around.

And then a beautiful young woman stepped out of the cave behind the guy and moved to his side. They shared ancestry, if Bob wasn’t much mistaken.

“It’s okay, John. Don’t you recognize her? That’s Jack and Lizzy’s girl. She disappeared last year, but I remember her. Poor thing was almost as much a prisoner as I was.” Her words were soft, but laced with steel.

Bob knew then who this young woman was. She had been the girl the bobcats had captured and savaged. Bob looked at the woman, liking the way she stood tall and strong. She had been through hell, but she seemed to have come out of it at the other end, whole and probably a lot stronger than she had been before.

Unbidden, Serena left the SUV and came over when she saw the other woman. Bob wasn’t happy about it, but he saw the way the women looked at each other, with sad understanding in their eyes.

“I’m glad you’re okay, Giselle,” Serena said first. “And I’m so sorry—” her voice broke as emotion nearly overcame her. “I’m sorry I wasn’t able to help you.”

Giselle moved closer, taking Serena into her arms. They hugged fiercely, tears flowing. “It’s okay. I saw how they treated you. You had broken bones and could barely walk and they still kicked you around.”

The man she had called John seemed to relax, though his expression was pained. He probably didn’t like the reminder about what had happened to Giselle. Bob understood.

“I never understood how parents could beat their own cubs,” Giselle went on, as teary as Serena was, but at her words, Serena drew back.

“They weren’t my parents,” she said in a firm voice. “They adopted me a few years after my real parents were killed in a car crash. I was born on the coast. None of the bobcats here are my kin.”

“Well, thank the Goddess for that,” John intoned. He looked at Bob and some of his wariness had left. “You’d better come in. Looks like we all need to talk.”

The younger man clearly didn’t like the idea of talking, but Bob had always been the loquacious brother of the Redstone five. He liked talking, where most shifter males seemed to be more the strong, silent type. John fit that mold precisely and Bob had to stifle a grin.

They were ushered into the cave and Bob was surprised to see about twenty werewolves inside, sitting around performing various tasks. A few women were preparing sandwiches on one side of the huge cave. Some of the men were cleaning their personal equipment—sharpening knives or cleaning guns. They were all armed, but they seemed peaceful enough for now.

One thing Bob found interesting was that this wasn’t a permanent camp. It looked more like the group had stopped here for lunch while hiking. When they left, there would be little evidence of their presence left behind.

John invited them to sit on the ground near the entrance of the cave. Bob judged the situation and knew he would have to bend a little, to show the other Alpha he was willing to trust him to a certain extent. Putting himself on the ground, in a more vulnerable position, even momentarily, showed that he was extending a little bit of trust. It was a start.

Serena and Giselle sat first, there seeming to be no question of dominance or trust between them. It was the men who held out a bit longer, wanting to establish who was in control here. Bob deferred to the younger man—for the moment—because he clearly had more right to this little bit of territory than Bob did. Plus, Bob was good at negotiation. He knew he had to give a little in order to get something in return. It was a concept most young Alphas had little acquaintance with, sadly.

They all sat, the wolf male last of all, but there was a sort of wary respect in his gaze when he met Bob’s eyes.

“I’m Bob Redstone,” Bob offered, breaking the silence that had fallen between them first, offering the hand of friendship.

“John Lightfoot,” the other man replied after only a moment’s hesitation, reaching across to shake Bob’s hand. “My sister, Giselle,” he motioned to the young woman who sat at his side.

“My mate, Serena,” Bob proclaimed, loving the way that sounded. His mate.

Serena looked up at him sharply, but didn’t argue with his statement. It was all so new to both of them, this being-part-of-a-couple thing.

“Tell me why you seek the jaguar,” John demanded bluntly.

Here was the crux of it now, Bob thought. Do they trust the wolves or do they demur? It was Serena who answered, taking at least part of the decision out of Bob’s hands.

“Jezza helped me escape from Jack and Lizzy. He got me out and had me delivered to the Lords’ mountain. I owe him so much. When the Lords were attacked two days ago, Bob was asked to get me to safety, but he was also asked to warn Jezza that we believe he’s being targeted by the Venifucus. The plan was to get me on a plane to Las Vegas, to be with Bob’s Clan, but all the airports were being watched and the weather was bad anyway, so we decided it was more important to get to Jezza first. Then we’ll go south, to safety.”

“Las Vegas?” Of all the parts of the story to latch onto, Bob was a little surprised that was the first thought that came to John’s mind. Bob waited for the inevitable question about his family. “Do you know a wolf Alpha named Buddy Garoux? He’s our mother’s brother.”

The question took Bob by surprise, but pleasantly so. Bob smiled. “I know Buddy. He came in under the Clan banner with his wolves about five years ago when we were working a big construction job in Louisiana. He retired to Las Vegas with his mate last year and brought a small Pack with him. He’s one of the elders among the wolf shifter leadership in the Clan.”

“Good,” John said, rising to his feet. “Then we can settle this matter of trust more easily than I’d hoped. Let’s call Uncle Buddy.” John headed toward the cave entrance, already pulling a small sat phone from his pocket. It wouldn’t be able to get a signal inside the cave. “Come with me, Bob.”

Bob looked at Serena, torn. He didn’t want to leave her vulnerable in case these wolves were playing some elaborate game.

“It’s okay. I’ll stay with Giselle,” Serena offered. He could tell by the look in her eyes that she knew there was still a possible threat from these wolves, but she was being brave.

“You have my word as Alpha that your mate will come to no harm,” John said. Bob didn’t like it, but he had to take the word of the Alpha. To do otherwise in wolf territory would be an insult, and tantamount to a challenge.

Bob nodded curtly and followed John out of the cave, praying that all would be well and that the wolves were on the level. He caught up with John a few feet outside the cave as he was heading in the direction of the SUV.

“Don’t go near the vehicle. I’ve got a jamming device scrambling all signals within about twenty yards of it.”

John looked at Bob suspiciously, so he explained.

“Some asshole Border Patrol guy tagged us this morning. I got rid of the tracker, but I didn’t want to take any chances I missed something.”

“The asshole have a name?” John asked, still seeming to weigh every word Bob spoke.

“Parker,” Bob replied. “And if my instincts are correct, he’s a Venifucus agent.” Bob didn’t want to go into how he could see the mark on the guy’s hand, but John just nodded.

“He’s no good, that’s for sure. He’s been hassling us for years, but just lately it’s gotten really bad. Like he’s off the rails or something. He’s not even pretending to be Border Patrol anymore.”

That didn’t sound good, but Bob let it go as they walked a little farther away from the SUV. He didn’t like being parted from Serena, but he had to trust that the Alpha was true to his word.

The call went through and Bob heard John greet his uncle. Then he turned the phone’s speaker on and Bob talked with the older wolf for a while, assuring the other man that Bob really was who he claimed to be. Buddy even called Steve and conferenced him in on the call to verify everything Bob had said. With Buddy vouching for Steve and Bob, the call soon took a grim turn as John reported the reality of his Pack’s situation.

“Jezza was captured last night. I’ve gotten word from my scouts that he’s being held in the old mine. We’ve been working on a rescue plan, but we’re spread really thin. Two days ago, our Pack house was raided and the settlement overrun by bobcats and humans with silver bullets in their guns. We lost about a quarter of our Pack and we’ve been on the run ever since. Jezza was helping us. He led the bobcats away while we ran for the caves. The only good bit of news is that the human hunting parties seem to have left the mountain altogether.”

Steve reported on the full list of attacks they knew of that had gone down simultaneously two days ago. Mostly, it was shifter leadership that had been targeted. The Cascade Range wolf Pack didn’t seem to fit the pattern. They weren’t even the dominant shifter group in the range.

“So why attack a Pack of wolves way out here?” Bob asked the question they were probably all thinking.

“Because of the border, maybe,” John answered with a bit of uncertainty. “The bobcats control it only because we haven’t challenged them for it, but the truth is, my Pack was stronger and more organized than the cats before the attack two days ago. We could’ve taken them out a long time ago, but Giselle didn’t want us to. She didn’t want to be the cause of bloodshed and I respected her wishes because I didn’t want to put her through any more trauma.”

“And now with your Pack on the run and the Border Patrol in league with the Venifucus, the bobcats and whoever is pulling their strings have no opposition left here,” Bob said. “There has to be something important here, in this region, for them to want it so much.”

At that moment, they heard a rumble in the distance and the ground beneath them trembled.

Of course.

“The volcano is waking up,” Bob reported to the men on the other end of the phone call.

“Koma Kulshan is not happy to be disturbed,” John intoned, looking up toward the mountain in the distance.

“The tiger shifter king makes his home on the side of a volcano in Iceland,” Steve reported, sounding like he was leafing through reports. “They just had a big dust-up and change in leadership. It’s said the new king up there can actually draw on the power of the volcano. I wonder if the Venifucus are trying to do something similar.”

“Shit,” Bob cursed. He would bet that was exactly what was going on. The power of a volcano was the vast power of the earth itself. “There’s probably more than enough energy there to pull Elspeth from the farthest realm back into our world. Crazy bastards are just nuts enough to try to control a volcano.” Bob’s disgust was clear in his tone. “If they fuck up, they could blow the volcano and kill a hell of a lot of people. And if they succeed, they still kill a hell of a lot of people, only less localized.”

“We have to stop them,” John said.

“How?” Bob was at a loss for a moment. How did you stop someone from tapping into the power of a volcano, for heaven’s sake? That had to require a shitload of magic and Bob wasn’t really a magical sort of guy.

“I’m going to try to get in touch with the new tiger monarch,” Steve said quickly. “He survived the attack on his stronghold two days ago and could be of help, since he knows volcanoes. I’ll let you know what I find out.”

“What about the jaguar?” Buddy asked. It was the first time he had spoken since he’d vouched for Bob and Steve, but he had been listening the whole time. The elder’s wisdom could not be discounted. “I’ve known a few jaguars in my time and they usually have a better grasp of magic than most were. If you free him, he might be able to help.”

“You’re right, Elder,” Bob said respectfully. “Freeing Jezza should be our first task. After that, maybe we can form a plan to do something about the mountain.”

“She is called Koma Kulshan in the Nooksack tongue. My father’s people knew a lot about the mountain in the old days. I’ll see if any of the tribal elders have information that might help,” John volunteered.

“All right,” Steve said. “We’ll gather intel on both ends and reconvene after you’ve freed Jezza.”

Bob liked how Steve just automatically assumed success. Bob wasn’t so sure rescuing Jezza was going to be that simple.