Serena went with the men because really, it was the safest place to be. Hiding on her own in the house or elsewhere wasn’t safe if the bad guys spooked and ran. If she had to be here, she would rather take her chances with the soldiers than being on her own. Plus, if she got the chance, there were a couple of bobcats in particular she would love to claw…or shoot.

They’d given her a gun. Not a big one, but something she could definitely handle. Rocky had been teaching her how to shoot so she was familiar with the concept and Bob gave her a quick primer on the specific handgun he had given her. She felt better with the heavy weight of it in her hand and the spare clips in her pockets.

Bob hadn’t liked having her along, but he had seen the sense in what she had to say. He was good like that. Willing to listen to her and give a little when what she said made sense. She valued that. None of the bobcat men she’d known had been even remotely willing to listen to a female.

The Cascade Clan of bobcats was made up of chauvinist pigs from what she’d seen. She had almost begun to think all shifters were that way, except she remembered her parents. They had been partners. Two halves of a whole. Her father certainly hadn’t ordered her mother around like a slave, and he had valued his female cub. He hadn’t treated Serena as a disappointment because she wasn’t born male. He’d loved her.

She remembered the love especially.

But it took seeing the way the shifters on the Lords’ mountain lived to remember it all and realize that there was something seriously wrong in the Cascade Clan. Seriously. Wrong.

“Are you okay, kitten?” Bob asked her in a quiet voice as the team of men prepared, checking gear and making last minute preparations in the basement.

They had cleaned the kitchen and the rest of the house to leave it in the condition in which it had been found. Nobody—except maybe the homeowners—would realize they had been there.

The Alpha wolf had sent a small team of his men around to the front of the mine to catch any bobcats that might try to escape that way. The front door team, as he called them, was also tasked with reporting movements to the tunnel team. They had tiny little radios that fit in their ear canals over which they communicated in some kind of code she couldn’t quite decipher. It must be some kind of military lingo, she supposed.

“I’m good,” she replied. The seriousness of their situation wasn’t lost on her. They were walking into danger and everything could change in the time it took a bullet to hit its mark. She moved closer, stepping close to Bob and wrapping her arms around his waist. “I love you,” she whispered, resting her head in the space where his shoulder met his neck. She breathed deeply of his reassuring scent and tried to hold the goodness of him inside her—just for a few moments.

He soothed her, stroking his hands over her back. She knew she had surprised him with her moment of sentimentality, but he was coping. He pulled her closer and his arms went around her back, enveloping her in his warmth.

“I love you too, my sweet mate. I’m so glad I found you,” he whispered low enough that only she could hear him. She took his words into her heart and held them close.

A throat cleared behind her and she pulled away from Bob slightly, looking up. Turning her head, she met the sympathetic gaze of the werewolf Alpha. He seemed to understand her fear and his words were softly spoken when he told them it was time to go.

Bob gave her a final squeeze and then let her go. She stood there, watching while he checked his gear for a final time. He was armed, but he had left his outer shirt in the SUV. If he had to shift, he was ready. The rest of the men were similarly attired. She guessed this was the way shifter soldiers went into battle—ready in human form with human weapons and tools, but able to ditch them quickly and shift if the occasion called for it. That made a lot of sense.

“It’ll be okay,” the werewolf Alpha spoke quietly at her side while they both watched the soldiers. “We have the Great Spirit on our side.”

She looked up at the wolf who was so clearly of Native American descent. A lot of shifters had some Native blood in them, but this guy was much closer to the source than most. His face could have been chiseled in granite and there was a nobility about him that spoke to her soul. She knew without a doubt that he was a good man. A good Alpha to his people.

“I’m glad our paths crossed, Alpha. I haven’t known many wolves besides the Lords, but I’m sorry for the damage done to your Pack and I’ll try to help in any way I can.”

John favored her with a somewhat amused expression. “You and your mate have already been more friend to us than any of your Clan.”

“They’re not my Clan,” she was quick to answer. “Not anymore, and never by choice. I suppose I’ll be part of the Redstone Clan after this is all over—if they’ll take a bobcat.”

Bob paused and turned back to her, having heard the entire conversation. He bent down and kissed her on the crown of her head.

“What kind of talk is that? Of course they’ll have you. You’re my mate, Serena. They’re going to love you,” he scoffed quietly as the first soldiers began moving silently down the tunnel.

“As it should be.” The Alpha nodded once and moved into position. He was going to be part of the rear guard, with Bob and Serena.

And then there wasn’t any more time for talking as they made their way into the tunnel. It was show time.

 

Serena thought the tunnel would be ickier than it was. Sure, there were a few cobwebs here and there that the soldiers hadn’t disturbed, but her cat felt an inner sense of adventure she had seldom experienced. The bobcat that shared her soul was actually enjoying this. Serena’s human half had to shake her head in bafflement. The cat was the daredevil side of her personality that loved a good hunt. The human had learned to be a lot more cautious.

Bob too, seemed to be enjoying this, as did the wolves. Give a predator a chance to stalk prey and they were right at home. If the soldiers had been in wolf form, she would bet all their tails would be wagging with excitement. The thought amused her and made her grin a bit as they passed through the second door, about fifty yards down the tunnel from where they had started in the basement.

They had locked and booby trapped the basement door after they were all through it to prevent any bad guys from getting in behind them without their knowledge. They would do the same for the rest of the doors as they went. The only way open to them now was forward.

 

Bob had tucked Father Vincenzo’s cross under his shirt, against his skin. As long as it was in contact with his skin, he figured it would allow him to see any bad stuff that might be in the mine. Like the eerie red glow in the passageway ahead.

Shit.

He tapped out the pre-arranged signal that would only be audible within a few yards. Instantly, the wolves froze. Bob moved forward, to take point, using the hand signals his brothers had taught him to communicate to the wolves what he had in mind.

There was something weird about the corridor ahead. Something was glowing red and only he could see it. When he got to the front of the short line of men, he lifted the cross out away from his skin, muffling its effects in the fabric of his T-shirt. Sure enough, the red glow faded away. When he released the cross to once again lay against his skin, the glow returned.

Bob inched closer, trying to get a good look at what might be causing the phenomenon. When he rounded the slight bend in the narrow passageway, he cursed under his breath. Magical glyphs glowed on the walls of the tunnel, and angry red scar on the surface, forming a circle around the passageway. The walls, floor and ceiling held the evil symbols and Bob didn’t know enough about magic to see a way around it.

A hand touched his elbow and he turned to see Joe at his side. Bob went back around the slight curve in the tunnel. The bend would muffle the sound of what he needed to say.

But before he could open his mouth, the ground trembled. A massive earthquake made the entire mountain sway. Bob looked for Serena before ducking for cover himself. He was relieved to see the werewolf Alpha had sheltered her under his own body. John was a good man and Bob would owe him one for looking after her—if they made it out of this alive.

When the shaking finally stopped, a fine layer of dirt and some rocks that had been in the ceiling and walls were now on the ground. A couple of rocks had hit the guys, but all were smart enough to cover their heads. The scent of blood was sharp in Bob’s nose, but the wounds were minor. A few cuts and scrapes. Everybody was okay. For now.

Serena didn’t let anyone hold her back once the ground stopped shaking. She moved right up next to Bob and put her hand in his. He could feel her trembling, but she didn’t make a sound. His girl was a trooper.

Bob peeked around the bend and much to his surprise, the red glow was gone. He tried removing and replacing the cross against his skin and the results were the same both ways. No more glow.

“I was going to report a magical blockage ahead,” he said in the lowest possible tones so that only Joe and Serena could hear him. “But I think the earthquake nullified the spell. There were glowing glyphs, but I can’t see them anymore. I’m going to take a closer look. Keep everybody else back until I give the signal.”

He squeezed Serena’s hand once before letting go and moving around the bend again. Sure enough, the symbols were fading even as he watched. A part of the ceiling, right where the glyphs had been, had collapsed and the dirt and rocks scattered, taking the spell with them. The rest of the circle faded to nothing and then were no more. It was like their energy had been absorbed into the earth, the spell unsustainable without that big chunk of the ceiling.

The rest of the passageway looked sturdy enough. Just that area where the spell had been was gone, which led Bob to believe that perhaps the Goddess was giving them a helping hand. He knew damn well that nobody in their group had the skills necessary to negate that magical ring. Without the timely intervention of the earthquake, they’d have been truly stuck, and probably would have had to turn back.

He gave the hand signal and the rest of the group joined him on silent feet. They began moving steadily forward once more.

This side tunnel met up with a much wider, main passageway around the next bend. There were no more doors. No more keys. Just open tunnel from here on out. Bob figured it was a sure bet the Venifucus had scouted the part of the mine they were about to enter. He would have to be on the lookout for any more signs of spells. The mage had probably set up things that would warn him if anything moved in the tunnel system that wasn’t supposed to be there. It made sense that the barrier that had come down in the quake had been something like that, though Bob was certainly no expert.

They joined the larger passageway and everyone went on even higher alert. They could run into enemy forces at any time now. Bob recalled the map they had studied. Between them and their goal—the main entrance that had been hollowed out to form a staging area for the rest of the mine—were two natural caverns. Somewhere between those two caverns was the passage that had been marked with the sign for a bottomless pit.

The line of men behind him reshuffled as Joe gave orders through hand signals. Bob stayed up front as the magic-detector. He didn’t like being separated from Serena, even by a few yards, but he knew he had to be on the lookout for magical traps. Joe was at Bob’s side, also on point now that the passageway was wide enough.

Bob glanced over the group and realized Joe had partnered Serena with John. The Alpha would take good care of her, Bob knew, if for no other reason than he loved his sister and his sister liked Serena. Of all the wolves, John perhaps, understood Serena the best. He knew what she had suffered in the past at the hands of her former Clan. Plus, Bob had sensed something from the other Alpha. There was a sense of kinship—a bond that was hard to put into words.

They approached the first cavern cautiously. If there were going to be larger groups of enemy troops, they would likely be in one or both of the caverns. Bob gave the signal to halt when a flash of glowing red met his gaze. More glyphs. He moved slowly, craning his head to get a better look. As before, the magical symbols ringed the cavern entrance with their evil light.

“What?” Joe asked quietly, coming up beside Bob.

In answer, Bob took the silver cross out of his shirt and gestured for Joe to touch it. He looked skeptical, but reached out carefully to put one finger on the small silver cross.

“Look,” Bob advised, his gaze moving toward the glowing red glyphs surrounding the cavern entrance.

“Sweet Mother of All,” Joe breathed as he saw the evil magic for the first time. That experiment confirmed to Bob that the cross could be used by others, not just him. It truly did allow the blind to see—those who were blind to magic could see its presence when touching the ancient silver talisman.

Joe let go after a moment and nodded to Bob. “What now?”

“It’s probably empty,” Bob answered, risking the brief conversation but keeping his voice as quiet as possible.

“Let’s look,” Joe answered already moving to one side.

They moved closer in unison, peering into the cavern, moving in tiny increments. If Bob’s guess was right, the entrance had been warded to prevent anyone or anything from coming or going. If he was right, the cavern would be empty.

Sure enough, when he and Joe peered in from opposite sides of the opening, only dark emptiness met their gaze. The tiny amount of light that filtered down from air vents allowed them to see into the far recesses of the cavern and it was well and truly empty. So far, so good.

At that moment, the earth shook again, a little more violently this time. Once again, Bob looked first to make sure Serena was covered. Two of the soldiers had her between them, sheltering her under their hunched bodies. Bob bent over, protecting his head as best he could while the mountain rumbled its displeasure. He could almost feel its anger at being disturbed, and yet…

There was a feeling of deliberate purpose in the tremor as well. Bob had never been overly religious or magical in any way, but he felt something as a section of the cavern’s entrance crumbled before him. A big rock narrowly missed hitting him and he stumbled back in surprise, his cat reflexes taking him out of the path of danger just in time to see the cavern entrance break up on one side, the evil glyphs winking out of existence as the wall of rock and earth they were bound to crumbled.

Hot damn. If he hadn’t thought it before, he now knew the Lady was clearing the way for them.

The tremor ceased and Bob looked up to find that everyone seemed to be all right from this round of dust and rocks pelting them. Serena popped up and he went to her side. Joe reorganized his group and was at Bob’s side a moment later.

“Same thing as before,” Bob reported. “The tremor broke the spell. We can use the cavern. I think the Lady wants us to. It’s like She is clearing our path.”

John nodded, having joined them. “I feel it too. Koma Kulshan rumbles to the Great Spirit’s design. She is angry, but helpful to those of us who seek to help Her.”

“That’s good because we need a place to stash Waldo. A big rock hit his ankle. He’s not going to be able to move for a while.” Joe looked back at the man who stood on one foot, holding his assault rifle in one hand and bracing his arms against the rock wall beside him with the other. The man who had been smiling as he flipped sizzling fish only an hour ago now looked pissed, and more than a little embarrassed.

“Damn. I missed that. I didn’t think anyone was hurt,” Bob admitted.

Joe shrugged. “Why do you think we call him Waldo? Dude is like a chameleon. Blends in whenever he wants. But he’s too hurt to go on. We can leave him here in the cavern and I would suggest leaving your lady too. She’ll be safe with him to guard her.” Joe smiled at Serena, who was bristling a bit at Bob’s side. “Or maybe she can guard him. Either way, I don’t want to leave anyone on their own down here. It would be good to leave a team to guard our back trail.”

Bob turned to Serena, ignoring the other men for a moment. “Much as I want you by my side, he does have a point.” Bob reached out, tracing her soft cheek with the back of one finger. She met his gaze and he saw understanding begin to replace anger. Her gaze still held a healthy dose of fear, but she was gaining strength even as he watched. “Waldo can’t go on as he is and someone needs to stay with him.”

“It makes sense for me to stay,” she finally admitted in a small voice. “Even I can defend a cave with only one entrance.”

He held her gaze for a long moment. “You’re one in a million, sweetheart.” He leaned in and delivered a hard kiss, not caring who watched. This was his woman. His mate. The perfect match for him in every possible way. This latest situation only proved it. He was so proud of the way she had discovered her own strength. He drew back, looking deep into her eyes. “I love you with everything that’s in me.”

“Back at’cha, big guy,” she replied, kissing him once more, lightly, before she stepped back, removing herself from his embrace.

He was kind of glad she had taken the first step away because right then, he wasn’t sure he could’ve made himself move away first. He really did love her. This situation only reinforced how perfect they were for each other. He also had to believe that the Mother of All was looking out for them. He had to have that elusive thing Father Vincenzo had always counseled him to seek—faith.

Bob sent a quick prayer up to the Goddess as Waldo moved painfully toward him. He would have to pass Bob to reach the cavern entrance. Bob watched the other man draw closer, evaluating his injury with practiced eyes, but Waldo paused in front of him.

“I won’t let anything happen to her.”

Bob held the soldier’s gaze. “See that you don’t,” he said quickly, trusting the soldier to do his duty and protect the innocent. Serena was vulnerable, but she was also strong. “And don’t underestimate her. She has a backbone of pure steel. She’ll help. You just need to give her a chance. Don’t forget, she’s a predator at heart too.”

Bob knew Serena heard his words as he looked over Waldo’s shoulder to meet her gaze. She smiled at him, the suspicious glint of tears in her eyes. Bob refocused on the man who stood painfully in front of him.

“Understood, Alpha.”

The fact that Waldo had used the respectful title for him meant something among shifters. It meant the soldier had accepted the task given by someone of higher rank that he respected. He would do all in his power to fulfill the Alpha’s expectations of him. It was a promise and a symbol of the hierarchy that made their society work, and even thrive.

Waldo nodded once more and moved on, his gait painful to watch as he entered the cavern. Serena lagged behind, waiting for Bob to meet her at the opening. He pulled her into his embrace for one last kiss.

“Free Jezza and then come back to me,” she whispered, nearly breaking his heart. “Waldo and I will make sure nobody gets past us.”

Bob looked over her shoulder and met the eyes of a giant wolf. Waldo had shifted into his animal form and Bob could see he was already getting around better on four feet than on two. He was also as dark as midnight. When his eyes closed, he just about disappeared from view. A chameleon indeed.

He kissed the top of her head and made himself release her. “Stick with the wolf and stay safe for me, kitten. I’ll be back before you know it.”

He let her go and moved to follow the rest of the soldiers. He was at the back of the group, but he would have to take his place on point as soon as they were out of sight of the cavern. Only he could see the magical traps, and everyone was moving cautiously until he got back into position.

Bob looked over his shoulder right before the passageway turned and saw Serena wave once before she disappeared into the cavern. He sent up another silent prayer to the Mother of All to keep Serena safe and rounded the bend, taking his place at the front of the expedition.