Banging on the cabin door at oh-dark-thirty woke Bob from dreams of a certain luscious bobcat woman. From the intensity of the pounding, it was probably Rocky. Bob threw off the single blanket he had slept under and armed himself before heading toward the door.

“What?” he called out, cautious and picking up on sounds of all kinds of movement outdoors. Shifters scurrying through the woods around his cabin at a fast clip, vehicles on the gravel road, and a few people running around near the road as well. Something was definitely up.

“It’s Rocky. We have a situation.”

Bob pulled open the door. The bear-man was clearly agitated. His hair was flat on one side as if he’d just rolled out of bed himself.

“What’s wrong?”

“We just got reliable intel that an attack is imminent. It could come at any time in the next few hours. We’re evacuating everyone who can’t fight and prepping the rest for action.” Rocky spoke fast, his expression tight.

“Where do you want me?” Bob was ready to help defend the Lords’ domain.

“Serena needs to go but she’s hard to place. Can your Clan take her in? I think she’ll be more comfortable with cats, and she seems to like you. Plus, your Clan is big enough to protect her.”

Bob didn’t hesitate. “I’ll take her. And I can get reinforcements up here within a day, if you need.”

“Look to your own Clan. We’ve already got Jesse Moore’s guys mobilizing. They’ll be here in a couple of hours, but the non-combatants need to go now. This could go down any time.”

“I’ll get my stuff and go get Serena. We’ll be out of here in fifteen minutes or less.” Bob was already thinking about what he needed to do to prepare. “We’ll drive.”

Rocky nodded, already looking back toward his house across the road and up the mountain. “Safer if nobody knows where you are. I don’t trust planes we haven’t vetted and the few we have are already busy taking our people out and bringing in Moore’s guys.”

“What about Jezza?” Bob thought to ask, even though he knew Rocky was antsy to get back to his family. “Anybody going to find him?”

“Can’t spare the people right now.” Rocky shook his head, genuine regret in his eyes.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll get the map from Serena before I drop her off with my brothers, then I’ll double back and take care of Jezza. One less thing for you to worry about.”

Rocky clapped him on the shoulder. “Good man. I’ll owe you one when we meet again. Communications blackout until you’re over the state line, okay? Be safe, my friend, and good hunting.”

“Understood and good hunting to you too,” Bob replied. It seemed he’d made a friend in the grizzly bear, though he hadn’t really realized it.

Rocky took off back across the narrow gravel road toward his house and Bob didn’t waste any time in packing his few belongings. He gave the cabin a quick once-over and hit the road toward the Pack house, which was just up the road a ways. He double-timed it, covering ground quickly with his rucksack of possessions over his shoulder. He passed a few vehicles heading down the mountain and could see they were mostly full of women with small kids and the few really elderly shifters that lived here.

Bob sent up a silent prayer for the safety of each of those vehicles and the shifters inside them. The threat had to be damned serious for the Lords to take this drastic step. Bob didn’t know where the SUVs full of the weaker members of the community were headed, but he’d bet good money the Lords had a secret place to stash them that had been arranged long before this emergency. The evacuation was too orderly not to have been planned well in advance. The Lords definitely knew how to look out for their people.

Bob arrived at the Pack house to find Serena in the thick of things, helping pack supplies into a vehicle that was mostly full. When she saw him, she gave up her place in the relay line and picked up a big duffel bag that had been leaning against the porch. She ran forward to meet him as he neared.

“Rocky called ahead to say I was to go with you.” It wasn’t quite a question, but it was clear she was puzzled by the directive and doing her best not to tremble with fear.

Bob cursed inwardly and pulled her into his arms for a quick hug. “I’m taking you to my family. We’re strong enough to protect you from just about anything and Rocky wants you well away from any fighting. So do I.”

She pulled slightly away to look into his eyes. The world around them stopped for a minute while she seemed to teeter on the brink of a decision… And then she nodded, slowly.

“Okay. Let’s go.”

Bob squeezed her once in silent approval, then let her go. He bent to sling her duffel over his shoulder and then took hold of her hand as he led her back down the road he’d just run up. He had left his vehicle in a communal lot roughly halfway between the cabin and the Pack house, slightly lower on the mountain. The fastest way to get there was through the trees and, in fact, Bob saw quite a few shifters using various shortcuts to the hidden lot where more than a few vehicles were kept.

He kept hold of her hand as they made their way through the dark trees. Dawn hadn’t even begun before they reached Bob’s vehicle. He had driven an SUV here that he’d done quite a bit of work on. The outside looked like an older model vehicle that had seen better days, but inside was a different story.

He opened the passenger door for Serena. She climbed in while he stowed her duffel bag and his rucksack in the back. He had installed special compartments for storage back there, as well as a few other things that made this vehicle perfect for road trips. It would come in handy today while they made a quick escape.

Bob ran around to the front and got in on the driver’s side, starting the engine and checking the various instruments. Everything was in good working order and it looked like nothing had been added or taken from his sophisticated electronics systems by the Lords’ technical people who had gone over the vehicle with a fine toothed comb when he had arrived in their territory. The Lords were careful folks. They believed in the old trust but verify style of leadership and Bob couldn’t really blame them.

He pulled out of the lot without turning on the headlights. Shifters could see in the dark and it was best not to bring any more attention to the stealthy movements on the mountain than they had to. All around him, other vehicles moved without lights, shifters at the wheel. A few waved as he passed and he returned the gesture. Only sharp shifter vision could see through the specially tinted glass he had installed on his vehicle.

The front glass was tinted within legal limits, but a special coating gave the safety glass an almost impenetrable gloss that humans couldn’t easily see around. The back glass was as dark as he could make it within legal limits, which was to say dark. It also had a more reflective coating that kept prying eyes from seeing all the changes he had made back there. Tinkering with cars was one of his favorite hobbies, and he had put a lot of modifications into this particular vehicle.

Bob itched to call his brothers, but he had promised Rocky not to use his phone or any other communications devices until he was beyond the state border. It was a wise precaution. If enemies were planning an attack, they would be stupid not to monitor all transmissions. Bob’s equipment was encrypted, but he didn’t want to take any chances. He would sooner die than betray the Lords in any way.

As long as they were on the road and in this vehicle, they should be fine. This little honey had a few tricks up her sleeve, including Kevlar in the door panels and a few offensive surprises of her own.

“Did you bring the map Rocky wanted you to mark up?” Bob asked as he negotiated the dirt road that led down the mountain. It took a lot of his concentration. The Lords deliberately kept the road rough to discourage unwanted visitors. It was just one of many little tricks they had in store for anyone fool enough to attack them in the heart of their own territory.

“It’s in my bag,” she replied in a small voice as she stared out at the dark road, worry etched in the set of her brow. “Do you think they’ll be all right?”

“Honey, they’ve got an army up there and another en route. They’ll be okay. Our job is to stay out of the way and prevent ourselves from becoming a liability.”

“My job, you mean,” she gave a derisive snort. “If you didn’t have to babysit me all the way to Las Vegas, you’d be up there helping them defend the mountain. Don’t lie to me and tell me you would be running like a scared rabbit.”

“I won’t ever lie to you, sweetheart,” he said very seriously. “You’re right. If I didn’t have you, I’d be alongside the other soldiers. But the thing is, I’d rather be with you. Now that I’ve met you, if I wasn’t seeing to your safety, I’d be worried. And a worried soldier is a distracted soldier. I’d be that liability we’re trying to avoid becoming.” He chuckled as he made a steep hairpin turn down the mountain. “All in all, everyone’s better off with this arrangement.”

“You’re really taking me to Las Vegas? To the heart of your Clan?” She seemed skeptical.

“Don’t worry. My brothers and their mates are going to love you. I think you’ll like them too.” His new sister-in-laws all seemed to have a soft spot for those who needed protection.

“But what about Jezza?” she asked in a small, pensive voice.

Bob’s stomach knotted. He didn’t want to tell her the plan they’d come up with on the fly. He knew she was genuinely concerned about the other man’s safety. A little flare of jealousy hit him at that thought, but Bob tried his best to squash it. He had to try to remain objective for both their sakes.

“Rocky can’t spare anybody, but I’m going to—”

“No. If your plan is to take me to Las Vegas and then double back, it’ll take too long. Jezza could be dead by then.”

She was quick, he’d give her that. “Once we cross the state line I can call my brothers and have them send a plane. I could hand you off to one of them and then go find Jezza.”

“Why wait? Oh—scanners, right?” She answered her own question. “Okay. What’s the nearest airport?”

“Probably Idaho Falls.”

“If you go south. But what if you go north and west? Toward the Cascades?” Her voice held an excited edge. If he didn’t know better, he’d think she was eager to get back to her home range.

Bob had made it down the mountain and onto the back roads that would eventually lead him to the main highway. By that point, he’d have to make a choice.

“I guess we could aim for Spokane. If one of my brothers can get a plane up there that we can trust, I could drop you off on my way. But it’s going to take hours and hours to get there. Hell, it’ll take a few hours just to get across the Montana border so I can make some calls. If we commit to this plan, it’s going to be a hell of a juggling act.”

“But it’ll get you to Jezza faster. I don’t want my safety to come at his expense. He risked a lot to help me. I can do no less for him.” She was adamant in her stance and Bob had to respect her feelings.

There was a streak of nobility in her that he hadn’t quite expected, but found enchanting. Everything about her enchanted him. Damn. He had it bad.

Bob followed the winding back roads, having turned on his headlights as soon as he’d joined the country road off the mountain. Now his job was to blend in. The battered appearance of the outside of his SUV did that very well—as long as he didn’t do anything to draw attention, like drive through the night with no headlights. Or speed. Or drive aggressively. He had to keep it slow and steady. Under the speed limit. Nonchalant.

It was going to be a long trip to the border before he could start making calls.

 

Dawn was a bit of a non-event, Serena decided later. Their slow progress toward the border with the skinny part of Idaho was made even more tedious by a drizzle that brought with it dark gray clouds and not even a hint of sun. The only difference between night and day was that the sky had lightened to dark gray rather than pitch black.

“I don’t like the look of those clouds,” Bob had said once the sky had gotten about as light as it was going to get. “If the weather gets too bad, nothing will be flying.”

Serena chose not to comment. As long as Bob was going north and west, she wasn’t going to rock the boat. Jezza needed help and she was going to do whatever she had to do to get him the help he needed. Even if it meant going back to her old territory.

She would be in danger if certain members of her old Clan saw her, but she would be careful. She had learned a thing or two about stealth from the classes she had been taking on the Lords’ mountain. They had let her train and learn how to defend herself. She wasn’t an expert by any means, but she knew a lot more now than she had before. Learning new skills had helped her feel empowered, and if the weather kept misbehaving, they might also come in handy. Because there was no way she was going to wait around for a ride to Nevada when every minute of delay could cost Jezza his life.

The man had been too good to her to let him die like that. She owed him. And Serena always made a point to repay her debts.

“If you lift the lid on the console between us, you’ll find cold drinks. Snacks are in the glove box. We probably won’t have a lot of time to stop for breakfast. I’d rather press on, at least until we’re over the border and I can call my kin,” Bob said into the silence.

Serena lifted the hatch on the center console and was surprised to find it went a lot deeper than she had thought. A little LED light came on inside and she could see that the container was actually a refrigerator. Cool air drifted over her hand as she reached in to select a bottle of water for herself.

“Would you like anything?” she asked politely.

“Any cola left? I think there was at least one in there.”

“I see it. There are two actually.” She retrieved the red can and popped the top before handing it to him. She stowed her water bottle in the cup holder on her side of the SUV and closed the hatch on the console. Then she went after the snacks he had mentioned.

The glove box had a spot up top for papers that was neat and tidy. Below was a larger compartment that held various small bags of cookies, crackers, cheese puffs and chips. She took a bag of raspberry centered cookies for herself, then looked over at Bob.

“Can you snag a bag of chips for me?” He sent her a smile and she had to catch her breath. His smiles were potent.

Even under the circumstances—with all the worry that ate at her gut, the tension in her muscles, and the anxiety about getting where they needed to be—she had to admire that smile. It melted her bones and made her heart stutter a little in appreciation. Bob Redstone was just too good looking for his own good.

She fumbled a little with the bag of chips, but recovered as best she could. She opened the bag and handed it to him so he could snack as he drove. Flustered, she turned to her water bottle and spent more time than absolutely necessary focusing on unscrewing the cap. She chewed a cookie, not really noticing the burst of raspberry flavor and swallowed some water, staring out the window at the sparse traffic and worsening weather.

“If the weather is too bad and you can’t get me out of here by air,” she whispered, staring out at the rain, “I’ll go with you.”

She could feel the intensity of Bob’s gaze on her profile, but she couldn’t meet his eyes.

“I won’t take you into danger, sweetheart. Please don’t ask it of me. I have a burning need to protect you.”

Something in his tone touched her and she finally turned to look at him. He was watching the road, but he kept shooting her glances when he could. There wasn’t much traffic on the road with them, thankfully.

Not wanting to argue, she let it go for now. There would be time to argue if and when it became necessary. Her brain wanted to focus on why he was so protective of her. Was it just because he was an Alpha and had a strong need to care for those who were weaker—as she had learned a good Alpha should be? Or was it something deeper? Something more personal?

She was almost afraid to let her mind go there. What would it be like to have a relationship with a cougar Alpha? Her inner bobcat was a little intimidated by his larger size and incredible brawn, but cats were proud—and a little vain. Her cat knew it was prettier than his. It might be smaller, but the bobcat was tough. Resilient. And fluffy.

Her animal side knew it could hold its head up high, even next to a cougar. But would the cougar ever look at her as anything but a smaller, weaker, distant cousin of sorts? That was something their wild sides would have to work out. As for their human sides…Serena felt comfortable with Bob when they were talking. And when he turned that certain look on her, she felt an excited quivering inside. She had never felt that way with another man. Only Bob seemed to be able to evoke that kind of response.

It scared her a little, but not in a bad way. It was more the fear of a woman who had never really found anyone she was truly attracted to before. An untried woman who finally found a man who pushed all her buttons. She was confused by the reaction and a little afraid of the consequences, but she definitely didn’t want to run away. In fact, she was eager to see where the attraction might lead.

But only if he was serious. She didn’t want to be just another conquest to a handsome man. She wanted whatever was happening between her and Bob to mean something. Even if it was just a brief affair, she wanted to know that for this short time, she was his focus and that he felt something for her that went beyond animal attraction. Not pity or protectiveness, but actual caring and admiration if it couldn’t go any deeper.

She thought they had already crossed that bridge. They had gotten to know each other and formed a bond of intimacy. The High Priestess had really helped her break that final bond of fear that had held her back for so long. Bettina’s words, combined with Bob’s sudden entrance into her life had combined to bring out the courage her inner cat had used to sustain her in her fur for so long. Only now, she felt that courage in her human form as well. It was a huge breakthrough and something she would always thank Bob for helping her achieve—even if he didn’t realize it.

She respected the man he was. She thought he probably had found some things to admire about her as well. They had made a good start, but where would the incredible attraction between them go now? Would he forget her if he managed to get her on a plane to Las Vegas? Would he not make it back?

The place he was going—the wild part of the Cascade mountain range—was dangerous. She knew it well and knew just how deadly the people she had left behind could become. Bob could get into serious trouble pretty quickly and he didn’t know the terrain. There were caves and hidden places all over those mountains.

Fear ran through her as she thought of him out there alone. Even the best instincts might not save him from her former Clan mates. They were ruthless when it came to protecting the smuggling routes and hidey-holes that were their livelihood. A stranger in their territory would not only stand out, but be ripe for hunting.

Even an Alpha cougar could be brought down by enough vicious bobcats working together.