An uncontrollable shiver made Cristia falter, and nearly fall to the cold, hard ground. After hours of hiking through the forest with Grant, she wanted to stop and build a fire. Her jaguar was a tropical creature that didn’t care for the cold temperatures.

Alabama was a warmer zone and her animal hadn’t had time to acclimate to the colder temperatures of Washington. Instead, she was thrown into chaos the minute her feet stepped onto the Grove. There’d been no time for adjustment.

“Is it always this cold here?” she asked as she shoved her hands into the pockets of her jacket. She had on gloves, but her fingers were still numb.

Seattle and the surrounding areas were lush and green. She was used to a significant amount of trees and shrubs in Alabama, but it was accompanied by high heat and humidity, which her cat loved.

“No, actually, it’s not. It rains a lot, but the weather rarely drops this low. My bear is warning me there is a major storm headed our way,” he stated.

“We’re going to have a white Winter Solstice? I’ve never lived where there’s snow,” she commented through chattering teeth.

Humans always prayed for a white Christmas and that fervor was infectious. The clean, crisp air, coupled with the fluffy white stuff was invigorating, and the times she’d seen it on television, or in the movies, it was the most beautiful sight she’d ever seen. It made her think of new beginnings and hope. Unfortunately, being in the middle of it wasn’t as fun as she imagined.

“That was obvious when you were ready to set out wearing only your jeans and sweater. You’re damn lucky Ember had extra ski clothes. You and your kitty would freeze out here without proper attire. Let’s hope we make it back before the worst of it hits,” Grant said.

“Is it that close?” Cristia asked as she followed his gaze.

His eyes traveled upward then returned to meet hers. He had the most beautiful blue eyes, reminding her of the sky at dusk.

“It’s right on top of us,” he replied as he bent low and looked at the ground.

His sinuous grace as he squatted and brushed a hand through the snow seemed incongruent with his animal. Bears were large creatures that had a lot of strength to power through objects and people. She didn’t think of them as being very elegant, but he was nimble and agile. It proved to her that she needed to set aside her prejudices.

“Blood,” he murmured and took off a glove.

He ran a finger through the red crystalized liquid and brought it to his nose. Cristia couldn’t smell much beyond the evergreens, ice, and snow.

“Does it belong to one of the children?”

“Yes. It’s Cole’s, a six-year-old wolf. I can’t smell his sister, but hopefully, they’re together. She’ll freak if he’s not by her side,” Grant growled.

Cristia opened her senses to her surroundings. The trees faded into the background as she connected with the wild side of her nature. Her jaguar wasn’t bogged down with issues such as being accepted by the inner C.L.A.W. It was wild and unfettered and wanted revenge against the one responsible for harming a child, but there was nothing nearby to shred.

“Can they shield their presence? Are skirm as fast as us? How much would it slow them down to carry children?” Her thoughts tumbled out, one after another, as she searched for answers.

“So many questions. Remember what I said,” Grant barked. “Listen to your animal. It will tell you everything you need to know. Fuck, you’re more a liability to me right now, but I don’t have time to take you back,” Grant muttered with a shake of his head.

She tried not to take offense at his words, but they stung. She knew she was more trouble than help, and it pissed her off. When she did anything, she put one hundred percent effort into being the best, and it was frustrating to be the new kid in class.

“They can’t block their presence without a spell, and skirm can’t cast spells. Dark magic is the sole domain of the archdemon. What I don’t understand is why they are so far into the wilderness. Last I heard Crocell and Cresil’s lair was in the city. It would be a major deviation to move it to the middle of nowhere. We’ll follow this trail, so remain alert. They could be anywhere,” Grant advised as he climbed to his feet.

“Is there anything aside from scent I should focus on?”

“Their blood is black and toxic, so don’t discount anything that looks like oil and is surrounded by dead plants. Their magical residue feels like a thousand needles raking across your skin. If you feel their presence, keep silent and still,” Grant explained as he began his trek.

“Got it. Beau mentioned something about being issued a titanium weapon. That’s what turns the skirm to ash, right?” Cristia asked.

Snow began falling lightly, catching on his impossibly long lashes. He was gorgeous, even in below-freezing temperatures. So opposite of how she must look. She had no doubt her lips were blue, and that her long hair was damp from the snow and clinging to the side of her face.

“Yes. We didn’t routinely carry titanium until these archdemons came into the picture, and attacked pack land. There were many times we assisted Zander and the Dark Warriors, so we carried the blades, but they weren’t needed in the Grove. Now, we keep them strapped to us all the time. But remember, they are no more effective than a regular weapon against demons, or archdemons. Having a titanium blade in your hand won’t make you a better lieutenant,” Grant barked out as he trudged ahead of her.

His tone was professional, but the scowl hadn’t left his face since leaving the nursery, and he continued to snap at her.

“Why do you hate me?” she asked, stopping her movement to glare at the shifter.

Cristia fought the urge to shout that he was a jackass, and he was a fool for not wanting her as badly as she wanted him. Even with all the negative energy he was throwing her direction, she wanted to strip him bare, and warm her cold body with the sexy male.

“I don’t hate you, Cristia. You need to grow thicker skin if you are going to be C.L.A.W. Nothing is personal. We are on a mission to find our kidnapped children before the archdemons torture and murder them.” The expression he threw her way matched the venom of his words. Pure loathing.

“Don’t kid yourself. Everything is personal. You have a problem with me because I’m female. Doesn’t get more personal than that, sweetheart,” she snarled with hands fisted on her hips.

Grant strode towards Cristia, and grabbed her by the shoulders. They were standing close enough their chests touched. With each heaving breath, her breasts brushed his pecs, spiking her desire. His eyes locked with hers, and Cristia saw the battle he waged between lust and logic.

They stood in the rapidly falling snow and stared at each other for several long minutes. The tension expanded between them. Grant kept glancing down at her lips, and it caused Cristia to lick them repeatedly. The cold was forgotten as the heat between them became combustible. His head slowly bent forward then he stopped millimeters from her lips.

One slight move forward and their mouths would meet. She desperately wanted to taste his kiss.

“How can someone so fucking sexy be so damn exasperating? We need to keep moving so you don’t freeze, little kitty. Any preoccupation right now is deadly for those kids, and they are our priority,” he murmured before he released her.

The bitter cold returned in a painful flash, and Cristia clenched her fists and jaw to keep from crying out. The male was incorrigible.

“You’re right, Smokey. I’m not the one who’s preoccupied. Maybe that’s the reason you don’t want me to be a lieutenant. You can’t concentrate when I’m around,” she stated and began walking, completely unaware of her whereabouts.

“Oh, really, kitty. Then why are you walking in the direction we just came from?” Grant said with a laugh.

“Ugh, whatever. I’m not familiar with this property yet,” she countered and turned to meet his sly grin.

He was sexier than a male had the right to be, and Cristia melted at the sight of him standing in the snow. He owned the brawny, woodsman look with his insulated camo pants and black, down jacket. His hair was a disheveled mess, and his cheeks were pink from the cold. She wanted to caress his stubbled face, curious if his whiskers were soft or abrasive.

Suddenly, his expression turned grim and he muttered, “Follow me,” then began running.

She took off after him, struggling to keep up. The flurries increased, and she momentarily lost sight of Grant in the white sheet pelting the ground.

Panicked, she stopped and glanced around. It was then she felt razors skate across her skin. She recalled Grant’s description of skirm magic and followed the trail. Luckily, the snow hadn’t filled in his footprints, and she caught up to Grant within minutes.

When he came into view, Cristia didn’t understand what she was seeing, and it caused her to pause. Grant was shouting orders before he slammed into a young male she assumed was a skirm, given his red eyes and fangs.

Every supernatural in the Tehrex Realm was told several things from the day they were born. One, they were to guard their Fated Mate’s soul with the greatest of care. Two, keeping their existence from humans was crucial, and to reveal it garnered death. And three, they were given details about their enemies, including demons and their skirm. This male fit her parent’s description of a skirm.

“Cole, Katie, tuck and roll,” Grant shouted as a blue demon appeared in a flash of black smoke.

And then the situation went to shit.

The storm gained momentum, obscuring her vision, but Cristia saw enough to watch Grant plow into the skirm, while at the same time, two young children flew into the air. Grant ignored the skirm and headed towards the female whose massive blue wings took flight and caught the children midair.

“You won’t win this one, warrior. I will have my sister back, and when that happens, every last one of you will pay dearly for taking her from me,” the archdemon vowed.

Cristia kicked into gear and ran towards the skirm while Grant flipped a knife from a holster at his back, and tossed it at the demon. It nicked her blue wing and black blood splattered the air and landed on the ground. The toxic blood sizzled and popped on the new-fallen snow.

Cristia glanced at the striplings, who remained brave and quiet, despite the melee around them. It was a testament to how well the pack raised their offspring, and her chest swelled with pride to belong to such an elite group of shifters.

Cristia’s run turned into a full-on sprint, and she lost track of the archdemon when she tackled the skirm to the hard ground. She punched his face then reared back to avoid his snapping fangs. She’d heard the stories about the pain caused by their bite. Grant approached a second later, spewing curses before he stabbed the skirm’s temple.

Cristia jumped up and shouted as the creature flashed on fire. By the time she was on her feet, the young male was nothing but a pile of ash. Glancing around, she understood the reason for Grant’s curses.

“They got away. Motherfucker!” Grant shouted before he pulled his phone out and punched the keypad.

Cristia looked around, worried about the hard snowfall. She didn’t think she could make it back to the Grove before she froze. It wouldn’t kill her, but it would be excruciatingly painful.

“Hayden,” Grant barked into the phone. “I lost Cole and Katie to Crocell. I know what she did now. She had her minions carry the children a safe distance away until she could teleport in and grab them. Yeah. Yeah. No, we can’t make it back. The storm is moving in too fast. There’s a cave near our location. We’re going to hunker down until it passes. You got it. We’ll be home as soon as we can.”

Cristia watched Grant shove his phone back into his pocket then run his hands through his hair. She loved how it stuck out in every direction and was tempted to smooth it back in place. He leaned down and picked up the small pack he’d been carrying then gave her a slight grin.

“C’mon. We need to get to safety before it’s too late. Thanks for the assist back there. We almost had Katie,” Grant confessed as he started walking.

“I hesitated. Maybe you’re right about me. If I hadn’t stalled, we could’ve saved the kids,” she admitted.

“Bullshit,” he barked. “If you hadn’t been with me, I could’ve died. That bitch is pissed, and she clearly thought I was a Dark Warrior. Crocell wouldn’t hesitate to kill me. Besides, you did a helluva lot better than I did the first time I encountered skirm. See this scar?” Grant asked as he tugged his collar aside. “That’s where the bastard took a chunk out of me. You did good, Cristia. I didn’t give you enough credit, and I’m sorry for that.”

Cristia watched Grant’s shapely ass as she followed his footsteps, thinking life didn’t get much better. He’d given her praise and she was practically skipping from the joy she felt at hearing him thank her for a job well done.

Too bad they were going to be trapped in a cold cave for Goddess only knew how long until the storm passed. Her body wanted a bed by a fire with a cup of hot cocoa. And, if she were honest, she wanted a certain bear, naked by her side, so that she could have her wicked way with him.