Kai tilted his head from one side to the other, trying to get some relief for the crick in his neck. He’d been sitting on this crate for far too long. Why did grims always find the hottest, dirtiest places to hole up? Just once, he’d like to run down a creature living in a nicely furnished three-bedroom, two-bath with cable and a great A/C unit. Was that too much to ask?

Instead, he was there, in an old storage shed in the back of a property that looked like it had been empty since Reagan was in office. The grim sat shackled to the metal folding chair in the center of the room. She was unconscious. She’d been unconscious for a very long time. Quinn’s herbal cocktails packed a lot more punch than they used to since he had his father’s magic.

Somewhere outside, Rhys ran the perimeter trying to pick up the scent of any of her friends. With the bodies piling up in Wolf Creek and Oggie’s ominous warning about ancient hunters, Isa had implemented a new rule: capture and question only. So far, Kai’s only question was had they accidentally killed her. He stared at the front door of the shack until he was cross-eyed. What was taking Rhys so long? When he couldn’t take anymore, he stood, stretching and wandering the room, not looking for anything in particular.

He was peering into an empty bucket when he was hit with a battering ram that had him flat against the wall. Again. Sharp teeth bit the tender flesh at his throat as his heart jackhammered in his chest. “How many times do I have to tell you, never turn your back to the door?” Rhys growled.

Kai closed his eyes as Rhys’s arms enfolded him. He should probably be more concerned that his boyfriend had taken to stalking him, just waiting for opportunities to pounce. He could hear the wolf’s ragged panting against his ear. He knew better than to taunt Rhys when he was shifted like this, but he just couldn’t help himself. “Maybe just once more? Perhaps with another demonstration?”

Kai sucked in a breath as Rhys rumbled, powerful jaws biting down on the tendon at his shoulder.

“That shouldn’t feel so good,” Kai muttered, letting his head fall to the side, giving Rhys better access. “There is definitely something wrong with me.”

Rhys spun him around so fast it made him dizzy. Kai’s eyes widened. Rhys was still partially shifted, though he’d thankfully remembered to put his clothes on. His eyes glowed in the dim light, canines slightly elongated, furrows creasing his forehead. “There is nothing wrong with you.” Kai’s heart tripped at the wolf’s fierce declaration. Kai opened his mouth to say he was only kidding, but then Rhys was kissing him, his hands pulling Kai closer, and suddenly correcting Rhys didn’t seem so important. “You’re perfect,” the wolf continued, exploring Kai’s throat and left ear thoroughly.

“Not that I’m complaining but—Oh, God—but shouldn’t we be focusing on our prisoner over there?” Kai jerked a hand in the general direction of their captive. Rhys didn’t even pause to look. “Didn’t you just tell me to never turn my back on the door?” Kai asked, his voice dangerously high.

“Your back isn’t to the door. Mine is,” Rhys reasoned, as if that made perfect sense.

Kai’s voice hitched. “Am I supposed to be watching the door? Because, I’m not going to lie, it’s not my highest priority right now.”

It wasn’t Rhys’s fault, really. They weren’t used to having to worry about hostages. It was mostly hunt and kill up until then. After a hunt, Rhys was so amped, Kai could barely manage to keep him from going full shift. Chasing down the creatures who trespassed onto their territory made Rhys practically feral this close to a full moon, a slave to his baser instincts. But Kai had found the perfect solution for all of Rhys’s excess energy.

Rhys rubbed one scruffy cheek against Kai’s. “You wouldn’t let anything happen to me.”

Rhys was right. Kai would die before he let anything happen to Rhys, but it seemed a bit unprofessional to be making out in front of the bad guys—girls—whatever. Kai would have told the wolf so too if his hands hadn’t slid under his thighs and lifted him up. Kai’s legs wrapped around Rhys’s waist without thinking. “See, this is the exact opposite of what we were told to do,” Kai murmured against Rhys’s lips.

Kai went breathless as his back hit the wall with a bit more force than anticipated.

“You love being slammed into walls,” Rhys mused, lips dragging over tender skin.

“And you love slamming me into walls. It must be love.”

Rhys pulled back, eyes more human than animal. “It’s definitely love.”

Kai flushed to his roots burying his face in Rhys’s throat. It was still strange to hear Rhys admit his feelings. They’d played this cat and mouse game for so long. Kai bit Rhys’s shoulder through his thin black t-shirt and Rhys went wild, attacking Kai’s lips with renewed fervor, hands digging into his thighs. Kai let his hands explore, riding under Rhys’s shirt, fingers floating over the rippled muscles of his abdomen. Yes, Kai was a genius; this was the perfect use of all their pent-up energy.

Behind them, somebody cleared their throat delicately. Kai sighed, looking around Rhys’s massive shoulder at the girl tied to the chair. “Oh, you’re awake again. Awesome timing.”

Rhys released Kai, letting his feet slide to the floor.

She looked annoyed. He didn’t blame her. Being chained to a chair in a dirty, hot shed was probably uncomfortable. Like most of the creatures they dealt with lately, she looked human at first glance. Her long pale hair was pulled off her face in a severe ponytail, highlighting great cheekbones and deep-set eyes. She was beautiful if you were into Swedish-swimsuit-model types and were willing to overlook a propensity towards homicide.

She smiled then. “Well, I could’ve kept my mouth shut, but it seemed rude.”

Kai rolled his eyes, trying to act far more in control than he felt. They needed to pull it together, or Isa wasn’t going to let them work together anymore.

“I’m pleased to see I’m still alive,” she said. “Your pack has a reputation for slaying first and asking questions never.”

Kai grinned, looking to Rhys. “You hear that, baby. We have a reputation.”

Rhys blew out a breath through his nose. “What did I say about calling me baby when we aren’t alone?”

Kai waved him off. “Please, she just watched you dry-hump me against a wall. It was practically a threesome.”

Rhys gave his most withering look, but Kai ignored it. “What is with you and threesomes lately?”

Kai gave a guilty shrug. He was a teenage boy who was being cockblocked by a tiny alpha werewolf. All he had was his vivid imagination and excellent Wi-Fi.

“Your pet has a point,” she quipped, lips pulled in a mockery of a smile. Rhys growled, moving towards the grim. She laughed, harsh and jarring. “Oh, relax. I’m not the one you have to worry about.”

Kai’s mouth fell open. “You can talk directly to me. I’m nobody’s pet.”

She let her eyes roam, smirking. “That’s a shame. I’d love to…adopt…you.”

Kai’s eyes widened, her look wasn’t what he’d call maternal. Rhys’s rumble went to full snarl, all but foaming at the mouth. Kai rolled his eyes. “Calm down, killer. She’s shackled to a chair and hardly my type.” The blonde arched a brow, pouting her pillowy lips. Kai shrugged. “Not that you aren’t hot.” Rhys looked at Kai like he’d gone crazy. “What? She’s hot. I’m just saying.”

To Rhys, she said, “You better hold on to him. Now that the world knows who he is, he’s going to be very popular.” She popped her P's, seemingly amused at the way Rhys flicked his claws. “Ooh, so aggressive.”

Kai waved off Rhys’s caveman behavior. “What do you mean, now that the world knows who I am? Who is it they think I am?”

She blinked and, when she opened her eyes, they bled alpha red, canines elongating, all trace of amusement gone. Kai flinched back. What the hell was she? She tilted her head. “They think you’re a problem they laid to rest twelve years ago.”

“Your time is running out. I suggest you make your point quickly,” Rhys warned.

“Your little trinity has the supernatural world going bat-shit over the possibility of taking down the Grove. As if you could,” she sneered.

Rhys cracked his jaw, his features shifting under his skin. “You’re in no position to be hurling insults.”

Kai’s heart slammed in his chest. “Why would people think we’re planning to take down the Grove?” he asked, his voice far steadier than he felt.

She smiled again, revealing her own set of sharpened teeth, obviously pleased to have their undivided attention. “Because the rumor is that the higher ups”—she looked at the ceiling—“sent you three here to jumpstart a prophecy.”

Kai narrowed his eyes. “That’s what they’re saying?”

She made an affirmative noise. “They say you’re descendants of the Morrigan, here to save the downtrodden from the tyranny of the Grove and big, bad, evil creatures like us.”

There was just a little too much sarcasm in her tone for Kai’s taste. Kai didn’t necessarily believe they were descended from an ancient goddess either, but she didn’t have to be quite such a bitch about it.

It wasn’t totally out of the realm of possibility. Ember was a necromancer. She’d resurrected Allister, she’d restored Quinn’s soul…sort of…she’d even brought back an enormous cheese cube eating dog and an evil cat. Just because she was refusing to use her powers didn’t mean she wouldn’t come around. Her powers had killed people; she was entitled to freak out.

“We’re going to kill her, you know.”

Kai’s head jerked up at her words. “What?”

“Do you think my kind will allow a necromancer to live?” She looked at Rhys. “Do you believe that we’d allow your kind to siphon power from this town like your own personal power plant? No clan should have that much power.”

Kai snorted. “Your kind? What’s that? Blondes?”

She stared at him with dead eyes. “Hunters.”

Kai crossed his arms. “Hunters?”

“We are Legion.”

Kai went cold to his toes. “The Legionaries.” It wasn’t a question.

Her eyes glittered. “You’ve heard of us. I’m impressed. But it won’t save you. It won’t save any of you.”

“So you came here to, what? Kill us? Because if you are the best the Legionaries have to offer, I’m not too concerned,” Kai cracked, suddenly exhausted.

She stared him down. “I’m not here to kill you. I’m simply here to deliver a message.”

Rhys heaved a sigh. “I hate this dramatic bullshit. Give us your message so I can kill you.”

Her eyes flicked to Rhys, her jaw clenched. “Tell your Alpha that any shifter who stands with the reapers is going to die. Any pack that stands with you will die. Any fae, any faction, will die. We may not be able to get to your necromancer, but we’ll take your army apart piece by piece.” Kai’s brows shot up. They had no army. That was the second time somebody had mentioned this supposed army. “You have twenty-four hours to choose.”

“To choose what?” Rhys asked.

“Give us the necromancer, and you and your sister can live. Keep your necromancer, and you’ve chosen to go to war. The clock’s ticking.”

Kai’s breath went ragged as Rhys’s smile bled feral. “No clock necessary. Bring your war.”

Her eyes went wide. There was the grating sound of metal on metal as the chains holding her snapped like they were made of plastic. She moved fast, a blur to Kai but Rhys was ready. His claws connected, slicing through her neck with a slick, wet sound. She dropped to the floor as Kai fought to drag in each breath. She’d been able to escape the whole time. She’d only been pretending. Was she a shifter? A demon? She was strong and fast.

“You realize what you just did?” Kai asked.

“I don’t negotiate with terrorists,” Rhys said.

Kai nodded, breathless at the amount of blood pouring onto the concrete floor. “Yeah. I know, Pumpkin, but you’re not the alpha.” At his boyfriend’s sour look, he patted him on the cheek. “I know it’s a bummer. But you’re telling your sister that instead of interrogating a suspect, we started an international incident. Deal?”