Three months later
POE FOLLOWED Glenn silently through the underground tunnels that zigzagged underneath Glenn’s family home. The tunnels led to several safe locations inside Wayne National Forest, just in case the deer shifter family had to quickly flee from danger. They were only to be used in emergencies. Knights in the forest constituted an emergency.
Poe wrapped his arms around his chest, pulling his coat closer to his body. It was late evening, and the December weather was nippy, to say the least. He could see his own breath coming out like puffs of clouds. He didn’t have to bend over as Glenn did—sometimes his shorter height was an advantage. The tunnel suddenly started to climb, and they only walked a little way farther before Glenn put out a hand to stop him. Poe grunted at the impact. Glenn knocked on the trap door above, and it immediately opened. Someone helped them up before they slammed the door shut and pulled a rug over it.
Poe ran his hands over his hair and dusted off his shoulders. When he brought his attention to the room, he nodded at those gathered. He zeroed in on Hunter, the main reason he was there. Hunter had been raised by the Knights since the age of thirteen but never fully subscribed to their philosophy of death to all shifters. He was of African-American descent, with closely cropped hair and deep-brown eyes. He kept in shape and was of average height, which meant he still towered over Poe. Such was life for a guy with a genuine dwarf for a father.
“Agent Poe,” Hunter said, nodding in greeting.
“Hunter.”
On his rite of passage, Hunter had been tasked with killing his first shifter. But when he met Glenn, everything changed. They were now mates, and Hunter’s kidnapping by the Knights when he announced he was leaving was the reason Poe had located and infiltrated their headquarters over six months ago. But knights had long memories, and many were still out for revenge for his betrayal. Hopefully Poe could capture more knights alive this time than the last couple of missions.
“Mother, Father,” Glenn said, interrupting Poe’s thoughts. “This is Agent Poe. Agent, this is Douglas and Willow Lightfoot.”
Poe turned toward Glenn’s parents. They were both in their sixties, with silver in their hair, but still looked hale and hearty. Strong and virile, Douglas was the leader of his herd, and when he decided to step down, Glenn would take his place.
“Thank you for welcoming me into your home.”
“We hardly had a choice.”
Poe glanced at the moody young woman sitting on the couch, her entire posture showing annoyance.
“Rowan,” Willow said, her tone a warning. Rowan wrinkled her nose but held her tongue.
“And that’s my sister,” Glenn said, smiling slightly.
Poe nodded to her before bringing his attention once more to Hunter. “What did you see?”
Hunter took a deep breath, looking pained. Glenn grabbed his hand, and Hunter visibly relaxed.
“Just so you understand,” he said. “Sometimes my visions are a few minutes in the future, sometimes hours and, on rare occasions, days. The visions a few minutes in the future are sure to happen, but the ones that are hours or days ahead might not. Or they happen differently.” Hunter rubbed the back of his neck, uneasy with all eyes on him. “It’s not an exact science.”
“I get it. Just tell me what you saw.”
Hunter glanced at Glenn, and Glenn smiled encouragingly.
“I think this was days ahead. Knights were attacking. Burning. They took Shyre, Oak, and baby Glenn. They killed Douglas and Willow.” His voice broke. Glenn wrapped his arm around Hunter’s waist and murmured something to him Poe couldn’t hear.
Willow walked over to Hunter’s other side and rubbed his back.
“It was war,” Hunter finally said. He raised stricken eyes to Poe and swallowed hard. “I don’t know if it will still happen. Douglas sent the rest of the herd away—”
“Damn right I did,” Douglas said. It seemed Hunter’s retelling of the vision had roused him once more. “No way in hell knights are getting any more of my family.”
Poe frowned, not understanding that comment. But he knew better than to ask.
“Have you seen any indications of knights in the park?” Poe asked.
“If there are any, they mix well,” Willow said, her doe eyes worried. “It is still hunting season, and though all deer shifters know to avoid the area, some risk it.”
“Hunter, can you estimate when the attack might happen?” Poe asked.
“Like I said to the agent on the phone—Mackenzie, was it?—I can’t make a solid determination, and I’d rather not guess. And now that certain elements have changed, I don’t know if it will even happen.”
“It will,” Poe said with certainty. Everyone looked at him. “Maybe Hunter doesn’t want to guess, but I suspect it will be less than a week. You called us last night, and it’s now morning. They won’t wait long to attack. They want to catch you unawares before any rumor reaches you of their presence.”
“Do they think we have not heard of the multiple attacks on herds and packs across the country in the last few months?” Douglas said. “Do they think we are ostriches with our heads in the sand?”
“I can’t say what they think,” Poe said. “But Arcas has to know that the Agency intercepted his transmission to his knights. He wanted us to. But I don’t think his followers know that that was his intention. We’re all just pawns to him.”
Douglas cursed and turned away. He stalked across the living room. Willow immediately went to his side, her calming nature keeping him in control. Glenn watched his parents closely while Hunter looked miserable.
“Bastards,” Rowan said.
Poe met her eyes and nodded. “Yeah, they are.”
“Agent Poe?”
Poe looked at Hunter.
“I thought Mackenzie said there would be two of you. That you had a partner.”
“Yep. He’s in the forest, scouting.”
Glenn raised an eyebrow at Poe. “What can another agent sense that we can’t? I grew up in that park. I know every tree and stream.”
“I don’t doubt it,” Poe said, unable to stop his smile. “But my partner isn’t another agent. He’s a shifter.”
“There are shifters working for the Agency?” Glenn asked, clearly stunned.
“Just one officially.” For now.
“Who is he?” Douglas asked, coming back with Willow holding his hand. “While I appreciate your assistance, I don’t feel comfortable with a foreign shifter in my forest. Especially if I haven’t met him.”
Poe nodded. “I understand, but it was a necessity. And you don’t need to worry. Nordik knows how to be respectful of another shifter’s territory.”
Dead silence followed his words. Poe crossed his arms over his chest and wondered who would be the first to break it.
“The master shifter?” Rowan sounded skeptical.
“Your partner is a master shifter?” Douglas asked.
“Long story,” Poe said. “I hope Hunter’s vision happens. We can set a trap for the knights and maybe get some real intel from them.”
“I’d rather kill them.”
Poe regarded Douglas. He saw the strong buck in his bright-green eyes and nodded. “Yeah, you and me both. But we need as many as possible alive. Information is key to winning this war, Douglas. We can’t only have brute strength, but brains and cunning. We have to outsmart Arcas, and we can only do that if we know what his plans are.”
Douglas reluctantly agreed.
Poe suddenly sensed Nordik… and something was wrong. He jerked his head to the back door and narrowed his eyes.
“Hunter? When did you have the vision?” Poe asked. “Was it yesterday, when you called us?”
Hunter swallowed audibly. “No. It was two days ago.”
“We had to decide what was to be done,” Glenn said. “And to send the others away.”
Dread knotted Poe’s gut. “Wait here.” He took a step toward the back door. But then a small canister shattered a window. It was similar to the ones used by police SWAT, and it immediately began to spew a thick cloud of gas. But while SWAT used tear gas, this was most likely something else.
Even as they all scrabbled back and covered their noses, they heard a mighty roar from outside. It echoed around the surrounding area. Poe pulled out his gun and darted to the door, the others on his heels. There was no time to argue that they should escape through the tunnels. Besides, Poe knew he didn’t have the right to order them back. This was their territory, their home, that was being invaded.
He just hoped he didn’t lose any of them today.
THERE WERE five of them. Nordik dodged behind a tree just as one of the men shot again. It was hard to shoot accurately with a silver bullet at long distances, and he used that to his advantage. Silver wasn’t as soft as lead, and that meant the rifling of the gun barrel couldn’t carve into the bullet, which accounted for velocity and accuracy. He was too late to stop them from chucking the canister through the window, but he could at least distract them enough to stop them from immediately picking off everyone who came out of the house.
In his bear form, Nordik charged the gunman, then dodged at the last minute. Two others began to shoot at him just as the back door slammed open and everyone poured out. Poe had his gun out and didn’t hesitate to shoot. He caught a woman knight in the leg, and she crashed to the ground with a scream. Poe was on her immediately and kicked the gun from her hand. He took out cuffs and proceeded to bind her. Another woman knight spun around to shoot at his back. Before Nordik could react to save him, a large buck with sharp antlers charged her. She was knocked flat, and the buck proceeded to use his antlers to great effect. She wouldn’t be a problem to any shifter ever again.
Three other deer charged the remaining three knights. But the knights had silver bullets and didn’t hesitate to shoot. One doe went down with a squeal, twisting in agony. The other buck charged headlong into the shooter.
“Glenn, stop!” a black man screamed at the buck even as he ran to the fallen doe’s aid.
The knight lifted his gun. Aimed. Nordik burst out from behind the trees and roared. The sound caused the three remaining knights to focus on him. That gave the buck time to lower his head and collide. The knight turned back, but he’d lost his window. The buck knocked him to the ground but didn’t kill him as the other one had. Though the knight certainly wasn’t getting up in a hurry. He did try to lift his gun, but the deer turned around and used his hind legs to kick it out of his hand. In fact, he mostly just kicked the hand, breaking some bones.
Now there were only two knights remaining: a man and a woman. They certainly weren’t expecting this and didn’t seem to have a plan B. The other doe had shifted and was now an older woman kneeling beside the younger doe. The two bucks stood side by side, heads lowered, staring at the two knights still standing. Nordik stood behind the knights, trapping them.
“Give up,” Poe said, stepping forward. “Preserve your life and surrender.”
The woman panted, a tiny thing, even shorter than Poe, with long brown hair pulled back in a ponytail. She looked to be in her midtwenties, and her brown eyes were panicked and held a certain amount of disbelief, as if stunned they’d lost. She stared at Poe with rage and blatant refusal of his offer.
Nordik smelled the rancid scent of her fear and hate.
“Lindsay,” the black man said. Nordik glanced over as he stepped forward. He seemed shocked. “Lindsay, is that you?”
“Hunter,” she whispered, shocked as well. Tears glistened in her eyes. “Hunter, why did you abandon us? Abandon me?”
Pain pinched his face. “Lindsay, the Knights are wrong. You know that. You have to know that.”
She shook her head, anger etched on her face. “How could you choose them over us? Your family? I couldn’t believe what I was told. Not you. I loved you. You were my brother.”
Hunter reached Glenn’s side and set a hand on his back. “Yes, I was your brother. But as hard as my decision was, it was the right one.” His voice thickened, and tears of his own glistened. “I’m sorry, Lindsay. Please surrender. Please. Don’t die for him. Don’t die for a monster.”
Her lips trembled, and Nordik sensed genuine distress and grief. A dull pain in his heart reminded him that knights were living, breathing people. They weren’t mindless drones or emotionless robots. They could laugh and love and feel. But they’d been manipulated, their actions driven by fear and hate. Their darker emotions were fed by Arcas, their worst qualities praised and honed.
At times like this, he didn’t hate them. He pitied them.
“I can’t, Hunter. You know that. I would be dishonored. Gregor would—” She stopped. She seemed to suddenly remember they had an audience. The other knight hissed at her, shooting her a death glare.
Poe stepped forward, gaze like a hunting hawk. “Gregor, did you say?”
Lindsay pressed her lips together and looked away.
“Not ‘commander.’ Interesting.” Poe stepped in front of the bucks, and Nordik crouched, ready to defend. “I detect a note of familiarity between you and Arcas’s commander.”
She’d gone mute.
Poe shrugged, barely two feet away. “That’s okay. We have someone back at the Agency who can jog your memory.”
“You bastard!” Her companion dropped his gun—it was probably empty—and pulled a knife. He charged, and Poe easily deflected. But when the man returned, he showed his competency. Their moves were fast and deadly, and it was all Nordik could do to let Poe have this fight. The air was thick with tension as the knife sang and slashed through the air. Each time it appeared it would draw blood, Poe managed to deflect it in time. It angered Nordik that Poe was playing with the knight.
He growled deeply, his claws sinking into the earth. Everyone watched the two combatants, even the two does, who were now in their human forms. The younger one was sweaty and pale, but it appeared they’d managed to dig the bullet out of her leg.
Then it seemed even Poe got tired of the fight. He gripped the knight’s wrist and viciously twisted. Bones snapped and the knife fell. The knight cried out, but Poe quickly silenced him with a stiff right hook. He fell unconscious to the ground.
Poe took a deep breath before yanking his coat straight. Then he looked at Lindsay. “So what will it be? Surrender or death?”
Lindsay looked at all of them, her expression unusually calm, though tears still glistened in her eyes. She glanced over her shoulder at Nordik. Then she looked at Poe. “You need me alive.”
She took out a gun and pressed it to her temple.
Before anyone could move or think what to do, Hunter lunged for her with a shout. The gun went off the second he yanked it away from her head. The bullet spiraled into the sky, lost. They collapsed to the ground, and Hunter flung the gun away. Nordik realized they were both crying.
“No more death, Lindsay. Please. No more, sister.”
He stroked her cheek, wiping away her tears. She gazed up at him, and Nordik couldn’t read her expression. But she covered the back of his hand with her own.
“Why did you choose them over me?” she whispered.
“I didn’t,” he said, just as softly. “I chose love over hate. Life over death. I love you, sister, but Glenn is my mate. I can’t live on hate. Neither can you.”
To Nordik’s shock—and he was sure to everyone else’s—Lindsay wrapped her arms around Hunter and hugged him. Clung to him. Hunter held her back, rocking them both as the sun steadily climbed and the morning wore on.
“WE GREW up together,” Hunter said. The knights, both living and dead, had been taken by helicopter to Agency compounds. A lot of paperwork was in Poe’s future, but for right now, he wanted some answers. Nordik, dressed decently in trousers, a shirt, and slip-on shoes, stood next to him, his expression puzzled. They, along with Douglas and Willow, stood in a circle around Hunter and Glenn, who sat on a couch in the living room.
Hunter looked at Poe. “What will happen to her? What you said about… about someone at the Agency jogging her memory. Did you mean torture?”
Poe didn’t answer. He couldn’t.
Hunter grimaced. “Please don’t do that to her. She’s a victim.”
“She has shifter blood on her hands,” Douglas said.
“And you have knight blood on yours.”
Douglas glared, eyes sparking. Willow took his hand, her expression distressed.
“I’m just saying, who here can throw stones? She had her rite before mine. She was transferred elsewhere. I haven’t seen her in years. But we cared for each other. We were friends.”
Poe noticed Glenn looking conflicted. He seemed to care about Hunter’s distress, but also couldn’t feel pity for a knight. Poe was straddling that same line.
“None of you understand,” Hunter said. “We were… brainwashed. Well and truly brainwashed to the cause. Our TV and internet access was restricted. What books we read, when and where we could go outside. We weren’t allowed to know anyone outside the Knights. We were raised to believe certain things. That we were heroes, warriors in a sacred war. Servants of a god. When that’s all you know, when the adults around you believe it, of course you’ll believe it. You want to be like your family. Some of the children were born into the Knights.” Hunter ran his hand over his head. “Lindsay doesn’t think she’s done anything wrong because she’s been told everything she’s done is right.”
Poe was eerily reminded of the Hitler Youth and how the Nazis brainwashed an entire generation to believe their ideology. Some things were not just hard to break; they were impossible. No one wanted to admit what they’d put their faith and belief in, what they’d killed for, what their friends died for, was a lie.
“Please, Agent Poe,” Hunter said. “Please don’t let them torture her.”
“It’s not my call, Hunter,” he said as gently as he could. “She has information. If she knows Gregor personally, was commanded by him personally, then she is a great asset. She could turn the tide of this entire war. And war is ugly. And no one comes out of it as pure as they entered. We all have blood on us. But sometimes it truly is the means to an end that matters.”
“Then what makes us—you—any different from them?”
“The end goal.”
Hunter shook his head in anger, hands clenched on his knees. Then he suddenly turned to Glenn, appealing to him.
“Glenn, you can’t condone this!”
Glenn swallowed hard. “It’s not my decision.”
“It shouldn’t be anyone’s decision! Because no one has the right to make it!” Hunter jumped up and pushed past Poe. He moved aside, Hunter’s anguish nearly choking him.
“You’re right, Hunter,” Nordik said. Poe looked at him. Nordik met his eyes. “He is, and you know it.”
Hunter turned back and gazed with relief at Nordik. Then he looked at Glenn.
“She’s my sister. She’s my Rowan.”
Glenn stiffened. Silence descended. Rowan was currently resting in her room after Poe had looked her over. Poe scratched his chin, stubble scraping his fingers. He was tired but also satisfied they’d captured so many knights alive.
“Do you think she’ll speak with you?” Poe asked.
Hunter glanced at him.
“Do you think she still trusts you? Could be persuaded by you?”
Hope flared in his eyes. “M-maybe. I can try. I will try. Let me.”
“I’ll run it by my captain.”
Since Odin was the one who could make her sing, Poe was certain he would be grateful for an alternate solution. Just because he was good at it didn’t mean he liked doing it.
Glenn stood up. “I’ll go with you. Maybe if she sees a shifter as an actual complex being with similar emotions to hers, we can, I don’t know, break the brainwashing. Or something.”
Hunter engulfed Glenn in a hug that looked almost painful. Glenn grunted but hugged him back. Poe expected Douglas to object. But he didn’t. He watched his son, his expression blank. Poe suspected Douglas would slowly start to let Glenn make more and more decisions, easing him into leadership.
“We should go. Lots to do,” Poe said. Glenn and Hunter broke apart. “I’ll let you know what my captain decides. It shouldn’t be more than a couple of days. I assure you she and the others will be treated humanely during that time.”
“Thank you.”
Before they left, Douglas gestured to them and led them away from the others. Curious, Poe and Nordik followed him into the kitchen. When Douglas spoke, his voice was low.
“I haven’t mentioned this to my herd yet. I wanted to wait until this business with Hunter’s vision was resolved. I have been contacted by a couple of herds in other states, and they mention that we might have a new threat separate from the Knights.”
Poe frowned and thought, Shit. “What do you mean?”
“I don’t know for sure. But there has been shifter-on-shifter violence. And I’m not speaking of small skirmishes or territorial brawls that are expected. I was told that there are a few packs spouting rhetoric regarding ‘pure’ matings. They are calling for a return to ‘traditional’ matings.”
“Pure matings? Traditional?” Nordik said, tilting his head slightly.
Douglas nodded, then shrugged. “It would seem a few more conservative packs aren’t pleased with the variety of mating pairs that continue to be established across the world.”
“You mean they want only wolves with wolves and deer with deer?” Poe said.
Douglas nodded.
“And they would consider a mating such as mine and Nordik’s to be wrong.”
“Yes.” His expression turned troubled as he glanced at his son and Hunter. “And a mating such as my son’s to Hunter, a former knight, would be seen as a grievous betrayal.”
Poe closed his eyes for a moment. Great, this is all we need.
Nordik pressed his hand against Poe’s back, and though his touch couldn’t calm Poe’s troubled mind, it reminded him he didn’t shoulder the burden alone.
“But various types of matings have always happened, haven’t they?” Poe asked. He glanced at Nordik and got a nod. “So why now? Why are they spouting such rhetoric now?”
Douglas shook his head and met Nordik’s eyes for a moment. “I can only speculate.”
“And?”
“I have not encountered such packs personally, so I can’t say for sure. But the herds mention that the packs believe it’s against the natural order. That such interspecies mating is making us weak and easy victims to the Knights.”
“Bullshit.” Poe curled his hands into fists. “Interspecies cooperation is the only thing keeping those bastards from wiping us out.”
Douglas eyed him for a moment as if working through what he meant by “us.”
Poe narrowed his eyes. “I’ve been in this war my entire adult life. Now I’m mated to Nordik. It’s going to take all of us to defeat him. The concept of ‘pure’ matings is just ridiculous.”
“Yes, it is,” Nordik said softly.
“I agree,” Douglas said. “I wasn’t sure at first whether to bring this to your attention. It seemed to me to be an internal shifter problem. But… as you said, you are mated to Nordik. And Nordik is a master shifter. This isn’t the Agency’s problem, but I want them aware.”
“It is the Agency’s problem. Shifters are our allies. What affects them affects all of us.”
Nordik slipped his hand around Poe’s waist and pressed closer to his side.
Douglas nodded slowly, his expression still unreadable.
“Thank you for bringing this to our attention,” Nordik said. He held out his hand, and Douglas gripped it. As they shook, the two shifters eyed each other, the mutual respect evident.
“Perhaps you can visit again under better circumstances,” Douglas said.
Nordik smiled. “I would enjoy that. You have a beautiful forest.”
“Thank you. One day I would like to see yours.”
“You are welcome anytime.”
Nordik and Poe left by the front doors, and only when they were well out of earshot did Poe finally say, “Fuck.”
“Yes,” Nordik said. “Fuck.”
“I DON’T get it,” Genii said as she took another shot of whiskey. The bar wasn’t as loud as a few others they’d been to. At least they could hear one another without shouting.
Nordik nursed a beer as Poe and Genii took shot after shot. Oenghus didn’t drink at all, and Isis had decided to take a man’s offer to dance. It was a rare moment when all of them had a pause between missions, and Nordik knew they all needed the break.
“What’s there to get?” Poe took another shot. Burped. “Shifters aren’t perfect. We can’t put them on a fucking pedestal. They kill and maim just as knights do. They hate and can be just as bigoted as the rest of us. Doesn’t surprise me in the least that there’s a… a… fucking purity cult.”
“Purity cult?” Nordik said.
Poe looked at him, slightly glassy-eyed. “Fitting name to me, don’t ya think? Pure matings, pure blood. Shit.”
“It worries me,” Oenghus said from the other side of Genii. He and Nordik flanked Genii and Poe at the bar and made sure no one bothered them. “All life is precious. Love is precious. Isn’t that what we’re fighting for? The right to exist the way we choose? And how can so-called ‘pure’ matings benefit anyone?”
“Well said!” Genii kissed him sloppily, and Oenghus yelped in surprise. “I love your pretty face. You think Josh and Xavier or Pan and Viktor or, hell, Poe and Nordik here, thought about ‘purity’ when they bumped uglies? No freaking way!”
“Then there’s Jack and Travis in Haven,” Poe said. “Or Derek and Brian. Love those guys.”
“And Hunter and Glenn,” Nordik said, playing along.
“Exactly!” Poe took another shot and slammed it down. He shook his head. “Exactly. Purity don’t mean shit.”
“Hear, hear.” Genii raised her next shot in a toast before gulping it down.
“I think that’s enough for you,” Isis said as she returned. Curvaceous and dark-skinned, she certainly attracted attention, especially in her revealing blouse and short skirt. She had her dark hair bundled up on top of her head, and her makeup was flawless and understated. Nordik was frankly surprised she wasn’t flirted with more. She sauntered up to them and grabbed the last shot in front of Genii and gulped it down herself.
“Come on, missy. Let’s go pour you into bed.”
“Only because you’re so sexy tonight.” Genii giggled drunkenly as she slid off the stool and into Isis’s arms. But first she turned and kissed Poe smack on the mouth. Before Nordik could feel at all possessive, Genii gave him the same treatment. He blinked in surprise as she grinned up at him with glassy eyes.
“You’re so good for him. Bless you for keeping him safe.”
Despite her being drunk, Nordik knew she was speaking from the heart. He touched her cheek and smiled. Then she let Isis, who seemed amused by the entire scene, lead her away.
“She overdoes it every time.” Oenghus shook his head in concern. “I know it’s how she copes, but it can’t be healthy.”
“You worry too much,” Poe said, apparently missing everything Genii had said to Nordik. “She’s perfectly fine. Strong and sturdy, that’s Genii.”
“But even those strong and sturdy need someone sometimes.” Nordik plucked Poe off the stool and ignored his slurred protests. “Good night, Oenghus. Take care of yourself.”
Oenghus smiled. “Same to you, Nordik. And I second Genii’s sentiment. You’re the best thing to happen to him in a long time.”
Nordik heard the longing in his voice. “Never stop looking, Oenghus. There is someone out there for you.”
Oenghus blinked rapidly in surprise before his face flushed. “Well, um. I don’t. I mean… um.”
“Trust me on that.” Then he turned and left, cradling a now-sleeping Poe in his arms.