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  “We both know that these two groups would never make their home in a city full of humans, yet they are here at this inn.”

  Your city pups are afraid of us. They didn’t even offer a fight when we told them to leave, Raven explained in a gloating manner.

  Caidi felt like pacing, but refused to give in to the nervousness caused by that annoying man and this out of control situation. She needed to get out of here. There was so much work to be done now. “They ran them off.”

  “That means that the others are with…” Chey’s eyes again went to the ceiling and a horrified frown curved her lips.

  “Them.” Caidi’s appalled frown mirrored Chey’s. She didn’t like thinking about the women from her pack with the Shadatai and the risks involved. Hopefully, this situation wouldn’t end in disaster.

  Chey growled low in her throat. “Do you think that we should go check on them? Maybe the Shadatai can communicate with each other like he is talking to you. If he can, your women could be in some trouble.”

  “If he can talk to his men, we are all already in deep trouble. If more than two of his men get free, there is no way that even all of us could take them down. They are incredibly fast, even for shifters.” Caidi sent a worried look toward the stairs and then the tavern doors. There were probably more than the five or six men that she had seen and others scattered around the city. Goddess, she hoped she could get out of here before other Shadatai arrived.

  Caidi heard the sound of someone coming down the stairs in a hurry. She sprang to her feet, looked up at the stairwell and tensed in readiness as she waited for the person or persons to come into sight. She sighed as she saw all seven of her Zarain pack-mates come down the stairs, unescorted by men, safe.

  “I don’t know what happened tonight, Acine, but something definitely went wrong,” Dari Reshal reported as they crowded around the table, all of them looking a little shaken.

  “What went wrong?” Caidi frowned at her pack-mates, wanting the full story.

  “Tami, Viki and Sera had no trouble subduing their men, but Marissa, Lani, Kaela and I had more than a little trouble. The man almost drugged me. The men seemed to be expecting it when we tried to scratch them.” Dari’s lips twisted and her expression conveyed stunned perplexity.

  “Don’t worry about it. It wasn’t your fault.” Caidi strongly suspected that Raven had been in contact with his men.

  “We know they are all Shadatai, but that doesn’t explain why some of them seemed prepared when we tried to drug them. It was also very strange that three of us—Tami, Marissa and I—actually found and paired with a man who is our mate. When we went to the other rooms to help, Lani and Sera recognized their mates during the struggle to drug the men and get away. So many of us finding a mate here is very strange.” Viki took a seat at the table.

  “The Shadatai seem to be able to communicate telepathically. Their alpha probably warned them. He has been curiously, blessedly silent for a while. He was with me in my thoughts until recently. It is a relief not to have to watch my every word,” Caidi explained.

  Go on. Give them the bad news, Acine. Tell them that we will find you. Even you don’t doubt that. Tell them that you found your mate, but that not one of you will find herself pregnant from this night, Raven’s voice taunted as it rang in her head.

  Caidi actually felt the moment he reentered her mind. It felt almost like a wave of dizziness. She didn’t like the sensation. The lack of privacy was irritating, unacceptable.

  “Get out of my head!” Caidi clamped her hands to her head as his laughter seemed to pour over her.

  “Acine, are you all right?” Marissa strode forward and placed her hand on Caidi’s arm, concerned over her Acine’s unexplained behavior.

  “No, I’m not all right.” Caidi sighed and took some calming breaths. “That Shadatai is still in my head. This whole thing has been a waste, a disaster. Not one of us will become pregnant and those men will come after us. I, too, found my mate, a most annoying alpha male.”

  “Go,” Chey urged. “My women won’t have as much trouble as you did. The Daclind aren’t psychically connected like that.”

  “Are you sure that you will be all right, that you can escape easily?” Caidi asked. “We can stay until your women come down.”

  “Go on. I didn’t need a Zarain escort to get here. I can get home without it just as easily.” Chey laughed, waving them away. “You have bigger problems than I do. Those Shadatai are going to hunt you and I don’t doubt that they will find you.”

  “And you think that the Daclind male you found will be inclined to simply let you disappear?” With an arched brow, Caidi shrugged, more concerned than she would admit about that last part of Chey’s prediction. “We’ll go. I’ll see you when you get time to come visit me at the Taivain.”

  “I will see you soon. I imagine we will have plenty to discuss.” Chey gave a farewell wave as they turned to leave.

  Caidi and her pack-mates left the tavern almost at a run. They hurried back to their inn, changed clothing, put on the mina stones and shouldered their bags. Not wanting to take any chances, she had all of the others do all of the talking with the gatekeepers while they were in the large, dimly lit travel-gatehouses. She kept herself away from them so that she wouldn’t hear the gatekeeper confirm their destination even though she knew every step that would be required on the journey. If the Shadatai was still with her, she didn’t want to give him any information that could lead to him finding her. She would need all of the time that she could get to prepare her pack.

  Lying up in the bedroom, unable to follow and feeling the connection growing weaker with every step she took away from him, Raven wasn’t amused by her behavior. Anger and annoyance boiled through him that she had so easily escaped. The men that he had called from their pleasures at another of this city’s inns hadn’t been able to catch her. They had briefly sensed a group of Zarain women, but then lost them.

  The woman was good. He admired her boldness even as he longed to temper it. She was a true alpha female, a worthy match, determined and far too used to getting her way. Although anger still pulsed through him, he knew that any woman who could do that would soon steal his heart.

  The risks she had taken astounded him. She had taken many chances by setting this up when she believed that she was dealing with city shifters. It wasn’t only shifters that she should have feared. There were other men who would love to get their hands on a beautiful female shifter. Slavers were the most notorious of those who hunted shifters. Males were generally used for hard labor while females were sought as sex slaves.

  When she discovered that she had found her mate, everything should have changed, yet she continued with her plan. A growl rolled through him. The woman would walk away from him when she was his mate? He wouldn’t let that happen. He would find her.

  Her friend was still down in the tavern. If he caught her…

  He wanted to take Cate over his knee and teach her some manners. Zarain women didn’t go from world to world looking for likely fathers for their babies and when a woman found her mate, she stayed with him. It was obvious that there was no Achan in her life, no older male relative or widowed alpha male, to help with the running of the pack. As pack leader, the Achan would have put a stop to this little jaunt. A male influence might have taught her some consideration of just how lucky she had been to find her mate.

  Even if she hadn’t been his mate, Raven would have detained her and her pack-mates. Zarain females were few and precious. Every female Zarain was mate to some male Zarain and while she was on her own, it would be difficult for him to find her.

  Chapter Four

  When they arrived on Carait, Caidi longed for nothing more than her own bed, but it was nine days’ travel to the Taivain, her home, from the primary travel-gate. She hadn’t heard any laughter or taunts from her Shadatai mate since they had left the inn. With a fervent prayer to the Goddess that he had lost contact with her when she left the planet, she basked in
the silence and hoped he couldn’t contact her now. With the silence, she could focus on what had to be done.

  She took the silence as a blessed respite from the disturbing sensation of knowing that someone was in her mind. Caidi wasn’t fooled by the silence or grasping any false hopes. She would see the man again and he would probably be standing at the gates, demanding entrance.

  She gazed at the thick forest as they traveled. She tried to let the beauty around her and the familiar smells soothe the tension that had driven her since she’d left that tavern. She loved this area—the thick forest, the rich soil, the abundant wildlife, the lakes and streams. It was part of her.

  When she arrived home, Caidi informed her pack of the disaster that had occurred on Mijohin. They needed to know and be prepared for the coming change. All of the women knew about the reputation held by the Shadatai, but the reality was something different.

  There were some hopes that the remote location of Carait and their Taivain might shield them and keep the Shadatai from finding them. Caidi didn’t hold any hopes about that. Raven would come. Somehow, he would find her. It was only a matter of time. There was a change coming to this pack whether they wanted it or not.

  * * * * *

  Caidi once again headed for Mijohin some four weeks after she had left Raven and had returned to Carait and the Taivain. She had received word that Chey and the women who had accompanied her had never returned home. Caidi had known when she had left the inn that night that there was a possibility that there might be more Shadatai, that Raven could call for aid. It had been one of her greatest fears, but she hadn’t wanted to offend Chey or her position by being overprotective.

  Along with eight Feiral women and eight of her best Zarain hunters and fighters, she would try to free Chey. She was all too aware that she would likely be facing the combined resources of the Shadatai Zarain and the Daclind Feiral. There would be a trap waiting for the unwary or anxious to step into it. She could only hope that she would find a way to get Chey without stumbling into their clutches, although it would only be a short reprieve from the inevitable.

  At the gatehouse on Carait, Caidi chose one of the lesser used worlds that the gate would reach. It would take them along a path that would give them access to a forgotten gate on Mijohin. The journey would take some time as they couldn’t use known routes. Just to get to Mijohin required seven days of travel.

  On Mijohin, they traveled overland to Inar, the primary gate city. The trek took almost eight full days. They found a safe place deep in the forest that thrived on three sides of the city to wait for night to fall. Caidi left most of the group there and took two of her pack-mates—Brinna and Dari—with her into the city. On the outskirts of the city, Caidi located the little brown brick house of one of her contacts. It belonged to one of the women who worked at Oshiah’s Tavern. Her loyalty and knowledge could be bought.

  It was early in the morning, long before most people would be stirring from their beds when Caidi knocked on the door of the woman’s house. After some time, the door swung open and the woman stared and then rushed the group of women inside her house, looking around to see that they hadn’t been followed.

  “What are you doing back here so soon? Things have been in an uproar since you left. The owner of the inn has been raging around, trying to figure out how his liquor was drugged. Some of those men from the inn that night are still around. They seem to be waiting for something.” Devorah shut the door.

  “You are safe, Devorah? Your position at the tavern is secure?” Caidi asked.

  “Yes, I am safe. I have no access to the liquors, so I’m not even looked at suspiciously,” Devorah assured her with ease.

  Caidi nodded and paced a couple steps. “These men who are still around, do they watch anything specifically or do they merely watch the patrons?”

  Devorah frowned. “You know, it is strange. All day, those men will watch a piece of recha parchment that one of the men hung on the wall with a blade. One of them is always watching it.”

  Caidi’s eyes locked on to Devorah. “Have you heard anything as you have worked in the tavern? Have they talked?”

  “They are planning to do something, maybe steal something. I have heard them talking about how secure something is. I heard something about how it would be almost impossible to slip unseen into it,” Devorah related with a shrug.

  “This thing, did you hear them call it a name?” Caidi asked, curious.

  “Yeah, they said all those things and called the place Avalin.”

  “Do you think that you could get that parchment without them knowing of it?” Caidi watched the woman to ensure that she was certain. She didn’t want her to be caught doing this.

  “Of course.” Devorah smiled with complete assurance. “I have to help clean up and I clean the tavern part after all of the patrons have gone. I am always alone. It won’t be a problem.”

  “One of these two women will return in two days for the parchment,” Caidi informed her.

  “I will give it to her,” Devorah promised.

  Caidi nodded. She and her two pack-mates left and slipped out of the city unnoticed. The camp was in a cave deep in the forest, far enough to the back of the cave to ensure that the fire wouldn’t be seen by someone who happened to come near the cave. The two women who had gone with Caidi took a seat against the wall of the cave. Caidi gathered her things in silence as those around her watched and waited for instructions.

  “Stay here until you get that parchment from Devorah. When you have it, begin the journey to Askara. The men spoke the truth about Avalin. The nearest city to the gate on Askara, it is reputed to be impossible for a shifter to enter without the rulers’ knowledge.”

  “How are we going to rescue them? Where do you want to meet us?” Brinna asked.

  “Don’t step one foot near the gate to Askara until I reach you. I will meet you at the secondary gatehouse on Falash, the world before Askara.” Caidi adjusted the strap of her bag.

  “How will we find the hidden gates that lead to Askara?” Carisa asked. She was Feiral and not as well-versed in some of the gates as the Zarain women were.

  “There is only one travel-gate to Askara. The others have been sealed, buried. We will have to go through the primary gate. It makes getting there without detection a little difficult.” Caidi said with a shrug. “I will have something to help us accomplish that when I meet you.”

  “Should you go alone, Acine?” Mari, one of Caidi’s best hunters, asked. “You are one of the ones that they will be looking for.”

  “I will be fine. They won’t be looking for me where I’m going. In fact, I would be surprised if I encountered another shifter on the journey there,” Caidi assured them. “Get that parchment and leave for Falash as soon as possible.”

  Caidi had no qualms about leaving them. They would work together. The Feiral were accustomed to cooperative missions just as her Zarain were. No one would do anything foolish in her absence.

  * * * * *

  On her journey through several rarely visited worlds, Caidi acquired the crystals she would need to shield the Feiral traveling with her from detection by another shifter or other being capable of detecting them. She and her Zarain pack-mates had their own crystals, but hadn’t had any extra stones. At a stall in the market on the lush but hot and humid planet of Vieli, she also bought the ingredients for a special lotion. The lotion was another of the valuable secrets passed to her by her mother that might enable her to fool her shifter adversaries. With that lotion, they would be able to be near other shifters without their scent revealing their deception.

  It was near midday ten days later when she arrived on Falash, the world before Askara. The gatehouse was well kept, but not guarded. She noticed that there was a line of people waiting to use the gate. Her eyes swept along the wall and found Mari waiting for her. Mari nodded and led the way out of the gatehouse and into the gate city, a bustling hub of activity. On their way through the market, Caidi bought a few m
ore herbs, plants and roots.

  Mari took Caidi to their camp located in the craggy rocks outside the city which was perched halfway up a mountain. The air was chill and damp. Few trees grew here. The ground was too rocky, the soil too poor. They were sheltering in another cave while they waited for Caidi to arrive and to begin the journey toward the main gate on Falash which connected to Askara. That gate was located in the city of Herrool. They wouldn’t go closer to Askara until she had more information on just what type of trap they were setting. Caidi put her bags next to the wall and walked over to join the others.

  “Did you see anything strange on your way here?” Caidi asked as she sat and accepted a mug of aiska tea.

  “Nothing. If they know about these less-used routes, they aren’t guarding them,” Viki said with an easy smile.

  Caidi stretched her feet out before her. “If they aren’t watching these gates, they are probably only watching the gate on Askara. You have the missive they left in the tavern?”

  Brinna snorted derisively as she dug in her bag. “Missive…it’s a demand for your surrender, nothing less, Acine.” She handed the folded sheet to Caidi.

  Caidi silently read the aggressive script. It was addressed to Cate. It demanded that she accompany the two men left to watch the note and face her future with dignity.

  The following morning, they began the walk to the main gate on Falash. They had descended from the mountain area and onto the broad plains. The temperature didn’t improve much as they crossed the grasslands. Herrool was a sprawling group of low-slung buildings and boasted a thriving market square. They made camp outside the city in a small cave they’d dug themselves as they couldn’t risk going into Herrool. There were things to be done before they could even attempt to go to Askara. She gave a crystal to each of the Feiral and instructed them on the use. Up to this point, they hadn’t gotten close enough to be sensed by any of the Feiral or Zarain men. Here, the risk of coming into contact with a shifter was too large to chance going without them.