1
My sword tumbledinto thesea.
“Bollocks,” I muttered to myself. And to the half dozen werewolves sizing me up like I was a raw steak dinner they couldn’t wait to chomp into with their massivecanines.
I stood on the swinging bridge that stretched between the Shivering Sands Fort and the Red Sands Fort, twin hulks of rusted metal that squatted on stilts above the Thames Estuary. It was the home of the Pack, and they didn’t fancy hosting visitors for tea andbiscuits.
To prove that point, they’d shifted into their wolf forms as soon as I’d stepped foot on the bridge. And calling it a bridge was paying the thing a compliment I didn’t think it deserved. With the rotting wood planks and the thin ropes that served as handrails, it was more like a tightrope that would snap at anysecond.
“Who are you?” A shifter in the form of a man stepped out through the open doorway at the end of the bridge. Tall and grizzled and built like a tank, Anderson had been the alpha of the Pack for the past twoyears.
He didn’t recognize me, even though we’d met before. Thanks to my black wig and pink contacts, I didn’t look much like myself at all: Moira Talmhach with golden hair and matching eyes that lit up even in thedark.
Normally, I’d hide my identity by getting the assistance of a fae skilled in glamour. But we didn’t have anyone with that ability at Court. Notanymore.
The loss of Elise, my best and oldest friend, my sister in spirit and soul, still left me with a hole in my heart. Even if we’d found a new fae skilled in glamour, I wouldn’t have agreed to ask for help. It would feel like too much of a betrayal, even though I knew Elise would have given me a bemused smile and then told me I was being amuppet.
I sucked in a deep breath and shifted my attention back on the task athand.
“Name’s...Anna.” Couldn’t very well tell him my real name, now could I? “I’m a shifter, too, and I heard about your place out here. I thought I’d come and check itout…?”
Anderson’s nostrils flared as he took a long sniff. “You stink of feline. What are you, acat?”
I reeked of feline because I’d spent the entire morning at a cat pub in London. I still had their fur stuck all over my jeans. Best way to convince a shifter you’re one of them? Smell like ananimal.
A low growl erupted from a mangy-haired wolf that squatted precariously on the bridge. Shivers went through me, but I stood my ground. The Morrigan, my Queen, had trusted me with this mission, and I would never let herdown.
“Yeah, I’m acat.”
Anderson rubbed a beefy hand against his jaw. “You know you just stepped foot into a wolf pack, right? Wolves and cats don’tmix.”
While I’d been so focused on the wolves in front of me, I hadn’t noticed that one behind me had shifted back into his human form. He spoke up in a growl. “Why’d you bring a sword,eh?”
I shifted on my feet. My mind whirred to come up with an explanation. “Okay, okay. I’ll tell you the truth. Some friends and I were talking about this place, and they dared me to come out here and get inside. A thousand quid is on the line.” I shrugged. “I’d do anything for a thousandquid.”
Anderson’s eyebrow winged upward. “And thesword?”
“I’m a cat sneaking into a den of wolves. I’d be a muppet to comeunarmed.”
“You’re a muppet,” the shifter from behind me growled as he stepped closer, “to come atall.”
Alright. Mission aborted. I wasn’t going to talk myself into their fort after all. My only hope now was getting out of thisalive.
“Actually.” Anderson held up a hand, and my heart restarted. “I appreciate a dare. Takes moxie. Something most cats don’thave.”
I fought the urge to roll my eyes. Cats have plenty of moxie, evidenced by the deep gashes on my left arm. I’d petted a black kitten for too long, apparently, and she had been quick to communicate herdispleasure.
“I’d only need to come inside for a minute.” I tried on a smile, even though a scowl was my expression of choice most of the time. “And take apicture.”
Anderson spun on his heels and waved for me to follow. Eagerly, I minced across the rest of the swinging bridge, careful not to falter and tumble into the sea after my sword. The wolves skulked through the rusted door, clearly irritated that their night wouldn’t end with a felinesnack.
The alpha led me inside. The dimly-lit hallway shortly ended at a large room that had been fitted as a living area. I glanced around, impressed. They’d done a lot of renovations on the place. Gone were the rusted walls and stained yellow carpets. Instead, a gleaming hardwood floor reflected the wrought-iron sconces that hung along the plastered and paintedwalls.
I’d been here once before, hence the disguise and the whole feline shifter story. I didn’t want the werewolves to know that I’mfae.
Relations between our two factions were…troubled, to put it mildly. That had a lot to do with the fact the werewolves had started dipping their toes into criminal waters. Rumours had been flying for months. No one knew exactly what they were up to, but tales suggested it was nothinggood.
And I was here to findout.
