“Nor will our men,” Hunter said flatly, staring into her eyes. “My men are supernaturals, just like us. Your familiars are more human than not, but they still may be affected. Woods and Fisher cannot go through the shadow paths without injury to their bodies, just like my brother cannot.”

“But Bear and Crow…”

“Only with one of us, or they can lose their way and wind up behind a demon door.” Hunter closed his eyes. “Who knows what weakness within them this thing is preying on or using to make them break ranks, break alliances… If a lower-ranking male in our clan were to challenge me-an out of control alpha… I could murder my own man. And that’s what it would be, Sasha, murder-not a righteous kill-that would haunt me forever.”

“Or, I,” Sasha whispered, finally understanding the strategic horror of what they were up against, “could attack my human brass, could rip the face off a general, go after a fellow soldier or civilian, or, while in a false heat, draw clans into full-scale war.”

“We have to get back before it gets dark,” Hunter said, nodding. “You were right. I just wish we knew where to begin. Dealing with the unseen is such a dishonorable, cowardly act. That is never the way of the wolf!” He stepped away from her and slammed his fist against the cabin wall with a snarl. “We of the Wolf Clans challenge an enemy to their face, we speak of our discontent openly, and we battle outright… We do not slide around back alleys and cast innuendo and disappear into the mist. We do not leave booby traps for the unaware to stumble over and detonate. If you are our enemy, you are well aware of the fact and you well know why… And we do not put innocents in harm’s way.”

“We’ll find who’s at the bottom of this,” Sasha said, with a low growl in her throat. “We know we’ve got three factions truly pissed at us. Vampires, that goes without saying. Any leftover members from that double-crossing Louisiana Buchanan Broussard faction are also on my potential target list. Plus any Fae that thought they were gonna get paid by ol’ Dugan… Could be relatives that were in line for his estate, or any closet Fae traitors-who knows. But one thing for sure, they’re coming at everyone through their weak spots. Phoenixes flame when excited or frightened-and both of Ethan’s girls bought it. Wolves go primal when totally aroused… and will fight till the last wolf stands. Fae need their glamour to stay concealed, and when threatened will sling magick-”

“That could backfire if it’s booby-trapped,” Hunter said, stepping even further away from Sasha, finally grasping the urgency of going back.

“Yeah,” Sasha said, opening the door to the cabin. “You know… this isn’t something that local human covens would get involved with. I don’t care how much the Vampires paid a human sorcerer, all of the Seelie Fae as a united front, plus Wolf Clans, Whitelighters, and white witches, could mitigate the spell.” Sasha shook her head. “Sigils that had Ethan and Margaret ready to faint dead away-unhunh. That’s Unseelie kinda stuff.”

“We definitely need to get back,” Hunter said in a faraway tone, thinking.

Sasha nodded. “Gut hunch… How much you wanna bet this is a progressive thing that gets worse each day and night the closer we get to Sir Rodney’s big bash, where all of us who are left standing will be there to flip out on each other?”

Clarissa sat in the jeep with Bradley and Winters while Bear Shadow and Crow Shadow dismounted with Ethan and his family. Fisher helped the timid Faes unload their suitcases, and Woods got out and took over the vehicle Bear Shadow and Crow Shadow had abandoned. They’d driven the jeeps in as far as they could; any further and the vehicles would get stuck in Louisiana bayou mud. The plan seemed reasonable enough-two Shadow Wolves would maintain forest patrol and would make sure the family was safe behind Sir Rodney’s walls, and then would return to the team on foot. They’d report their findings about Sir Rodney’s fortress to the rest of the paranormal community when they got back. If there were rogue Werewolves in the area, Bear and Crow would be the family’s best defense. Maybe their only defense.

Quiet tension lingered in the air. Everyone was afraid; everyone was on edge. Ethan’s toddler kept his tiny face buried in the crook of his father’s neck. All anyone got to see of the small elf was a profusion of blond curls as he clung to his dad.

Ethan and Margaret’s older ones clasped their parents’ hands, eyes wide with fear and filled with unshed tears. Their glistening, luminescent eyes rapidly changed colors, giving Clarissa kaleidoscope stares that matched their quickening heartbeats.

Her soul ached as she stared at the little girl who couldn’t have been more than six or seven. The child’s forlorn expression made her want to just reach out and hug her. If Clarissa could have, she would have pressed the child’s red ringlets against her breasts and told her it would be all right. However, that would have been an outright lie. Who knew how any of this would turn out?

The little girl’s taller, knobby-kneed brother seemed to be trying his best to keep a stiff upper lip. But the nine-year-old intuitively sensed the danger. Clarissa could feel it deep inside her core. The poor boy’s face was nearly ashen with fear, looking even paler against his dark brown hair and Elfin ears. Clarissa swallowed hard to keep from crying. There was nothing to do but watch a nice family become refugees in their own town all because they’d done the right thing, namely testified against some really bad entities. Where was true justice, she wondered.

Sweating profusely, Ethan urged his family forward into the dense stand of trees. Shadow Wolves hauled luggage while the McGregors toted children. Pure terror gripped Margaret, and Clarissa’s heart shattered as she watched Ethan’s wife move in short bursts of rapid steps, stopping every few feet to glance around like a nervous doe. Her jerky motions only spooked the wolves that flanked them. Every time Margaret stopped, Bear Shadow would tilt his head, his gaze rapidly scanning the terrain as Crow Shadow pivoted and scented the air on alert-which would set off Woods and Fisher in a hunter’s domino effect.

Fear was more than palpable; it was an entity now. Soon it would be dark, and only God knew what would happen then. Perhaps more than anything, it broke her heart to see Ethan gather his family up under duress and have to literally flee into the swamplands with Bear Shadow and Crow Shadow as shaky escorts. But it was the only way.

Clarissa blinked back the renewed moisture in her eyes. Who could do something as horrible as targeting a family that had little kids? Doc and Silver Hawk were right; Ethan had to get out of town before sundown, Old West style. It was clear that he was the epicenter of the spiritual hit. Everything had spun out of control, starting at his establishment.

“I need my cell phone,” Sasha said quietly. “It’s in the pile of clothes we left in the mist.”

Hunter nodded. “But that means we’ll come out of the shadows in Ethan’s bar; in the shadow you found on the stage.”

“Just as well,” Sasha said with a sigh. “If they’re still in there debating, at least we’ll come out dressed and showered and in human form.”

“The better hope,” Hunter said smiling, “is that the meeting was summarily adjourned and they’ve all gone home.”

“Wishful thinking.”

Sasha kept a sprinter’s pace beside Hunter, letting him lead as they dodged corridors, homing in on the scent of her sweat-damp clothes. The shadow lands were always tricky to negotiate. How he did it with such grace and ease always blew her mind. One had to rely on superior tracking skills and attention to the slightest nuances within the practically nonexistent landscape in order to wend one’s way back to a specific point. She was still learning; Hunter had grown up all his life being mentored by his grandfather, Silver Hawk, aka Silver Shadow.