“For chrissake, Sasha! This was not supposed to be a part of the transformation healing!” Doc walked back and forth as Shogun yanked on his linen pants and zipped them with a wince. “What father ever wants to see something like this? Jesus wept and I know why!”

“Doc,” Sasha said, trying to keep the tremor of humiliation out of her voice, all the while resisting both the anger and defiance that was bubbling up within her. “It’s not exactly black-and-white or cut-and-dried… there’s other forces involved. I…” She let the protest die on an audible exhalation of frustration. Her body ached, and Shogun was clearly still messed up, but a catastrophe had been averted.

“Baby,” Shogun murmured, responding to the rush of breath she’d just released. “You can’t explain this… there is no vocabulary to do it justice. I will respect your father-this was indeed not the way for him to have found us… my apologies.”

“Oh, God…” Sasha covered her face with her hands. She was a grown-ass woman but was acting like a teenager caught in the act. None of this made sense. “It’s the damned spell, gentlemen!”

“My name is Bennit and I ain’t in it,” Doc said in a huff, rounding the ambulance to get back in the cab. “I didn’t see nothing,” he shouted and then slammed the door. “I’m not explaining anything, either. But you all best get yourselves together before Hunter gets back. Sasha, you need to ride up here with me or his ass can walk!”

Hunter clasped Silver Hawk’s forearm in the age-old warrior’s embrace the moment they entered the shadow lands.

“Grandfather, grow steady here. This is the only place to purge the dark magick that has affected us all.”

Silver Hawk nodded and then closed his eyes and took in several deep cleansing breaths. “I was ready for war… Hatred that I hadn’t felt in years filled my spirit. I feel unclean.”

Hunter nodded. “It’s like a dark soot that covers your eyes and permeates your soul… It makes you blind and stokes passions that the evolved spirit would normally shun.”

“Let us take a walk and ask our ancestors what they can see from this side,” Silver Hawk murmured, his tone deep and thoughtful. Then he lifted his chin and sniffed the air.

Hunter looked away.

“They will come at you and your brother through your weakness, whatever this dark magick may bring.”

“I know, Grandfather.”

“Then you are fully aware that your weakness is her.”

“The ambulance should have arrived by now,” Seung Kwon growled, staring at Bear Shadow.

“It will be here when it gets here,” Bear Shadow snarled, then suddenly all the wolves were on their feet in the B &B lobby.

“Sasha really cares about Shogun,” Clarissa said in a quiet voice. “If she can save him, she will.” Clarissa whipped out her cell phone. “Before you guys go to war and anyone gets hurt, let me call her.”

“Do that!” Seung said, turning a hot gaze on Clarissa.

“Watch your tone with the lady,” Bear Shadow said in a low warning growl.

Clarissa punched Sasha on speed dial and breathed out a gasp of relief when the call connected. “Got a bunch of very nervous wolves standing around,” she said quickly. “Status, Captain.”

“We’re on our way,” Sasha said into the receiver.

“I want to speak to Shogun!” Seung Kwon shouted.

“You hear that?” Clarissa asked nervously.

“Roger that.”

After a few moments, traffic sounds filled the receiver and then Shogun was on the phone. “Let me speak to my men.”

Clarissa tossed the cell phone to Seung Kwon and the entire room watched as he walked away with it. His shoulders slumped and he nodded, then disconnected the call. Chin-Hwa and Dak-Ho exchanged nervous glances, their eyes asking the question that they didn’t verbalize. Seung Kwon tossed the phone back to Clarissa.

“He said to go across the street, eat, and go have a drink-he’ll be there shortly. He sounds like himself.”

“Are you sure?” Chin-Hwa asked quietly, seeming completely amazed.

“It was him-no imposter?” Dak-Ho asked, rounding Seung to hold his arm.

“It was him,” Seung confirmed and then looked at Bear Shadow, giving him a slight bow of respect. “We are, therefore, in your debt, as protocol warrants.”

The human team let out a cheer, much to the surprise of the bewildered Werewolves.

“She did it,” Clarissa said, laughing, slapping high fives with Bradley and Winters.

Bear Shadow gave Crow Shadow a look. “Does that mean we’re off duty?”

“Can we really stand down… or do we need to wait for Hunter’s word?” Woods looked around unsure, watching the Werewolves head to the bar across the street. “Maybe we could send a runner to bring back a coupla brewskis and some burgers?”

Bear Shadow’s gaze hadn’t left Clarissa since her voice hit a squealing octave that made him and Crow Shadow tilt their heads.

“If the lady would like something to eat…” Bear Shadow’s gaze shimmered amber.

She smiled and then shrugged with a self-conscious giggle.

“We should maybe go with takeout, man,” Crow Shadow said, his gaze flowing over her body.

“I think you both need to go take a walk,” Woods said evenly, gaining a slow nod from Fisher as he hoisted the strap of his M-16 higher on his shoulder.

Bear Shadow rubbed the back of his neck and then shook his head, making his long hair sweep his shoulders. “You are right, familiar. These quarters are confining. We will bring back beef and beer.”

All eyes followed the wolves out the door and, once sure they were out of earshot, Bradley looked at Woods, arms folded.

“What the hell was that?” Bradley said, his chin lifted with indignation.

“Two guys that have more wolf in them than we do, near a rising moon, having just gone through a serious adrenaline battle rush… on an empty stomach… with a bad spell kicking their libidos’ butts-and you’ve got a full-fledged male wolf stalk about to go down.” Woods rubbed the tension out of his neck as he lowered his weapon. “One female, two male wolves-we could have had a beta male brawl in here… And trust me, if Bear started throwing his weight around, all of us stood to get hurt.”

“So, what am I, chopped liver?” Clarissa said, sounding more hurt than indignant. “So it had to be a bad spell, the phase of the moon, a wolf dominance display, but had nothing to do with me whatsoever, or the possibility that anybody could be interested in me? I’m just ’Rissa. Resident psychic chick, bio brain, one of the guys.” She looked around, tears standing in her eyes. “You all suck.”

The remaining males in the room looked at one another, momentarily at a loss for words, when Clarissa walked out and hurried up the stairs.

“What’d we say?” Fisher asked, opening his arms.

“I’m not exactly sure,” Woods said quietly. “But she’s a sweetheart and the last thing I wanted to do was hurt her feelings.”

“Beats the hell out of me,” Winters said, looking in the direction that ’Rissa fled. “I’ve never seen her like this. You think she’s on her period or something?”

Bradley shook his head. “You assholes are so blind.” He let out a weary sigh and left the room, following Clarissa’s path up the stairs and to her room.

He knocked on the door softly and announced himself with care.

“ ’Rissa, it’s me, Bradley.” He waited and there was no movement, but he heard her blow her nose. “They’re dorks. C’mon, open the door.”

“Just leave it alone, Brads, okay?” she said in a shaky voice. “I just need to be by myself.”

He stood there confounded and rested his head against the door. “I can’t just leave it, all right? There are some things I‘ve needed to say for a long time, but… Do I have to do this talking through a door?”

After a moment, he heard the bedsprings sound and her feet hit the floor. Then he heard her walk toward the door, and the lock turn before she opened it.