3

RAVEN

“All we have to do today is find the enemy warband of monsters,” Kael says. “If everything goes as planned, we shouldn't have to fight.”

“I didn't come here to fight,” I reply. “I thought you only needed someone to track them.”

“That is exactly why you're here,” Kael says. “Fenris, Drakon, and I will deal with the fighting if it comes to that.”

“You're wolves too?”

From the moment I met them, I had almost no doubt they were shifters. Their scent gave them away. So did the energy around them. There is no way they are monsters.

They don't look twisted or disturbing. There is nothing ugly about them. Monsters always make my skin crawl, and these men do the opposite.

Back when I lived with the horde, some of the fae drank monster blood so they could borrow monster strength. I never did.

That was the one thing I refused.

It was too disgusting.

People had tried it for generations because everyone wanted more power. It made sense to test every possibility. But monster blood never mixed well with fae blood. It always ended badly.

These three are nothing like that.

Not that I have any intention of drinking their blood.

I'm only admitting that they're attractive.

“Fenris is a wolf,” Kael says.

Fenris grins, showing his teeth.

I can't decide whether he's teasing me or trying to scare me.

“At your service,” he says as he runs a hand through his sandy hair.

“But not all of you?” I ask. “I thought you were brothers.”

“We're half-brothers,” Kael explains. “Same mother. Different fathers.”

“Oh.”

“Didn't things work like that in your clan?” he asks. “One woman having children with different men?”

The question catches me off guard.

He assumes I grew up in a clan.

I have to let him keep believing that.

If he starts doubting my story, everything could fall apart.

“Yes,” I answer quickly. “It happened there too. I just misunderstood you. When you said brothers, I thought you meant you all had the same parents.”

“We don't look enough alike for that,” Drakon says with a small laugh.

“I wasn't going to question it,” I tell him.

Still, uneasiness settles in my chest.

They already think some of the things I do are strange.

If they keep asking questions, I might accidentally reveal something I have worked hard to hide.

Kael doesn't seem interested in pressing the matter.

He gives a small shrug.

“Let's finish this job,” he says. “Once we report where the monster den is, we're done for today. I could really use a drink after this.”

Then he looks at Fenris.

“Shift.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Fenris starts taking off his clothes.

My heartbeat speeds up before I can stop it.

Damn.

His body is even more solid than I realized.

The muscles in his arms and shoulders stand out clearly.

A strange thought slips into my head.

I want to bite his arm.

The idea makes a shiver run through me.

“You too,” Kael says.

I swallow.

Then I nod.

This is only work.

Nothing more.

I pull off my shorts and shirt.

I have never shifted beside another wolf before.

The moment I do, every instinct inside me comes alive.

The fur along my neck rises.

Before I can stop myself, my lips pull back over my teeth.

“All right,” Kael says. “Enough. Both of you.”

I look toward Fenris.

The man is gone.

A tall wolf with sandy-colored fur stands where he was.

His hackles are raised too.

His head stays low.

His tail is held straight behind him.

“You're supposed to be working together,” Kael says. “You're not enemies, so act like it.”

I shake myself once.

He's right.

There is no reason to react this way.

Fenris isn't my enemy.

I can't let the presence of another wolf distract me from the job.

“Good,” Kael says. “The two of you move ahead of us. Don't go farther than a mile. If something happens, come back to Drakon and me. Don't try handling a fight by yourselves.”

I dip my head.

Hopefully he understands that I do.

Communicating as a wolf feels strange.

I've never had to do it before.

Fenris tips his head toward the darkwood and starts running.

I keep pace beside him.

This part should be simple.

Tracking monsters is something I've been doing for months.

The difficult part is trusting someone I don't know.

Ever since Thorne forced me out of the horde, I've survived by catching the scent of dangerous groups before they found me.

I've learned when to hide.

I've learned when to leave.

I've learned how to stay alive.

It doesn't take long before another scent reaches me.

Monster.

I turn toward it without thinking.

I don't know how to tell Fenris I've found something.

Before I can decide, he changes direction with me.

Maybe he's following my movements.

Maybe he caught the scent too.

Either way, we're moving together now.

A small part of me enjoys leading the way.

That never happened with Thorne.

He decided everything.

I followed without question because I didn't know another life.

Now I do.

I've spent months taking care of myself.

I've learned how to survive alone.

I never want to depend on anyone again.

Fenris and I slow at the same moment.

The monster scent has become much stronger.

It hangs in the air like rotten fruit mixed with old, dirty socks.

The smell makes my stomach turn.

I force myself not to gag.

Fenris walks to a nearby tree and drags one claw through the bark.

At first I don't understand.

Then it becomes clear.

He's marking the trail.

He's leaving signs so we can find this place again.

He nods once before turning back.

I move beside him.

As we leave, we both stop every so often to mark another tree.

Each mark is slightly different.

We don't want the monsters to notice an obvious pattern.

They probably won't.

Monsters rely on strength more than careful thinking.

Whenever they need planning or subtlety, they usually find someone else to do it.

That is exactly why Grom's warband hired us.

We reach Kael and Drakon soon after.

Fenris shifts back first and pulls on the pants Drakon has been carrying.

“It's done,” he says. “We found them, and we marked the trail.”

“Did they notice you?” Kael asks.

Fenris shakes his head.

“No. They have no idea we were there. Grom will definitely pay us the bonus.”

Bonus?

No one mentioned a bonus to me.

“Raven found them,” Fenris says. “She deserves a share.”

Kael studies me for a moment.

Then he nods.

“Fair enough,” he says. “Get dressed, Raven. Let's go collect the first part of our payment.”