PLAY OF PASSION

It took him one lunge and two seconds to scale it.

Releasing her claws, Indigo followed a little more slowly. Once in the lee of the branches, she watched as Grey jumped up to a higher branch and pointed a paw to the one below. Balancing carefully, she walked over to the spot he’d indicated. For an instant, she saw nothing—and then she did. “Shit.” The camouflage was brilliant, the piece of technology blending so well into the leaves that she was astounded Grey had spotted it.

Looking down, she saw Drew had followed her scent. “Bren,” she said.

He left at once to track down his sister, who’d come up to help sweep the area. When Brenna saw the device, she hissed out a breath. “It’s a camera,” she said, removing the battery at once. “Short-range transmission capacity—more than enough if you had a receiver just beyond the edge of our territory.”

Indigo’s blood ran cold, but she had no time to worry about the devastating impact the surveillance could’ve had. Not right now. “Grey,” she said, jumping onto the ground beside Mercy’s brother, “can you explain to the others how you found it?”

He nodded, eyes a crystal clear blue-green amid the gold and black of his fur.

“Do it.”

With the cats helping—more arriving as word spread—and the techs climbing through the trees as best they could, they found fifteen more cameras in the area by nightfall, along with one larger object that Brenna determined acted as a signal booster.

“No way to know how far they’re spread out,” Indigo reported to Hawke that night. “It’s going to take a long time to sweep the entire compromised section—and while it remains a low-probability target, we should check the snowpack areas, too. I’ve already rejigged our schedules, but we’re going to continue to need the cats’ help.”

White lines bracketed her alpha’s mouth, but his words were calm. “I’ll talk to Lucas.” He met her gaze. “They were watching our sentries, learning our patterns.”

That was Indigo’s take as well. “Judd’s intel was on the money. No one goes to this much trouble unless they’re planning to launch a major offensive.” Though, she’d been thinking … “If I were a Councilor who wanted to take SnowDancer, I’d go after you first.” The pack had one weakness and perhaps, just perhaps, Henry Scott had figured it out.

Hawke’s eyes were chips of ice by now. “Riley, you, or Cooper could step into the breach.”

“Yes, but we’d be constantly challenged. It would take us months to fend off the challengers, and it’d leave the pack in disarray.” No one challenged Hawke because he’d proven himself, been bathed in blood for the pack.

“Even if I am a target,” he said, “this kind of planning goes beyond that.”

“Yes. They undeniably want what we hold.”

“They’ll have to kill every last SnowDancer to get it.”

Exhausted by the events of the day, Indigo should’ve gone to her room and crashed in readiness for the next day’s exertions. But Drew was waiting for her when she turned the corner, his eyes solemn but his words light. “Massage and a slice of white chocolate gateau with fresh cherries?”

Which was how she found herself naked in his bed not much later.

Head on his chest, she stroked him as they spoke. “I don’t want the pack to go through what we did all those years ago,” she murmured. “I can’t forget the blood, the loss.”

Drew ran his hand down her back. “I was younger, but I remember parts of it. My parents were lost in the first wave of trouble, only a couple of years earlier.”

Hugging him tight, she took a moment to appreciate just how very good it felt to lie with him, to discuss their day. She couldn’t imagine being this comfortable with anyone else. “Drew?”

“Hmm?”

“Thank you for getting the cats.” For following her orders no matter the possessive drive that had to be pushing him close to insanity these days.

“That’s okay.” He rubbed the back of her neck. “I’ve decided to kill Riaz later, when you’re not watching.”

Sitting up, she looked into his eyes. “I want you to know something.”

“So serious.” He brushed strands of hair off her face. “Tell me.”

“If I am ever talking out of my ass, I fully expect you to call me on it.”

“Don’t worry about that, Lieutenant.” He tapped her bottom. “I’ll never let things slide.” A more sober look. “But any arguing we do on pack issues won’t be in front of others.”