Slade (2 page)

Thankfully, Slade didn’t have to use one of the many garish hotels for his stay in Sin City. Once the Lords had
informed the Redstones they were sending help, the cougars had offered their hospitality. Slade drove to the outskirts of the city, to one of the outlying residential developments. This one was in an upscale section and the homes were large, with big backyards.

The moment he entered the gated community, Slade knew this was a place populated almost exclusively by shifters. He could feel the animal magic in the air and his sensitive nose picked up many different species of
were
. Lots of felines of course, plus a couple of different concentrations of canine species and more than a few hints of raptor.

Slade arrived at the house he’d been instructed to seek. It was large, but not opulent in an unseemly way. It was big enough to house an extended family
of cat shifters and still give them all room to roam. Wolves liked to live in close Packs, but cats were more independent of each other and needed room to stretch. It made sense to Slade that the Alpha of the Cougar Clan and his family would want a place like this.

But something was very off in this community
right now. There was a pervasive feeling of worry, sadness and an almost uncontrollable anger. Fury. Shock. Disgust. Killing rage.

Not good.

Slade parked his rented SUV at the curb out front. It was a silent message. He wanted everyone to know he was there and that he approached openly, posing no threat. Slade moved quickly up the front walk to the door. He pushed the doorbell button and waited while someone inside walked tiredly up to answer. He could hear the fatigue in the way the woman’s feet dragged against the thick carpet on the other side of the door.

She opened it and they both just stood there for a moment, taking stock of each other. Slade read speculation in her eyes as she looked him
over, but it wasn’t the male-female sort of perusal. No, this was on another level entirely.

A magical level. Her power sparked off his on the ethereal plane where magic lived.

“Well now,” she drawled, continuing to size him up. “You’re something unexpected. You’re not a cougar, are you.” It was phrased as a question, but the tone implied she knew darn well he wasn’t any sort of regular cat.

“I’m Slade. The Lords sent me to help track.” He thought it best to keep his explanations simple until he learned why a witch was answering the door in what he’d assumed was a purely cougar household.

She smiled, her expression open and welcoming. “They said you were on your way. I’m Valerie Faber-Redstone. I’m married into the Clan. My husband is…” She looked over her shoulder, and her stance changed. Slade sensed the approach of her mate and he wasn’t surprised to see a large, blond-headed man step up behind her a moment later. “Well,” she said, turning back to Slade. “This is my husband, Keith Redstone.”

Keith slid one clearly possessive arm around his wife’s middle, tugging her back against him. They looked right together and Slade knew this was a true mating. He could see the magic around them both swirling and twining together, making both stronger together than either one was alone. Interesting.

“Slade,” he repeated his name, as he took off his sunglasses, waiting to see what the male cougar would make of him.

“Jeepers creepers, get a load of them peepers,” Valerie said in a low, amused tone. “You’re not
like the other cats, are you?”

Slade knew the witch saw the difference in his eyes. To most people they just looked intensely blue, but to those with magesight, sometimes… they glowed.

“I’ll be damned,” Keith whistled between his teeth. “If you can’t calm things down, I don’t know who can. Thanks for coming.” The couple rearranged themselves, Valerie moving out of the doorway so Keith could offer Slade his hand in welcome.

They shook hands and Slade got the feel of the cougar’s surprising magic. Even more surprising was the shield he walked through as he entered the house. More magic. A spell of protection had been put on the portal. Slade’s eyebrow rose as he looked significantly at Valerie.

“I put protective spells on the house as soon as we arrived,” she answered his unspoken question.

“They’re very potent,” Slade commented, revealing a bit of his own arcane knowledge to see what they’d make of him. It was clear these two already recognized that he wasn’t entirely
were
. Or at least, not any kind of
were
they’d ever met before.

Slade was used to being the odd cat out, but he wasn’t used to
anyone in the shifter community being able to discern his innate magicality right off the bat. These two were unique in his experience. But then, he’d never really hung out with magic users before.

“My wife and I arrived this morning to help Belinda and hold down the fort until Grif and hi
s brothers come to their senses.” Keith spoke candidly as they all walked into a spacious living room. He too looked fatigued, which was odd for a shifter. Most had vast reserves of energy and didn’t tire easily. “I hope you have more success than I did. I spoke to Tim a few minutes ago. He called to see if you’d arrived and wants you to call him as soon as you have a sit rep.”

Slade nodded. They all knew this situation was high priority for the Lords as well as everyone involved with Redstone Construction and the Cougar Clan. Slade wasn’t surprised Tim would be checking
on him even before he arrived, but he had to take stock of the situation first, before he’d have something to tell the Lords.

“Can you fill me in on what’s been going on here?” Slade asked quietly. He’d learned over the years that a calm demeanor helped in situations like this. Not that he’d ever had so many lives riding on his shoulders as he did this time.

They all sat around a coffee table littered with maps and computer print outs. Slade would get to those in time, if they had a bearing on his investigation.

“Grif asked us to come,” Valerie began. “We dropped everything and flew in this morning, to help with Belinda. It was bad enough losing her older sister a
while back, but the poor child found her mother’s body.” Valerie’s eyes grew suspiciously moist and her hand reached for her mate’s.

The bond was strong between these two. Slade could almost feel the energy between them buzzing in the air—especially with the heightened emotion of the moment. This was a good partnership. Slade was almost in awe of how well their energies meshed.

But the news wasn’t good. The youngest member of the family had to have been damaged emotionally by what she’d seen. No wonder the Clan was in such an uproar. Not only had they lost their matriarch, but the harm to the child was something that would haunt her throughout her life.

Slade
had a great deal of sympathy for the child, but his mission was to stop the cougar Alpha from doing something that might bring further harm to his Clan, and everyone who worked for him. Slade had his work cut out for him.

“Can you give me
any details of the attack?” Slade asked, not really hoping for much. These people had only arrived this morning. They were probably only a little more knowledgeable than he was on recent events.

Keith leaned back to unclip a cell phone from his hip. “I can’t give you much, but I’ll get my cousin
here no matter how much he argues.” He flipped it open and hit a speed dial number, a grim look on his face.

“Keith’s cousins only waited for us to arrive and take charge of Belinda before they lit out of here, on the hunt. Personally, I’m glad you’re here. Those guys aren’t very
rational right now from what little I saw.”

Keith started talking to someone—arguing really—as the call connected and Valerie cringed, clearly embarrassed by the colorful language and heated exchange. Slade wasn’t surprised in the least by the cougars’ argument. He had assumed the Alpha and his brothers would be hotheads. This exchange only confirmed it.

“Sorry.” Valerie gave him an uncomfortable smile.

“Don’t worry,” Slade answered. “I’ve heard worse.”

Valerie laughed, her discomfort fading. “Yeah, I bet you have.” She looked toward the staircase just visible through the arch they’d passed through to enter the living room. “Belinda is upstairs with—”

She was cut off as Keith swore and punched the end button on his phone.

“He’s coming but he’s not happy,” Keith announced.

“Happiness is not required,” Slade answered coolly as Keith eyed him.

“Oh, man. I’m not sure I want to be around to see this,” Keith said with only a hint of humor.

Slade shrugged. “Stay or go. It doesn’t really matter. Either way, I have a mission to accomplish.”

The front door burst open and a ragged looking, sandy-haired cougar stalked in.

“Where is he?” the man roared before even clearing the doorway.
He must’ve been nearby to have come so quickly. The door slammed shut behind him as he stomped into the living room.

Slade stood, ready for confrontation, his magic extending itself in a blanket of calm. It would do no good to fight with the cougar Alpha in his own home.

“I can help.” He wanted that aspect of his presence to be abundantly clear. He didn’t want to set himself up as the enemy from the get-go.

The Alpha paused in the archway, the magic hitting him
, manipulating him just a tiny bit to help him calm. Valerie and Keith shot a look at Slade, but he ignored it. They could both sense his magic but the big, angry cougar in the archway didn’t seem to notice. Slade counted on the other two to keep quiet about it as long as Slade didn’t do anything to harm the other man.

“I’m Grif. Clan Alpha,” he identified himself.

“I’m Slade. Tracker and head of security for the Lords. Thank you for returning to brief me, Alpha. I need every detail you have before I can get to work.” Slade drew the man’s attention to the coffee table and all the maps and print-outs. It seemed like Grif was calming enough to be sensible—at least for now.

Twenty minutes
passed while Grif gave Slade every last detail he knew about the actual attack and everything else they’d been able to learn in the day since. The matriarch had been killed the day before, in her garden in back of the house. The youngest of the family had come downstairs to discover her mother’s lifeless body in the backyard. The matriarch had been partially skinned in cougar form, which meant the killer had taken a piece of her pelt either as a trophy or as part of some kind of evil blood magic. Slade didn’t like either option.

Since the killing, everyone had been on high alert. Grif had reached out to the Lords and his extended family.
Many had answered his call. It became clear to Slade that this was an Alpha who was much loved by his Clan. Valerie and Keith kept their eyes on Slade throughout the conversation, clearly reserving judgment about his casual use of magic to calm the other man down.

“I need to see the spot where her body was found,” Slade said at last, knowing the next few moments would be hard for the
Alpha.

“There’s
nothing out there. The trail is cold. Not much in the way of clues. And the priestess took charge of my mother’s body, thank the Goddess,” Grif said in a low voice.

“Priestess?” That was the first Slade had heard of a priestess out this way, but he probably shouldn’t have been
surprised. Anyplace with this large a concentration of shifters was likely to attract Others of power as well. A priestess could be a good ally for this Clan.

“Kate,” Valerie supplied, speaking for the first time since the Alpha had arrived. “She’s upstairs with Belinda now. She has the most powerful healing gift I’ve seen in a long time
, in addition to her other abilities.”

“That’s good,” Slade nodded. “The little one will need her help.”

“As will you.” The strange female voice came from the archway.

Slade looked up to find the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen standing there, her gaze challenging
him. Magic swirled around her. Green and gold, the color of sunshine and new growth. Healing and purification. This then, had to be the priestess, Kate.

Slade stood
, unable to take his gaze from her.

The
feminine vision strode forward, surety in her steps as she walked right up to Slade and held out her hand. He took her petite fingers in his much larger grip and was surprised by the strength with which she returned his gentle grasp.

The air of fragility about her was only an illusion. This woman had hidden depths and more power than he had ever encountered in a human. It tasted his magic where their hands met, swirling and twining up his arm before seeming to accept him. He realized in that moment she had tested him magically. He grinned at her audacity. Very few beings had ever challenged him in such a way. Usually, it annoyed him. Today, he found he liked it.

He extended his own magic the tiniest bit—just enough to let her know he knew what she’d done. He saw her eyes widen as his magic twined with hers, sealing their hands on more than just the physical level. Her gaze held his for a moment longer than was strictly polite and it seemed all in the room held their breath to see how this first meeting would go.