Her soft voice whispering so intimately in his mind was shocking. Maybe it hadn't been such a good idea to allow her to take his blood. He could barely breathe and he damned well couldn't walk.

You try it. Talk to me.

There's not much I can say without making a fool of myself. My attraction to you has been unexpected.

"Are you all right, Zev?" Convel called, anger edging his voice.

He should have known his pack would be worried. The moment Branislava had led him into the privacy of the trees, his pack mates must have become anxious that the Carpathians might be ambushing them in some way.

"I'm fine. We were just making certain it worked," Zev called back. He smiled at Branislava. "Thank you, Miss Branislava, I think we'll be able to hunt together."

"I think we will, too," she said. "My friends and family call me Bronnie."

He gave her a little salute and strode out of the trees to meet his fellow elite hunters.

Tatijana and Fen joined Branislava the moment he left.

Fen took her hands. "You're certain you're up for this, Bronnie? Tatijana and I both gave you every memory we could of the Sange rau and how they fight, how fast they are. Any werewolf will go for your belly every time, and don't underestimate how high they can leap."

"I think I've been hibernating a long time and I need to jump right into the fray. Right now, I can be of use and I need that, Fen, to help push me to start living. Being a prisoner for so long and trapped in the ice can make one long for what's familiar to them and certainly that isn't the best thing for me."

"Just promise me you'll be careful," Fen said. "Nothing can happen to either of you. I can be in the air in seconds and I travel fast. Just call for me."

"Don't you dare give yourself away to the Lycans," Tatijana said. "I mean it, Fen. They'll turn on you so fast. Mikhail gave Zev something to think about, but not the others. And you can't count on him for protection. We'll be fine. We know what to do."

"Is everything all right?" Zev asked, coming up behind them. "We're all ready."

"I'm just making certain they know how the rogue packs work," Fen said. "I don't want them to take any chances with their lives."

"You're just giving us information," Zev cautioned the women, adding to Fen's warnings. "That's all, just find them and tell us. The Carpathians will transport us if it's a great distance."

"We need the field," Tatijana said. "Move your pack back into the trees."

Zev nodded, glanced at Branislava, shook his head and walked away. Fen wrapped his palm around the nape of Tatijana's neck and pulled her in close to him.

"He might look back, wolf man," she hissed, but she didn't pull away.

"I could care less," he said, and kissed her. "Don't you dare get hurt. Not a single hair. Do you understand me?"

"I understand you," she said, and kissed him back. "I love it when you go all wolfie on me."

Branislava burst out laughing. "Come on, Tatijana, let's show them what Dragonseekers can do."

The two women walked out of the trees, into the open. Both looked elegant in spite of their jeans, shirts and boots. They came out holding hands, but in the middle of the field they embraced and each turned and walked into the center of their quadrant.

"What are they doing?" Zev asked.

"Shifting," Fen said. "And they need room."

The two shifted almost simultaneously, their small curvy figures shimmering one moment and becoming something else altogether. Fen was used to Tatijana's blue dragon. She was beautiful to him, with her long, spiked tail and wedge-shaped head. She could dive into water and swim beneath the surface for long periods of time. In her human form, after centuries in dragon form, her skin was always cool.

Branislava was just the opposite. She was a fire dragon, her crimson scales nearly glowing. She looked as if her dragon had been born in a live volcano, a part of the fiery blast, all red and orange. When she expanded her wings Fen heard gasps from several members of the pack.

She stood on her hind legs and flapped her wings, creating a windstorm. Tatijana followed suit. Fen looked around him. There was shock and awe on the faces of the pack as the two dragons took to the sky.

"You saw her in battle," Fen reminded them.

"She was in the sky mostly," Arnou defended. "I was looking out for my skin, killing as many of the werewolves as possible. I guess I didn't think too much about it, but seeing them up close like that after seeing the women as they really are . . . it's just . . ." he trailed off. "I have no words."

"Amazing," Daciana seconded. "I wouldn't mind being able to shift shape."

The pack burst out laughing. "You can, Daciana," Zev reminded. "You're Lycan. You feel like being a wolf, just shift."

She shrugged. "It's not the same. I've always been a wolf."

"Tatijana and Branislava were born into the Dragonseeker lineage, a very ancient and honored line. They were actually in the form of dragons for several centuries and it's far more familiar to them than their natural human form."

He reached for Tatijana. How's it going up there?

It's been two minutes, Fen. I couldn't possibly get into trouble that fast. Her laughter teased at his body, soft and intimate. The night is fairly clear and that will help. We're flying high though and using the existing clouds to mask what we are. From below, we just look like clouds in strange shapes.

Good idea, my lady.

I do have them occasionally, but I can't take credit for that one. Bronnie thought of it.

It's her first flight in a very long while, Tatijana. Are you certain she's strong enough for this?

Branislava was family now. They were bound by Tatijana. More than that, he liked and respected her. He'd seen the glimpses of her courage when Tatijana inadvertently opened the door on her past and he couldn't help but admire her.

She's excited. She really does need this. When you've never been in the open before, or around others, it's easy to stay away and hold yourself tight, not move for fear of falling, so to speak.

Tatijana spotted a small opening in between two massive boulders. Brush grew right up to the side of the mountain and those jutting boulders, but right between them was an opening, a dirt floor no more than two feet by two feet. If there was an actual cave there, it would make a perfect den for wolves. The werewolves might be attracted to such a place.

She sent the image to Fen. Is there a cave here? What other signs should I look for?

There's definitely a cave there, Fen said. I'd marked it earlier as suspicious, but when I checked it out, there was no one there. That doesn't mean the pack hadn't targeted it as a possible place to hide if they needed to lay low for a few days. If they're there, even a small number of them, look around in the surrounding brush, they'll have at least two lookouts outside. They'll be concealed well. Think wolves. The werewolves think like their animal counterparts in terms of protecting their pack.

Tatijana didn't want to drop lower, especially if the rogue pack had lookouts that might spot her. She moved from cloud to cloud, appearing to be drifting with a slight wind. Her dragon's eyesight was very keen. She could see miles away if she chose to use the superior vision.

At once the look of the world changed around her. It was a little disorienting to concentrate on such visual acuity, but her dragon was quick to pick up movement. Below them and just to the south, she spotted the leaves of a bush waving against the wind. Once her dragon had found a potential target, she stayed high in the air, drifting, her dragon only occasionally having to circle back.

The third circle confirmed there was a creature, half wolf, half man lurking in the brush. I see one of the guards. He's in the form of half man and half wolf.

That's what we're looking for, Fen said. Send me the coordinates and just keep an eye on them until we arrive. If any come out of their hiding spot, count so we get some idea, but do not, under any circumstances engage with them.

"We've got one of the units," Fen said. "Let's go."

Eight Carpathian males had agreed to transport the elite hunters to cut down on time as well as the chance of the Sange rau spotting them.

They took the form of giant birds and, although the hunters looked at one another as if they might balk, the moment Fen and Zev stepped forward and swung onto their bird's backs, the others followed suit. They were hunters and there was a rogue pack to destroy. That job came before anything else, even fear of the unknown.

The Carpathians took them in soundlessly, dropping out of the sky a distance from the cave to allow the elite hunters to get their feet on the ground again. Jacques, Vikirnoff and Nicolae went with Lykaon, Arnou and Fen, spreading out a couple of feet apart to the left. Falcon, Dimitri and Tomas went with Zev, Daciana, Convel and Gunnolf to the right, again spreading out so that they made less noise as they stalked the rogue pack.

Dimitri, the lookout on that side is just a little over nine meters from you, to your left. He hasn't spotted you yet, Tatijana warned.

Take care that you don't do anything to tip Zev off that you're anything but a Carpathian, Fen warned hastily, cursing himself for not maneuvering Dimitri to stay in his group.

Dimitri didn't answer him. Instead, he held up a clenched fist. Immediately all members of his hunting party dropped low and stayed completely silent. Dimitri went to his belly and shifted to a small squirrel, covering several meters before determining he might give off too much energy the werewolf would pick up.

He halted, assessing the situation. He wanted a silent kill so the lookout couldn't warn his fellow guard or those hiding inside the cave.

You no longer give off energy, Fen reminded. You haven't for a long time. After these last two nearly mortal wounds and all the blood given to you, you're more mixed than Carpathian. He won't feel you coming.

Dimitri took his brother at his word. The little squirrel easily made his way through the brush until he nearly ran into the werewolf's foot. Just as the wolf looked down with greedy eyes, Dimitri shifted, driving the silver stake straight through the heart of the rogue. Simultaneously, he silenced any cry the man could give, by simply cutting off his windpipe. He eased the body to the ground.

It's done. Can you get to the other one, Fen?

I see him. Going after him now.

Above their heads, Tatijana stayed in the clouds. She watched Fen creep forward, easing his body through the brush. She knew there wouldn't be a whisper of movement and he knew exactly what he was doing, but still, she wanted to plunge down and wipe out the threat to her lifemate. Her bond with Fen seemed to be growing with every passing hour. She didn't think it could get any stronger, but her love for him just seemed to deepen.

Fen palmed the silver stake. Insects sang all around him, undisturbed by his presence. He took a breath and let it out as he eased closer. He smelled the rancid odor of the werewolf. The rogue hadn't washed and old decayed meat and blood clung to his fur.

Don't move. Don't move. Tatijana's warning froze him. Dimitri, another coming your way as well. I think the guards are being changed.

Fen allowed his gaze to encompass the pack spread out behind him. Lykaon's fist was clenched, a sign for them all to freeze. Apparently that had been meant for him as well. He preferred the Carpathian form of communication between hunters. Telepathy made things so much simpler.

Fen, he's going to walk right over the top of you. Do you want me to help?

I've got this, sivamet. No worries. Just sit tight. Dimitri? Can you take the second guard out?

Yes. They'll come looking when the first two don't come back, Dimitri pointed out.

That will be to our advantage. Fen glanced around to see if any member of the pack could see him. He would have to use the speed of the Han ku pesak kaikak-Guardians of all-if he was going to kill both guards and keep them silent as they died.

Zev was the only one within eyesight of him to see his blurring speed. Tatijana, have Bronnie distract Zev just for a moment. I need enough time to take both guards out simultaneously. She'd better be quick. I'm running out of time.

He could hear the other werewolf breathing in short, ragged pants. He'd been injured recently and hadn't completely healed. Fen could smell the wound. He kept his eye on Zev even as he planned the moves out in his mind.

He could reach out and touch the first guard. The second was two steps away, cursing as he got hung up on a thorny branch. The moment Zev looked away, Fen rose up fast, slamming the silver stake through the rancid werewolf's heart with his right hand, silencing him as he did so. He turned, using his left hand to take out the second guard. The rogue never actually saw him, he was too busy trying to get brambles out of his fur when the stake went through his heart.

He felt Tatijana's relief. She poured into his mind just for a moment, letting him feel her love before she quickly turned back to her job. Fen eased across the distance separating them until he was beside Zev.

"The others will have to use their swords to cut off their heads. I'm not hacking them off with my knife."

Zev grinned at him. "What a wuss. All this time I thought you were so tough you carried a spare knife in your teeth just for hacking off heads." He signaled the pack forward again.

"I trust you have a plan for entering that cave," Fen said.

"Not exactly. I thought we'd let them come to us."

Fen raised his eyebrow.

"That blue dragon up there came up with an idea and sent it to me through Branislava. She thought it might be fun to fill the cave with insects. The biting kind. If you've got your eye on her, Fen, you might reconsider. She's intelligent and has sass. You're old enough to know to stay away from that kind of woman."

"Not a bad plan," Fen agreed. His lady did have sass. You could have shared your plan with me.

I had to give Bronnie something real to distract him. He's too smart for anything else. In any case, I didn't want you charging in there. You and Dimitri seem to get into trouble every time I turn around. I'm in your mind, wolf man. You planned on leading the charge, didn't you?

He shared his amusement with her. I'm faster.

You've been fighting other people's battles for too long, Fen, and you can't stop. You use your body as a shield for the others, and Dimitri is just like you.

That much was true. Dimitri was more like him than he wanted his brother to be. Dimitri was fearless in a fight. Fen would rather have him than any other at his back.

Zev signaled his pack to move forward into place. He nodded to Fen.

We're ready down here. Do you want to do the honors, my lady? Or should I? he teased, already knowing her answer.

I lived in a cave my entire life, wolf man. I know insects. And what I don't know I can imagine, Tatijana added with a little laugh.

The wind drifted over them, a soft, gentle touch that sent a ripple through the leaves around them. Above them, the clouds changed shapes as they lazily floated across the dark sky. A slapping sound suddenly disrupted the silence of the night. Inside the cave, a muffled yell, quickly silenced, was heard.

Suddenly at the entrance, men in various stages of shifting began pouring out of the cave, nearly falling over one another, slapping at their clothes and fur. Two stumbled and fell, creating chaos for those still inside. The two downed werewolves were trampled as those inside, desperate to vacate, simply ran over them. Swarms of red ants covered their bodies so that they looked as if their clothes and skin were alive and moving.

That woman is a terror, Zev observed, hardly able to contain his laughter. We may as well go home and let her handle this.

Fen couldn't help but find the situation amusing. His lady did have a scary imagination, sending revved-up fire ants swarming over the werewolves. Make certain none of us get bit, he warned her.

Don't be such a baby. She gave a little sniff of disdain, but he felt her laughter. She did have a nasty little sense of humor.

I believe in retaliation, he warned, although his threat was an empty one and they both knew it.

Tatijana laughed softly and he felt her fingers brush down the side of his face.

I brought them out of there, now it's your turn. And check on your brother, after. Something's not right.

What does that mean?

If I knew I wouldn't have said to check on him. Again there was that soft laughter.

Fen shook his head, but he did locate his brother. Dimitri appeared to be like the rest of them, waiting for Zev's signal to move in on the werewolves. He touched Dimitri's mind, just to assure himself. Dimitri blocked a merge with him, shocking him, but he turned his head toward Fen and gave him a thumbs-up.

Fen sighed. He couldn't worry about Dimitri in the middle of a battle with rogues. Fen counted fourteen werewolves exiting the cave. If the Sange rau were breaking the larger pack into smaller units, their numbers were definitely depleted. The units before had been much bigger, twenty-five or thirty.

Zev signaled the hunters forward. They had formed a loose semicircle around the entrance and they went at the werewolves, springing out of the brush to attack. Fen moved fast, using the silver stakes as quickly as possible, wanting to get it over with. It felt like a massacre, the screams and blood and smell of death.

He'd had several lifetimes of hunting and destroying those preying on others. He knew it was the only thing they could do, but it still was difficult at times. The rogues were caught unawares and only a handful managed to fight back. The elite hunters used silver swords to remove the heads before the bodies were gathered and burned. The scent of burning fur and flesh made him feel sick.