Jesse stretched. "This is going to be so cool!"

"I know, right?" Jimmy agreed.

Jesse smiled at Howard. "We're so glad you came home. The summer was totally boring till you showed up."

"The summer?" Jimmy scoffed. "How about our entire lives?" He glanced at Phil. "We were born after Howard was banished."

"Yeah. We didn't even know him till a month ago," Jesse explained. "But we grew up hearing about him. He's a legend, you know. He tossed Rhett and two other werewolves off a cliff."

Phil glanced at Howard. "That's why you were banished? You killed werewolves?"

Jesse winced. "No offense, wolfman. I guess I shouldn't have mentioned it."

"That's right." Howard scowled at his cousin.

"Was it the same cliff where we met last night?" Phil asked. "Is that why you thought you'd killed Rhett?"

Howard shrugged. "He looked at me funny."

"Really?" Jesse scratched his head. "I thought he killed your girl-"

"Enough," Howard interrupted. "Listen, you two. You've got to be careful tonight. Your mom will have my hide if anything happens to you."

"Your hide." Jimmy snickered.

"Get your disguises on," Howard continued. "And your gloves. Don't leave any fingerprints."

Jesse saluted. "Aye, aye, Captain!"

Jimmy elbowed him. "Come on, bro. Let's get stinky."

They turned toward the back of the SUV, kneeling on the backseat while they pried the top off a plastic bin they'd stashed in the trunk.

"Stinky?" Phil twisted around to watch.

"Our new coats," Howard explained. "We've got them triple-wrapped in plastic and stuffed in that container to keep the aroma fresh."

"I was wondering why you guys were hauling around that bin-" Phil stiffened when Jimmy ripped the Saran Wrap off the first coat and a strong odor escaped. "Wolves?" His jaw clenched. "Dead wolves?"

"Sorry about that, wolfman." Jimmy shook out a huge coat covered with wolf skins. "We gotta blend in, you know." He handed the coat to Howard. "This one is yours."

Phil glowered at him. "You killed wolves?"

Howard shrugged. "We have to cover our scent. It was either this or have you p.i.s.s all over us."

"That could be arranged," Phil muttered.

Jesse snorted. "Yeah, like we'd go for that." He took the plastic wrap off a second coat. "Don't worry, wolfman. No werewolves were harmed or killed during the production of this movie."

"You killed wolves," Phil growled.

"Just a few." Jimmy unwrapped the last coat and put it on. "Isn't that like doing you guys a favor? I mean, don't you have to compete with real wolves when you're hunting?"

Phil groaned. "Some werewolves might agree with that, but I've always considered them n.o.ble creatures."

"Well, now they're being n.o.ble enough to protect us from your werewolf buddies." Jimmy pulled on a pair of leather gloves.

Phil glanced toward the woods. "Those aren't my buddies."

"Wow, you're like some kind of movie hero." Jesse raised a gloved hand as he imagined. "The Lone Wolf."

Phil snorted.

"Are you really married to a vampire?" Jimmy asked. "I heard she was hot."

Phil shot Howard an annoyed look.

"They wanted to know why you smelled like girly shampoo." With a grin, Howard ignored Phil's glare and climbed out of the SUV.

As he slipped on the smelly wolf-skin coat, his thoughts returned to Elsa. The image of her beautiful face had crossed his mind often on the long drive. Her wild blond hair, her sparkling green eyes, her bright smile that always made his heart pound. He'd studied her photos, so he knew how she looked, but he was becoming increasingly curious about her scent. As a were-bear, scent was important, and it bothered him that he was clueless about such an essential part of her. And even though he teased Phil, he had to admit to an unfortunate amount of envy. He'd jump at the chance to use the same shampoo as Elsa.

He shook his head. What an impossible dream. He pushed away all thoughts of Elsa and called Dougal on his satellite phone.

A few seconds later, Dougal materialized beside him, dressed entirely in black with pants, turtleneck sweater, and trench coat. His claymore was strapped on his back in a black leather scabbard.

"Whoa, dude." Jimmy clambered out of the SUV, followed by his brother. "What happened to your skirt?"

"Yeah, you went like all Matrix on us," Jesse added.

Dougal waved his mechanical hand in front of his face, grimacing at the strong scent of their wolf-skin coats. "This is a covert operation," he whispered. "We should keep the talking to a minimum."

"Really?" Jesse peered around the vampire. "Hey. Did you bring your humongous sword?"

Jimmy nodded. "That sword is freakin' awesome."

Jesse grinned. "I know, right?"

Howard arched a brow at them. "What part of minimum talking did you not get?"

"Huh?" Jesse gave them a blank look.

"Bro." Jimmy nudged him. "They're telling us to shut up."

"Oh. Right. Covert." Jesse nodded, then whispered with a grin, "This is so cool!"

"Give us three minutes, then meet us at the gatehouse," Howard said quietly. "Got it?"

"Aye, Captain." Jesse studied his wrist.w.a.tch. "Three minutes on my mark. Five, four, three-"

"Why are you counting?" Jimmy whispered.

"That's what they do in the movies," Jesse replied. "Shoot, now I have to start over."

Phil groaned. "You're leaving me alone with these two?"

Howard grinned, then motioned for Dougal to follow him. "Let's go." They moved quickly through the woods, staying close to the road, till the gatehouse came into view.

"I'll draw the guard out," Howard whispered. "You know what to do?"

"Aye." Dougal slipped a black leather glove onto his left hand.

Howard eased into the road, and a few seconds later, the guard stepped out. A big mortal in a khaki uniform.

"Hold it right there." The guard rested a hand on his sidearm.

Dougal teleported behind him, and his eyes glowed as he turned his Vamp power on high. The guard's face went blank, his eyelids closed, and then he slumped onto the road. Dougal picked him up and carried him into the gatehouse, while Howard jogged toward them.

Inside, Howard studied the two monitors. There appeared to be only two security cameras, one showing the front of the house, and the other, the back. Rhett probably wasn't too concerned about security. His family had ama.s.sed a lot of power over the past fifty years, and they were known to be ruthless. Who was going to mess with Rhett when he had five hundred minions at his beck and call?

The monitor displaying the huge backyard showed Rhett and some companions in the process of stripping and shifting. In the front, two guards stood by double doors of leaded gla.s.s.

Dougal settled the guard in a chair. "He'll have no memory of this, and he'll sleep for about ten minutes. Is that long enough?"

"Yes." Howard snapped on some latex gloves and eyed Dougal's mechanical hand. "No fingerprints?"

"Nay." Dougal gave his right hand a wry look. "No feeling, either, but it's better than wearing a b.l.o.o.d.y hook like a pirate."

Howard smiled and went to work. He recorded thirty seconds of the guards standing by the front door, then programmed the recording to loop for the next ten minutes. That way, if anyone checked the surveillance tape, they'd never see him and his team invading the house. Meanwhile, all the werewolves in the backyard completed their shifting and slipped into the woods.

When he and Dougal left the gatehouse, Phil and the boys slipped out of the woods and joined them.

"Let's go." Howard motioned for them to follow him down the long winding driveway. "Stay away from the back of the house. There's a surveillance camera there still working and a bunch of werewolves in the woods."

As soon as the front of the house became visible, Dougal teleported to the guards, and they slumped onto the ground.

"Whoa," Jimmy whispered. "What was that?"

"Some kind of vampire voodoo?" Jesse asked.

"Mind control," Howard answered. "The guards will have no memory of this. You guys watch the front. I'll be back soon."

He jogged toward the double front doors and entered the sprawling stone-and-log house. A quick glance back rea.s.sured him that Phil had the situation under control. Thank G.o.d he and Dougal had come. His cousins were enthusiastic and well-intentioned, but they were totally inexperienced in this kind of work.

It took less than a minute for him and Dougal to locate Rhett's home office. Howard retrieved a sixty-four-gig flash drive from his pocket and plugged it into the USB port on Rhett's computer.

Dougal stood guard at the office door. "I doona hear any other heartbeats. The house is empty." He approached slowly. "What are ye doing?"

"Downloading. Bank accounts, pa.s.swords, you name it. I designed this program to be super quick. It should take less than four minutes."

"Impressive."

Howard nodded, watching the monitor. "I didn't just play football in college. I majored in computer science."

"Och, I dinna know that."

Howard slanted an amused look at the vampire. "How do you think all the computers at MacKay S and I and Romatech manage to stay secure? That's what I do during the day while you guys are sleeping." He grinned. "And you thought I was just eating donuts."

Dougal chuckled. "Aye." He looked around the room, then, with a wince, he motioned toward the stone fireplace. "No' someone ye know, I hope."

Howard's eyes narrowed on the white bearskin rug resting on top of the polished hardwood floor. A polar bear. He gritted his teeth.

" 'Tis no' a were-bear, right?" Dougal asked. "I thought shifters turn back to human form when they die."

"That's right." Howard sighed. "I wish we could take the bear with us, but we have to leave everything exactly as it is."

"Ye doona want to rob this house and destroy it like ye did the others? We could set it on fire."

"An old friend of mine named Smoky told me to never start a forest fire."

Dougal snorted. "This is all fun and games to you."

Howard shook his head. "When it comes to strategy, I'm dead serious. We have to get in and out of here without anyone knowing. We would be vastly outnumbered if they caught us. And we have to keep everything the same, because if Rhett suspected we were here, he would change his pa.s.swords and secure his accounts." He leaned over to check the progress of his software. Almost done.

"Is it worth it?" Dougal asked. "Playing yer game of revenge when ye canna let him know ye're the one toying with him?"

Howard straightened slowly. "I don't have a choice. I have to protect my family and friends."

Dougal stepped closer. "But if ye had a choice-"

"I don't." Howard removed the flash drive. "We're done here. Let's go."

Dougal followed him. "If ye had a choice, would ye play the game differently?"

"There would be no game." Howard glanced back. "I'd kill him."

Chapter Four

The following afternoon, Howard and his team arrived at his grandfather's house on Paw Island. His cousins were sent home, two houses down the street, so their parents would know the boys were all right. A quick check in the bas.e.m.e.nt a.s.sured him that Dougal had safely teleported back the night before and was now in his death-sleep.