Damn. He had it bad, and at the worst possible time.

  Liam rolled off the bed and went into the attached bathroom. He paused to splash cold water on his face, then changed into dark clothing suited for a night operation. Black cargo pants with plenty of pockets filled with useful things, a dark long-sleeved shirt, and his sturdy black boots. He wouldn’t be wearing the clothes for long, since he’d been instructed to prowl in his lion form, but he needed to get onto the grounds without being seen, so the night gear was necessary.

  He’d take it off once he was in the woods on the property, then stash it somewhere he could retrieve it later. Nowhere in his clothing was there anything that could identify him or link back to him, just in case he had to abandon the fabric if something went wrong. He knew Lina had taken the same precautions. All shifters were careful about that sort of thing.

  When he went downstairs, Liam found Lina already in the kitchen, dressed similarly in dark clothing that managed to look both practical and appealing on her sexy curves. She’d pulled her hair back in a tight braid, and her expression was all business.

  But when their eyes met, something electric passed between them. There was a hint of their shared kiss. A reminder of what had happened in this very room just a few hours ago.

  “I made sandwiches. We can either eat here or take them with us,” she told him, pointing to the soft cooler on the countertop that was loaded with individually wrapped sandwiches in plastic baggies.

  “Thanks for doing that. Let’s take them with us. I don’t like to eat too much before the action starts, but a light meal is a good idea.”

  “I was thinking the same thing. It’s no good to go into a fight with a full belly, but we do need to eat something, so we don’t get distracted by hunger during our watch,” she agreed, zipping up the soft cooler bag and tossing the strap over her shoulder. “Ready?”

  “Ready,” he confirmed, moving toward the door. “Let’s go hunting.”

  Once in the SUV and on their way, Liam made a few calls, confirming that Rich and Billy had been watching the camera and sensor feeds, and would be monitoring them all night. The brothers were taking it in shifts from the tactical center they’d set up in Rich’s basement. Rich had suggestions for the placement of one or two additional sensors, but said the camera coverage was good as it was. He just wanted one camera tweaked a little to the left, but that was easily fixed once they got to the location.

  Rich also checked in with Mike, finding that the SEAL backup group had multiplied. They still had some selkies watching the waterway behind the house in Center Moriches, but Mike and his team were geared up to encircle the Wardenclyffe property in human form, carrying conventional weapons.

  In fact, they were already in position, having formed a perimeter ring around the property at a discreet distance. They were holed up in their vehicles and would go into the woods to move their ring of protection closer as soon as Liam and Lina arrived.

  They each ate a sandwich as they drove along, though the mood was quiet in the car. Both were contemplating the work ahead, it seemed.

  Liam drove past the Wardenclyffe site on arrival, stopping out of sight on one of the side streets that wove around the perimeter of the property. They would leave the SUV there, under cover of the tree-lined suburban street and go into the woods on foot. They didn’t take much with them. Just the two sensors Rich wanted placed.

  They moved through the darkness, staying low and quiet as they entered the tree line at the north edge of the property. Liam led the way, picking out the safest path through the underbrush. Behind him, Lina moved with the liquid grace of her lynx, barely disturbing a leaf. He was impressed by her field skills, and just about everything else about her.

  Damn. The woman was fine. He’d always found tactical competence in a woman sexy. On Lina, it was downright irresistible.

  Once they were deep enough into the woods to be invisible from the road and the visitor center, Liam stopped by a large oak tree. Moonlight filtered through the canopy overhead, painting everything in silver and shadow.

  “This should be far enough,” he said quietly, setting down the sensors he’d carried in.

  Lina nodded, her eyes scanning the area before settling on him. In the dim light, her gaze was luminous. “We should stash our clothes together. Easier to find when we shift back.”

  “Sounds good.” Liam’s voice came out rougher than intended.

  The atmosphere was charged as they both began to remove their gear. Liam pulled off his boots first, then his shirt, hyper-aware of Lina doing the same just a few feet away. The rasp of fabric, the soft sounds of movement—every noise seemed amplified in the quiet woods.

  He’d seen plenty of shifters naked over the years. It was part of the culture, nothing to be embarrassed about. You couldn’t shift without losing your clothes, and modesty was a luxury they couldn’t always afford.

  But this was different. This was Lina.

  He tried to focus on folding his clothes, on finding a good spot in the crook of the oak tree to tuck them away. But his peripheral vision caught flashes of pale skin and curves that made him want to growl in approval. Suddenly, the temperature in the woods felt about twenty degrees warmer.

  “You okay?” Lina’s voice held a note of amusement. She’d already stripped down completely and was tucking her clothes into the tree hollow, apparently unbothered by her own nudity.

  Liam dragged his eyes away from her and focused on removing his pants with more care than the action required. “I’m fine. Just making sure everything’s secure.”

  “Uh-huh.” The smirk in her voice was unmistakable.

  He finished undressing and moved to the tree, acutely conscious of his body’s reaction to her nearness. His lion was pushing at him, wanting out, wanting to claim what it recognized as theirs. The mate bond that had started to form with that kiss earlier was pulling tighter with every moment they spent together.

  As he reached past her to tuck his clothes into the hollow, their bodies nearly touched. He could feel the heat of her skin, smell the clean scent of her that drove him wild. She didn’t move away, didn’t put distance between them.

  Instead, she looked up at him, her green eyes dark with something that matched the hunger coiling in his gut.

  “After,” she whispered, the single word a promise and a plea all at once.

  “After,” he agreed, his voice barely more than a growl. “But Lina, you should know. I’m almost certain that you’re mine. I don’t think there’ll be any going back for either one of us.”

  “I’m starting to think the same,” she admitted, her breath catching in her throat.

  The confession hung in the air between them, huge and terrifying and exactly what his soul needed to hear. But this wasn’t the time or place. Not with a witch about to attempt a catastrophic summoning, not with danger minutes or hours away.

  Liam stepped back, away from the temptation of her beautiful bare body. “We should shift.”

  “Yeah.” Lina’s voice was unsteady, but she nodded.

  The shift was always easier when emotion ran high, and right now, Liam’s feelings were a tangle of desire, protectiveness, and battle-ready focus. He called on his lion, felt the familiar surge of power as his body began to change.

  Bones restructured, muscles reformed, and senses sharpened even more. Golden fur rippled across his skin as his hands became massive paws tipped with lethal claws. His face elongated, powerful jaws forming as his lion surged forward fully.

  Within seconds, he stood on four legs, a full-grown male lion in his prime. His tawny coat gleamed in the moonlight, his mane thick around his face. He shook himself, settling into the form, and turned to look at Lina.

  She was in the middle of her own transformation. He watched, mesmerized, as her body flowed into her lynx form. Smaller than him, she emerged as a beautiful spotted cat with distinctive ear tufts and a short tail. Her coat was silver-gray with dark markings, and her eyes—still that striking green—fixed on him with feline intensity.

  For a long moment, they simply looked at each other. Then Lina moved closer, her lynx form graceful and deliberate. She circled him once, sniffing his fur delicately, learning him in this form. Her smaller body brushed against his flank, and his lion rumbled deep in his chest. It wasn’t a threat, but more a recognition of her cat by his.

  She paused at his shoulder, pressing her face against his mane, and made a soft chirping sound that went straight to his heart. His lion responded with a low chuff, rubbing his massive head against her smaller one in return.

  Their cats understood what their human sides had been dancing around for days. They were meant to be. And nothing—not duty, not danger, not even the difference in their species—would keep them apart.

  But first, they had work to do.

  Liam broke away reluctantly and padded over to where they’d set down the sensors. He picked one up carefully in his jaws, the small device fitting easily in his mouth. Lina did the same with the second sensor.

  They moved through the woods with the silent efficiency of natural predators. Liam went first toward the eastern perimeter where Rich wanted additional coverage. He found the spot easily. Rich wanted this sensor stuck to a large maple tree. Using his paw, he scraped out a small depression at the base, placed the sensor carefully, then covered it with leaves and debris until it was virtually invisible.

  Across the property, he could sense Lina doing the same with her sensor at the western edge. Even separated, he was aware of her presence and could track her location through some sixth sense he’d never experienced before.

  Next, he padded silently to the camera that needed adjustment. It was mounted chest-high on an old-growth pine, angled slightly wrong. Liam reared up on his hind legs, massive paws bracing against the trunk, and used his nose to nudge the camera’s position. It took three careful adjustments, but finally, the angle looked right. He dropped back down to all fours. That would have to do. He had no way of checking in with Rich while he was in his lion form.

  A soft sound made him turn. Lina had returned, her lynx form materializing from the shadows like smoke. She made a quiet sound and tilted her head in question.

  Liam chuffed softly in response. Done. On to the next task.

  Slowly, they made their way around to the cardinal points on the perimeter of where the tower used to stand. One by one, they dismantled the little piles of leaves, stones and twigs in exactly the manner Mrs. P had explained. Disrupting a particular part of the design by swiping a leaf or twig away with his paw nullified the entire thing in such a way that it couldn’t be easily re-established without starting over from scratch.

  Liam did the dismantling while Lina kept watch. He’d taken on that task since he was bigger and possibly more immune to magic than Lina’s lynx form, should something go wrong and the glyphs discharge their power at him. But nothing like that happened, and before too much longer, they had all the glyphs broken and without power.

  They still had time before high tide, which would be the best time to work the spell, according to Mrs. P and her colleagues in the coven. If Mrs. E was going to show tonight, it would happen right around high tide, or in the hour thereafter. Until then, they would prowl the grounds and keep an eye out for her. In the dark, in their fur, they blended so well into the trees and shadows that they were almost impossible to spot.

  Glyphs neutralized, Liam and Lina fell into an easy rhythm, prowling the grounds in parallel. Liam took the northern perimeter while Lina covered the south, both of them staying well back in the tree line where shadows were deepest. His lion senses were on full alert. He analyzed every scent and sound, but saw nothing out of the ordinary.

  The property was quiet. No human presence, except for Mike’s team in their distant perimeter positions. No magical disturbances beyond the glyphs they’d already documented. No sign of Mrs. E.

  But she would come. Liam was certain of it. The pull of the full moon was strong, the convergence of ley lines beneath the old tower site practically hummed with power even he could feel. A witch as experienced as Mrs. Entwistle wouldn’t miss this window. But she might not come tonight. Tomorrow was the optimal time, Mrs. Peabody had claimed. So, tonight might just be a dress rehearsal, so to speak. If so, that was good too. They could use the time to get more familiar with the field of battle and be ready when she finally did show up.

  He circled back toward the central area, his massive paws silent on the forest floor. The tower foundation was clearly visible in the moonlight, the depression in the earth marking where Tesla’s grand dream had once stood. That was the focal point. That was where Mrs. E would come to work her spell.

  Lina emerged from the southern edge of the trees, her spotted coat camouflaged perfectly in the dappled moonlight. She joined him at the edge of the clearing, both of them settling into concealed positions with good sightlines to the ritual space.

  Now came the hard part. Waiting.

  Liam’s lion wanted to pace, but discipline won out. He lay down in the underbrush, his body hidden but his view unobstructed, and forced himself into the patient stillness of an apex predator waiting for prey.

  Beside him, Lina did the same, her smaller form tucked into the shadows. She was close enough that he could feel her warmth, catch her scent on the night breeze. His lion found it comforting and arousing in equal measure.

  The hours ahead would be long. But they were ready. And when Mrs. Entwistle finally showed her face, she’d find two very large, very determined cats waiting to end her plans permanently.

  Liam’s ear flicked as he caught a sound in the distance. Just an owl, hunting its own prey. He settled deeper into his position, eyes fixed on the tower site, every sense alert.

  The hunt was on.

  Chapter 17

  The night stretched on, quiet and still. Lina’s senses remained on high alert, cataloging every rustle of leaves, every distant car passing on the road, every small creature moving through the underbrush. But there was no Mrs. E. No magical disturbance beyond the nearly imperceptible hum of the magical ley lines beneath the tower site. As the night wore on, there was no indication that their quarry would show tonight.

  Beside her, Liam’s massive lion form was a warm, solid presence. Even in the darkness, she was hyperaware of him. She noted every rise and fall of his breathing, the occasional flick of his tail, and the way his eyes never stopped scanning their surroundings. He was beautiful in this form, all lethal grace and raw power.

  Her lynx approved immensely. More than approved, actually. Her cat wanted to rub against him, wanted to play and hunt together, wanted things that made her human consciousness flush with heat despite being covered in fur.

  The draw of him was undeniable in her shifted form. Every instinct in her feline body recognized him as hers, recognized that massive lion as her perfect match. It didn’t matter that he was a lion and she was a lynx. Their cats understood what mattered—strength, intelligence, courage, and that indefinable spark that made two souls fit together.

  Hours passed. The moon continued its trek across the sky, brilliant and full. High tide came and went with no sign of the witch they’d been hunting. Lina shifted position slightly, her muscles beginning to protest the long stillness. Stakeouts were always tedious, but at least in human form she could stretch, could shift her weight more comfortably. As a lynx, patient stillness was natural but not infinite.

  A soft chuff from Liam drew her attention. He rose to his feet, shaking out his magnificent mane, and looked at her. Time to move, his posture seemed to say.

  Lina stood as well, stretching her smaller body in a long, feline arch that felt delicious after hours of waiting. Together, they began another circuit of the property, moving like ghosts through the shadows.

  The grounds remained quiet. Peaceful, even. Whatever Mrs. Peabody’s predictions, it seemed tonight would not be the night for Mrs. E’s grand summoning. Tomorrow, perhaps. Or the night after. But not tonight.

  They completed their patrol and returned to their observation point one final time. Liam looked at her, and even without words, she understood the question. Stay longer or call it?

  Lina made a soft chirping sound and tilted her head toward the woods where they’d stashed their clothes. Her lynx was ready to shift back, ready to curl up somewhere warm and safe. Preferably somewhere with Liam.

  That last thought made her pause. Her human side was still processing what her lynx already knew with absolute certainty. There was no denying the pull anymore. No more pretending this was just attraction or professional chemistry. This was something far deeper, far more permanent.

  Liam chuffed his agreement leading the way back through the trees toward their clothing cache. Lina followed, admiring the powerful play of muscles beneath his golden coat, the predatory grace in every movement. Her cat wanted to chase him, wanted to play, but she restrained the impulse. They were still on a mission, still needed to maintain tactical awareness.

  But Goddess, it was hard.

  They reached the oak tree where they’d hidden their clothes. Liam shifted first, the transformation rippling through him with practiced ease. One moment, he was a massive lion, the next, he was standing on two legs, gloriously naked in the moonlight filtering through the leaves.

  Lina’s breath caught—or would have, if she’d been in human form. She’d seen him naked earlier when they’d undressed, but she’d been more focused on the mission then, on edge about the possible coming action. Now, with hours of prowling beside him, with her lynx fully convinced he was their mate, she couldn’t look away.

  He was beautiful. All lean muscle and tanned skin, broad shoulders tapering to a narrow waist. Scars marked his body here and there. He wore the ragged badges of a warrior’s life, though shifters didn’t scar, in general, unless the wound was grievous. The marks on his skin indicated that he’d been badly wounded more than once. He wasn’t just a paper tiger, or lion, as the case may be. He wasn’t a chairborne ranger who’d never seen action. He was a soldier’s soldier. A man with a past filled with combat and victories. She really admired that. Everything about him called to her on a primal level.