Lynn paused and wondered why she was talking about true mates. She almost shook her head but refrained. From the looks on their faces, she’d given these people enough to think about for one meeting. She waited for someone else to speak, and after a short, awkward silence, Hal cleared his throat.

  “I can see we’re going to be learning a great deal from you.” He stood and pushed his chair in as he looked at her. “If that’s all, I have another meeting. Welcome to the team, Lynn. If you need anything at all, you know where to find me.”

  Rick had stood when his commander did, and they saluted each other, then Rick waited, standing, while Hal left the room. Rick turned back to the two women and smiled. “Where do you want to start?”

  Rick spent the rest of the morning with Lynn, sharing his preliminary data and going over his notes, case by case. He showed her the file he’d made for each man in the unit, including his own. They kept actual paper files, which could not be hacked electronically. It was safer for this ultra-sensitive data to be kept the old-fashioned way. One copy, only in physical form, kept under lock and key in their own secure facility.

  Only Rick had the key, and if something should change, Hal had given Rick express orders to destroy all the records, rather than let them get into the wrong hands. He would share them with Lynn, but he’d already told her no copies were to be made, and her own notes had to be kept with his. So far, she hadn’t balked. She already understood the danger that followed them. Getting shot had made that clear in ways his words alone could not.

  “I’ve ranked them by priority, which keeps changing as events unfold. Some of us are having wider fluctuations than others at any given time,” he explained.

  “I noticed yours was on top of the pile,” she observed, frowning.

  “Yeah,” he replied, shifting in his seat uncomfortably. They were sitting side by side at the conference table with the files spread out before them. “I’ve been experiencing some…uh…power surges is a good way to put it, I guess. Hal felt something similar when his talent really started to come online, though his ability is quite different than mine. He’s settled down to a more constant level of ability, especially since around the time of his marriage to Casey. I had been at a plateau, but a recent mission seems to have spiked me into high gear again. For example, healing your shoulder would have taken a lot more out of me just a few weeks ago.”

  “Do you think there might have been some trigger that caused your power to increase?” she asked, intrigued.

  Rick nodded. “I’ve been working with Wil’s dad. He had cancer and had basically gone home to die. When Wil found out, we went out there and found Senior in bad shape, but I was able to save him with Wil’s help. He’s here, on the island, now. You’ll probably see him at dinner, unless he’s still working. He’s a world-class sharpshooter—among other things—and he’s running some classes for our neighbors on the island.”

  “He’s well enough for that?” She was impressed.

  “We gave him multiple treatments over the course of several days as we evacuated him from his mountain home. He was spending his retirement from the military as a forest ranger until the illness caught up with him. He wanted to spend the rest of his days in the isolation of his mountaintop, and the people he worked with were happy to let him. Wil’s girlfriend was supposed to take over for him and was doing most of the ranger duties while keeping an eye on his dad. She came with us when we left, too.”

  “You mean Mandy?” Lynn asked, trying to piece together the story from snippets she’d had from all the different people she’d met, so far. “I thought she had been a police officer.”

  “She was,” Rick agreed. “Before she became a forest ranger, she was shot in the line of duty and left policing. When the enemy followed us to the mountaintop, she was in danger, as well. And then, of course, she and Wil got together, so it made sense that she come back here with us.”

  Lynn just shook her head. Someday, she’d have to get the full story, but for now, she had to get them back on track. No matter how intrigued she was to hear more about how Mandy, Wil, Rick and Wil’s father had escaped from terrorist pursuit.

  “So, you and Wil worked together to heal his father of a terminal condition, is that right?” she prompted, taking a few notes on a blank pad. Rick nodded, and she continued, “Do you think collaborating might’ve spurred your power into growth, somehow?”

  “It’s possible, but that’s not what happened to the other men in the unit. Each time we’ve experienced a surge in ability, it’s been because of some outside factor—a challenge that we rose to meet, as it were. In Hal’s case, it started when a car almost ran over his wife. He stopped it cold. His hand prints were crushed into the bumper. Although, he’d been experiencing surges for a while. He was the first, actually,” Rick said, his look thoughtful. “He started having trouble controlling the strength even before we returned to the States. I think it’s because he was trying to lift increasingly heavier weights to see what his new limit was. Partly, that was my fault, because his power was the most easily measured, and he was willing to be the guinea pig for the rest of us. He leads by example, if you know what I mean.”

  Lynn nodded. “I can see we’re going to have to get creative to try to quantify some of the powers you’ve described, but you’ve already made a great start,” she told him, mulling over the project, now that she had the full scope of it. This was a serious challenge, and she looked forward to doing the research.

  Rick was really impressed by the way Lynn approached her work. She had a quick scientific mind that somehow made sense of the powers that felt more like science fiction than reality, even though he was living it. They made good progress going through the files on the work he had already done and coming up with a plan for future investigation.

  By the time they were ready to go down to the mess hall for lunch, Rick felt they had made a good start on devising a clear path forward. He liked the new ideas Lynn had contributed. She already had a deep understanding of the kinds of things they needed to look for, which probably stemmed from her rather unorthodox background. If he’d had any doubt before, Rick was now completely convinced that Lynn was definitely the right person for this job. If she couldn’t figure out how to help him and his comrades, he doubted anybody else could.

  They went down to lunch together, still discussing some of the finer points. They were late, but there was an open table near the windows, and they sat there together, continuing their conversation. Rick realized about halfway through the meal that a few of the others were sending questioning—and amused—glances toward them, but he ignored it. Sure, he was having lunch at a table for two with the pretty doctor, but that didn’t really mean anything. They were working together. They were colleagues. Right?

  He dismissed such thoughts and concentrated on the point Lynn had just raised. She was proposing to start work, calibrating a new measurement scale she was thinking of using, that very afternoon. Rick was more than willing to be her first guinea pig. His own power had been surging the past couple of weeks, and he’d really like to get it back under control. He started to believe, as they worked together, that Lynn might just be the key to doing so.

  Once they’d finished eating, Lynn stood up and stretched, her gaze fixed out the window at the beach.

  “I don’t know about you,” she said, still looking out the window, “but I think I’d like to take a little walk before we go back up to the office. Get the blood flowing and stretch my legs a bit. Is that okay?” She turned back to him, her smile so bright he could swear he felt the warmth of it on his skin.

  Slowly, he nodded. “That actually sounds like a good idea,” he agreed. “Do you mind some company?”

  “Not at all.” She followed him to the corner of the room where they placed their trays on a rack for the kitchen staff to deal with, then they walked out of the building together. “I’ve been wanting to get the lay of the land a bit. I always like being near the ocean. Listening to the waves and walking along the shore touches something deep inside.”

  Rick marveled at her words. “I’ve always felt the same way.”

  “Of course, I’m very aware that we’re on a secret military base here.” She looked up at him as she walked at his side, heading down to the beach. “If there’s any area that’s off limits, please just let me know.”

  “This side of the island is pretty open,” he explained as they walked through the dry sand, which was more challenging than the hard-packed wet sand down by the water. “About a hundred yards in that direction is a tidal pool.” He pointed in the direction they were walking as they hit more solid footing down at the water’s edge. “We’ve sort of adopted that landmark as the unofficial boundary in this direction. We are very aware that we’re sharing this small island with a much larger group that was here before us. We’re basically their guests. As such, we try to stick to our area as much as possible, unless it’s something that has been expressly permitted, such as our morning runs around the perimeter. But everybody does that. The other troops on the island will often do a circuit through our area on their way around the perimeter. Nobody minds that. The more eyes watching our collective defenses, the better.”

  “Are there any fish in that tidal pool you mentioned?”

  “Sometimes,” he replied. “At certain times of the day, it’s pretty deep. I suspect during high tide, fish will often find themselves in that pool.”

  Her eyes seemed to light up with anticipation as they walked toward the unofficial boundary of the pool. Reaching it, she walked around the edge, inspecting it closely.

  “This might be just the thing,” she said, looking up at him with an eager expression. “When my gear gets here, I may just have to try my hand at fishing this little spot, as long as nobody else minds.”

  “I’ve seen a lot of the other residents of the island fishing at various spots. I don’t think anybody cares if you try your hand at catching a few.” He didn’t really understand her enthusiasm but was intrigued to see the spark of excitement in her eyes. Apparently, fishing was something she really enjoyed doing.

  He liked learning these little things about her. She wasn’t very much like any other woman he’d ever met. Not only was she blindingly intelligent, but she had hidden depths and arcane knowledge. She was formidable but also kind of adorable. He liked the puzzle she presented.

  CHAPTER NINE

  They turned to make their way back toward their building but stopped to allow a small group of Navy personnel to run past. Rick noticed that Liam Kincaid was part of the group, and wasn’t altogether surprised when he paused in his exercise to let the rest of the group run on without him. He slowed to walk beside Rick and Lynn. He’d just run at least half the length of the island, and he wasn’t even out of breath.

  Rick was completely intrigued by the idea of shifters and more than a little envious of their strength and stamina. And every single one of them seemed to have supermodel good looks. Rick felt himself bristling inside as Liam greeted Lynn with a movie star smile.

  “Just wanted to let you know,” Liam said casually, though his stance seemed a bit strained, “that some of my people have been seeing shark fins out on the ocean. For the time being, we’re restricting swimming to platoon-sized groups. Don’t go out there on your own, Doctor.”

  Lynn looked suitably alarmed. “Sharks? Are you sure they’re just sharks?”

  Liam grimaced. “That’s still open for debate,” he told her, shaking his head. “Until we know, for sure, it’s best to just steer clear of the water.”

  “What do you guys mean about being just sharks?” Rick asked, sure he was missing something.

  Liam looked down the beach to where his group was still running on without him. “I’ve got to go. Will you explain it to him and pass on the message?” he asked Lynn directly.

  She nodded solemnly. “I’d be happy to. Thanks for the warning.”

  As Liam sprinted to catch up with his group, Rick turned to Lynn. She was frowning.

  “What was all that about?”

  “So…you know about shifters. I suspect you have several different kinds of land-based shifters right here on this island,” she began.

  “Land-based? Do you mean to say…?” He looked out over the water, his mind boggled by the idea of shifters who can turn into sea creatures. This was just getting too weird.

  Lynn was nodding when he looked back at her. “Shark shifters have never been known to be on the side of Light.” It was her turn to gaze out over the water. “If that’s what’s out there, then I don’t think they’re there to be helpful. More likely, they’re working for your enemies.”

  Rik wanted to curse, but he held his tongue. He’d been raised not to cuss in front of a lady. But, boy oh boy, how he wanted to say a few choice words at this new complication.

  “Gram said once, that the shark shifters were like the opposite side of the coin from the Navy SEALs. Selkies, though reputed to be capricious at times, were usually good guys. That’s why so many of them volunteered for Special Forces.”

  Rik stopped in his tracks. “Wait a minute. Are you saying that Navy SEALs are really seal shifters?” He couldn’t believe he had just uttered those words, but Lynn was nodding as she faced him.

  “Selkies, the Irish call them. Though, from what I understand, the current makeup of the Navy SEAL teams is mixed. A lot of the big cat shifters really enjoy water, too. But I’ve heard it was selkies who started it all, back in the Viet Nam era.”

  She said it so matter-of-factly. Meanwhile, Rick’s mind was blown. He realized, once again, how much they still didn’t know about this magical world they had somehow joined. Lynn was going to be a tremendous asset to the unit. He started walking again, a little more slowly as he thought things through.

  “I think we better have a meeting with Hal before we go back up to the office,” he told her. “The captain needs to know this, and you’re the expert. I’m certain he’ll have questions that I won’t be able to answer on my own.”

  Lynn shrugged. “No problem. That’s why I’m here. To answer questions and explain stuff. That and figure out how to help you and your men understand and deal with your new existence.” They walked on for a moment before she spoke again. “Still. Shark shifters are bad news. If that’s what’s out there, you’re going to have to prepare for some kind of assault, I think.”

  “Then, the sooner we get the captain up to speed, the better.”

  Lynn was impressed by how well the captain took the news. The more she saw of Captain Haliwell, the more she liked his style of leadership. He really listened to his men, and took the time to ask pertinent questions. She had also seen him in an emergency situation on that Coast Guard cutter, and though she had been hazy with pain, she had recognized his decisive commands in the way men followed his lead without question.

  He didn’t seem as surprised as Rick had been to learn that the Navy SEALs had originated with actual seal shifters. She suspected she wasn’t the first to mention this to him. Still, he listened without commenting, at first, then asked pointed questions until he had all the facts as she knew them.

  “I think I’m going to have to have another talk with Commander Kincaid,” Hal said, standing from behind his desk. Clearly, the meeting was over, and he was going to act on what they had told him. “Spread the word, Rick. We’re on lockdown. Everybody stays inside for the time being. No more PT on the beach today. Batten down the hatches and increase the standing watch. I’m heading over to Kincaid’s office. Tell the men there’ll be a briefing when I get back.”

  Hal didn’t waste time. He was out the door and down the hall before Lynn had even gotten out of her chair. Rick picked up the phone on Hal’s desk and pushed a few buttons. He started getting the word out, spreading the captain’s orders, as directed. After his third terse call, he replaced the handset and met her gaze.

  “Looks like our plans for the afternoon have changed a bit.” He came out from behind the desk and ushered her toward the door. “Let’s go downstairs and help set up for the briefing. I’m fairly certain the captain won’t be long. And, if past events are any clue, he’ll likely bring some of the Navy folk back with him.”

  Lynn walked with him down the corridor, heading for the stairs. “I didn’t realize you worked that closely with the Navy contingent on the island, but it makes sense. Especially when the threat could impact everyone, not just your unit.”

  As they came down the stairs into the central hallway on the ground floor, they met more people. It seemed like everyone was heading toward the mess hall, some of them carrying equipment with them. A number of men appeared to have come up the stairs from the basement level. Some were very obviously armed and stationed at the entrances. Others were going from room to room, securing windows, drawing shades, turning off lights, and locking the doors behind them. She suspected they had set electronic surveillance devices within those empty rooms, as well.

  Lynn noticed that hardened metal shutters covered the windows along the back of the mess hall when she entered. They were black and fit tightly to the windows, not allowing any light to penetrate.

  “They’re armored,” Rick said, noticing the direction of her gaze. “And light tight. Nobody can see in from the outside. We put them on all the windows after we moved in. This building is about as secure as we can make it. Don’t worry.”

  He pulled out a chair at the large main table and held it for her. Lynn realized that all the smaller tables had been moved aside, and the extra chairs stacked along the wall. One of the men was setting up audiovisual equipment, including a large screen that slowly rolled down from the ceiling near the windows.

  When the room was prepared, and everyone was gathered, the captain entered from the hallway. He wasn’t alone. Lieutenant Liam Kincaid came in with him and took a seat at the table. Silence reigned while they waited for the captain to start his briefing.