CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

Zander got another call as they were heading down the back highway toward San Antonio. He abruptly pulled to a halt, making Addie’s stomach roil, and answered it.

“What? Shit.”

That was all. Zander shoved the phone back into his coat, lifted his feet, and guided the bike back to the road.

“What’s wrong?” Addie shouted.

Zander turned his head and the motorcycle crossed into the far lane. “Kendrick’s gone. Lachlan has him.”

He swerved out of the lane, narrowly missed by a truck that had been coming straight for them, and sped to catch up with Jaycee and Ben.

Ben led them on highways around the city of San Antonio and out into countryside again. Growing up in Texas, Addie had been almost everywhere in it but she hadn’t come to the empty area south and east of San Antonio, bypassed by most people on their way to Houston or down to vacation on South Padre Island.

She certainly hadn’t been along the stretch of deserted road that ended in a cluster of houses, a corral with bored-looking horses in it, and a sign that read “Welcome to Shiftertown.”

Shifters milled around a house under the westering sun, the afternoon heat intense. The hottest part of the day happened in the hours before sunset.

Jaycee came and helped Addie from the motorcycle, Zander swinging off behind her. None of the Shifters seemed to notice or comment on Jaycee’s torn clothes, not even Dimitri. They understood that she’d had to shift while dressed, which meant she’d run into some kind of danger.

“Kendrick’s in there?” Addie asked breathlessly as she reached Dylan.

Seamus pushed through the crowd to Addie, not looking happy. Tiger, his yellow eyes glowing with rage, turned to her. “The scarred Shifter trapped him down there,” Tiger said.

“We can’t get to him,” Seamus added.

“So what are you doing?” Addie demanded. “Is there another way in?”

“There is, but it’s highly r-risky,” Dimitri said. His face was damp with perspiration, his red hair raked back from his forehead. “It’s a f-fortress down there, meant to be d-defended. We can only go in one at a time, which means Lachlan’s Shifters can c-cut us down one at a time. If we can find them.”

Addie stared at him. “Are you saying you haven’t gone inside yet? You don’t know where Kendrick is?”

“We were waiting for you,” Seamus said. Shifters fanned out behind him and Dimitri, none of them wearing Collars—Kendrick’s fighters. “You’re leader’s mate, Addie,” Seamus went on. “It’s your call what we do.”

“Mine?” Addie jabbed a finger at her chest. “How can it be my call? I barely know any of you.”

Jaycee, next to her, said, “Doesn’t matter. When the leader is down, everyone rallies to the leader’s mate. The seconds and the trackers carry out the orders, but you give them, until it’s certain he’s . . . gone.” Jaycee swallowed on the last word.

Addie’s chest tightened. Gone. The word echoed hollowly in her head. Beyond hope.

“And until we know, I’m in charge?” she asked, her voice rasping.

“Yeah,” Seamus said. He gave her the ghost of a grin. “Scary, isn’t it?”

“Kendrick might have mentioned this when he started all the mate talk,” Addie said. “I’m going to have to save his ass so I can kick it. But I don’t have any idea how to go in there and get him out.”

Zander answered. “That’s why you take advice. But not from me. From Kendrick’s trackers.” Because he was an outsider, Zander was saying. She had to trust the people who’d been loyal to Kendrick for years.