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They moved too uniformly to be just animals. Zane sniffed the night air, and Larissa followed his lead. Although it was a relatively still, early spring evening, a slight northerly breeze washed through Larissa’s hair. There was a warmth to the air, and a honeysuckle scent lingered in her nose. Then the scent of something much earthier intruded, almost a dog smell, but not quite, masked slightly by a strong jasmine perfume.
    Zane growled. The look on his face told Larissa that he had recognized the scent. He straightened out of his crouch and did up his jeans. Larissa watched him and did likewise, though she was still unsure as to why.
    “Has the danger gone?” Her hoarse whisper almost stuck in her throat. She was a waitress, for crying out loud, not a shape-shifting warrior.
    “Not exactly, but it appears she just wants to talk.”
    Confusion covered Larissa’s face. “How do you know?”
    Zane’s face distorted with a grimace. “If she wanted a fight, she would have come at us a lot faster, when we were... occupied.” He arched an eyebrow as he shot a sideways glance at Larissa, one side of his mouth lifting in a halfhearted smile. It occurred to Larissa that the footsteps at their flanks had stopped, though she could hear tiny movements just within the tree line.
    “How did they find us?” Larissa’s whisper had an urgent tone.
    “We are all hunters, love; the raven wouldn’t be her only friend with a bird’s eye view. I was stupid—we shouldn’t have stopped.”
    Larissa grabbed at the locket around her neck. She had always used the locket as a talisman in times of anxiety. There were few times when she felt as anxious as this moment, yet it seemed her hand had been constantly at the base of her throat this evening.
    She remembered what Mala had said the night she gave her the locket. As if the woman herself stood beside Larissa speaking those very words again, her voice a strong, clear whisper in her ear.
    “Larissa, I know you don’t believe the same things as me, and that your life is leading a different path. However, I want you to keep this with you always. It was your mother’s. When you wear it, remember all the women of our family that came before you are with you, guiding and protecting you. I know you think I’m probably a batty old woman, but it will protect you. If the time comes, all you need do is open it. Promise me you’ll never take it off.”
    The fervor in her voice had alarmed Larissa, but she had promised with tears in her eyes and every day since had kept that promise.
    A tall redhead in a tight-fitting red dress and matching stilettos emerged from the tree line directly ahead of them with the grace of a prima ballerina. Her outfit was totally at odds with the surroundings, making her look all the more ethereal, beautiful, and dangerous. As she walked, Larissa noticed the heels of her shoes barely touched the ground, yet she appeared as sure-footed as if she had a pair of hiking boots on. She placed herself lightly on the picnic table they had just abandoned, crossing her arms and eyeing them both sardonically.
    “Really, Zane, you chose this over all I could give you?” Katrina’s gaze had rested on Zane.
    “If by this you mean Larissa, I would choose her a million times over what you think you could give me, Katrina.”
    She pouted like a willful child. “I could make you a king. You would be master of all shifters; no one would defy you. I could make that happen.”
    “What makes you think I want to be anyone’s master, Katrina? All you ever brought me was misery. All you’ll ever bring our world is cruelty and ruthlessness, because it’s all you know!”
    A pained look shot quickly across Katrina’s face, but was masked in an instant. When she spoke again, her voice was fierce. “Fine, if you think you can do any better with this little gypsy, try. But I doubt she’ll survive the night!”

C HAPTER E LEVEN
    At her last words, there was an outbreak of movement