Aw, the bloodsucking pain in the asses had missed their master.

I laughed a little. Maybe I had, too. “Hi, Misha.”

It must have been chilly in Transylvania this time of year. A black turtleneck sweater covered Misha’s muscular body, highlighting his gray eyes. His blond hair was longer, and draped just past his shoulders. He returned my smile. “Hello, kitten. You look well.”

“Because I’m not banged-up and bloody, yet,” I told him.

“Forgive me, Master,” Agnes interrupted, demonstrating respect she’d never managed to show me. “But the mongrels are ready to meet.”

The corners of Misha’s mouth lifted into one of his more wicked grins. “Put them through,” he said.

The giant roll-down screen took up most of the right side of the cabin. Misha’s image reduced, allowing the remaining Alliance members involved to take up the other half of the screen. Aric, his Warriors, Martin, and the witches stared back at us. No one seemed happy.

Except for Shayna. “Hey, puppy!”

She smiled and waved to Koda like it was prom night. He muttered something in wolf that sounded very similar to swearing. Shayna leaned close to me. “He’s a little upset I’m joining you on this mission,” she whispered.

He growled again. “Uh, he can hear you,” I told her.

Aric was so angry, his jaw could have ground walnuts to powder. He wasn’t moving, wasn’t speaking. And yet he still didn’t seem as pissed as Taran when Genevieve appeared and sat directly beside Gemini. A spark of blue and white fire appeared over Taran’s head. Followed by another, and another, until the whole top of her head exploded in flames.

The vampires hissed and scattered like roaches. Master vampires were immune to fire. But none of Misha’s vamps were masters. I yanked off my jacket and used it to beat out the flames engulfing her head.

Taran smacked my hands away. “What the hell. I’m fine!”

Yeah…separate planes was probably a good idea.

I only sat because her fire was extinguished for the moment. The vamps slowly returned to their seats, giving Taran plenty of space.

“Shall we begin?” Misha suggested. He appeared calm, but I caught the questioning glance he shot my way. He wasn’t aware of Taran’s lack of control, or how much worse she’d become. But no way was I leaving my sister behind.

Taran had other strengths besides her magic.

Martin was the first to speak. “Ordinarily we don’t permit mates together on missions. We find emotions can negatively affect strategies and outcomes.” His voice served as a warning, as did his narrowing eyes as they passed along Aric, Gemini, and Koda. “But our need to find Shah is great. Club Sunba, which Dilip Singh frequents, has already been wired for communication. We’ll position weres inside to serve as protection against any possible threat and to shadow the Wird sisters to ensure their safety. We wouldn’t want them escorted from the premises without their consent.”

By “escorted without our consent,” Martin meant drugged, dragged, and possibly wounded.

Shayna spoke up. “We’ll be inside first. Taran and I will be posing as part of the, uh, staff.” She tossed me a nervous glance. “Emme and Celia will arrive shortly after to serve as um, club-hoppers, so to speak.”

Shayna was a horrible liar. And about as smooth as broken glass along a sidewalk. Not a great combo when you’re already dealing with irate wolves.

Aric straightened, growing suspicious. “When you say club-hoppers, what exactly do you mean?” he growled.

“I’m the one who’s going to get close to Dilip,” I answered before Shayna could sing like a canary. “One of the vamps on the inside is going to make sure Emme and I are brought directly to him.”

Now wasn’t a good time to mention Dilip was a fan of high-priced prostitutes. Or that Emme and I would be posing as them.

Aric didn’t seem to fully believe me, but my answer satisfied him enough that he relaxed. “We’ll have your back,” he promised.

I smiled. “I know.”

Martin scratched the center of his chest and addressed me. “Celia, forgive me for my request. But if you can’t gain access to Singh’s phone, you may have to return with him to the compound and attempt to secure it there, or locate his laptop. The rest of us—the vampires included—will shadow you there. The problem is, so far the compound has been impenetrable to anything supernatural. If you get in trouble, I fear we may be delayed in reaching you.”

“We’ll find a way,” Aric assured me.

I averted my gaze when I remembered the last weres who’d tried to gain access were all found dead.

“Don’t fret none, sugar,” Delilah said. “That’s where we come in. We can’t stop Shah’s power. It’s too strong. But we could probably stun it enough to get the reinforcements in, and you out.” She winked. “You don’t mess with a witch, don’t you know.”

Genevieve nodded, her stunning sapphire blue eyes radiant, as well as all that ebony hair spilling to her elbows. It wasn’t fair to be that beautiful. “We’ll make sure you escape if necessary,” she assured me.

“Yay, team,” Taran muttered.

The comment only made Genevieve smile. She didn’t fear Taran. But maybe she should have.

We wrapped up the last of the details then ended the conference call. I spoke briefly with Misha before he was pulled away by a soft, sweet voice. “Forgive me, my darling,” he said. “I must leave you.”

I knitted my brows. “Did you find a bride?” He didn’t answer. “Misha!”

He considered me. “Not so much a bride, but an arrangement.”

I laughed. “You’re not going to give me any dirt, are you?”

He scanned the nosy group around us. “Not now, but in time.” His humor faded. “Stay strong, and stay safe,” he told me.

“Don’t knock anyone up” was my advice to him.

Misha laughed before the screen faded and the call disconnected. Taran stood abruptly and disappeared to the back where two small suites made up the remainder of the jet. Emme clasped my hand, whispering low. “Something happened between her and Gemini, but she won’t talk to us about it.”

Shayna nodded. “It’s bad, Ceel. Whatever’s between them. Gemini left the house right before you called. He was carrying a suitcase. I don’t know if he’s coming back.”