Kraven hadn’t cared who they were. He’d just wanted the threat to end. It had been confusing when they’d boarded the plane full of humans. They'd gone to Anchorage to scope out the passengers and figure out how to deal with the threat before the smaller plane landed. They'd grabbed a few drinks, then boarded the flight.

Kraven had leaned into him, whispering, “Shit. Do you think he’s going to form an alliance with humans? Maybe the military? Would he nuke our clans to just wipe us out completely?”

Drantos had disagreed. “He’d destroy the land he wants. And he can’t take over the clans if no one survives. It would also cause issues with Vampires and Lycans. They’d all be terrified the humans would target them when the truth of their existence is revealed. Decker hates humans more than he does us. He’s insane but not stupid.” He’d scanned the passengers. “There’re two young women traveling together. They might be the ones. He can control their minds and force them to his will.” He’d glanced at the two blondes a few rows up and over.

“Them?” Kraven scowled. “They look about as dangerous as baby bunnies. What in the hell could he use them for?”

“The one in the business dress kind of looks like a scientist. Maybe he plans to poison all the other leaders and their enforcers. It would leave our women and the weaker males at his mercy. Someone with knowledge about chemicals could figure out what kills one of us.”

“Shit.” Kraven winced. “That’s all kinds of fucked-up.”

“We need to question them. We’ll grab them as soon as we land. We should have about twenty minutes to get out of there before Decker's enforcers arrive since we have the plan in place to state the plane was delayed taking off. Decker knows to call and check the status of that since these smaller flights are notorious for that.”

“Okay.”

It had gone to hell when the pilots announced they were going to crash. Drantos had needed to know what Decker planned, and that meant making sure the women survived. It had come as quite a shock to learn they were Decker’s granddaughters, since no one had known Antina had children.

Everything had suddenly made sense. The crazy clan leader wasn’t trying to use humans or Lycans to wage a war. He didn’t need to bring in forces from the outside. He had a clan of GarLycans already in place and the leverage to make an alliance of his own with Aveoth. Decker could offer him a new lover.

Drantos caressed Dusti, pulling away from his grim thoughts. She was too sweet to be a descendant of that devious monster. He silently swore not to allow Decker to win. He needed to protect his family and his clan. He nuzzled his cheek against Dusti. That included her, since she was now his. She wasn’t ever going to end up being sent to Aveoth.

A slight noise drew his attention and he tensed, sniffing the air. The sky had lightened but the sun hadn’t risen above the mountains yet. It could be more enforcers sent by Decker. He’d fight them to the death if they tried to take the woman in his arms.

He gently shifted Dusti and laid her on the ground next to him. She shivered in her sleep but promptly curled into a tight ball, not waking. He rose and fixed the front of his pants, closing them. He tensed, his claws sliding out of his fingertips.

A twig snapped to his left. He curled his lip up and his fangs sprang forth. He didn’t growl a warning in case it was Kraven. He wanted Dusti to sleep for as long as possible. He sniffed again and caught a familiar scent.

His rigid muscles relaxed and he bent, tugging his shirt over Dusti’s exposed bottom. He straightened and placed his body in front of hers.

A shape strode from between the trees and he advanced a few more steps to meet his cousin halfway. “It’s good to see you, Red.”

“So the plane went down. Did you make that happen?” The slightly taller man tilted his head, sniffing—then his narrowed gaze honed in on Dusti. “Is that one of them? You fucked her?”

“She’s Decker’s granddaughter. There are two of them.”

“What?” His cousin appeared shocked.

“It seems Antina had two daughters.”

A growl burst forth from Red. “Why didn’t you kill them?”

“They’re innocents. Their father was human and Antina never told them about their heritage. They didn’t have a clue that they were different, since they take after their father’s bloodline so much. They boarded the plane believing their long-lost grandfather was dying. The bastard planned to use their ignorance to have them come right to him.” He explained what he assumed Decker’s plan had been.

“You should have taken out the threat. Decker can’t hand either one over to Aveoth if they’re dead.”

“No.” Drantos shifted his stance to keep Dusti out of Red’s view. “She’s mine.”

“Shit!” Red took a step back. “Are you certain?”

“No doubt. I’ve spent time with her and the bond is there.”

“Your father isn’t going to be happy about who she is, and I’m certain your mother will be less so. You know this is going to cause a ton of problems for our clan. Decker won’t just let this go. He finally has some leverage to use against Aveoth.”

“I can’t help biology. Decker will die if he comes after Dusti. Aveoth too. I’m not letting either of them have her.”

Red was silent for long moments. “How are you dealing with discovering she’s your mate?”

Drantos assessed his emotions. “It came as a surprise.”

“How human is she?”

He debated on answering but he trusted Red. They were almost as close as brothers. “Very. She does have some Vampire traits.”

“Fangs and bloodlust?”

“No. She just gets weak every few days without blood, from what I’ve been able to ascertain. The desire rises more when she’s under a lot of physical stress. Injuries weaken her if she isn’t given blood.”

“Is she sensitive to the sun?”

“Thankfully, no.”

“Her mother didn’t tell them anything about us?”

Anger stirred again. “Not a damn word. Dusti thought I was insane when I tried to tell her about VampLycans, until we ran into someone from Decker’s clan. She got to see a shifted enforcer.”

“Shit.” Red tensed, going on alert. “He has clan in the area? We haven’t come across any of them.”