“We both know you have a key,” Ricky called out.

A few seconds later, the hybrid was in his room. “Of course I have a key, but that doesn’t mean it’s right for me to just walk in without asking. I’m not a housecat, ya know.”

“You’re actually talking about lions, aren’t you?” Ricky took his Titans cap off and dropped it on the side table. “All right, how long is this going to go on?”

“Not sure.”

“Because I’m gonna be honest with ya, Vic. I’m not sure how much longer she’s going to—”

Ricky abruptly stopped, his gaze moving to Vic’s. They moved together, both of them heading for the doors that separated Ricky’s room from Toni’s. Vic opened the first door and Ricky kicked in the second, assuming it would be locked. They went through and immediately stopped.

“Holy shit, Rick.”

“I know.”

It was like a tornado had come through the room. Everything in it had been ripped apart. The comforter, the sheets, the blankets, the pillows, the bed, the dresser, the desk, the TV, the stand the TV had been on. All of it. And it all hadn’t been smashed, or tossed aside in a pouty little girl rage. No. This was dog damage. Claws and a canine body had done all this.

And now . . . that canine was ripping at the bedroom door, trying to scratch and bite her way out. It was as if Toni had forgotten she had thumbs.

“Now can I say it?” Vic asked.

Ricky sighed. “Yeah. Go ahead.”

The hybrid leaned closer. “Separation anxiety, dude.”

Ricky, as a fellow canine—but like Toni, not a dog—was ashamed to say it, but yes. This was clearly separation anxiety. She was having separation anxiety because she was away from her family. And the longer the bears made her wait, the worse it was getting.

“So what are we going to do?” Barinov asked.

“The only thing we can.”

Toni knew she was losing it, but she couldn’t help it. But what surprised her was that Ricky let her continue losing it without actually doing much more than keeping her away from the front door.

When she went for the bed again, digging her way down until she hit springs and wood—he didn’t stop her. Even when she started chewing up the wood and springs and spitting them across the room—he didn’t stop her.

When she began to attack the glass doors that led to the balcony, he didn’t stop her then, either.

But when it got dark later, sometime after eight that evening, the wolf suddenly picked up her jackal body, pushed her into his empty duffel bag, and left the hotel. Maybe they were going home! Maybe the bears had said they refused to meet with some lowly canine. Maybe . . . maybe . . .

Still in that bag, Toni was unceremoniously dropped into the backseat of the car and they began moving. After about forty-five minutes, the carpulled to a stop, the bag with Toni still in it was dragged out of the backseat, unzipped, and turned over.

Toni landed on her back. She gazed up at the wolf.

“According to Vic, we’re now in canine and cat territory. This is your opportunity to run. Run your little heart out. Get it out of your system. Because maybe once you do that, you’ll be able to think straight and get this goddamn job done.” He threw up his hands. “Look what you’ve done to me. Now I’m blaspheming as bad as you!”

Toni turned over and stared into the dark but lush Siberian landscape near Lake Baikal. God, she did want to run. She wanted to run until everything in her hurt.

She started to get to her four feet when a large, bushy tail flicked her snout. Once, twice. Ricky had shifted into his wolf form, and he had his ass in her face. Rude!

Toni jumped to her feet, onto the wolf’s back, and over him. She tossed her tail into his face before she took off running. She glanced back, saw the wolf right behind her.

Laughing, Toni picked up speed and ran her heart out.

Reece was ordered to the main floor of the shifter area so that he could be photographed. He didn’t mind being photographed. Unlike his brothers, he was real photogenic. Still, having to sit here, waiting to be primped and probably oiled up like some porn star did make him a bit uncomfortable. And when Reece was a bit uncomfortable, he started to look for things to do. Things he probably shouldn’t do but couldn’t keep himself from doing because he bored so easy.

It wasn’t his fault, he’d just been born that way. According to his momma, he was like that as a baby, too. “Couldn’t leave you alone for five minutes, Reece Lee Reed,” his momma still said to this day. “Because once I turned my back, you’d find something to get your dumb ass into.”

Yet what many didn’t understand was that Reece didn’t always have to look for trouble. Sometimes trouble found him. Sometimes trouble slinked its way right up next to him and sat down on the bench beside him.

Like now.

“Well, hi, Reece Lee.”

Eating his cheesesteak sandwich, Reece said, “Hey, Laura Jane.”

“Heard your big brother left town.” She pressed her hand against her chest, her tight, white V-neck T-shirt showing off her cleavage. “I hope that’s not because of little ol’ me.”

“Huh . . . Rory left town?”

Laura Jane’s left eye twitched the slightest bit.

Reece knew that Laura Jane had always thought he was stupid. And sometimes he could be. But mostly he just liked to irritate people by being dense. It was one of the main reasons Bo Novikov insisted on beating him up at every opportunity. Honestly, Reece should leave the short-tempered hybrid alone, but he couldn’t help himself. The man was just so uptight!