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  Chance lowered his face and grazed his lips against hers. Lost in the moment, her fingers clutched his shoulder and raked through his hair. He held her close and their hearts thundered in their chests, millimeters away from each other.

  “Thanks for reminding me,” he said in an undertone.

  “What?”

  “Who I am, who I’m not and what I really want.”

  Ana whispered back, “What do you really want?”

  “I don’t think I have to say. You know.”

  “I still like hearing it though.”

  Chance chuckled and leaned his forehead against hers. “You.”

  Her heart’s rhythm caught for a moment and then sped off like a stallion chasing the sunrise. It didn’t matter how many times he’d said it, it felt like the first time every time she heard it.

  Ana gave him a quick kiss on the lips and said, “I love you.”

  She faced out to the lake and mountains, kicked off her slippers and unbuttoned her jeans. Nothing could keep her from what she’d wished for now that the time had come. Off came her pants. The chill of the air didn’t bother her—she was too focused on what form she was prepared to take.

  Chance laughed at her standing in her sweater and underwear. “Do you know what you’re doing?”

  “Yeah, do you? Let’s see if you can catch up.”

  A finch wasn’t grand enough for the moment; she wanted to embody something greater, more beautiful. Although she’d never tried it before, she could see its mapping thanks to the memories Chance had imparted upon her when he’d saved her life. There was no doubt in her mind that she could take its form. It took her just a moment to call on her energy, which waited for direction and sped through her body. Feathers tumbled down her skin en masse. Her arms bent and shrank. Talons touched the wooden deck and her sweater, now mounded around her.

  Wriggling free of her clothes, she stretched her wings and pushed the air out beneath her, moving straight up. She caught the look of surprise on Chance’s face before shooting past the deck rail and gliding into the open air above Lifen’s home. A soft breeze held her, like a kite guided through the sky without effort. Instead of laughter pouring from her lips, soft chirps came from her beak.

  Ana tucked her wings against her side and dove along the contour of the mountain, toward the frosted lake. A turquoise point at its center shone against the ice and snow, but she knew the beauty that was concealed beneath. Her pointed shadow swam over the snow and then another joined it.

  Another eagle, wobbling on the air currents, nearly touched wingtips with hers. Chance pressed ahead even faster and then rose against the sky. Ana lost sight of his body in the sunlight. She opened her wings and rocketed above the lake to begin her search for him.

  Her eyes scanned the area. The ability of her tools amazed and distracted her from finding Chance. The eagle’s vision far surpassed that of her human eyes. She thought she remembered Chance saying something about birds being able to see magnetic fields and opened her line of sight. If only she saw what he could. She wouldn’t be happy until the raptor’s secrets were revealed to her.

  The light’s rays began to warp under the strange curvature of the air. Similar to heat radiation from a fire, the earth appeared distorted and ballooned in spots. Then, mixing into her contorted view, swirling light moved upward from the ground. Thicker, denser phosphorescence coincided with the larger magnetic bubbles, like the area surrounding Lifen’s home.

  She looked to her side and found Chance, wings outstretched, feathers lying flat in the wind. Her world was complete. She had everything she ever wanted. If she could have frozen time in that moment, she would have. It was hard to imagine anything better.

  Chapter 7

  Ana sat alone at the dining table. It was mid-afternoon, so Derek, Jordan and Batukhan were training in the animal sanctuary while Chance and Mac were working in private in the meditation room.

  She sipped at a steaming cup of tea as she looked outside. Living in a house filled with men, it was nice taking a moment for herself. The peace and quiet were relaxing.

  Her calm was interrupted by an unmistakable trace of sadness. A sinking feeling pulled at her stomach and out of nowhere, she fought the urge to cry. In her mind, she was sitting in a dark room. A blue neon light buzzed nearby. The sound of clinking glasses and soft conversations filled her ears.

  In front of her, a bartender filled up a glass of beer at the tap. He placed it on the bar in front of a man beside her who was hunched over a bowl of peanuts. The barman looked at her and asked, “Want another?”

  Unintelligible deep mumbling poured from her lips and the scene faded away.

  Ana blinked at her cup of tea, then took a shaky breath. She knew with certainty that her vision had nothing to do with Chance or Lifen. Chance was in the other room and this vision was from a male’s perspective. Her thoughts immediately went to Ryan.

  It had to be him. He was her friend. Why wouldn’t she link to him when he was in need?

  Footsteps echoed down the hallway. She turned around to face the opening of the dining room just as Chance appeared.

  “We’re taking a break,” he said. He observed the expression on her face and walked over to her. “What’s up? Something wrong?”

  Ana set her cup on the table. She wrung her hands together while concern filled her heart. “Something’s wrong with Ryan.”

  Chance’s face soured. “Why do you say that—did he call you?”

  “No.” Ana swallowed. “I saw him—at a bar.”

  The muscles in Chance’s jaw tightened and he crossed his arms. “You’re having visions of him now?”

  She heard the jealousy and anger in his voice. It annoyed her. Ryan was no threat to their relationship. He was her friend and she cared about his well-being. What kind of person would she be if she turned her back on him in his time of need?

  “He’s my friend. He needs our help—he’s not well.” Ana looked at him and his guarded expression. “I can’t talk to you about this. You don’t care.”

  She brushed past him and went to her room, locking it behind her.

  Chance watched her go.

  He knew he just messed up. There was no specific reason he should treat Ryan’s memory in this way. The guy was Ana’s friend, just like Derek or Jordan. Chance was beginning to like them. Maybe he’d like Ryan too. He couldn’t explain it, but he was jealous of Ryan.

  Chance sat down at the table and began to trace the lines of the wood grain with his fingertips. While he stewed in his feelings, he heard the front door open and shut. Minutes later, Derek joined him in the dining room holding a bag of chips.

  He took a mouthful and said, “Your cat die?”

  Chance fought the urge to blow him off. Instead, he laid out the truth. “Ana had a vision of Ryan at a bar. Said she’s worried about him—now she’s angry at me.”

  “Huh.” Derek put another fistful of chips in his mouth. “What’d you do?”

  “I think she could tell I was jealous and a little angry that she had a vision of him. Tell me I have nothing to worry about. Is it just me?”

  Derek wiped his hand on his shirt and set his bag of chips on the table. “I’ve known Ryan for a while. He’s annoying and takes some getting used to, but he’s my friend. I think he took it hard when you showed up, but it’s clearly a one-way street—it’s obvious how much Ana loves you.”

  “I knew I couldn’t trust the guy.”

  “Naw.” Derek’s eyes hardened. “I don’t think you understand. When Ana came here she changed everything. None of us got along all that great until she made us a team. Ryan’s a good guy—he saved Ana from a bear—took a hit for her too.”

  Chance was struck silent. The jealousy that had woven through his heart twisted in his chest. He should have been the one to save her.

  Staying away from Ana was the best thing you could do for her, he told himself. He was tired of feeling guilty all the time. He glanced at Derek, who was watching him de
liberate.

  Chance rubbed his nose. “If I couldn’t be here for her, I guess I’m glad someone was.”

  Jordan walked into the dining room. “You didn’t eat all of the chips, did you Derek? I said I wanted some of those—” Jordan stopped. He glanced at Derek, then Chance. “What’s wrong?”

  Derek answered, “Ryan’s having a hard time—Ana’s worried.”

  Jordan reached for the chips. “What’re we going to do?”

  Chance sighed. He knew there was only one way to make things right. “Let’s go find him.”

  “All right, now we’re talking,” Derek said. “But I don’t think our wardens’ll be down with that.”

  After crunching on a mouthful of chips, Jordan said, with his eyes wide, “Lifen never likes us leaving on our own. Says it’s not safe.”

  “How many times was that rule broken?” Derek crossed his arms and tilted his head. “Ryan was the king of Banff while she was away. He even took me on a couple trips to town when we weren’t at each other’s throats. I know where he liked to go—he was a creature of habit.”

  Chance saw the concern on Jordan’s face. “Lifen’s not here to catch you. We’ll just be gone for a couple hours while everyone’s asleep. No one has to know. Do it for Ana?”

  The three of them stood at the top of the driveway in the moonlight. Each had a pack over their shoulder, containing a set of clothing.

  Derek’s breath made white billows of steam. “There’ll be a taxi waiting for us at the highway. We just have to hoof it down to there and we’re golden.”

  Through the dark, a bear, cougar and wolf jogged side by side down the long winding road. When they neared the end, they could see headlights moving by on the highway, so they stopped to shift back. From their backpacks, they pulled out their clothes and got dressed.

  Just like Derek had said, a taxi was waiting for them at the entrance of their road. They climbed in and within a half hour, they were standing on the sidewalk in town. Snow lined the quiet streets. Not many people were out so close to midnight.

  “First stop, just down this way,” Derek said, beginning to walk away.

  After going down a few blocks, he led them into a bar with graffiti on the walls. Loud rock music rose above the sound of people talking and playing pool. Chance scanned the room for Ryan’s long blond hair, but came up short.

  “C’mon.” Derek walked over to the bar and pulled out his phone.

  The bartender was a short, stocky man with tattoos peering out from beneath the collar of his shirt and sleeves. “What can I get for ya?” he asked.

  Derek pulled up a picture on his phone and showed it to the guy. “We’re looking for our friend—have you seen him around?”

  The bartender squinted at the screen, then called over to another man who was throwing darts. “Ay, Mike. These guys are looking for that punk, Ryan.”

  Mike lowered his arm, still holding a dart and walked over to them. With the metal tip first, he pointed it toward them. “That trash hasn’t been through here for months. Scared to collect on the beating that’s coming to him, I expect.”

  Jordan, who’d been silent up until now, defended his friend. “He might be annoying, but he’s not trash.”

  Derek and Chance looked at him in surprise. They weren’t the only ones. Mike directed the dart tip at Jordan’s face and growled, “You feel like collecting for him?”

  Chance didn’t hesitate. He stepped forward with his arm out and placed himself between the man and Jordan. “Calm down. We aren’t looking for trouble.”

  “Then you’re friends with the wrong guy,” Mike said. He thrust the dart centimeters from Chance’s nose.

  Chance held his ground and glared at him. “We’re leaving.”

  Derek grabbed Jordan by the elbow to pull him outside. Chance followed right behind them. On the street, he gave a word of advice. “Jordan, when someone’s holding a weapon, it’s a good idea not to piss them off.”

  Derek started to laugh and Chance joined in. Jordan’s eyes were wide in fright. After a moment, he began a nervous chortle, which made the others only laugh harder.

  They attempted to find out more information from two more bars, but it appeared that Ryan hadn’t been through town for some time.

  “I’m calling it,” Derek said. “He’s not around. Guess we’ll have to wait for him to surface when he’s ready. At least we tried.”

  It was almost two in the morning when the taxi dropped them at the road that led to Lifen’s house. They went in silence to their bags.

  While Chance pulled off his shirt, he looked over his shoulder into the shadows of the forest. Although he was tired, he couldn’t ignore the hairs of his neck standing up on end. “You guys sense that?”

  Jordan and Derek stopped to gaze in the same direction. Jordan turned in place, wearing a concerned expression. “What?”

  “Maybe it’s nothing.” Chance shoved his shirt into his backpack. “But maybe we should hurry back.”

  He didn’t need to say anything more. Within minutes, they were all in animal form with their packs over their shoulders.

  Chance lumbered up the snowy drive in bear form with Jordan as a cougar and Derek as a wolf at his flanks. He pushed forward, speeding up, grunting as he went. The others’ breathing rattled in his ears. The whites of Jordan’s eyes flashed through the dark as he leapt up the road beside Chance.

  Along a straightaway, Chance glanced over his shoulder into the forest shadows. He thought he saw a pair of orbs reflect in the dark. Instincts pushed him forward and drove him uphill, away from what was stalking them. He felt great power nearby and knew it was no mere animal.

  Heart booming in his chest, he kept going, knowing they were near home. If they could just get close enough to alarm Batukhan and Mac, they would be safe.

  Without warning, Derek yelped and fell back. Chance dug in his paws, sliding sideways to a stop. Jordan flew past him and slowed down.

  Through the murky night, Chance saw that something was clinging onto Derek’s back. Something furry and dark. Derek swung his head around, snapped at the creature, but missed.

  Chance lumbered downhill to join Derek. He swiped out his paw at what looked like a squirrel, although he was too slow. The small animal leapt through the air, landing instead on Chance’s back. The hairs on his spine tickled while it sped up to the top of his head. Without care to himself, Chance stood up on his back legs and slashed his claws at the creature, cutting his ear in the process.

  Again, the small mammal flew through the air and landed on the road. It scampered uphill, away from the three of them. At the crest of the hill, the animal grew in size until it was the shape of a man.

  Long hair hung down to his shoulders. A crooked smile lit his face when Mac asked, “Did you have fun while you were out?”

  Chance groaned, which came out more like a roar. He, and the others, shifted back to human form. His heart still raced in his chest. “Ana had a vision of Ryan and she was worried, so we went to find him.”

  “Didn’t feel like sharing this information earlier?” After no one spoke, Mac asked, “So, what were the results of your fun adventure?”

  Derek rubbed his head. “We couldn’t find him.”

  Mac anchored his fists on his hips. “I guess I should have said this earlier, but I want you leaving Ryan alone. No one should go out on their own looking for him. Got it?”

  They all nodded in silence.

  Chance didn’t know what it meant, but at the end of a long night he didn’t want any more trouble.

  Chapter 8

  Chance opened his eyes and stared at the back of Ana’s head. The beginning of daylight touched her hair, which tumbled in curls on the pillow. Her soft, rhythmic breathing matched the rise and fall of her chest. He held her for another minute before sliding out from beneath the sheets.

  Even if the nightmares hadn’t plagued his nights for days, he would’ve used any excuse to lay by her side now that he knew the feeling of pure
happiness being so near her. Although the last two weeks had a bumpy start, each day things got better for him. Working with Mac was distressing, but he had the sense that every upsetting memory he put to rest would get him that much closer to recovering from the post-traumatic stress of the previous month. Climbing into bed with Ana and holding her close made him trust that everything would be okay as long as they had each other.

  Chance got into the shower and let the hot water loosen his muscles. Even though he wasn’t practicing shapeshifting with the others, the work he was doing was physically draining. He toweled off, pulled on his lounge pants and robe, and snuck out of the bathroom.

  “Hey. Morning,” Ana said with a scratchy voice.

  “Didn’t mean to wake you. Was going to meet up with Derek for a quick run before you got up—then I thought I’d get you some breakfast.”

  Ana sat up and pulled her tangled hair away from her puffy, pink face. Despite the ravages of sleep, he found her just as beautiful as the night of their prom.

  She mumbled, “You’re too good to me. I’ll shower and meet you in the dining room. Love you.”

  He leaned in, kissed her forehead and said as he walked out of the bedroom. The house was silent except for the whispered creaks and deep groans homes voice when no one is listening. Chance ran downstairs and let himself into Derek’s room. The blinds were shut tight. The only light came from the open door and Derek’s phone which was blinking and sounding a car horn.

  “Hey, man. You still up for a run?” Chance asked at the lump beneath the covers.