Luca

It was around eight when the snow fell, and by ten it showed no signs of stopping. It blanketed the field around the old manor, and the naked branches stretching over Luca's head where he hid just inside the tree line did little to protect him from the onslaught. At his side, his father, Price, and Kade hunkered down, their focus on the Slayers prowling around the Helsing property.

The earpiece popped and buzzed against his sensitive eardrums, and Nancy's voice was painfully loud. "Is everyone in position?"

Pressing the unmute button, he replied, "We're waiting to hear from Scott's team."

"Hold until my signal."

"Bossy little thing, isn't she?" Kade quipped with a wince as he adjusted his own earpiece.

"Seems to be a trend in the family. They look sweet until they open their mouths."

"It's not our mouths you should be worried about." Something pointy jabbed in his ribs.

Careful to turn slowly so his movements wouldn't draw attention, he fixed Hailey with a frown. "Remind me why you're with our team?"

"Probably because her mama doesn't trust a bunch of shifters without a babysitter."

"Price," Edwin said, diplomatic as always. "I think it shows more trust to send her only child with us than it would to keep her by her side."

Hailey shrugged and tugged on the white cap covering her golden hair. "That and I told her she had two choices. Let me go with you or miss out on the fight because the only way I was staying behind was if she was too. Van is my friend, and I know your first focus is going to be to save her. That's where I want to be."

Kade grunted. "You know this is the farthest I've ever been from pack lands."

Price bumped his shoulder. "You're from the Mississippi pack. That's 1200 miles away, and farther than any of us have ever been."

"Y'all know what I mean. I had an escort the entire way here, and it wasn't exactly like the airports offered a lot of scenery. My entire life has been confined to the same forty square miles. It's not right."

Luca didn't need to see Hailey to feel her discomfort. He thought it admirable that she'd professed a desire to change, but it was one thing to speak and another to experience. This was the reality of their existence. At least for now. After tonight, things would never be the same.

"I wish we had more people," Edwin said. As long as Luca could remember his papa only offered opinions if they were thoroughly considered. If he expressed worry, there was a good reason.

"We've only seen four Slayers, and Nancy's team reported six. We have twenty-five."

Luca added, "Nancy said this property wasn't common knowledge among the Slayers, and she would have heard if there was a sudden call to the Asylum for more guards."

"It is not the headcount that worries me, not entirely. Abraham Van Helsing built the Holy Asylum to carry out his vision of ridding the world of any creatures that weren't fully human. The unnatural and unholy. He handpicked the men and women who followed him, and those founding families have remained faithful over all these years."

"Clearly, not everyone," Hailey said with a sniff.

"You are right," Edwin said, "And that means that whatever is in this house, it is something the Helsings want to hide. Only the most trusted are welcomed here. That means that there may be protections around this place that we cannot see."

"Shit, you're right," Price said, his eyes flashing in the dark.

A new scent on the wind and a snapping twig had the five of them spinning around with a snarl. Those snarls turned to curses when their faces came into focus.

"Oh, hush," Sophia said. Hanna and Nora fanned out beside her, the three of them dressed in the same white and gray garb as Luca's team. "You were just saying you needed more help."

"But-" Price protested.

Hanna glared at her husband, "But we're women? That better not be what you were about to say."

"Nope. Never," he replied sheepishly.

"Besides, they did not come alone," Falcon Forest emerged from the darkness. He had approached a panther. His black skin was bright against the snow. He remained crouched low, likely being modest for Hailey's sake.

"What did you do?" Luca demanded. His palms grew sweaty. There was no love lost between the Forest family and the Slayers, but Falcon was Abe's puppet as long as Bane was in his captivity.

"Do not worry, Brooks. They did the right thing coming to me. What you do tonight will start a war between us and the Slayers. One that is long overdue, and I will not sit on the sidelines."

"That's not what he said at first," Nora snapped. She had always been the troublemaker in the family, and a short fuse caused most of the trouble on her temper. "He had some colorful words about women, but as soon as we told him he might get a chance to bite Helsing, he was on board."

Falcon shook his head. "Your women speak too freely."

The Brooks family shared a look but remained silent. That was a fight for another day. Falcon was right that this would start a war, and if they were to win, they needed everyone united.

"We thought about calling the entire pack," Nora whispered as she slipped up to the treeline. She scanned the field quickly, her intelligent eyes missing nothing. "But we figured this was meant to be about stealth over force, and as much as I hate to admit that a Forest is right, we're going to see a lot more fighting after this. We will need everyone eventually."

Nancy's voice boomed over the earpiece. "Scott's team is in place. They're on the east side of the building. No more Slayers have been seen, but there has been some commotion in the wing over there. A lot of activity. Said it sounded like animals."

"Xandra?"

"Possibly, but he said it sounded like more than one. They moved some prisoners a couple days ago, but I assumed it was to the new base."

"New base?"

"Not the time, Luca," Nancy snapped. "Set a timer. In three minutes, the designated team members move forward."

"All right, listen up," he addressed the newcomers, "this is about extraction. Getting in and out without a fight is our goal. Hailey and I are going to cross the field. With the snow, I think it will be better if I remain human for now."

"A big black kitty cat would probably be fairly noticeable," Nora said.

Ignoring his sister, Luca continued, "Everyone else fan out along the treeline. Form a border. When we give the signal, draw attention to yourselves."

Falcon exhaled. "We're here to lure them away from the house. Smart. I like it. I was about to be upset that they had brought me out into the cold for no reason."

Hanna and Sophia rolled their eyes while Nora, never knowing when to keep her mouth shut, replied, "Don't worry, if you miss out on a fight, I'll be happy to oblige later."

"Enough, Nora," Edwin said, though his eyes twinkled with amusement. Which probably had a lot to do with his eldest child's behavior, as she never got in trouble for anything.

"Hanna," Kade said as they settled into their positions. A minute and a half was left on the clock. "Who is with Mickey?"

"Mama and Mickey are with the Forest's." He opened his mouth to protest, and Hanna put a hand on his shoulder. "They won't let anything happen to them. Falcon told them he'd take it personally if they did."

That seemed to satisfy Luca's brother-in-law. Forty-five seconds left. Luca's mind turned over all the scenarios. Over all the things that could go wrong. But hours had passed since he'd failed to protect Van, and his gut told him this was right. That action was better than inaction, and when he brought her home tonight, he would tell her how he felt. Then he would show her.

"Why are your cheeks red?" Nora asked.

"Freaking sisters," he said as his watch buzzed.

He and Hailey rushed forward, keeping to shadows as best they could. Behind them, bright eyes of green, blue, and gray gleamed in the moonlight before fading into the darkness.

A Slayer walking the perimeter paused and swung his head in their direction. Without signaling or speaking, he and Hailey both dropped to their stomachs, breath escaping in pearly puffs of mist that he prayed the snowfall concealed.

The soldier watched for longer than Luca liked, but finally, she turned and went back the way she came, her path carrying her to Nancy's waiting crew. The only sound was the almost silent patter of snowflakes striking the earth. Hailey shivered, and he wasn't sure if it was from fear or cold.

"Let's move."

They made it to the house without further incident. The air was a blur of blinding snow, and even with his impressive eyesight, the treeline was barely perceptible through the blizzard and darkness.

Nancy and Scott announced, "We're a go."

"On my count," Luca said, sending up a quick prayer, "One, two, three."

One moment, the night was filled with the sigh of snowfall, and the next the scream of over a half dozen panthers, the roar of a bear, and the long, mournful howl of a wolf shattered the peace. The hairs on Luca's body lifted in response to the display of power. The message in their cries was finally their own and not the puppet master's.

Guards rushed by their hiding spot. They waited another minute before moving in case those in the house left to join the fight, but when they saw no one else, they headed to a patio door. Hailey's gloved fist broke the glass.

"Gotta move faster, Brooks," she said in response to his surprised look as she reached through and unlocked the door.

"Maybe I was trying to find a less noisy way inside?"

"Did you have a key in your pocket I didn't know about?"

Their boots crunched on the glass as they entered the house. A formal parlor stretched out before them, the chairs and walls alike covered in tiny roses. A circular area rug matched the pink of the petals, and the surrounding hardwood floors gleamed beneath the warm light of a chandelier. A fireplace took up most of the back wall, but the hearth was cold. Not even a whiff of smoke permeated the room.

"She was in here," he said, catching a faint hint of Van's scent, thankful for the Slayers willingness to sit in a chilled room. Smoke could mask the strongest of smells.

"Recently?" Hailey asked, her back to the wall as she peered around the doorframe. "Like recently enough that you can follow your nose to her?"

He scoffed. "I'm not a bloodhound."

The blonde rolled her eyes as she motioned him to follow her. "Don't get your panties in a twist. I know what animal you turn into, but I also know all of your lot has exceptional senses. So, can you?"

"It'll work better if I shift."

"By all means. We're not trying to blend in with the surroundings anymore."

"Can you, um, you know... turn around?" Luca rubbed the back of his head.

Shifters were comfortable in their skin, and it wasn't uncommon to catch an eye full of someone in the buff while on pack lands. But that didn't mean they walked around like they lived in a nudist colony. There were unspoken rules of etiquette about looking away when someone prepared to shift. Especially outside of family.

"Oh, right," she squeaked, spinning around and hitting the tip of her gun on the doorframe. "Crap."

He smothered a chuckle as he tugged his sweatshirt over his head. He and Hailey had both been trained in combat and weapons from childhood. Tonight it would mean the difference between dying and surviving, but moments like this served as a reminder of what they really were: kids caught in the middle of a war.

Working quickly, he bundled the jeans and t-shirt he'd worn beneath the snow camouflage gear. The outerwear was too bulky to carry, but he didn't like being stranded without clothes. Satisfied, he changed forms and picked the clothes up in his mouth.

"What?" Hailey said, looking down at him when he nudged her with his nose. Blue eyes wide with curiosity roamed over him. "Wow. You know, I've never been this close to anyone in their animal form before. Just Shifter Day, but wow."

He bumped her leg again, redirecting her attention to the clothes he held in his mouth. Carrying them about in the woods was one thing. He didn't want to waste time dropping them if they came upon Slayers.

"I'm not a pack mule," she groused, taking the clothes and stuffing them inside her jacket. The statement earned a chuff. She translated the sound. "All right. Touche. Lead the way. The path is clear."

They worked through the house at a clipped pace. Van's scent diverged at the stairway. He stiffened as he tried to determine how to continue. Her scent on the stairs was fainter than in the parlor which made sense if she came downstairs, then went to the parlor. The smell at the base of the stairs was twice as strong, making him think she'd doubled back, but when he walked down the hallway, it ended abruptly.

"What is it?" Hailey asked.

He butted his head against the wall- part agitation, part communication. There had to be a false door here. Teleporting wasn't on the list of abilities Xandra mentioned, and Luca was sure Van hadn't gone back up the stairs. His whiskers vibrated just before the faint sound of steps reached his ears.

Hailey heard the people approaching moments after he did, and she started pressing frantically on the wall. He backed out of her way and lowered himself to a defensive crouch, tail lashing behind him.

The goal was to get in and out with as little bloodshed as possible. Luca flexed his claws. Sometimes plans didn't work out the way you wanted, and he was fully prepared to take a life if it meant this mission was a success.

"Luca, nothing is here," Hailey said in frustration. Her knuckles were red and raw from rapping on the wall.

The footsteps were around the corner. Rapid gunfire erupted. Bodies thudded to the floor, and Hailey aimed her weapon. They could have run up the stairs to avoid the confrontation, but that meant sacrificing an easy out.

"Don't shoot," Luce said, poking her head around the corner.

"Holy shit," Hailey breathed, lowering her gun. "Couldn't you have updated your position on the comms?"

Scott followed behind the witch. "We weren't sure it was you two until we got past the guards. All I smelled was them at first."

"What's the holdup here?" Luce asked. All her playfulness was gone, and she looked every inch a soldier as she holstered her gun and studied the wall.

"Well, I can't be sure because I don't speak cat, but Luca thinks Van is behind this wall." He snarled. "Okay, he knows she's behind the wall, but I can't find any kind of door."

The witch closed her eyes and pressed her palms against the wall, a bright light spilling through the cracks of her finger. Something clicked, then the wall groaned as a door appeared.

"It was magically hidden?" Scott said, his jaw tight. "Effing hypocrite."

"I'd say we're on the right path if they've got a spell hiding it." Luce folded her arms over her chest and frowned. "But I bet that won't be the only bit of magic we run into if we go down that hallway. We should wait for the others."

Luca's ears flattened, and he hissed. Hailey nodded. "What he said. We're not waiting, but you two can."

"Come on," Luce hollered as they rushed into the tunnel. "Your mom is gonna kick my ass."

They didn't look back to see if the witch and shifter followed. Water dripped down the stone walls, and the ground was slimy beneath his paws. Hailey coughed and covered her nose, hit by a putrid stench he could almost taste, but running beneath the odor was Van's scent. Bright and clean, it beckoned him toward her.

He just hoped it wasn't too late.