King's Throne(51)

Every morning, they would go out for a run in their fur, prowling up snow banks and down hillocks, tussling sometimes in the loose powder, sliding fancifully on ice sheets and sharpening their claws on rocks and trees. This was their territory—okay, well, it was really her father’s territory—but they were welcomed in his domain.
They ranged farther afield each day, bounding along the perimeter, through the woods, well hidden from prying eyes. Their snowy coats and ingrained camouflage made them very difficult to see against the backdrop of the snowy forest. At least, that’s how it had always been for Gina. She’d roamed these woods all her life and never had a problem.
Until an arrow shot out of the misty morning to land not an inch from where her head had been and embedded deeply in the bark of a pine tree.
Mitch growled and jumped in front of her, ushering her to relative safety behind a large boulder while he covered her body with his own. If more projectiles were coming, he had put himself in position to be hit first, protecting her as best he could.
When nothing happened for several minutes, he got up and peeked around the boulder, raising a paw, then an ear, then his head. No more arrows flew at them. Finally, he darted out from behind the boulder and swatted the arrow loose, dragging it back to cover with him.
He shifted quickly to his human form and unrolled a slip of paper that had been wrapped around the shaft of the arrow. Crouching behind the boulder, he read it and cursed.
“We need to get back to the cabin. This place isn’t safe anymore and your uncle is well aware of my existence. He’s issued the challenge.”
Gina rubbed her head against his shoulder in distress. She’d stayed in cat form, knowing she was faster on ice and snow in her fur than her human form. The news made her want to gasp, while at the same time the tigress in her was ready to fight. She wanted this ordeal over with. And she wanted to taste the blood of her enemies.
With a growl, she moved back, watching Mitch shift into his stunning black and white fur. Together, they ran to the cabin, keeping to cover as much as possible. Fear followed her tracks and determination to end this once and for all spurred her on. Their idle time was over.
Whether they were ready or not, the challenge had to be met. This morning’s demonstration only emphasized the point that they weren’t as safe here as she’d always thought they were. Uncle Gisli had let them fall into a false sense of security. It was clear now that they’d been under surveillance all this time. How else could he know about Mitch?
Gina put on a burst of speed to get to the cabin. She had to check on her parents and the other families on the mountain. They needed to send up the alarm. Her sense of peace had been well and truly shattered.
Mitch checked out the cabin before he would allow her to go inside. Things were okay this far inside the perimeter, but it was clear Gisli had his agents in the area and they couldn’t take anything for granted anymore.
Gina shifted to her human form and reached for the phone even before she reached for her clothes. Hitting speed dial, she threw on her clothing as the phone rang at her parents’ house, farther up the mountain.
“Mom. Thank the Lady. Is everything okay?” Gina knew she should probably be a little calmer and explain things, but panic had her in its grip. Her mother seemed to pick up on her urgency, reporting that everything was green up at the house. Gina was able to take a breath and regroup. She knew what she had to do. They’d rehearsed this many times. “Lockdown,” she said in a no-nonsense voice. “Someone launched an arrow at my head near the southeastern perimeter. No damage, but there was a note attached. Gisli has issued the challenge.”
Her mother, much better in a crisis than Gina herself, went immediately into battle mode. She let Gina know as she started the chain that would automatically notify every family on the mountain that the alert status had changed. Reports would start filtering in any minute, so Gina hung up with a promise that she and Mitch were going to head up to the house. It was the most fortified location on the mountain and everyone would be gathering there before long.
The storm had gathered and was almost upon them all.
 
Mitch’s first view of the king’s home in exile impressed him. They’d built a good, old fashioned stone keep up on top of the mountain. How they’d managed to do so in the middle of the native forest without changing anything too drastically, he’d never know. The structure was only two or three stories high, but it still managed to have an air of antiquity about it. The stone was all native grey rock. Granite, Mitch thought. Very thick.
Windows were small and raised well off the ground with no perch points that a shifter could take advantage of in either human or shifted form. The only real danger would be from the sky—if any raptor shifters decided to come after the tiger king in exile for some reason. That was unlikely, so the place was darn near impregnable by conventional means.