“Who threatens this clan, and why? Don’t know if we can help, but we’ll try.”
Nastia nodded in agreement, and so did Mirena.
Destiny pressed her lips together before answering. As if she was gearing up to deliver a blow. “A group of shifters, a shadow clan. Law breakers, thieves, and murderers. The vilest of our kind.”
“For what reason—”
“Treason,” Destiny interrupted. “See what I did there?” She winked in dramatic fashion before continuing. “One of their clan left to find a better life with the Ouachita cats. They want him back. And worse, they want to annihilate everything he loves. His new family, his mate… they want to take it all.”
Oh, this was worse than Adira imagined. A darkness trying to make its way into the light. A search for salvation with hell on his heels. Trying to do right, but haunted by everything bad. And now his family would pay for it.
She looked at her sisters. Their eyes held the same righteous anger she knew hers did. But did they have time for this? The clock was running out for them. Soon they would be dark like this shadow clan. Soon they’d hurt innocents to get what they wanted.
Adira squeezed her eyes shut against that thought and forced a question through her lips. “What about us, we’re running out of time. We risk our future to fight this crime.”
She hated asking. It was against her nature to be selfish. But if she wasn’t a bit worried for herself now, she’d be worse than just selfish later.
Destiny smiled, clasping her hands in front of her. “That’s the best part. Remember how I said I kind of rocked at setting people up with their mates?”
“Yes,” Nastia said, frowning.
“Welllllll.” Destiny rolled her hands in a circle like the rest of her plan was obvious. “That’s what you three are looking for, right? Your mates?”
Adira cocked her head to one side, blonde ringlets falling loose from her conservative updo. They were looking for their anchors. Often it was found in a connection of true love between one person and another. One strong enough to withstand the test of time. A forever love. A… mate some might say.
“You can help us find our anchors?” Nastia asked, gripping the side of the well until her knuckles turned white.
“I can try. I’d try my best. Because you know, I think we could be friends. And I fight hard for my friends.” Her face grew serious, her petite features losing any hint of playfulness. She looked fierce in the way only an animal could. Determined. “You help my friends in the Ouachitas, and we’ll help you. We won’t let you down. Do we have a deal?”
Nastia looked up from the well, her eyes meeting Adira with so much hope it put an ache in her chest just to see it. Her sister hardly mentioned it, how scared she was of turning evil. How scared she was to be the first of them to go. But now, her hope told the whole story.
Adira looked to Mirena. Her auburn eyes were steady, glinting with the same optimism she saw in Nastia’s. Both of them would turn before Adira, and it would break her heart to pieces. If this was their chance… they had to take it. There was no question.
Adira nodded, sure of this decision. Whatever happened now was up to fate.
“Deal,” Nastia spoke into the well.
“Yes!” Destiny clapped her hands together in victory. “You won’t be sorry. This is the beginning of something great. I can feel it.”
Adira could feel it too. The rainbow had brought them Destiny. Destiny had brought them hope. They had a battle before them, for sure. But even still, their future seemed infinitely less dim. Their situation, no longer hopeless.
“To the Ouachitas we will go,” she sighed. “May we at last find what we’re looking fo’.”
She grinned as Nastia groaned.
That might’ve been one of her worst rhymes yet.
Chapter One
Julio “Gash” Kennedy robotically clicked through shots from the various security cameras around the Ouachita property, staring at the monitors before him, but seeing nothing but a blur of black and white.
The past will haunt you. How many times had he heard that phrase? Or thought it. Or believed it with his whole blackened heart. But it was bullshit. The past doesn’t bother with haunting. No, the past is a bad fucker with a hulk-ass iron fist, and when it finds you, when it finally catches up to you, it smashes everything around you until you’re left with shards. Everything you touch, or that touches you, gets a taste of the bastard’s vengeance.
Gash clenched his teeth tight, silently begging Owyn and Magic to leave the security room before he lost it.
Hold it fucking together. Do it, you bastard. You can’t fall apart now. You’re a goddamn Alley Cat—