The two-hour drive into Aspen passed in relative silence with everyone seemingly lost in their own thoughts. Mackenna used the time to go over the plan in her mind, rehearsing what she would say and how she would say it. She practiced facial expressions, grinning sheepishly when Roux giggled at her from the other side of the backseat of the SUV.
Their destination was a former ski resort twenty-seven miles from the Hunters’ compound. By the time Luca turned onto a narrow dirt road about two miles out, nerves had set in. Worse, the problem was compounded by the fact that the moon was steadily climbing toward its apex.
Mackenna scratched at her forearm through her jacket. Her entire body felt tight, tense, like a rubber band stretched to its limits. Her muscles ached. The gums around her canines throbbed. Her eyes sporadically shifted between human and lupine, blurring her vision and forcing her to blink several times to get them to focus.
“Breathe,” Roux instructed as they gathered beneath the full moon at the edge of the trees. “You can do this.”
“It’s going to be harder to control your shift if you can’t calm down.” Resting his hands on his hips, Luca studied her. “Are you sure you can do this?”
“She’s fine.”
Mackenna gave Roux a grateful smile, then turned to nod at Luca. “I can do it.”
Cade wrapped and arm around her and kissed her temple. “You don’t have to, baby.”
“She kind of does,” Luca interjected.
She appreciated his bluntness. “He’s right,” she said when Cade glared. “If I don’t do this, the whole mission falls apart. I’m good.” If he didn’t like what Luca had to say, he really wasn’t going to like this next part. “Okay. Let’s get on with it.”
Sliding her jacket off, she passed it to Roux. In exchange, the female offered her a long-handled knife with a smooth blade. Cade had already started shaking his head before her fingers had even touched the leather-wrapped handle.
“You’re not going to be able to take that with you.”
“I know.”
She didn’t give him a chance to question her, nor herself time to overthink it. Holding the knife in a desperate grip, she dragged the blade across her flank, cutting through both her shirt and her skin. The pain was immediate and intense, but she squeezed her eyes closed and clenched her teeth, determined not to cry out.
“Jesus, Mackenna.” Stepping forward, Cade snatched the knife from her shaking hand and threw it to the ground. “What the hell?”
“No one is going to believe I escaped a group of Hunters that big without a single injury.” She took a step back when he reached for her. “I’m okay. I’ll heal.” Hopefully, not before she reached the town. “Okay, I need you to hit me.”
Cade narrowed his eyes at her. “I’m not going to fucking hit you.”
She’d had a feeling he would say that. “Roux?”
“No.” Cade stepped between her and the female. “Stop this.”
Behind him, Roux nodded. “I’ll do it.”
Cade didn’t turn, but a low growl rumbled up from his throat. It was a wholly human sound, lacking the tonality of a fanged predator, but it sent a shiver through Mackenna, nonetheless.
“Knock it the fuck off, Jennings.”
Pressing her hand to the side of his neck, Mackenna urged him to meet her gaze. “Do you remember when you found me, love? Do you remember how bad it was?”
His nostrils flared, and a darkness shuttered his eyes. “It’s not something I’ll ever forget.”
“I was bruised and bleeding, barely able to walk. That is what someone looks like when they fight like hell to escape monsters. Hey.” She stroked her thumb up and down the jumping vein in his throat when he looked away. “It’s going to be okay, but I have to do this. I have to make them believe me before I even say a word.”
They stared at each other for a long time before Cade finally leaned forward and claimed her lips in a hard, possessive kiss. “I swear, no one pisses me off like you do, Mack.”
She beamed back at him. “I love you, too.”
“Okay,” Roux said, rubbing her hands together as she stepped around Cade. “Where do you want it?”
“Try not to break my nose.” It would mend quickly, but that also meant that it would probably heal crookedly. The last thing she wanted was to have to rebreak and set it again later.
“You got it.” Turning her attention to Luca, she tilted her head at Cade. “Do you mind?”
With a nod, Luca stepped forward and grabbed Cade by the elbow. Cade clearly understood why, because he didn’t try to fight him…yet.
The first blow came as a surprise, and Mackenna growled as her head snapped to the side. Damn, for such a little thing, Roux packed one hell of a punch. Spitting blood onto the ground, she straightened and pulled her shoulders back.
“Again.”
Despite being prepared for the next hit, that didn’t make it hurt any less. Apparently, she wasn’t the only one in pain, either.
“Damn,” Roux grumbled, shaking out her hand. “Your jaw is made of freaking steal.”
“Again.”
Three more times, Roux hit her, and with each blow, Mackenna fought the urge to strike back. Her lips ached where it had split. Her jaw and cheek throbbed with her pulse. The last hit had opened the skin above her eyebrow, and the blood that trickled from the cut made her eye sting.
“Enough.” Cade didn’t speak loudly, but his tone didn’t invite argument. Luca held him with an arm across his chest now, forcibly keeping him from intervening. The gleam in his eyes was murderous. “That’s enough.”
Roux rubbed her bruised knuckles. “Yeah, he’s right. I think that’s enough.” She shoved
