Page 18 of Blades of Ice

“Hey, Beck.” Kennedy gave Lydia a quick wave and a welcoming smile.

“Kennedy, this is Lydia. Kennedy is Dooley’s mate.”

Kennedy’s eyes widened. “She knows?”

Lydia answered for Beck. “I do. I’m also a shifter.”

“Oh. That’s… uh, Dooley’s in the cave. You want some coffee?”

Beck wanted to laugh at the female’s patent words. She was ever the gracious hostess, and Dooley was always downstairs. “Not right now, but thank you.”

Beck tugged Lydia’s hand toward the door leading to the basement. He had texted his buddy earlier to let him know they’d be stopping by.

“What’s doing Beckett and Beckett’s female?” Dooley asked. Usually, he didn’t bother turning around, but he was facing the stairs when they got to the bottom.

“Beckett’s female has a name. Lydia, this is my good buddy, Dooley. He came to Alaska with me from BC.”

Lydia removed her parka and draped it over her arm. “Nice to meet you.”

“Oh, would you listen to that accent. Where are you from? Georgia or Tennessee?”

Lydia leaned against Beck’s arm. “Georgia. I swear I didn’t realize it was that bad.”

“Oh, it’s not bad at all. Just different. And different is good.” Dooley sniffed the air. “Speaking of different, you aren’t like us, are you?”

“Nope. I’m a Gargoyle.”

“The fuck you say. I thought all shifters were of the animal variety. You’re not going to turn to stone at midnight, are you?”

Lydia huffed out a laugh. “No stone creature here. Those were created to be a symbol of sanctuary for our kind hundreds of years ago. As for other shifters, all the ones I know of besides Goyles are animal shifters. Even the Gryphons have animal counterparts.”

“Gryphons?” Dooley slumped back in his seat. “Like the mythological beast?”

Lydia giggled outright. “Yep. Since we’re being open about this, is it rude to ask what Kennedy is? She didn’t smell like a bear.”

“It’s not rude since we’re family. My mate is an arctic fox. Cutest little bugger you ever did see when she shifts.”

“Did she come from BC as well?”

“No. We met a couple years later when both of us were out in the wild, but that’s a story for another time. Now, come sit and tell me about your cousin who has been making my life hell.”

Beck and Lydia took the empty chairs, and Lydia launched into the same information she had shared with Beck last night. While she gave Dooley the whole story, Lydia fiddled with her bracelets. “Ever since Agent Stallings lost his shit with Alyssa, the Trio set up alerts for any type of chatter relating to shifters. That’s what led me to Alaska.”

“Now that you know I’m one of the good guys, can you call off Carleigh?”

“I can do you one better. I’m going to put you in contact with her so you can work together. Since Amara still hasn’t surfaced, we need all hands on deck to find the Empress.”

“You think she’s missing and not hiding out somewhere?” Dooley asked Beck.

“At this point, yes. Also, Chloe hasn’t been heard from since yesterday after her last flight. The GPS on the helo was turned off, and Delaney is losing her mind.”

“What the fuck is going on, Beckett?”

“That’s what we need to find out. With Chloe in the wind, Delaney has demanded that I take on more flights while yelling at me in the next breath to findhermother andhersister. I can’t do both.”

“But you have Caleb and Damien.” Dooley’s computer pinged, and he held up a finger. He typed furiously for a few seconds before turning to Lydia. “Maybe you can call your cousin now before my system crashes?”

“On it.” Lydia removed her phone from the parka and made the call. “Hey, C. Did you get my email? Good. I’m here with the hacker in Kodiak, and he’s one of the good guys, so maybe don’t crash his system. Yeah, I’ll put you on speaker. Carleigh, I’m here with Beck and Dooley Moore.”

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