Page 111 of Forbidden Moon
“Fair enough, but that’s not the only reason, is it?”
Jonah told him the plain truth.
“No. Ben is trying to protect you. He knows you’re capable and brave, but you’re easier to kill than we are. Those men are coming here with guns, and even if they know you’re human, they may shoot anyway. Promise you’ll stay with me.”
Apparently, Jonah needed him more than Ben did, and though it rubbed him the wrong way, he was not about to deny his mate.
“I promise, Jo.”
RJ kissed his mate softly until he relaxed. In time, they slept, wrapped around one another in a tight embrace.
####
SUNDAY, JUST AFTERsunrise
Artem and Robyn monitored the viewscreens for activity while a reduced security team conducted their regular patrols. Until the Michigan Foresters showed up, all borders were being carefully watched. If Russell’s men decided to split up, it would further complicate things and require even more juggling of personnel and resources.
While Artem understood the need to repurpose most of his drones, he missed his eyes in the sky. He’d stationed them in strategic places among the trees around the burn scar where they assumed the conflict would occur. By grounding them and using careful placement, it made the best use of battery power and better cameras to capture the needed footage.
There were ample opportunities for this operation to go sideways, and it put a knot in his stomach. How many enemy forces were there? Would they enter together or use multiple entry points? Send in scouts or march straight in? Use diversionary tactics? Come in shooting? No one knew, but Ben, Caleb and Oscar seemed to think Hook and his men were too inexperienced to try subterfuge or fancy moves. Artem refused to settle on any one opinion, lest he become complacent and miss something.
Tense minutes passed until Robyn’s voice shattered the silence.
“We have movement at entry point one!”
Artem stepped closer to look over her shoulder and activated the ultrasonic alarm. A distinct series of whistles and chirps began broadcasting at thirty-five thousand hertz for a two-minute cycle.
“Get me numbers if you can, Robyn.”
Artem grabbed the satellite phone.
“Teams red and yellow, we have intruders at entry point one.”
“Copy base. Waiting for orders to move in.”
“All other teams stand by for possible redeployment.”
Artem knew there was plenty of activity on the ground already; security forces pre-placed and waiting for the militia to arrive. He scanned the screens for movement and realized the enemy was strung out in a line along the trail. There were a lot of them, far more than Hook’s inner circle. The bastard must have brought everyone with him.
“What’s the count, Robyn?”
“Forty-two on foot. All are heavily armed and moving quickly. I haven’t spotted any stragglers or scouts yet, but I’ll keep looking.”
Artem relayed the information to Ben, waiting with his team out of sight.
“Team leader, we count forty-two, heavily armed, and moving as a single group. ETA twelve minutes to your position at present speed.”
“Acknowledged, base. Any other border activity?”
“Negative, team leader. All the eggs are in one basket.”
“Good work, base. Activate the rear guard.”
Artem and Robyn both sported wicked smiles as he made the call. Ben had requested help from some of the neighboring packs to beef up their defenses. The Michigan Foresters were unaware of being outnumbered more than three to one—and not by the two-legged kind.
####
USING HAND SIGNALS, Russell urged his men forward. The narrow path meant their single-file incursion took longer than he’d hoped, making it easier for the shapeshifters to spot them. He wanted to be deeper into the preserve before the shooting started in case it attracted outside attention. He also loathed the idea of letting any of the freaks get away.
