pte

n she left. "And I foolishly thought I'd actually get some answers, " Ivy said to herself as she drove

gain. "And I can get out of these long johns." She reminded herself, knowing that if she started unp

it would be beyond her strength. Wolves, even older ones, tended to have a denser musculature than mere mages. The

Ivy said to herself. "Still, " she continued, eyeing

aren't trying to lif

uld actually hear the thoughts of animals. She suspected that he could also communicate with Shifters when they weren't wearing their human for

lated to William's b

in Ivy, " Max said s

inking. I don't suppose you could

with a shrug.

d. "Jerome Finch put i

ack him down?" Max said cl

ered the back ga

bed with a grunt. Ivy grabbed the handle on the free end and with great effort they managed to get it out of the truck. Together they struggled

gh end ski lodge. No matter how many times she went in and out the front doors, it still seemed vaguely unreal. The sound

fter thing sounds

dy to share the contents with the bulk of the shifter pack. In fact, knowing how the pack felt abo

brother. Max nodded and again they hefted the trunk a few inches off of the ground.

e trunk was now in a shadowy corner and unlikely

our family meetin

hout extra p

's th

we want to see what that's about or should we jus

and hat and stuffed them in the pocket holding the large m

eed, both of them still

much the same tone of voice when arg

by breaking the cookie in h

scarf so it hung in looser loops around her neck. The argument didn't seem to be dying down.

ck, " Ma

ren't

nyard animals healthy and happy until you cook them up for di

d out of the door. Ivy couldn't blame him. Most of the family had introvert tendencies and like her, Max spent

c mixed into the knot of angry men as she tended to count the two of them as among the more level headed of the bunch. Ivy frowned and moved closer wonde

believing there was nothing she could possibly learn from them. As those same mages tended to view norms as though they were still medieval peasants, Ivy didn't take their jibes personally. It did lead her to make more frien

knew she was one of his few friends as well. She helped him out by using her magic to help hide them further from his

m, a look of amusement on her lined face was his grandmother Irina. Born in the modern village of Delphi, Irina liked to play the fortune teller by reading the tea leaves. Her

hields, ' Ivy thought, guessing that

irst she shielded. As she drew closer, Ivy realized there was fear as much as anger on his face. She listened to a few of the sentences being hurled about as sh

emale voice throwing them off stride as she and Irina were the only women present. As they remained silent, she continued, drivi

trance before setting foot on the property. The shields on your homes must be disengaged to allow passage. They are just locks and not responsive as it wa

knocked out of him. "Really, " he asked a

" she r

t sheepish as the discussion came to an end. "I apologize, " he told Russell. He look

handsome men fighting over me, " Irina told him wit

rank repeat

happened when I was younger all ended in bl

hifters all sniffing the air, trying to taste the words to see if they

but stood there as though uncertain of

strength lay more in his mind than his body. His lanky frame added a slight paunch over the years and there were stands of gray mixed into his shaggy black hair. His olive skin looked a little sallow from far too much time awa

inuing with whatever they were doing before they joined the argument. Ivy shook her head, envying the way they could completely dismiss an argument the mome

in the corner, " Ivy told him inclining her head towards the trunk

n likely came from, Russell's eyebrows lifted in su

x had to help m

Ivy led Irina and Nick towards the kitchen she saw the two of them pick up the trunk as though it weighed

he thought w

aid to her guests as they co