Timber Valley Pack: Lynx On The Loose( A Paranormal Romance With Shifters) by Georgette St. Clair

shook his head. “It’s too dangerous for you to travel alone. I’m not leaving you guys. I mean, I’ve already ditched the Wardens and I called Steele since I’ve been here. If I’m going rogue, I might as well go all in.”
    “I smell something,” Thomas said suddenly, looking off to the east. Isadora quickly moved in front of him.
    “I do too. Wolf shifter,” Dash said.   
                  They waited, and a couple of minutes later a shaggy haired man with a scarred face, wearing stained, faded jeans and a plaid shirt, came trotting through the trees. “I know him,” Isadora said. “His name is Pyotr.”
                  Pyotr rushed over to her, long hair flopping over his face. His breath came in harsh gasps, and his eyes were wide with panic. Dash moved in front of her protectively, watching Pyotr with a wary expression.
    “The humans were here! They came to my cave while I was hunting. They were waiting for me!” he wailed. “What should I do? You said your people could protect me!”
                  “We can protect you. You need to come with us,” Isadora told him. “We’re going to a town near here where there are plenty of shifters.  The police chief there is a shifter; he can keep you safe.”
                  “That accent…is he from Korslovia?” Dash asked.
                  “Yes, he is. What do you know about Korslovia?” Isadora asked.
                  “I’ll tell you if you tell me,” Dash said.
                  Isadora considered this.  It couldn’t hurt to fill him in on the basics. “A scientist in Korslovia discovered the existence of shifters about sixteen years ago, and built a lab at a remote prison site, to experiment on them. The lab was destroyed two years ago when the dictatorship was overthrown.  The existence of shifters was not exposed to humans, and only one of their scientists survived and escaped.”
                  “Had you heard that they actually succeeded in turning humans into shifters?” Dash asked her.
                  “Yes, we had. As far as we know they only succeeded with one test subject, who was killed,” Isadora said.
                  “Can you stop talking about it, right now?” Pyotr was pale, and shaking.              
                  “All right,” Isadora said. “Pyotr, I know you’re frightened, but you may be the only one who can help us end all of this.  We are going to need a positive identification on Zador Horvath.  You are the only shifter in this country who’s seen his face.  No official records of him exist anywhere.  All that you would have to do is tell us yes or no.”
                  “Do the people you’re working for have a suspect in custody?” Dash asked sharply. “You think you have him?”
                  “I can’t answer that,” Isadora said, looking away.  Dash let out a low, rumbling growl of frustration.
                  “Are these humans coming back to get us?” Sally asked, as they trudged through the forest towards Dash’s pickup truck.
                  “If they try, I will kill them first,” Isadora assured her.
                  “I will too,” Dash said. “I promise you, no human is getting their hands on you.”
                  Thomas had a more urgent question on his mind.  “If we stay with you, does this mean more baths?”
                  “Daily. And don’t argue with me.” Isadora saw him glance at the trees. “And don’t try to outrun me. I’m a cat, and a very fast one.”
                  “I like baths,” Sally declared. “Especially bubble baths.”
                  “That’s because you’re a girl,” Thomas said, scowling.  Then he brightened. “Hey, does swimming in a river count? Or a lake? That’s a bath,