Page 4 of Elusive Mate

They couldn’t have been more wrong.

San Francisco Zoo

Two Years Ago

Zenya knew she had to keep moving if she was to outmaneuver Lucian’s two watchdogs. She had identified both early the previous week and had made arrangements to meet with a member of the Shadow Sisters. She had planned a weekend getaway in San Francisco and had made sure her plans were well known. She’d spotted the two men both in the hotel lobby and in its famed circular restaurant. She’d led them on a merry chase using the cable cars, the electric tuk-tuks, cabs, and just brisk walking.

She was to meet a woman known only as Caye in the Leanne B. Roberts African Savanna section of the zoo. She’d been instructed to buy a ticket to the VIP tour, which was limited to just twelve guests. If she waited until the last minute to buy her ticket, it would be difficult, if not impossible, for Lucian’s men to observe her meeting with Caye. Zenya had no idea who Caye was, what she looked like, or even if that was her real name, but Zenya had known her best chance in escaping the life that had been planned for her was to obtain the assistance of the Shadow Sisters.

So far, so good. Zenya was pretty sure she’d lost them when she’d grabbed the last tuk-tuk, but had made use of storefront windows and various other techniques she’d learned from romantic suspense novels and movies. She purchased a general admission ticket to the zoo and headed in the opposite direction of the Savanna exhibit. Going through the bird or monkey exhibits would most likely produce a noisy response—neither group of animals liked white tigers. Once she was sure she was in the clear, she made her way to the Savanna exhibit and purchased a VIP pass for the morning tour.

With only five minutes to spare, she snagged the last ticket and breathed a sigh of relief as the small group of twelve headed down the path.

“Not to worry,” said a pretty woman, settling in beside her. “You did a great job losing them in the city. I don’t think they even know you’re here at the zoo, unless you used a credit card.”

“Not a chance,” said Zenya.

“So, what’s the deal with Lucian Hendrix keeping such a close eye on you?”

“He believes me to be his fated mate.”

“What do you believe, Zenya Hale?”

So, she knows my name, and who I am. “I don’t much care what Lucian or my brother Zaiden believe. I have no interest in being Lucian’s mate, first lady of the clan, or in ever seeing Alaska again.”

“I understand,” said Caye with a sympathy that sounded sincere. “But won’t you miss the snow?”

“There are plenty of places that have snow that aren’t Alaska. I hear Switzerland has excellent skiing.”

Caye laughed. “It does indeed, but it’s too fucking cold for my liking, although there are parts of the Rockies I rather like.”

“Can you help me?”

“We would never have agreed to meet with you if we didn’t think we could.”

“What would you have done?” Zenya asked with genuine curiosity.

“Simple; we’d have shut down that contact point and you would never have heard from any of us ever again.”

“That’s a bit harsh, don’t you think?”

“I do, but it’s also necessary. For the Shadow Sisters to be able to do what we do for as long as we have done it, we’ve had to look at things realistically, which has meant, more than once, making a hard call.”

That made sense to Zenya. “I can see where that would take its toll.”

Caye nodded. “You realize that once you walk away, you can never look back. You can’t contact anyone you knew up to the point you leave, except for those in the Shadow Sisters. We’ll be there to support you and act as a safety net, but it’s not like we’re moving you into a Shadow Sisters’ compound. For all intents and purposes, you’ll be on your own.”

“I understand.”

“Even the two women you roomed with in college. They have to be dead to you.”

“Will you fake my death?”

“I don’t know at this point. I do like the fact that you’ve given us the time to plan for your extraction. How do you think Lucian will react to you just disappearing?”

“I think he’d move heaven and earth to find me.”

“And to your death?”

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