Page 47 of Mated to Team Shadow

"Hey," said Gunner in an aggrieved voice. "I resemble that remark."

"Quiet," snapped Ryker. Our heads whipped to Ryker who walked point, and he held up his arm to signal we should stop in our tracks. Then he pointed to Gunner to go forward on a sneak-and-peek, and Gunner cast Jeanine a rueful glance, then took off forward. Ryker sent me after him.

"Gotta go, babe," I said. "Buddy system, remember?"

"Right," she said.

I took off into the underbrush, following my teammate, and I saw what Ryker did. It was a well-worn path that led the rest of the way down the mountain. Beyond the end of it, the blue Caribbean waters sparkled in a small harbor sitting between the folds of high ground. Three docks jutted out from the shore sporting a series of different sized boats, large and small. This would appear perfectly normal except for the men who patrolled the shore with automatic assault rifles hanging off their shoulders. Three mismatched tin-roofed buildings sat further in the fold on the thin sliver of beach.

Gunner touched my shoulder and jerked his head back toward the rest of our team, letting me know we should report what we saw. But then a flash of white came out of one building, and the unmistakable figure of Aedan Morgan lit a cigarette. He stared out toward the water.

I gave the hand sign indicating I'd stay, and Gunner shaking his head left me alone to keep an eye on Morgan. If there was one thing we did not want was Morgan hopping on one of those ships.

He paced on the sand and kept looking out toward the head of the harbor, drawing deep drags of his cigarette. He looked worried, but then he should be.

We would come for him soon.

Damon

Gunner found a cave next to a waterfall buried in the ridge's cleft, and we set up our base there. Ryker wanted a safe place for Jeanine, and with the cave, we only needed one of us to stay with her. One backpack held a thermal blanket, and I laid it on the floor of the cave to give her something to sit on.

We decided to wait until night to make our assault. If we blazed in during the day, then we'd face six men with deadly automatic rifles and a ton of bad attitude. Ryker would lead, Kane and Gunner would go in as their cats, and I would stay with Jeanine. Yeah, I drew the long straw—literally. Jeanine scoffed when we pulled lots for the privilege of protecting her.

Ryker and Gunner disappeared to patrol the jungle in their cat form, and Kane changed to his as Jeanine watched wide-eyed. Kane's powerful cat head-butted her as playfully as a house cat. She reached out tentatively to pet his fur, and he chuffed.

"Pretty kitty," she said.

Kane growled. It was a hollow but powerful sound that frightened most people, and she held up her hands in surrender. "Okay. I won't call you a pretty kitty," she said. "But you are cute."

Kane chuffed in annoyance and turned to leave us alone in the cave.

"Looks like I struck a nerve," Jeanine said. She stared after Kane, biting her lip.

"Don't take it personally. He doesn't like the idea of leaving the service."

"You guys don't have to that on my account."

I put my arm around her and drew her to me and kissed the top of her adorable head.

"Sure we do, darling. We can't function like we usually did since we met you, and that could get us killed."

"But it doesn't sound right, or fair."

"We served a decade. If we stuck it out until retirement, we'd have to do another ten years. But I suspect, given our nature, they'll give us a difficult time either way in quitting or retirement. We're part lab rat to them, and they won't let us go willingly."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yes. They don't treat us the same at other SEALs. We spend more time on mission than other units. When we return to base, which is rare, they segregate us from other soldiers. I'm sure they want to see how many missions we can take before we crack. Maybe it's just time."

"Why? Because the last mission didn't go well?"

"We didn't meet objectives the first time. The second time, he won't get away." I spoke with confidence and authority, and she swallowed hard.

I stared intensely into her crystal blue eyes. There were whole worlds there swirling around with new mysteries to explore.

"You aren't used to death, are you?" I said.

"I've seen things. I've just haven't hung out with guys like you who deal with death as a matter-of-course."

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