“Yeah, come to think of it, Sheri is a white Puma.” She sat up, excited beyond belief. “Maybe she knows something about all of this!”

Fox made a sound remarkably like a time-out buzzer. “Nope. Wrong answer.”

“What do you mean? She’s white, she’s a shifter.” Now she was confused.

“She was also made, not born.” Fox tilted his head. “Although I will admit she was born white, she’s albino. She’s white no matter which form she’s in. You aren’t, and neither is Julian. Or… Never mind.”

Chloe blinked. “What?” If it wasn’t Sherri, then who the fuck was it?

Fox snickered. “And that’s all I can tell you without some of the others getting their tails in a knot.”

A loud, angry hiss sounded, followed by a snarl so deep it rattled her bones. Fox jumped to his feet, bowing his head as a gigantic white Lion padded toward them, larger even than Bear.

Chloe did the only thing she could do. She joined Fox, bowing deeply, tilting her head to the side as she’d seen the Pridemates do when Max Canon, the Puma Alpha, exercised his power over them.

A huge shadow blotted out the sky as a sandpaper tongue brushed over her cheek. “Rise, vixen.”

Chloe stood, unwilling to disobey Lion, the spirit lord of all shifters and the Leo’s personal avatar. “Lion.”

He nodded, his snowy mane drifting around his head. Then he turned to Fox with a sigh. “Rise, Fox.”

Fox, his legs trembling, did as told. “Man, I thought you were pissed at me.”

Lion shook his head. “I’m angry over the situation we find ourselves in. We’ve lost more than your little vixen can understand.”

“Then explain it.” The words popped out before she could stop them, but damn if she’d take them back.

“There are laws even we must abide by, Chloe Williams-Woods.” Lion’s voice was deeper and far richer than Fox’s, but she found she preferred the way Fox spoke to her over Lion’s more formal speech. “Laws that were written as the stars were born. We may guide, but we may not interfere.”

“In other words, we’re allowed to show you the rope. It’s up to you what you do with it.” Fox leaned against Lion. Despite the fact that both spirits were roughly the same size, Fox was dwarfed by Lion’s presence.

“Is the other white shifter in danger? Can you tell me pat much?”

Lion and Fox exchanged an enigmatic glance. It was Lion who responded. “Do not worry about that for now. What is coming will involve all of you.”

“So all the white shifters are in danger?” She began to pace. “This all started when Julian moved to Halle, didn’t it?”

Fox poked Lion with his snout. “Told you she was smart.”

Lion snarled and knocked Fox on his ass. “Shush. You come dangerously close to breaking the rules.”

“So it does have to do with Julian.” Chloe bit her lip. “He’s the one who healed me. In healing me, he unlocked something inside me.” She began to pace, thoughts racing one after another in her mind. “Something the Senate is berry interested in.”

The two watched her pace, neither one giving anything away.

“But the dead or alive order makes no sense.” She paused, rubbing her hand over her head. “Unless…”

“Unless?” Fox drawled, his eyes sparkling with approval.

“They already knew.” Chloe stared at Fox. “They knew about white shifters, knew there were more than the Kermode. The Polars are extinct, so are the Arctic Foxes. All the white shifters except the Kermode, who keep to themselves and have little to do with the outside world, and the Leo, who’s special, are extinct. And it stayed that way until one Spirit Bear left his community because he had…” She stared at them, wondering how much of the rope they’d already shown her. “A dream.”

Lion rumbled, but instead of anger she heard affection. It was almost a purr, but not quite, the sound a cat might make to its young to encourage it to keep trying.

“So, what happened? Where are all the other white shifters? And why are we so special that the Senate wants us dead or alive?”

The two spirits glanced at one another, then back at her.

“Oh. Yeah. I guess this—” she waved her hand around, indicating the spirit world, “—is pretty damn pretzel.”

“It’s twisted, that’s for sure,” Fox muttered, ducking away from Lion’s raised paw with a laugh.

“So the Senate either wants to control access to you guys or to eliminate it altogether. But again, why?”

Fox shrugged. “That’s one of the twists of the rope you need to figure out.”

“You, or those who follow in your footsteps.” Lion stood and shook his mane. “And now it is time for you to return to your world. The prey you hunt will not be found here, young vixen.”

“Keep your ears, eyes and nose open at all times.” Fox stood as well and rubbed his cheek along hers. “I believe in you. You’re strong, stronger than your enemies think. You’ve overcome so much, fought so hard, and I see that.” Fox touched his nose to hers. “I’m proud of you, little vixen. Keep up the good work.”

“Stay safe, and guard what you hold dear.” Lion also touched his nose to hers. “And know that we are watching over you.”

That would mean a whole hell of a lot more if they could actually help her with any of this, but Chloe bowed anyway. “Thank you.”

Lion chuckled as if he’d read her thoughts. And who knew? Perhaps he had. She had no idea what he could or could not do.

Lion padded away, his footfalls silent, fading into the mists.

“Look for allies in unusual places,” Fox whispered as the world started to swirl around her. “And remember: it is Fox who holds the key…”

“Good morning, Chloe.” Jim pressed a kiss to the top of his mate’s head, noting with a frown the dark circles under her eyes and the way she barely acknowledged him. “Are you feeling all right?”

She waved her hand and yawned behind her fist. “Busy night.”

That was odd. He could have sworn she never left his side the night before. He wasn’t used to someone sleeping next to him, so he’d woken up several times just to make sure she was there, and safe. “What do you mean, busy night?”