too cocky,” Paige said, “you should know that I see those other two with the cloak. That invisibility thing is a neat trick, but I’ve done it a few times myself.”
“Of course you have. Probably killed one of us and gathered up the fur like the morbid scavengers you are.”
Although that wasn’t quite the truth, it was close enough to take the wind from Paige’s sails. She stooped down, holstered the pistol, and held her machete so the blade was pointing directly at the feline spokesman for the group. Sighting along the top of the weapon, she could make out a few rounded facial features. Those, combined with the pitch of the Mongrel’s voice and curve of its body, gave the impression that it was female. “I’ve worked with Mongrels before,” she said. “I helped Kayla’s pack settle into Kansas City.”
The feline’s lips peeled back to show even more sharp teeth. “Sure. After Liam was done tearing it to pieces and every human in the place was anxious to bag themselves a gen-u-ine werewolf to mount onto their wall. How many Mongrels do you think were killed because they poked their noses into the wrong place just to find some food?”
“Not my problem,” Paige replied. “Kayla was free to go or stay. Last I heard, she stayed. I’ve been busy since then, and it’s not my job to babysit.”
“Busy,” one of the cloaked Mongrels snuffed. Its cloak fell away, allowing its body to be seen as if the air itself had parted like a curtain. “We all know what busy means to a Skinner.”
“I didn’t invite myself down here,” Paige said. “I didn’t even know there were Mongrels in Oklahoma.”
“Excuse us if we’re anxious right now,” the feline said. “Things are a bit of a mess around here.”
With a thought placed in the right corner of her mind, Paige willed the machete in her hand to shrink back down into a thick gnarled stick. “They’re a mess everywhere. Since it looks like you’re all pretty well settled, I take it you aren’t happy about the Full Bloods moving in?”
“You got that right,” Salvatore said. When the others glared at him, he looked to the feline spokesperson and said, “Hell, Quinn, I’m just cutting through the bull. With them monsters digging for us, we ain’t got time to be cute with each other.”
Quinn stood up on her hind legs, shifting into a form that wasn’t quite human but was definitely female. “Tell us about the others that came with you. Until we know who we’re dealing with, we don’t go any further.”
A rumble worked its way through the ground, followed by a howl and several feral snarls.
“That’d be the boys locking up with a Full Blood,” Burke reported as he lifted his pointed beak toward the section of wall that he’d emerged from not too long ago.
“Better only be one,” Salvatore said, “or we can say goodbye to them boys.”
Unaffected by the noise that drew closer by the second, Quinn kept her gaze locked on Paige. “Tell me who those other hunters are,” she demanded.
“We came to deal with a Full Blood,” Paige said. “Instead we find two. I should be asking what the hell they’re doing here. If you’ve set up camp in this town, then you must know what’s going on above your heads.”
“We know plenty. We just don’t know who those others were that came in on that jet. Tell me or you’re staying down here for the Full Bloods to sniff you out. If you think you have a prayer of digging your way out before they uproot this entire shelter, then you’re dumber than you think.”
The humorless smile on Paige’s face was a gesture that showed just how resigned to her fate she truly was. “If you want to stay here talking tough with me, I’m all for it. Any cannon fodder is always welcome.”
“After the Breaking Moon rises, your kind will have more cannon fodder than you’ll be able to deal with.”
“What the hell is the Breaking Moon?”
“Who the hell are those people that came in on that jet with you?”
“Amriany,” Paige replied. “Kind of like Euro-Skinners. They’re the ones that forged the Blood Blades.”
Quinn’s brow furrowed. “The Travelers have joined forces with you?”
“Not exactly one big family, but yeah.” The next impact from aboveground was enough to make Paige unsteady on her feet. “Do you seriously have a plan to get out of here?”
When Quinn nodded, it wasn’t to Paige. She turned to look