“Stay here and stay out of trouble,” I said to her in a stern voice.

Her only response was a cheeky grin as I closed the door behind me.

Outside, the air was hot and dry, reminding me of an oven baking brick stones until they were crisp and dusty. Fanning myself, I longed for a hat.

“You’ll get used to the heat,” the young private said, obviously noticing that I was melting.

“If you say so.”

He chuckled.

I fanned myself again and asked, “Did the commander say what she wanted me for?”

“She didn’t, ma’am.”

He rounded a bend in the walkway, and with a start, I realized neither of our footsteps made a sound. Given the private’s build, I guessed he was a werewolf, since he moved with the smooth grace that was so common among that species. My new species.

My nose twitched, and I subtly inhaled, remembering what Kaillen had said about needing to learn how to use my newly enhanced senses better. A slight scent drifted from the young SF member, hinting at earth and pine. The same subtle fragrance had clung to Kaillen, Carlos, and Cameron. A werewolf’s aroma.

Holy shit, I just identified his species through his scent. That realization made me strangely giddy.

“Right this way.” The private steered me toward the large concrete building that I’d gotten a glimpse of last night but hadn’t seen yet in broad daylight. It rose two stories and took up roughly a city block of space. While it wasn’t overly large, it looked intimidating, and I figured it was the command center Tessa had spoken of.

We marched toward it as the sun shone brightly overhead. The entire landscape was awash with light so piercing that I wished again for a hat or sunglasses. Dusty hills rose around the base as arid mountains filled the distance. We were definitely in some remote desert.

When we reached the command center, the SF member scanned his hand, then a robotic voice greeted him before the door clicked open.

“Ma’am?” the private said politely. He held the door open for me.

“Ladies first?” I gave him a small smile.

The corner of his mouth tugged up. “Yes, ma’am. It’s how my mama raised me.”

I detected a slight southern accent in his words and wondered what pack he heralded from. There were only three werewolf packs in the United States but they all originated in the western states: Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming. Yet, sub-branches of those packs existed in other states as well, although they were still ruled by an alpha in the western region. I figured this private hailed from a sub-branch down south.

“Thank you,” I said and stepped inside.

The door closed behind us as cool air conditioning washed over my skin. I inhaled the sterile odor of cleaning solution and the tangy wards surrounding the building. There were no frills or unnecessary artwork on the walls. Everything was orderly, precise, and stark. Magic swam in the air letting me know the entire perimeter had solid wards and probably illusion spells too. This command center reminded me a bit of Chicago’s SF division.

“This way.” The private led me down a long hall to another door, and after scanning us in, I stepped into a small conference room.

Commander Klebus sat at a table, another SF member beside her, but when I saw what was on the table, all of my attention was focused there.

“Where did you get those?” My eyes turned to saucers.

“I see you recognize them.” The vampire commander waved to the blue cuffs on the table, the same blue cuffs that Jakub’s thugs had shackled me and the Fire Wolf with, which had contained our magic.

“Yeah, you could say that.”

The young private who escorted me saluted Commander Klebus before leaving the room. My eyes darted to the SF member that sat at the commander’s side. I didn’t recognize him. He appeared to be tall, although it was hard to say for sure since he was sitting. His bright orange hair flashed in the light, and his face was angular, his ears slightly pointed, and a heavy pulse of magic swam around him.

A fairy, who I guessed was a high-ranking SF member since he seemed so casual around Klebus. When he saw me assessing him, he gave a polite nod.

The vampire commander inclined her head toward him. “Tala, this is Major Bavar Fieldstone from our Idaho headquarters.”

Idaho? The SF’s headquarters sat just outside of Boise, hidden amidst the hills from humans. Yet within that vacant area the sprawling Supernatural Forces lay. It held a bustling command center, a huge training facility, and barracks for hundreds of SF members. It was where all new recruits went to train once they’d joined the SF ranks. I’d never been there so had no idea what it actually entailed, but that was what Carlos had told me.

“Major Fieldstone has joined this investigation due to a few setbacks we’ve had.” Commander Klebus waved toward the seat across from them. “Please sit.”

“Setbacks?” I asked curiously as I pulled my chair out.

She gestured toward the cuffs, ignoring my question. “I’d like you to formally identify these for me if you will. Do you recognize them?”

I settled in my seat. “Yeah, those are what Jakub placed on me and Mr. King when we were captured. Where did you get them?”

“Mr. King gave them to us.”

My jaw dropped. “What?”

She cocked her head. “He didn’t tell you?”

I somehow managed to pick my jaw up off the floor as annoyance swirled through me. “No, he failed to mention that.” Just another secret he kept from me. “But where did he get them?”

“He said that the man who tried to abduct you in Philadelphia dropped them when he fled. Mr. King retrieved them before contacting us.”

So he’d not only gone to his man cave to get his ax as I’d sat bloody and helpless in his living room in Montana, but he’d also gone back to Philadelphia to get the cuffs he’d obviously seen left behind. I didn’t remember Jakub dropping them, but I had suffered a concussion, so who knew what else I’d missed.

Bottom line? Kaillen was still keeping secrets from me. My stomach roiled, hurt and anger swirling through me simultaneously.

Commander Klebus studied me, as if deciphering an organism under a microscope.

I forced a sweet smile, and hoped I didn’t look like an open book right now, because I was freakin’ pissed.

Her nostrils flared slightly, her intrigued look growing.

Crap. I did a quick self-assessment of my cloaking spell. It was still as sturdy and strong as ever, yet I knew if the commander got a whiff of my new werewolf fragrance that her assessing gaze would turn as sharp as a razor until she pried everything from me.

Shit on a brick.

But all she said was, “Interesting.”

I forced a bright smile. “Was that all you needed from me? To verify that those cuffs were used by Jakub?”

“Not exactly.” Major Bavar Fieldstone leaned forward, his words crisp and slightly lilting in their accent. “What we’ve discovered is that these cuffs were specifically designed for you and Mr. King. From the report I’ve read, it seems the cuffs they placed on Mr. King in New York didn’t fully contain his power. Is that correct?”

My heart began to hammer. “Correct.”

Of course, I neglected to mention that the only reason those cuffs hadn’t held him was because my extreme magic had managed to thin them after I’d combined some spells, and then my forbidden power had multiplied Kaillen’s strength beyond measure, and the hunter had been able to shatter them. Without my witch spells and forbidden power, the cuffs would have held.

“And then it sounds like the cuffs were altered, so they were stronger when they captured you in Oak Trembler. Am I correct thus far?”

I managed to meet Bavar’s gaze straight on. “Yes, that’s right.”

He settled back in his chair, the picture of nonchalance. “Very interesting indeed. Consequently, we’ve been investigating these lovely contraptions, because they are a very dangerous item for someone to possess. Luckily, we believe we’ve come up with a solution for their nasty side effects, but we can’t be certain until we test them.”